# 1993 Winston 500

The 1993 Winston 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 24th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 2, 1993, before an audience of 145,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. After a rain-delay late into the race, NASCAR officials determined to let the race finish under a two-lap shootout. In a late-race charge, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Ernie Irvan would manage to charge from fourth to first on the final lap to take his seventh career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Bobby Allison Motorsports driver Jimmy Spencer and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.
At the finish of the race, Rusty Wallace would suffer a major crash while crossing the finish line. Coming to the finish, Dale Earnhardt would send Wallace into an airborne spin, sending Wallace into a series of flips and tumbles, crossing the finish line in sixth. With the car destroyed, Wallace was transferred to a Birmingham, Alabama hospital where he was diagnosed with a concussion and a broken left wrist.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval, a 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) tri-oval.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | Masters Inn Economy |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | Skoal |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Jimmy Hensley | AK Racing | Ford | Bojangles, Easterseals (U.S.) |
| 8 | Sterling Marlin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Raybestos |
| 9 | P. J. Jones (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | Melling Racing |
| 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 12 | Jimmy Spencer | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | Meineke |
| 14 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Corn Flakes |
| 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | Keystone |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 20 | Joe Ruttman | Moroso Racing | Ford | FINA |
| 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Bobby Labonte (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Ford | Maxwell House |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | Quaker State |
| 27 | Hut Stricklin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | McDonald's |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 31 | Steve Kinser | Folsom Racing | Chevrolet | Carrier |
| 32 | Jimmy Horton | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | Active Trucking |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 40 | Kenny Wallace (R) | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Dirt Devil |
| 41 | Phil Parsons | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Manheim Auctions |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 44 | Rick Wilson | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 45 | Rich Bickle | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | Kraft, Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 49 | Stanley Smith | BS&S Motorsports | Chevrolet | BS&S Motorsports |
| 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Phoenix Construction |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | Hurley Limo |
| 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | Le Bleu Bottled Water |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | USAir, Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 62 | Ben Hess | Gray Racing | Ford | Belden Asphalt |
| 65 | Jerry O'Neil | O'Neil Racing | Oldsmobile | O'Neil Racing |
| 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | Country Time |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Swanson |
| 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | X-1R |
| 75 | Dick Trickle | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Carolina Pottery |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Ford | Purex |
| 85 | Ken Bouchard | Mansion Motorsports | Ford | Safety-Kleen |
| 90 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Bojangles |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 30, at 4:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, May 1, at 11:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-32 would be decided on time, and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; up to two were given. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.
Dale Earnhardt, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.783 and an average speed of 192.355 miles per hour (309.565 km/h) in the first round.
Nine drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.783 | 192.355 |
| 2 | 12 | Jimmy Spencer | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 50.249 | 190.571 |
| 3 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 50.252 | 190.560 |
| 4 | 44 | Rick Wilson | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 50.311 | 190.336 |
| 5 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 50.332 | 190.257 |
| 6 | 20 | Joe Ruttman | Moroso Racing | Ford | 50.341 | 190.223 |
| 7 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 50.356 | 190.166 |
| 8 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.360 | 190.151 |
| 9 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.366 | 190.128 |
| 10 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 50.386 | 190.053 |
| 11 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 50.387 | 190.049 |
| 12 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 50.396 | 190.015 |
| 13 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 50.466 | 189.752 |
| 14 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.528 | 189.519 |
| 15 | 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 50.537 | 189.485 |
| 16 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.545 | 189.455 |
| 17 | 40 | Kenny Wallace (R) | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 50.561 | 189.395 |
| 18 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 50.589 | 189.290 |
| 19 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 50.617 | 189.185 |
| 20 | 22 | Bobby Labonte (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Ford | 50.617 | 189.185 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 50.496 | 189.639 |
| 22 | 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 50.622 | 189.167 |
| 23 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 50.646 | 189.077 |
| 24 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 50.664 | 189.010 |
| 25 | 27 | Hut Stricklin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 50.795 | 188.522 |
| 26 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.843 | 188.345 |
| 27 | 75 | Dick Trickle | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 50.855 | 188.300 |
| 28 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 50.916 | 188.074 |
| 29 | 7 | Jimmy Hensley | AK Racing | Ford | 50.940 | 187.986 |
| 30 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.041 | 187.614 |
| 31 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 51.209 | 186.998 |
| 32 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Ford | 51.211 | 186.991 |
| 33 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.346 | 186.499 |
| 34 | 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | 51.421 | 186.227 |
| 35 | 32 | Jimmy Horton | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.494 | 185.963 |
| 36 | 45 | Rich Bickle | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | 51.495 | 185.960 |
| 37 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.569 | 185.693 |
| 38 | 14 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 51.579 | 185.657 |
| 39 | 41 | Phil Parsons | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.589 | 185.621 |
| 40 | 85 | Ken Bouchard | Mansion Motorsports | Ford | 51.641 | 185.434 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 41 | 90 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 42 | 9 | P. J. Jones (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 43 | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 44 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 31 | Steve Kinser | Folsom Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 46 | 62 | Ben Hess | Gray Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 47 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 48 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 49 | 65 | Jerry O'Neil | O'Neil Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 50 | 49 | Stanley Smith | BS&S Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 16 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 3 | running | 180 | $85,875 |
| 2 | 2 | 12 | Jimmy Spencer | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 188 | 1 | running | 175 | $56,850 |
| 3 | 3 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 35 | running | 170 | $44,870 |
| 4 | 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 102 | running | 170 | $39,870 |
| 5 | 6 | 20 | Joe Ruttman | Moroso Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 155 | $25,765 |
| 6 | 24 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 188 | 38 | running | 155 | $28,490 |
| 7 | 5 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 188 | 3 | running | 151 | $27,710 |
| 8 | 15 | 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 142 | $22,285 |
| 9 | 29 | 7 | Jimmy Hensley | AK Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 138 | $24,285 |
| 10 | 13 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 134 | $19,585 |
| 11 | 30 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 130 | $15,795 |
| 12 | 11 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 6 | running | 132 | $21,715 |
| 13 | 19 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 124 | $17,435 |
| 14 | 17 | 40 | Kenny Wallace (R) | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 121 | $11,655 |
| 15 | 9 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 118 | $16,975 |
| 16 | 4 | 44 | Rick Wilson | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 187 | 0 | running | 115 | $13,285 |
| 17 | 41 | 90 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 112 | $9,770 |
| 18 | 21 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 187 | 0 | running | 109 | $18,030 |
| 19 | 39 | 41 | Phil Parsons | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 106 | $11,840 |
| 20 | 25 | 27 | Hut Stricklin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 103 | $14,880 |
| 21 | 8 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 100 | $13,810 |
| 22 | 10 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 186 | 0 | running | 97 | $18,890 |
| 23 | 37 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 184 | 0 | running | 94 | $17,580 |
| 24 | 14 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 182 | 0 | running | 91 | $13,375 |
| 25 | 34 | 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | 182 | 0 | running | 88 | $8,395 |
| 26 | 33 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 180 | 0 | running | 85 | $18,115 |
| 27 | 31 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 174 | 0 | handling | 82 | $16,260 |
| 28 | 23 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 167 | 0 | running | 79 | $13,055 |
| 29 | 7 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 158 | 0 | running | 76 | $12,900 |
| 30 | 12 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 156 | 0 | crash | 73 | $12,745 |
| 31 | 27 | 75 | Dick Trickle | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 148 | 0 | running | 70 | $7,965 |
| 32 | 28 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 139 | 0 | engine | 67 | $7,910 |
| 33 | 22 | 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 138 | 0 | crash | 64 | $9,480 |
| 34 | 32 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Ford | 127 | 0 | crash | 61 | $7,850 |
| 35 | 20 | 22 | Bobby Labonte (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Ford | 127 | 0 | crash | 58 | $7,820 |
| 36 | 35 | 32 | Jimmy Horton | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 127 | 0 | crash | 55 | $7,790 |
| 37 | 38 | 14 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 126 | 0 | crash | 52 | $13,285 |
| 38 | 36 | 45 | Rich Bickle | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | 74 | 0 | shocks | 49 | $7,665 |
| 39 | 18 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 32 | 0 | engine | 46 | $7,600 |
| 40 | 40 | 85 | Ken Bouchard | Mansion Motorsports | Ford | 24 | 0 | engine | 43 | $7,570 |
| 41 | 26 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 12 | 0 | camshaft | 40 | $12,120 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 9 | P. J. Jones (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 43 | | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 44 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 31 | Steve Kinser | Folsom Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 62 | Ben Hess | Gray Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 47 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 49 | | 65 | Jerry O'Neil | O'Neil Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 50 | | 49 | Stanley Smith | BS&S Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Rusty Wallace | 1,452 |
| | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,366 (-86) |
| | 3 | Davey Allison | 1,290 (-162) |
| 4 | 4 | Dale Jarrett | 1,209 (–243) |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Petty | 1,208 (–244) |
| | 6 | Mark Martin | 1,191 (–261) |
| 2 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | 1,172 (–280) |
| 1 | 8 | Morgan Shepherd | 1,166 (–286) |
| 5 | 9 | Jimmy Spencer | 1,107 (–345) |
| 5 | 10 | Ernie Irvan | 1,100 (–352) |
| Official driver's standings ||||