# 1994 Hooters 500

The 1994 Hooters 500 was the 31st and final stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 12, 1994, in Hampton, Georgia, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.522 miles (2.449 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 328 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 14th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Butch Mock Motorsports driver Todd Bodine would finish second and third, respectively.
The race marked the final Winston Cup Series start for long-time driver Harry Gant. Gant would retire from the race due to a burnt piston, finishing 33rd.
Earnhardt dedicated his season championship to Neil Bonnett who lost his life before the first race of the season.

## Background

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.522-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.
The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of 1.54-mile (2.48 km) where before it was 1.522-mile (2.449 km). The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.

### Entry list

* (R) - denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | Skoal |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 02 | Randy LaJoie | Taylor Racing | Ford | Taylor Racing |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | Exide |
| 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Raybestos |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | Mane 'n Tail |
| 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Ford Quality Care |
| 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | The Family Channel |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | Hooters |
| 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Ford | FINA |
| 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | Maxwell House |
| 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | Smokin' Joe's |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | Quaker State |
| 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | McDonald's |
| 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Diamond Ridge Motorsports |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 31 | Ward Burton | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hardee's |
| 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | Manheim Auctions |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit's Last Ride |
| 34 | Bob Brevak | Brevak Racing | Ford | Scaffidi Truck Centers |
| 35 | Bill Venturini | Venturini Motorsports | Chevrolet | Rain-X |
| 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Kendall |
| 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Meineke |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 43 | John Andretti (R) | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | Buss Fuses |
| 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | Terminal Trucking |
| 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | Johnson Standridge Racing |
| 50 | Brian Bonner | A. J. Foyt Racing | Ford | Copenhagen |
| 52 | Gary Bradberry | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 53 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 54 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Manheim Auctions |
| 55 | Tim Fedewa | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | RaDiUs Motorsports |
| 61 | Rick Carelli | Chesrown Racing | Chevrolet | Total Petroleum |
| 64 | Gary Wright | White Racing | Chevrolet | Action Rent-to-Own |
| 67 | Ken Bouchard | Cunningham Racing | Ford | Cunningham Racing |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Olive Garden |
| 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Factory Stores of America |
| 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | US Airways |
| 78 | Pancho Carter | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Equipment Supply Company |
| 80 | Joe Ruttman | Hover Motorsports | Ford | Hover Motorsports |
| 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 97 | Jeff Green | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Ultra Wheels |
| 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Fingerhut |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, November 11, at 2:00 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, November 12, at 11:00 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 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 provisionals 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.
Greg Sacks, driving for U.S. Motorsports Inc., would win the pole, setting a time of 29.485 and an average speed of 185.830 miles per hour (299.064 km/h) in the first round.
13 drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 29.485 | 185.830 |
| 2 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.658 | 184.746 |
| 3 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 29.791 | 183.921 |
| 4 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 29.793 | 183.909 |
| 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.821 | 183.736 |
| 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.859 | 183.502 |
| 7 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.878 | 183.386 |
| 8 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 29.905 | 183.220 |
| 9 | 43 | John Andretti (R) | Petty GMS Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.917 | 183.147 |
| 10 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.920 | 183.128 |
| 11 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 29.927 | 183.086 |
| 12 | 52 | Gary Bradberry | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 29.971 | 182.817 |
| 13 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.032 | 182.445 |
| 14 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 30.098 | 182.047 |
| 15 | 02 | Randy LaJoie | Taylor Racing | Ford | 30.040 | 182.397 |
| 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.044 | 182.373 |
| 17 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 30.060 | 182.275 |
| 18 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 30.088 | 182.106 |
| 19 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 30.099 | 182.039 |
| 20 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 30.115 | 181.943 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.009 | 182.585 |
| 22 | 78 | Pancho Carter | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 30.034 | 185.433 |
| 23 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 30.092 | 182.082 |
| 24 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 30.098 | 182.045 |
| 25 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 30.126 | 181.876 |
| 26 | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.168 | 181.623 |
| 27 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 30.172 | 181.599 |
| 28 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.187 | 181.509 |
| 29 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.195 | 181.461 |
| 30 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.236 | 181.214 |
| 31 | 97 | Jeff Green | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 30.245 | 181.161 |
| 32 | 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Ford | 30.249 | 181.137 |
| 33 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 30.252 | 181.119 |
| 34 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 30.257 | 181.089 |
| 35 | 54 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.263 | 181.053 |
| 36 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 30.265 | 181.041 |
| 37 | 44 | Jimmy Hensley | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | 30.271 | 181.005 |
| 38 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.277 | 180.969 |
| 39 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 30.280 | 180.951 |
| 40 | 67 | Ken Bouchard | Cunningham Racing | Ford | 30.307 | 180.790 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 55 | Tim Fedewa | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 46 | 64 | Gary Wright | White Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 47 | 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 48 | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 49 | 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 50 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 51 | 80 | Joe Ruttman | Hover Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 52 | 35 | Bill Venturini | Venturini Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 53 | 53 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 54 | 61 | Rick Carelli | Chesrown Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 55 | 34 | Bob Brevak | Brevak Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 56 | 50 | Brian Bonner | A. J. Foyt Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 328 | 119 | running | 185 | $104,200 |
| 2 | 30 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 328 | 17 | running | 175 | $55,950 |
| 3 | 36 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 328 | 41 | running | 170 | $44,000 |
| 4 | 20 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 328 | 20 | running | 165 | $32,000 |
| 5 | 34 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 328 | 13 | running | 160 | $23,800 |
| 6 | 33 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 328 | 0 | running | 150 | $24,100 |
| 7 | 3 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 327 | 4 | running | 151 | $21,030 |
| 8 | 10 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 326 | 0 | running | 142 | $22,550 |
| 9 | 23 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 326 | 0 | running | 138 | $23,325 |
| 10 | 27 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 326 | 0 | running | 134 | $21,200 |
| 11 | 38 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 326 | 0 | running | 130 | $18,375 |
| 12 | 37 | 44 | Jimmy Hensley | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | 325 | 2 | running | 132 | $10,950 |
| 13 | 9 | 43 | John Andretti (R) | Petty GMS Motorsports | Pontiac | 325 | 9 | running | 129 | $15,025 |
| 14 | 8 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 324 | 0 | running | 121 | $17,200 |
| 15 | 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 323 | 0 | running | 118 | $20,125 |
| 16 | 39 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 323 | 0 | running | 115 | $12,450 |
| 17 | 22 | 78 | Pancho Carter | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 322 | 0 | running | 112 | $9,130 |
| 18 | 31 | 97 | Jeff Green | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 321 | 0 | running | 109 | $8,815 |
| 19 | 15 | 02 | Randy LaJoie | Taylor Racing | Ford | 318 | 0 | running | 106 | $8,575 |
| 20 | 25 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 315 | 0 | running | 103 | $11,710 |
| 21 | 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 313 | 0 | running | 100 | $10,745 |
| 22 | 41 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 307 | 0 | running | 97 | $18,730 |
| 23 | 7 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 94 | $10,115 |
| 24 | 42 | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 296 | 0 | running | 91 | $13,800 |
| 25 | 2 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 292 | 0 | running | 88 | $18,685 |
| 26 | 29 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 290 | 0 | running | 85 | $9,370 |
| 27 | 24 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 288 | 9 | running | 87 | $14,055 |
| 28 | 21 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 287 | 0 | timing chain | 79 | $14,940 |
| 29 | 40 | 67 | Ken Bouchard | Cunningham Racing | Ford | 280 | 0 | valve | 76 | $6,675 |
| 30 | 12 | 52 | Gary Bradberry | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 276 | 0 | running | 73 | $6,600 |
| 31 | 19 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 275 | 0 | running | 70 | $12,635 |
| 32 | 18 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 263 | 0 | running | 67 | $17,670 |
| 33 | 28 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 257 | 0 | oil pan | 64 | $12,405 |
| 34 | 4 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 247 | 34 | crash | 66 | $16,740 |
| 35 | 35 | 54 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 222 | 0 | running | 58 | $6,275 |
| 36 | 14 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 211 | 8 | engine | 60 | $12,510 |
| 37 | 11 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 211 | 0 | running | 52 | $10,170 |
| 38 | 43 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 203 | 0 | oil pump | 49 | $10,140 |
| 39 | 1 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 161 | 24 | vibration | 51 | $18,515 |
| 40 | 13 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 155 | 0 | engine | 43 | $16,100 |
| 41 | 26 | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 154 | 28 | valve | 45 | $8,900 |
| 42 | 17 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 109 | 0 | crash | 37 | $6,100 |
| 43 | 32 | 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Ford | 89 | 0 | engine | 34 | $6,100 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 55 | Tim Fedewa | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 64 | Gary Wright | White Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 48 | | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 49 | | 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 50 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 51 | | 80 | Joe Ruttman | Hover Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 52 | | 35 | Bill Venturini | Venturini Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 53 | | 53 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 54 | | 61 | Rick Carelli | Chesrown Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 55 | | 34 | Bob Brevak | Brevak Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 56 | | 50 | Brian Bonner | A. J. Foyt Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 4,694 |
| 1 | 2 | Mark Martin | 4,250 (-444) |
| 1 | 3 | Rusty Wallace | 4,207 (-487) |
| | 4 | Ken Schrader | 4,060 (–634) |
| | 5 | Ricky Rudd | 4,050 (–644) |
| | 6 | Morgan Shepherd | 4,029 (–665) |
| | 7 | Terry Labonte | 3,876 (–818) |
| | 8 | Bill Elliott | 3,776 (–918) |
| | 9 | Jeff Gordon | 3,688 (–1,006) |
| | 10 | Darrell Waltrip | 3,617 (–1,077) |
| Official driver's standings ||||