# 1994 AC Delco 500

The 1994 AC Delco 500 was the 29th stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 23, 1994, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 492 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to defend against Precision Products Racing driver Rick Mast to take his 63rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Rick Mast and Wood Brothers Racing driver Morgan Shepherd would finish second and third, respectively.
With the victory, Earnhardt would manage to mathematically clinch and win a record-tying seventh NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship, which at the time was an achievement only achieved by Richard Petty. Earnhardt had only needed to gain 50 points on second-place driver in the driver's standings, Rusty Wallace. With Earnhardt's win and an early engine issue from Wallace, Earnhardt had managed to gain 127 points on Wallace, thus clinching the championship. The feat would not be matched until 2016, when Jimmie Johnson managed to win his seventh championship at the 2016 Ford EcoBoost 400.

## Background

North Carolina Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.

### 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 | Brad Noffsinger | Taylor Racing | Ford | Children's Miracle Network Hospitals |
| 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 |
| 14 | Randy MacDonald | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | NTN Bearings |
| 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 |
| 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 | Kenny Wallace | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | DieHard |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 31 | Ward Burton | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hardee's |
| 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | SkyBox International |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 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 |
| 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | WCW Halloween Havoc |
| 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 55 | Butch Miller | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | RaDiUs Motorsports |
| 61 | Rick Carelli | Chesrown Racing | Chevrolet | Total Petroleum |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Terramite |
| 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Factory Stores of America |
| 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | US Airways |
| 84 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Ford | 84 Lumber |
| 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Fingerhut |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Thursday, October 20, at 3:00 PM EST. However, after 35 drivers had taken times for qualifying, first-round qualifying was rained out and postponed until Friday, October 21, at 2:00 PM EST. As a result of the rain delay, qualifying was decided to be combined into only one round. For this specific race, positions 1-40 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.
Ricky Rudd, driving for his own Rudd Performance Motorsports team, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.305 and an average speed of 157.099 miles per hour (252.826 km/h) in the first round.
Three drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 23.305 | 157.099 |
| 2 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.334 | 156.904 |
| 3 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 23.346 | 156.823 |
| 4 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 23.348 | 156.810 |
| 5 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 23.380 | 156.595 |
| 6 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.401 | 156.455 |
| 7 | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.411 | 156.388 |
| 8 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 23.418 | 156.341 |
| 9 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.424 | 156.301 |
| 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.456 | 156.088 |
| 11 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 23.467 | 156.015 |
| 12 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 23.496 | 155.822 |
| 13 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.501 | 155.789 |
| 14 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 23.545 | 155.498 |
| 15 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.563 | 155.379 |
| 16 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.564 | 155.373 |
| 17 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 23.567 | 155.353 |
| 18 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 23.597 | 155.155 |
| 19 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 23.616 | 155.030 |
| 20 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.624 | 154.978 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.621 | 154.998 |
| 22 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.626 | 154.965 |
| 23 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.646 | 154.834 |
| 24 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.654 | 154.781 |
| 25 | 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | 23.662 | 154.729 |
| 26 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.664 | 154.716 |
| 27 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 23.692 | 154.533 |
| 28 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 23.702 | 154.468 |
| 29 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 23.709 | 154.422 |
| 30 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.716 | 154.377 |
| 31 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 23.768 | 154.039 |
| 32 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 23.798 | 153.845 |
| 33 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 23.857 | 153.464 |
| 34 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 23.859 | 153.452 |
| 35 | 14 | Randy MacDonald | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 23.863 | 153.426 |
| 36 | 43 | John Andretti (R) | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.878 | 153.329 |
| 37 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.911 | 153.118 |
| 38 | 55 | Butch Miller | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 23.915 | 153.092 |
| 39 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 23.920 | 153.060 |
| 40 | 61 | Rick Carelli | Chesrown Racing | Chevrolet | 23.943 | 152.913 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 02 | Brad Noffsinger | Taylor Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 44 | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 84 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 20 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 492 | 108 | running | 185 | $60,600 |
| 2 | 8 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 492 | 58 | running | 175 | $45,425 |
| 3 | 6 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 492 | 34 | running | 170 | $32,100 |
| 4 | 1 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 492 | 2 | running | 165 | $28,076 |
| 5 | 2 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 492 | 80 | running | 160 | $28,750 |
| 6 | 18 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 492 | 2 | running | 155 | $20,650 |
| 7 | 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 492 | 0 | running | 146 | $23,850 |
| 8 | 21 | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 492 | 1 | running | 147 | $15,625 |
| 9 | 7 | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 491 | 3 | running | 143 | $12,450 |
| 10 | 41 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 491 | 0 | running | 134 | $25,650 |
| 11 | 30 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 490 | 0 | running | 130 | $18,450 |
| 12 | 27 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 489 | 0 | running | 127 | $21,850 |
| 13 | 26 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 488 | 0 | running | 124 | $17,450 |
| 14 | 37 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 488 | 5 | running | 126 | $20,050 |
| 15 | 23 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 488 | 0 | running | 118 | $20,225 |
| 16 | 31 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 488 | 0 | running | 115 | $12,750 |
| 17 | 13 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 484 | 0 | running | 112 | $12,450 |
| 18 | 5 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 484 | 0 | running | 109 | $20,150 |
| 19 | 39 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 483 | 0 | running | 106 | $11,750 |
| 20 | 38 | 55 | Butch Miller | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 483 | 0 | running | 103 | $9,450 |
| 21 | 28 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 481 | 0 | running | 100 | $11,100 |
| 22 | 40 | 61 | Rick Carelli | Chesrown Racing | Chevrolet | 475 | 0 | running | 97 | $8,400 |
| 23 | 22 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 474 | 0 | crash | 94 | $16,900 |
| 24 | 35 | 14 | Randy MacDonald | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 466 | 0 | running | 91 | $8,200 |
| 25 | 36 | 43 | John Andretti (R) | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 466 | 0 | running | 88 | $10,500 |
| 26 | 33 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 460 | 0 | running | 85 | $14,300 |
| 27 | 34 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 459 | 0 | running | 82 | $13,200 |
| 28 | 19 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 458 | 0 | engine | 79 | $13,900 |
| 29 | 15 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 437 | 101 | handling | 81 | $26,300 |
| 30 | 16 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 430 | 0 | running | 73 | $9,600 |
| 31 | 9 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | crash | 70 | $13,400 |
| 32 | 24 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 381 | 40 | running | 72 | $13,300 |
| 33 | 42 | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 341 | 0 | handling | 64 | $11,200 |
| 34 | 12 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 | handling | 61 | $7,100 |
| 35 | 14 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 300 | 0 | engine | 58 | $19,200 |
| 36 | 29 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 233 | 0 | crash | 55 | $20,575 |
| 37 | 4 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 230 | 0 | engine | 52 | $10,950 |
| 38 | 32 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 202 | 0 | crash | 49 | $6,925 |
| 39 | 11 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 112 | 0 | crash | 46 | $6,925 |
| 40 | 3 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 95 | 58 | engine | 48 | $12,500 |
| 41 | 25 | 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | 39 | 0 | crash | 40 | $6,950 |
| 42 | 17 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 25 | 0 | crash | 37 | $6,900 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 02 | Brad Noffsinger | Taylor Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 84 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 4,476 |
| | 2 | Rusty Wallace | 4,028 (-448) |
| | 3 | Mark Martin | 3,890 (-586) |
| | 4 | Ken Schrader | 3,812 (–664) |
| | 5 | Ricky Rudd | 3,778 (–698) |
| | 6 | Morgan Shepherd | 3,752 (–724) |
| 1 | 7 | Terry Labonte | 3,549 (–927) |
| 2 | 8 | Bill Elliott | 3,505 (–971) |
| 2 | 9 | Jeff Gordon | 3,493 (–983) |
| 1 | 10 | Darrell Waltrip | 3,454 (–1,022) |
| Official driver's standings ||||