# 1993 DieHard 500

The 1993 DieHard 500 was the 18th stock car race of the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 25th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 25th, 1993, before an audience of 100,000 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. In one of the closest finishes in NASCAR Winston Cup Series history, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to best out a last-lap challenge against Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Ernie Irvan by 0.005 seconds at the finish line, with Earnhardt managing to extend his dominant driver's championship lead over the rest of the field with the victory. The victory was Earnhardt's 59th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his sixth and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish third.
The race was marred by two separate major incidents throughout the race. On lap 70, a five-car incident featured Active Motorsports driver Jimmy Horton flipping over the protective outside wall in turn one, meant to keep cars within the track. While Horton wasn't seriously hurt, in the same accident, owner-driver and Birmingham, Alabama native Stanley Smith would suffer a basilar skull fracture and partial paralysis of the right side of his body after slamming his car into the turn one wall, spilling blood on most of his racing firesuit.
After being taken to a Birmingham hospital, Smith would recover for 40 days until he was eventually discharged. The second major crash would occur on lap 132, when Neil Bonnett's car would go airborne, flip over the damaged car of Ted Musgrave, and smash into the protective catch-fence on the track's front-stretch that was meant to protect spectators. Nine fans would be injured due to the crash. Bonnett, making a one-off appearance since retiring in 1990, was uninjured and would eventually decide to commentate the rest of the race for CBS.

## 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 |
| 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 | The Family Channel |
| 8 | Sterling Marlin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Raybestos |
| 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 12 | Jimmy Spencer | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | Meineke |
| 14 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted 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 |
| 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 | Robby Gordon | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco / Havoline |
| 29 | Kerry Teague | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | Linro Motorsports |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 31 | Neil Bonnett | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Mom 'n' Pop's |
| 32 | Jimmy Horton | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | Active Trucking |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 37 | Loy Allen Jr. | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | Naturally Fresh Foods |
| 38 | Bobby Hamilton | Akins Motorsports | Ford | Holgate Toys |
| 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 |
| 46 | Buddy Baker | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 49 | Stanley Smith | BS&S Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kresto Hand Cleaner |
| 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Phoenix Construction |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | Le Bleu Bottled Water |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | USAir / Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 62 | Clay Young | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | Belden Asphalt |
| 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | Country Time |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Southwest Technical Group |
| 75 | Dick Trickle | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Factory Stores of America |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Ford | Purex |
| 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, July 22, 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, July 23, 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 21-40 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.
Bill Elliott, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.772 and an average speed of 192.397 miles per hour (309.633 km/h) in the first round.
Five drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 49.772 | 192.397 |
| 2 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.782 | 192.359 |
| 3 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 49.874 | 192.004 |
| 4 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 49.993 | 191.547 |
| 5 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.039 | 191.371 |
| 6 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 50.123 | 191.050 |
| 7 | 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 50.135 | 191.004 |
| 8 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.180 | 190.833 |
| 9 | 27 | Hut Stricklin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 50.183 | 190.822 |
| 10 | 44 | Rick Wilson | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 50.184 | 190.818 |
| 11 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50.213 | 190.708 |
| 12 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.228 | 190.651 |
| 13 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 50.234 | 190.628 |
| 14 | 28 | Robby Gordon | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 50.238 | 190.613 |
| 15 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 50.247 | 190.579 |
| 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.289 | 190.419 |
| 17 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 50.293 | 190.404 |
| 18 | 37 | Loy Allen Jr. | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 50.339 | 190.230 |
| 19 | 7 | Jimmy Hensley | AK Racing | Ford | 50.359 | 190.155 |
| 20 | 31 | Neil Bonnett | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50.395 | 190.019 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 50.461 | 189.770 |
| 22 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.546 | 189.451 |
| 23 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.584 | 189.309 |
| 24 | 32 | Jimmy Horton | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.607 | 189.223 |
| 25 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 50.611 | 189.208 |
| 26 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 50.629 | 189.141 |
| 27 | 12 | Jimmy Spencer | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 50.685 | 188.932 |
| 28 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.717 | 188.812 |
| 29 | 90 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 50.723 | 188.790 |
| 30 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 50.727 | 188.775 |
| 31 | 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 50.759 | 188.656 |
| 32 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 50.761 | 188.649 |
| 33 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 50.816 | 188.445 |
| 34 | 40 | Kenny Wallace (R) | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 50.881 | 188.204 |
| 35 | 49 | Stanley Smith | BS&S Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.987 | 187.813 |
| 36 | 14 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 51.058 | 187.551 |
| 37 | 41 | Phil Parsons | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.068 | 187.515 |
| 38 | 75 | Dick Trickle | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 51.072 | 187.500 |
| 39 | 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | 51.135 | 187.269 |
| 40 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Ford | 51.207 | 187.006 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 22 | Bobby Labonte (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Ford | 51.243 | 186.874 |
| 42 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 51.897 | 184.519 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 45 | Rich Bickle | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 44 | 38 | Bobby Hamilton | Akins Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 46 | Buddy Baker | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 46 | 62 | Clay Young | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 47 | 29 | Kerry Teague | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 11 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 59 | running | 185 | $87,315 |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 56 | running | 175 | $53,210 |
| 3 | 25 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 9 | running | 170 | $40,495 |
| 4 | 4 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 39 | running | 165 | $31,395 |
| 5 | 15 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 5 | running | 160 | $30,390 |
| 6 | 7 | 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 150 | $17,715 |
| 7 | 23 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 188 | 5 | running | 151 | $20,865 |
| 8 | 12 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 142 | $21,815 |
| 9 | 3 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 188 | 4 | running | 143 | $18,085 |
| 10 | 26 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 134 | $19,665 |
| 11 | 1 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 188 | 3 | running | 135 | $25,745 |
| 12 | 9 | 27 | Hut Stricklin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 127 | $16,665 |
| 13 | 29 | 90 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 124 | $10,695 |
| 14 | 36 | 14 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 121 | $16,250 |
| 15 | 41 | 22 | Bobby Labonte (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 118 | $14,350 |
| 16 | 33 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 115 | $18,065 |
| 17 | 32 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 112 | $17,900 |
| 18 | 40 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 109 | $9,795 |
| 19 | 38 | 75 | Dick Trickle | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 106 | $9,615 |
| 20 | 13 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 187 | 0 | running | 103 | $15,425 |
| 21 | 30 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 100 | $9,195 |
| 22 | 37 | 41 | Phil Parsons | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 97 | $11,265 |
| 23 | 10 | 44 | Rick Wilson | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 186 | 0 | running | 94 | $10,885 |
| 24 | 5 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 186 | 1 | running | 96 | $14,155 |
| 25 | 17 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 185 | 0 | running | 88 | $8,525 |
| 26 | 18 | 37 | Loy Allen Jr. | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 185 | 0 | running | 85 | $8,450 |
| 27 | 22 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 183 | 0 | running | 82 | $13,730 |
| 28 | 19 | 7 | Jimmy Hensley | AK Racing | Ford | 182 | 0 | running | 79 | $17,710 |
| 29 | 42 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 179 | 0 | running | 76 | $8,240 |
| 30 | 27 | 12 | Jimmy Spencer | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 174 | 0 | running | 73 | $12,920 |
| 31 | 8 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 148 | 7 | engine | 75 | $11,250 |
| 32 | 28 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | engine | 67 | $12,630 |
| 33 | 21 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 132 | 0 | crash | 64 | $12,535 |
| 34 | 20 | 31 | Neil Bonnett | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 131 | 0 | crash | 61 | $8,915 |
| 35 | 34 | 40 | Kenny Wallace (R) | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 94 | 0 | handling | 58 | $9,420 |
| 36 | 31 | 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 90 | 0 | engine | 55 | $12,360 |
| 37 | 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | engine | 52 | $17,610 |
| 38 | 6 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 69 | 0 | crash | 49 | $12,285 |
| 39 | 24 | 32 | Jimmy Horton | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 69 | 0 | crash | 46 | $7,730 |
| 40 | 35 | 49 | Stanley Smith | BS&S Motorsports | Chevrolet | 68 | 0 | crash | 43 | $7,690 |
| 41 | 39 | 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | 68 | 0 | crash | 40 | $7,665 |
| 42 | 14 | 28 | Robby Gordon | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 55 | 0 | crash | 37 | $17,665 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 45 | Rich Bickle | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 38 | Bobby Hamilton | Akins Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 46 | Buddy Baker | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 62 | Clay Young | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 47 | | 29 | Kerry Teague | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Media
### Television

The Diehard 500 was covered by CBS in the United States. Ken Squier, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Ned Jarrett and 1980 race winner Neil Bonnett called the race from the broadcast booth, Bonnett was driving in this race and reported from the car in the race but returned to the booth after his accident. Mike Joy and David Hobbs handled pit road for the television side. This would be the last race Neil Bonnett would call for CBS as he was scheduled to be with CBS for 1994 but was killed practicing for the 1994 Daytona 500. Due to the one hour red flag caused by Bonnett flipping his car and damaging the fence, CBS left during the red flag to air some of their same day coverage of the Tour de France but returned to Talladega to live coverage of the rest of the race.
CBS :
| Booth announcers | Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap | Color-commentators | Pit reporters |
| Ken Squier | Ned Jarrett Neil Bonnett | Mike Joy David Hobbs |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,797 |
| | 2 | Dale Jarrett | 2,563 (-234) |
| | 3 | Rusty Wallace | 2,464 (-333) |
| | 4 | Morgan Shepherd | 2,423 (–374) |
| 2 | 5 | Mark Martin | 2,342 (–455) |
| | 6 | Kyle Petty | 2,340 (–457) |
| 4 | 7 | Ernie Irvan | 2,257 (–540) |
| 3 | 8 | Ken Schrader | 2,248 (–549) |
| 1 | 9 | Geoff Bodine | 2,214 (–583) |
| 2 | 10 | Jeff Gordon | 2,183 (–614) |
| Official driver's standings ||||