# 1992 Champion Spark Plug 500

The 1992 Champion Spark Plug 500 was the 13th stock car race of the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 11th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 13, 1992, before an audience of 100,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, owner-driver Alan Kulwicki would manage to make a late-race pass for the lead with 11 to go to take his fifth and final career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his second and final victory of the season, and enough points to move him into third in the driver's championship standings, 58 points behind the leader. To fill out the top three, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Junior Johnson & Associates driver Bill Elliott would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Pocono International Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.
Pocono International Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 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 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Hooters |
| 8 | Dick Trickle | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Snickers |
| 9 | Chad Little | Melling Racing | Ford | Melling Racing |
| 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | Purolator Filters |
| 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Chevrolet | Raybestos |
| 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 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Maxwell House |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | Quaker State |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 32 | Jimmy Horton | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | Active Trucking |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 41 | Greg Sacks | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | Valtrol Steam Traps |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 56 | Jerry Hill | Hill Motorsports | Pontiac | Bell Motors |
| 59 | Andy Belmont (R) | Pat Rissi Racing | Ford | FDP Brakes |
| 62 | Mark Thompson | Gray Racing | Ford | Phoenix Air |
| 65 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | Aroneck Racing |
| 66 | Jimmy Hensley (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Country Time |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 77 | Mike Potter | Balough Racing | Chevrolet | Kenova Golf Course Construction |
| 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | Thomas Chevrolet |
| 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Ford | Sunoco |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 12, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 15 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, June 13, at 10:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 16-40 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.
Ken Schrader, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 55.499 and an average speed of 162.165 miles per hour (260.979 km/h) in the first round.
No drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55.499 | 162.165 |
| 2 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 55.686 | 161.621 |
| 3 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 55.720 | 161.522 |
| 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 55.748 | 161.441 |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 55.812 | 161.256 |
| 6 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 55.939 | 160.890 |
| 7 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 55.939 | 160.890 |
| 8 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 55.992 | 160.737 |
| 9 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 56.241 | 160.026 |
| 10 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 56.245 | 160.014 |
| 11 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Chevrolet | 56.270 | 159.943 |
| 12 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 56.281 | 159.912 |
| 13 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 56.334 | 159.761 |
| 14 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 56.373 | 159.651 |
| 15 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 56.402 | 159.569 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 16 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55.756 | 161.418 |
| 17 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 56.152 | 160.279 |
| 18 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 56.204 | 160.131 |
| 19 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 56.294 | 159.875 |
| 20 | 8 | Dick Trickle | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 56.428 | 159.495 |
| 21 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 56.432 | 159.484 |
| 22 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 56.436 | 159.473 |
| 23 | 66 | Jimmy Hensley (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 56.487 | 159.329 |
| 24 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 56.535 | 159.193 |
| 25 | 9 | Chad Little | Melling Racing | Ford | 56.600 | 159.011 |
| 26 | 41 | Greg Sacks | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 56.781 | 158.504 |
| 27 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 56.792 | 158.473 |
| 28 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 56.903 | 158.164 |
| 29 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 56.972 | 157.972 |
| 30 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 57.213 | 157.307 |
| 31 | 77 | Mike Potter | Balough Racing | Chevrolet | 58.139 | 154.801 |
| 32 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 58.265 | 154.467 |
| 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 58.505 | 153.833 |
| 34 | 32 | Jimmy Horton | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 58.692 | 153.343 |
| 35 | 65 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | 59.016 | 152.501 |
| 36 | 59 | Andy Belmont (R) | Pat Rissi Racing | Ford | 59.199 | 152.030 |
| 37 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 59.283 | 151.814 |
| 38 | 62 | Mark Thompson | Gray Racing | Ford | 1:00.092 | 149.770 |
| 39 | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | 1:01.497 | 146.349 |
| 40 | 56 | Jerry Hill | Hill Motorsports | Pontiac | 1:03.939 | 140.759 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 6 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 200 | 58 | running | 185 | $74,255 |
| 2 | 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 51 | running | 175 | $39,480 |
| 3 | 3 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 200 | 12 | running | 170 | $32,355 |
| 4 | 1 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 15 | running | 165 | $32,980 |
| 5 | 18 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 34 | running | 160 | $27,175 |
| 6 | 5 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 150 | $18,150 |
| 7 | 19 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 146 | $15,750 |
| 8 | 8 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 147 | $14,650 |
| 9 | 23 | 66 | Jimmy Hensley (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 5 | running | 143 | $11,800 |
| 10 | 12 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $15,600 |
| 11 | 26 | 41 | Greg Sacks | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 130 | $10,000 |
| 12 | 14 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 127 | $9,650 |
| 13 | 24 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 1 | running | 129 | $16,150 |
| 14 | 27 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 121 | $12,050 |
| 15 | 15 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 118 | $11,550 |
| 16 | 21 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 115 | $11,400 |
| 17 | 29 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 198 | 0 | running | 112 | $12,050 |
| 18 | 32 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 109 | $7,900 |
| 19 | 16 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 194 | 20 | running | 111 | $16,000 |
| 20 | 31 | 77 | Mike Potter | Balough Racing | Chevrolet | 191 | 0 | running | 103 | $6,475 |
| 21 | 35 | 65 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | running | 100 | $5,750 |
| 22 | 7 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 97 | $10,150 |
| 23 | 28 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 186 | 2 | engine | 99 | $15,300 |
| 24 | 10 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 185 | 1 | running | 96 | $13,250 |
| 25 | 2 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 180 | 0 | running | 88 | $9,860 |
| 26 | 39 | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | 178 | 0 | running | 85 | $5,150 |
| 27 | 13 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 177 | 0 | clutch | 82 | $5,100 |
| 28 | 17 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | engine | 79 | $16,600 |
| 29 | 20 | 8 | Dick Trickle | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 146 | 0 | engine | 76 | $6,600 |
| 30 | 30 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 141 | 0 | engine | 73 | $9,525 |
| 31 | 11 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | engine | 70 | $9,450 |
| 32 | 37 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 113 | 0 | engine | 67 | $4,850 |
| 33 | 22 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 102 | 0 | engine | 64 | $9,275 |
| 34 | 34 | 32 | Jimmy Horton | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | crash | 61 | $4,675 |
| 35 | 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 33 | 0 | head gasket | 58 | $7,100 |
| 36 | 9 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22 | 0 | engine | 55 | $12,515 |
| 37 | 25 | 9 | Chad Little | Melling Racing | Ford | 15 | 0 | piston | 52 | $4,445 |
| 38 | 40 | 56 | Jerry Hill | Hill Motorsports | Pontiac | 10 | 0 | engine | 49 | $4,405 |
| 39 | 38 | 62 | Mark Thompson | Gray Racing | Ford | 8 | 0 | engine | 46 | $4,370 |
| 40 | 36 | 59 | Andy Belmont (R) | Pat Rissi Racing | Ford | 3 | 0 | engine | 43 | $4,295 |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Davey Allison | 1,933 |
| 1 | 2 | Bill Elliott | 1,912 (-21) |
| 2 | 3 | Alan Kulwicki | 1,875 (-58) |
| | 4 | Harry Gant | 1,840 (–93) |
| 3 | 5 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,824 (–109) |
| | 6 | Terry Labonte | 1,792 (–141) |
| 4 | 7 | Mark Martin | 1,658 (–275) |
| 1 | 8 | Morgan Shepherd | 1,636 (–297) |
| | 9 | Geoff Bodine | 1,615 (–318) |
| | 10 | Ernie Irvan | 1,599 (–334) |
| Official driver's standings ||||