# 1992 First Union 400

The 1992 First Union 400 was the seventh stock car race of the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 4, 1992, before an audience of 44,000 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison would manage to defend the field in the last 88 laps to take his 15th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. With the victory, Allison was able to grow his driver's championship points lead to 86 points. To fill out the top three, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace and Hendrick Motorsports driver Ricky Rudd would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about five miles east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures 0.625 mi (1.006 km) and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch. It has previously held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's original closure in 1996. The speedway briefly reopened in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races before closing again in the spring of 2011. It was re-opened in August 2022 for grassroots racing.

### 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 66 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Country Time |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Staley's Steak House |
| 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Moly Black Gold |
*Replaced by Jimmy Hensley in qualifying due to injuries. Allison would, however, race in the event.

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 10, 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, April 11, at 12:15 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 16-30 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.
Alan Kulwicki, driving for his own AK Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 19.191 and an average speed of 117.242 miles per hour (188.683 km/h) in the first round.
No drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 19.191 | 117.242 |
| 2 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.275 | 116.732 |
| 3 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.279 | 116.707 |
| 4 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.290 | 116.641 |
| 5 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 19.302 | 116.568 |
| 6 | 8 | Dick Trickle | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 19.303 | 116.562 |
| 7 | 28 | Jimmy Hensley (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 19.321 | 116.454 |
| 8 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 19.323 | 116.442 |
| 9 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 19.359 | 116.225 |
| 10 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 19.367 | 116.177 |
| 11 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 19.397 | 115.997 |
| 12 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 19.406 | 115.944 |
| 13 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 19.423 | 115.842 |
| 14 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 19.432 | 115.788 |
| 15 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 19.454 | 115.657 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 16 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 19.461 | 115.616 |
| 17 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 19.461 | 115.616 |
| 18 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.463 | 115.604 |
| 19 | 41 | Greg Sacks | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.468 | 115.574 |
| 20 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 19.494 | 115.420 |
| 21 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 19.513 | 115.308 |
| 22 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 19.546 | 115.113 |
| 23 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 19.546 | 115.113 |
| 24 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 19.552 | 115.078 |
| 25 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.576 | 114.937 |
| 26 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 19.647 | 114.521 |
| 27 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.692 | 114.260 |
| 28 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 19.695 | 114.242 |
| 29 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.698 | 114.225 |
| 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 19.772 | 113.797 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 31 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 32 | 66 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 7 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 400 | 88 | running | 180 | $51,740 |
| 2 | 5 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 400 | 47 | running | 175 | $29,140 |
| 3 | 2 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running | 165 | $23,465 |
| 4 | 11 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 400 | 28 | running | 165 | $22,665 |
| 5 | 16 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 400 | 0 | running | 155 | $19,590 |
| 6 | 9 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 36 | running | 155 | $32,540 |
| 7 | 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 400 | 182 | running | 156 | $21,990 |
| 8 | 10 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 142 | $11,835 |
| 9 | 3 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 400 | 0 | running | 138 | $11,085 |
| 10 | 8 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 400 | 19 | running | 139 | $12,965 |
| 11 | 6 | 8 | Dick Trickle | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 130 | $10,610 |
| 12 | 14 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 127 | $10,260 |
| 13 | 4 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running | 124 | $13,935 |
| 14 | 22 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 121 | $6,860 |
| 15 | 25 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 118 | $13,735 |
| 16 | 12 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 115 | $11,960 |
| 17 | 24 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 112 | $3,885 |
| 18 | 29 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 109 | $9,835 |
| 19 | 13 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 398 | 0 | running | 106 | $9,010 |
| 20 | 20 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 103 | $12,410 |
| 21 | 19 | 41 | Greg Sacks | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 100 | $3,660 |
| 22 | 18 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 97 | $12,610 |
| 23 | 27 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 396 | 0 | running | 94 | $8,460 |
| 24 | 26 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 91 | $5,310 |
| 25 | 32 | 66 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 88 | $5,260 |
| 26 | 21 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 85 | $8,060 |
| 27 | 23 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 393 | 0 | running | 82 | $8,885 |
| 28 | 15 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 367 | 0 | running | 79 | $7,770 |
| 29 | 17 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 347 | 0 | running | 76 | $9,735 |
| 30 | 31 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 346 | 0 | running | 73 | $3,060 |
| 31 | 28 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 234 | 0 | handling | 70 | $8,610 |
| 32 | 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 219 | 0 | engine | 67 | $4,535 |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Davey Allison | 1,129 |
| 1 | 2 | Harry Gant | 1,043 (-86) |
| 1 | 3 | Bill Elliott | 1,023 (-106) |
| | 4 | Terry Labonte | 1,013 (–116) |
| | 5 | Alan Kulwicki | 1,006 (–123) |
| 1 | 6 | Geoff Bodine | 985 (–144) |
| 1 | 7 | Morgan Shepherd | 969 (–160) |
| | 8 | Dale Earnhardt | 927 (–202) |
| | 9 | Dick Trickle | 893 (–236) |
| 1 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | 869 (–260) |
| Official driver's standings ||||