# 1992 TranSouth 500

The 1992 TranSouth 500 was the fifth stock car race of the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 36th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 8, 1992, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 367 laps to complete. In the final stages of the race, Junior Johnson & Associates driver Bill Elliott would make a late-race charge for the lead, passing for the lead with 45 to go to take his 38th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his fourth victory of the season, and his fourth consecutive victory. To fill out the top three, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

### 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 | Dave Mader III | 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 |
| 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 | Rumple Furniture |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 53 | John McFadden | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 56 | Jerry Hill | Hill Motorsports | Pontiac | Hill Motorsports |
| 66 | Chad Little | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Country Time |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | McGetrick Electric |
| 77 | Mike Potter | Balough Racing | Chevrolet | Kenova Golf Course Construction |
| 90 | Kerry Teague | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Donlavey Racing |
| 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 95 | Bob Schacht (R) | Sadler Brothers Racing | Oldsmobile | Shoney's |
| 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Moly Black Gold |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 27, at 3:00 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, March 28, 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; which was usually two. 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.
Sterling Marlin, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.157 and an average speed of 163.067 miles per hour (262.431 km/h) in the first round.
No drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 30.157 | 163.067 |
| 2 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 30.188 | 162.899 |
| 3 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.227 | 162.689 |
| 4 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 30.278 | 162.415 |
| 5 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 30.280 | 162.404 |
| 6 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.354 | 162.008 |
| 7 | 41 | Greg Sacks | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.401 | 161.758 |
| 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.451 | 161.492 |
| 9 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 30.465 | 161.418 |
| 10 | 9 | Dave Mader III | Melling Racing | Ford | 30.480 | 161.339 |
| 11 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 30.492 | 161.275 |
| 12 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 30.495 | 161.259 |
| 13 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 30.505 | 161.206 |
| 14 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.528 | 161.085 |
| 15 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.559 | 160.921 |
| 16 | 8 | Dick Trickle | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 30.566 | 160.885 |
| 17 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 30.576 | 160.832 |
| 18 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.634 | 160.528 |
| 19 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 30.640 | 160.496 |
| 20 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 30.674 | 160.318 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 30.437 | 161.567 |
| 22 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Pontiac | 30.472 | 161.381 |
| 23 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.588 | 160.769 |
| 24 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 30.655 | 160.418 |
| 25 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 30.692 | 160.224 |
| 26 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 30.728 | 160.036 |
| 27 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 30.729 | 160.031 |
| 28 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 30.772 | 159.808 |
| 29 | 66 | Chad Little | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 30.784 | 159.745 |
| 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.036 | 158.448 |
| 31 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.091 | 158.168 |
| 32 | 95 | Bob Schacht (R) | Sadler Brothers Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.464 | 156.293 |
| 33 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 31.556 | 155.837 |
| 34 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 31.952 | 153.906 |
| 35 | 53 | John McFadden | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 32.201 | 152.716 |
| 36 | 77 | Mike Potter | Balough Racing | Chevrolet | 32.428 | 151.647 |
| 37 | 90 | Kerry Teague | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 34.094 | 144.237 |
| 38 | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | 34.362 | 143.112 |
| 39 | 56 | Jerry Hill | Hill Motorsports | Pontiac | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 367 | 93 | running | 180 | $64,290 |
| 2 | 11 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 367 | 88 | running | 175 | $40,715 |
| 3 | 14 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 367 | 0 | running | 165 | $29,375 |
| 4 | 5 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 366 | 160 | running | 170 | $35,315 |
| 5 | 18 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 366 | 0 | running | 155 | $21,020 |
| 6 | 4 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 366 | 16 | running | 155 | $16,290 |
| 7 | 16 | 8 | Dick Trickle | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 365 | 0 | running | 146 | $14,160 |
| 8 | 12 | 15 | Geoff Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 365 | 0 | running | 142 | $13,130 |
| 9 | 21 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 365 | 0 | running | 138 | $13,150 |
| 10 | 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 365 | 0 | running | 134 | $20,570 |
| 11 | 19 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 364 | 0 | running | 130 | $14,665 |
| 12 | 15 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 364 | 0 | running | 127 | $15,435 |
| 13 | 13 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 364 | 0 | running | 124 | $11,155 |
| 14 | 24 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 363 | 0 | running | 121 | $10,850 |
| 15 | 22 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Pontiac | 363 | 0 | running | 118 | $10,745 |
| 16 | 26 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 362 | 0 | running | 115 | $9,175 |
| 17 | 27 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 362 | 0 | running | 112 | $9,720 |
| 18 | 25 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 358 | 6 | engine | 114 | $10,385 |
| 19 | 32 | 95 | Bob Schacht (R) | Sadler Brothers Racing | Oldsmobile | 356 | 2 | running | 111 | $6,500 |
| 20 | 34 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 347 | 0 | running | 103 | $7,670 |
| 21 | 9 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 328 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,950 |
| 22 | 1 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 307 | 0 | running | 97 | $11,555 |
| 23 | 20 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 306 | 0 | engine | 94 | $9,460 |
| 24 | 6 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 264 | 0 | overheating | 91 | $13,950 |
| 25 | 33 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 260 | 0 | engine | 88 | $6,120 |
| 26 | 3 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 257 | 0 | head | 85 | $14,030 |
| 27 | 17 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 256 | 0 | overheating | 82 | $7,890 |
| 28 | 7 | 41 | Greg Sacks | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | engine | 79 | $4,230 |
| 29 | 23 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Chevrolet | 233 | 2 | valve | 81 | $7,720 |
| 30 | 31 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 187 | 0 | engine | 73 | $4,085 |
| 31 | 36 | 77 | Mike Potter | Balough Racing | Chevrolet | 183 | 0 | steering | 70 | $4,025 |
| 32 | 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 161 | 0 | piston | 67 | $7,540 |
| 33 | 29 | 66 | Chad Little | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 133 | 0 | valve | 64 | $5,455 |
| 34 | 10 | 9 | Dave Mader III | Melling Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | engine | 61 | $7,645 |
| 35 | 39 | 56 | Jerry Hill | Hill Motorsports | Pontiac | 31 | 0 | handling | 58 | $3,860 |
| 36 | 28 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 28 | 0 | head | 55 | $5,825 |
| 37 | 35 | 53 | John McFadden | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 17 | 0 | engine | 52 | $3,810 |
| 38 | 37 | 90 | Kerry Teague | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 15 | 0 | engine | 49 | $3,790 |
| 39 | 38 | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | 7 | 0 | brakes | 46 | $3,760 |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Davey Allison | 865 |
| | 2 | Bill Elliott | 817 (-48) |
| | 3 | Harry Gant | 812 (-53) |
| | 4 | Terry Labonte | 715 (–150) |
| | 5 | Morgan Shepherd | 696 (–169) |
| 1 | 6 | Geoff Bodine | 693 (–172) |
| 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | 665 (–200) |
| | 8 | Dale Earnhardt | 658 (–207) |
| 1 | 9 | Dick Trickle | 608 (–257) |
| 7 | 10 | Mark Martin | 588 (–277) |
| Official driver's standings ||||