1993 DieHard 500
Race details
Race 18 of 30 in the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1993 DieHard 500 program cover, featuring Ernie Irvan.
The 1993 DieHard 500 program cover, featuring Ernie Irvan.
Date July 25, 1993
Official name 25th Annual DieHard 500
Location Lincoln, Alabama, Talladega Superspeedway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Distance 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km)
Scheduled Distance 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km)
Average speed 153.858 miles per hour (247.610 km/h)
Attendance 100,000
Pole position
Driver Junior Johnson & Associates
Time 49.772
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Laps 59
Winner
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network CBS
Announcers Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett, Neil Bonnett
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

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, May 2, 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.[1][2] 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.[3][4] After being taken to a Birmingham hospital, Smith would recover for 40 days until he was eventually discharged.[5] 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.[6]

Background

The layout of Talladega Superspeedway, the venue where the race was held.

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,[7] 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.[8]

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

Standings after the race

References

  1. Harris, Mike (July 26, 1993). "DieHard 500 turns tragic". Rocky Mount Telegram. p. 11. Retrieved January 12, 2023 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. Higgins, Tom (July 26, 1993). "Earnhardt wins violent DieHard 500 by inches". Centre Daily Times. p. 17. Retrieved January 12, 2023 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. Higgins, Tom (July 26, 1993). "Violent crashes overshadow race". Muncie Evening Press. p. 16. Retrieved January 12, 2023 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. Pearce, Al (July 25, 1993). "Journeyman driver crashes at Talladega". Daily Press. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  5. Zenor, John (June 9, 2001). "Former Winston Cup driver Smith leaves horrid accident in past". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  6. "Crash ruins Bonnett return". The Jackson Sun. July 26, 1993. p. 20. Retrieved January 12, 2023 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. July 22, 1994. p. 17. Retrieved January 12, 2023 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. Harris, Mike (July 24, 1993). "Elliott steals spotlight from Gordon, Bonnett". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 44. Retrieved January 12, 2023 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

33°34′01″N 86°03′58″W / 33.567°N 86.066°W / 33.567; -86.066

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