1993 SplitFire Spark Plug 500
# 1993 SplitFire Spark Plug 500

The 1993 SplitFire Spark Plug 500 was the 24th stock car race of the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 19, 1993, before an audience of 86,000 in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. In a controversial victory, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would manage to comeback from a one-lap deficit partly caused by a wreck Wallace had caused by hitting back of Hut Stricklin's car, causing a five-car pileup, including driver's championship leader Dale Earnhardt on lap 370. As a result, Wallace would get his lap back and manage to climb to the front and take his 28th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his seventh victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader and owner-driver Darrell Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Dover Downs International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.

The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

### 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 |
| 02 | T. W. Taylor | Taylor Racing | Ford | Children's Miracle Network Hospitals |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Jeff Purvis | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine 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 | Lake Speed | 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 | Ernie Irvan | 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 | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 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 |
| 48 | Trevor Boys | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | Hurley Limo |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | USAir, Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 57 | Bob Schacht | Bob Schacht Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Queenstown Harbor |
| 66 | Mike Wallace | Owen Racing | Pontiac | Duron Paint |
| 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | Country Time |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Southwest Technical Group |
| 75 | Todd Bodine (R) | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Factory Stores of America |
| 84 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Oldsmobile | 84 Lumber |
| 90 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Bojangles |

*Replaced by Dick Trickle due to an injury sustained in the race's first practice session.

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 17, 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, September 18, 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 21-36 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.

Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske Racing South, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.768 and an average speed of 151.464 miles per hour (243.758 km/h) in the first round.

Four drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 23.768 | 151.464 |
| 2 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.812 | 151.184 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.889 | 150.697 |
| 4 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 23.931 | 150.432 |
| 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.940 | 150.376 |
| 6 | 44 | Rick Wilson | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.968 | 150.200 |
| 7 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.991 | 150.056 |
| 8 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.062 | 149.613 |
| 9 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 24.080 | 149.502 |
| 10 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.083 | 149.483 |
| 11 | 22 | Bobby Labonte (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Ford | 24.119 | 149.260 |
| 12 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 24.119 | 149.260 |
| 13 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 24.144 | 149.105 |
| 14 | 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 24.187 | 148.840 |
| 15 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 24.224 | 148.613 |
| 16 | 27 | Hut Stricklin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 24.233 | 148.558 |
| 17 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.244 | 148.490 |
| 18 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 24.245 | 148.484 |
| 19 | 12 | Jimmy Spencer | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 24.249 | 148.460 |
| 20 | 41 | Phil Parsons | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.267 | 148.350 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 23.892 | 150.678 |
| 22 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.931 | 150.432 |
| 23 | 26 | Dick Trickle | King Racing | Ford | 24.062 | 149.613 |
| 24 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 24.163 | 148.988 |
| 25 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 24.267 | 148.350 |
| 26 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 24.281 | 148.264 |
| 27 | 14 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 24.327 | 147.984 |
| 28 | 75 | Todd Bodine (R) | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 24.360 | 147.783 |
| 29 | 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 24.380 | 147.662 |
| 30 | 32 | Jimmy Horton | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.384 | 147.638 |
| 31 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 24.411 | 147.474 |
| 32 | 90 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 24.487 | 147.017 |
| 33 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.635 | 146.134 |
| 34 | 57 | Bob Schacht | Bob Schacht Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 24.762 | 145.384 |
| 35 | 4 | Jeff Purvis | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.826 | 145.009 |
| 36 | 40 | Kenny Wallace (R) | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 24.856 | 144.834 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 37 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 25.319 | 142.186 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 38 | 48 | Trevor Boys | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 39 | 84 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 40 | 66 | Mike Wallace | Owen Racing | Pontiac | - | - |
| 41 | 02 | T. W. Taylor | Taylor Racing | Ford | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 500 | 215 | running | 185 | $77,645 |
| 2 | 10 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 127 | running | 175 | $53,115 |
| 3 | 17 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 55 | running | 170 | $38,410 |
| 4 | 26 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 2 | running | 165 | $31,035 |
| 5 | 8 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 155 | $27,830 |
| 6 | 19 | 12 | Jimmy Spencer | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 150 | $21,580 |
| 7 | 11 | 22 | Bobby Labonte (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 146 | $16,680 |
| 8 | 27 | 14 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 1 | running | 147 | $17,980 |
| 9 | 7 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 138 | $17,230 |
| 10 | 13 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 134 | $23,430 |
| 11 | 18 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 130 | $15,980 |
| 12 | 32 | 90 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 127 | $9,680 |
| 13 | 35 | 4 | Jeff Purvis | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 497 | 2 | running | 129 | $18,980 |
| 14 | 15 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 495 | 0 | running | 121 | $17,080 |
| 15 | 33 | 16 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 492 | 0 | running | 118 | $14,580 |
| 16 | 36 | 40 | Kenny Wallace (R) | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 489 | 0 | running | 115 | $11,630 |
| 17 | 37 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 489 | 0 | running | 112 | $8,530 |
| 18 | 12 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 477 | 0 | running | 109 | $13,615 |
| 19 | 31 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 470 | 0 | running | 106 | $8,305 |
| 20 | 29 | 68 | Greg Sacks | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 462 | 0 | running | 103 | $8,805 |
| 21 | 22 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 456 | 0 | handling | 100 | $13,205 |
| 22 | 30 | 32 | Jimmy Horton | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 440 | 0 | crash | 97 | $8,155 |
| 23 | 24 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 421 | 0 | handling | 94 | $13,005 |
| 24 | 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 412 | 80 | handling | 96 | $11,255 |
| 25 | 23 | 26 | Dick Trickle | King Racing | Ford | 407 | 0 | running | 88 | $12,755 |
| 26 | 2 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 405 | 18 | running | 90 | $19,105 |
| 27 | 9 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 404 | 0 | running | 82 | $14,555 |
| 28 | 21 | 55 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 402 | 0 | engine | 79 | $12,955 |
| 29 | 16 | 27 | Hut Stricklin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 368 | 0 | crash | 76 | $12,380 |
| 30 | 4 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 358 | 0 | crash | 73 | $17,155 |
| 31 | 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 237 | 0 | crash | 70 | $16,705 |
| 32 | 14 | 98 | Derrike Cope | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 232 | 0 | crash | 67 | $12,205 |
| 33 | 25 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 232 | 0 | engine | 64 | $15,605 |
| 34 | 6 | 44 | Rick Wilson | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 117 | 0 | crash | 61 | $9,080 |
| 35 | 28 | 75 | Todd Bodine (R) | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 60 | 0 | crash | 58 | $7,505 |
| 36 | 34 | 57 | Bob Schacht | Bob Schacht Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 20 | 0 | rotor | 55 | $7,480 |
| 37 | 20 | 41 | Phil Parsons | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 | 0 | crash | 52 | $8,980 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 38 | | 48 | Trevor Boys | Hylton Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 39 | | 84 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 40 | | 66 | Mike Wallace | Owen Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 41 | | 02 | T. W. Taylor | Taylor Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,626 |
| | 2 | Rusty Wallace | 3,445 (-181) |
| | 3 | Mark Martin | 3,297 (-329) |
| | 4 | Dale Jarrett | 3,273 (–353) |
| | 5 | Morgan Shepherd | 3,149 (–477) |
| 1 | 6 | Ken Schrader | 3,026 (–600) |
| 1 | 7 | Kyle Petty | 2,991 (–635) |
| | 8 | Bill Elliott | 2,914 (–712) |
| | 9 | Jeff Gordon | 2,858 (–768) |
| | 10 | Ernie Irvan | 2,842 (–784) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
