1994 DieHard 500
# 1994 DieHard 500

The 1994 DieHard 500 was the 18th stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 24, 1994, in Lincoln, Alabama, at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66-mile (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. In the final nineteen laps of the race, Junior Johnson & Associates driver Jimmy Spencer would manage to hold off the field to take his second and final career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, teammate Bill Elliott and Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan would finish second and third, respectively. With his third place finish, Irvan would regain the points lead in the overall driver's standings.

## Background

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 |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | Masters Inn Economy |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | Skoal |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 02 | Derrike Cope | Taylor Racing | Ford | Children's Miracle Network Hospitals |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | Exide |
| 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Raybestos |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 12 | Tim Steele | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | Bobby Allison Motorsports |
| 14 | John Andretti (R) | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | Hagan Racing |
| 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Ford Quality Care |
| 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | The Family Channel |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | Hooters |
| 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Ford | FINA |
| 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | Maxwell House |
| 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | Smokin' Joe's |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | Quaker State |
| 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | McDonald's |
| 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Diamond Ridge Motorsports |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 31 | Ward Burton | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hardee's |
| 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | SkyBox International |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Kendall |
| 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Meineke |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 43 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Kenny Wallace | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | Buss Fuses |
| 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | Terminal Trucking |
| 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | Johnson Standridge Racing |
| 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Country Time |
| 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | Winston Cup Bottled Water |
| 55 | Jimmy Hensley | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | RaDiUs Motorsports |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Southwest Technical Group |
| 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Factory Stores of America |
| 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | US Airways |
| 80 | Joe Ruttman | Hover Motorsports | Ford | Hover Motorsports |
| 89 | Ronnie Sanders | Mueller Racing | Ford | Mueller Racing |
| 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 95 | Ben Hess | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | Shoney's Inn |
| 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Fingerhut |

## 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 11:45 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; 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.

Dale Earnhardt, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.496 and an average speed of 193.470 miles per hour (311.360 km/h) in the first round.

Ten drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.496 | 193.470 |
| 2 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 49.615 | 193.006 |
| 3 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 49.677 | 192.765 |
| 4 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.779 | 192.370 |
| 5 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 49.790 | 192.328 |
| 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 49.923 | 191.815 |
| 7 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 49.999 | 191.524 |
| 8 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.013 | 191.470 |
| 9 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 50.039 | 191.371 |
| 10 | 43 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 50.071 | 191.248 |
| 11 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 50.130 | 191.023 |
| 12 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.177 | 190.844 |
| 13 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 50.179 | 190.837 |
| 14 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 50.184 | 190.818 |
| 15 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.187 | 190.806 |
| 16 | 44 | Kenny Wallace | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | 50.203 | 190.746 |
| 17 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 50.221 | 190.677 |
| 18 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 50.250 | 190.567 |
| 19 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 50.297 | 190.389 |
| 20 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 50.314 | 190.325 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 14 | John Andretti (R) | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 50.205 | 190.738 |
| 22 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.313 | 190.329 |
| 23 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 50.371 | 190.109 |
| 24 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.402 | 189.992 |
| 25 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 50.461 | 189.770 |
| 26 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 50.481 | 189.695 |
| 27 | 12 | Tim Steele | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 50.492 | 189.654 |
| 28 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 50.493 | 189.650 |
| 29 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 50.494 | 189.646 |
| 30 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 50.516 | 189.564 |
| 31 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.560 | 189.399 |
| 32 | 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Ford | 50.576 | 189.339 |
| 33 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.609 | 189.215 |
| 34 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 50.610 | 189.212 |
| 35 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 50.628 | 189.144 |
| 36 | 55 | Jimmy Hensley | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 50.632 | 189.129 |
| 37 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 50.638 | 189.107 |
| 38 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 50.673 | 188.976 |
| 39 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.680 | 188.950 |
| 40 | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 50.684 | 188.935 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 50.885 | 188.189 |
| 42 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.731 | 188.760 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | 50.726 | 188.779 |
| 44 | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.802 | 188.497 |
| 45 | 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | 50.842 | 188.348 |
| 46 | 02 | Derrike Cope | Taylor Racing | Ford | 50.919 | 188.063 |
| 47 | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.057 | 187.555 |
| 48 | 95 | Ben Hess | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | 51.171 | 187.137 |
| 49 | 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | 51.496 | 185.956 |
| 50 | 80 | Joe Ruttman | Hover Motorsports | Ford | 51.570 | 185.689 |
| 51 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | 52.715 | 181.656 |
| 52 | 89 | Ronnie Sanders | Mueller Racing | Ford | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 188 | 21 | running | 180 | $81,450 |
| 2 | 11 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 188 | 14 | running | 175 | $52,445 |
| 3 | 5 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 188 | 90 | running | 175 | $47,130 |
| 4 | 4 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 8 | running | 165 | $33,530 |
| 5 | 8 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 7 | running | 160 | $32,675 |
| 6 | 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 150 | $29,550 |
| 7 | 28 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 188 | 1 | running | 151 | $19,350 |
| 8 | 10 | 43 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 142 | $17,700 |
| 9 | 16 | 44 | Kenny Wallace | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 138 | $13,370 |
| 10 | 12 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 134 | $25,250 |
| 11 | 9 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 130 | $19,830 |
| 12 | 35 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 127 | $21,450 |
| 13 | 14 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 124 | $16,130 |
| 14 | 18 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 188 | 1 | running | 126 | $21,960 |
| 15 | 31 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 188 | 1 | running | 123 | $22,135 |
| 16 | 7 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 115 | $14,450 |
| 17 | 19 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 112 | $18,185 |
| 18 | 24 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 109 | $14,480 |
| 19 | 23 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 187 | 0 | running | 106 | $22,200 |
| 20 | 38 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 186 | 0 | running | 103 | $18,110 |
| 21 | 33 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 186 | 0 | running | 100 | $17,180 |
| 22 | 41 | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 186 | 0 | running | 97 | $16,950 |
| 23 | 32 | 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Ford | 185 | 0 | running | 94 | $10,470 |
| 24 | 22 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 185 | 0 | running | 91 | $16,640 |
| 25 | 37 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 184 | 0 | running | 88 | $12,210 |
| 26 | 39 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 184 | 0 | running | 85 | $16,035 |
| 27 | 34 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 184 | 0 | running | 82 | $12,040 |
| 28 | 40 | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | 184 | 0 | running | 79 | $9,985 |
| 29 | 29 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 174 | 0 | crash | 76 | $11,325 |
| 30 | 36 | 55 | Jimmy Hensley | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | 165 | 0 | crash | 73 | $9,780 |
| 31 | 15 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 149 | 0 | engine | 70 | $19,660 |
| 32 | 25 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 140 | 0 | wheel bearing | 67 | $9,590 |
| 33 | 20 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 136 | 0 | engine | 64 | $13,520 |
| 34 | 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 80 | 41 | engine | 66 | $30,725 |
| 35 | 42 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | ignition | 58 | $9,430 |
| 36 | 30 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 71 | 0 | engine | 55 | $9,395 |
| 37 | 3 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 66 | 4 | engine | 57 | $9,781 |
| 38 | 27 | 12 | Tim Steele | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 54 | 0 | quit | 49 | $13,345 |
| 39 | 13 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 34 | 0 | piston | 46 | $20,690 |
| 40 | 21 | 14 | John Andretti (R) | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 28 | 0 | crash | 43 | $14,525 |
| 41 | 17 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 24 | 0 | crash | 40 | $13,228 |
| 42 | 26 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 8 | 0 | piston | 37 | $21,425 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 53 | Ritchie Petty | Petty Brothers Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 02 | Derrike Cope | Taylor Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 47 | | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 95 | Ben Hess | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 49 | | 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 50 | | 80 | Joe Ruttman | Hover Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 51 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 52 | | 89 | Ronnie Sanders | Mueller Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | Ernie Irvan | 2,739 |
| 1 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,723 (-16) |
| 1 | 3 | Mark Martin | 2,481 (-258) |
| 1 | 4 | Rusty Wallace | 2,450 (–289) |
| 1 | 5 | Ken Schrader | 2,382 (–357) |
| 1 | 6 | Morgan Shepherd | 2,348 (–391) |
| | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 2,339 (–400) |
| | 8 | Michael Waltrip | 2,152 (–587) |
| 1 | 9 | Lake Speed | 2,091 (–648) |
| 1 | 10 | Jeff Gordon | 2,078 (–661) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
