1994 Mello Yello 500
# 1994 Mello Yello 500

The 1994 Mello Yello 500 was the 28th stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 9, 1994, in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. In the final restart of the race with four to go, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to defend the field for the next three laps before a caution on the final lap ended the race, handing Jarrett the victory. The victory was Jarrett's third NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory of his career and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Wood Brothers Racing driver Morgan Shepherd and Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.

Heading into the 1994 AC Delco 500, Dale Earnhardt was the extremely heavy favorite to win the driver's championship, only needing to be ahead of second-place driver, Rusty Wallace by 371 points at the finish of the race to mathematically clinch the championship.

## Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

### 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 | Brad Noffsinger | 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 |
| 9 | Phil Parsons | Melling Racing | Ford | Melling Racing |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | Mane 'n Tail |
| 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 | Jimmy Hensley | 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 | John Andretti (R) | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | Buss Fuses |
| 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | Terminal Trucking |
| 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | World Championship Wrestling, Dura Lube |
| 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 53 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 54 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Manheim Auctions |
| 55 | Butch Miller | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | RaDiUs Motorsports |
| 67 | Ken Bouchard | Cunningham Racing | Ford | Cunningham Racing |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Olive Garden |
| 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Southwest Technical Group |
| 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | Factory Stores of America |
| 78 | Pancho Carter | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Equipment Supply Company |
| 80 | Joe Ruttman | Hover Motorsports | Ford | Park Ohio Industries |
| 84 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Oldsmobile | 84 Lumber |
| 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 95 | Ben Hess | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | Shoney's |
| 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Fingerhut |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, October 5, at 7:00 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 Thursday, October 6, at 1:30 PM 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.

Ward Burton, driving for A.G. Dillard Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.070 and an average speed of 185.759 miles per hour (298.950 km/h) in the first round.

12 drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.070 | 185.759 |
| 2 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 29.295 | 184.332 |
| 3 | 43 | John Andretti (R) | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.368 | 183.874 |
| 4 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.375 | 183.830 |
| 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.423 | 183.530 |
| 6 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 29.450 | 183.362 |
| 7 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 29.506 | 183.014 |
| 8 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 29.521 | 182.921 |
| 9 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.522 | 182.914 |
| 10 | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.551 | 182.735 |
| 11 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.605 | 182.402 |
| 12 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.652 | 182.113 |
| 13 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 29.658 | 182.076 |
| 14 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 29.680 | 181.941 |
| 15 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 29.695 | 181.849 |
| 16 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 29.746 | 181.537 |
| 17 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 29.765 | 181.421 |
| 18 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.787 | 181.287 |
| 19 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 29.801 | 181.202 |
| 20 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 29.801 | 181.202 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.713 | 181.739 |
| 22 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.806 | 181.172 |
| 23 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.817 | 181.105 |
| 24 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 29.829 | 181.032 |
| 25 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 29.835 | 180.995 |
| 26 | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 29.854 | 180.880 |
| 27 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.855 | 180.874 |
| 28 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 29.859 | 180.850 |
| 29 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.870 | 180.783 |
| 30 | 80 | Joe Ruttman | Hover Motorsports | Ford | 29.870 | 180.783 |
| 31 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.888 | 180.675 |
| 32 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 29.894 | 180.638 |
| 33 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 29.909 | 180.548 |
| 34 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 29.911 | 180.536 |
| 35 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.918 | 180.493 |
| 36 | 44 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | 29.923 | 180.463 |
| 37 | 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | 29.928 | 180.433 |
| 38 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.932 | 180.409 |
| 39 | 20 | Jimmy Hensley | Moroso Racing | Ford | 29.988 | 180.072 |
| 40 | 54 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.020 | 179.880 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 44 | 9 | Phil Parsons | Melling Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 67 | Ken Bouchard | Cunningham Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 46 | 55 | Butch Miller | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 47 | 02 | Brad Noffsinger | Taylor Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 48 | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 49 | 78 | Pancho Carter | Triad Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 50 | 53 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 51 | 84 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 52 | 95 | Ben Hess | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 53 | 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 54 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 22 | 18 | Dale Jarrett | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 4 | running | 180 | $106,800 |
| 2 | 27 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 334 | 15 | running | 175 | $71,900 |
| 3 | 38 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 6 | running | 170 | $66,000 |
| 4 | 11 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 13 | running | 165 | $47,800 |
| 5 | 24 | 15 | Lake Speed | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 334 | 0 | running | 155 | $42,925 |
| 6 | 8 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Ford | 334 | 13 | running | 155 | $37,450 |
| 7 | 9 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 | running | 146 | $32,850 |
| 8 | 7 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 334 | 0 | running | 142 | $28,100 |
| 9 | 35 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 11 | running | 143 | $29,200 |
| 10 | 2 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 333 | 0 | crash | 134 | $31,450 |
| 11 | 4 | 41 | Joe Nemechek (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | running | 130 | $19,300 |
| 12 | 19 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 333 | 0 | running | 127 | $19,700 |
| 13 | 10 | 32 | Dick Trickle | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | running | 124 | $14,500 |
| 14 | 21 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 332 | 1 | running | 126 | $22,100 |
| 15 | 36 | 44 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Charles Hardy Racing | Ford | 331 | 2 | crash | 123 | $9,750 |
| 16 | 25 | 27 | Jimmy Spencer | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 331 | 0 | running | 115 | $10,800 |
| 17 | 13 | 90 | Mike Wallace (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 331 | 0 | running | 112 | $10,600 |
| 18 | 29 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 331 | 0 | running | 109 | $13,500 |
| 19 | 26 | 40 | Bobby Hamilton | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 330 | 0 | running | 106 | $13,100 |
| 20 | 32 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield (R) | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 330 | 0 | running | 103 | $9,350 |
| 21 | 33 | 23 | Hut Stricklin | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 330 | 0 | running | 100 | $8,350 |
| 22 | 18 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 329 | 0 | running | 97 | $12,070 |
| 23 | 30 | 80 | Joe Ruttman | Hover Motorsports | Ford | 328 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,690 |
| 24 | 3 | 43 | John Andretti (R) | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 328 | 30 | running | 96 | $11,125 |
| 25 | 31 | 8 | Jeff Burton (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 328 | 0 | running | 88 | $11,390 |
| 26 | 42 | 29 | Steve Grissom (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 327 | 0 | running | 85 | $7,265 |
| 27 | 34 | 19 | Loy Allen Jr. (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 325 | 0 | running | 82 | $5,150 |
| 28 | 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 324 | 3 | crash | 84 | $16,730 |
| 29 | 16 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 324 | 0 | crash | 76 | $10,420 |
| 30 | 41 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 308 | 1 | running | 78 | $16,015 |
| 31 | 40 | 54 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 303 | 0 | running | 70 | $4,720 |
| 32 | 6 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 290 | 202 | engine | 77 | $31,340 |
| 33 | 28 | 11 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 289 | 0 | running | 64 | $8,565 |
| 34 | 37 | 47 | Billy Standridge (R) | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | 277 | 0 | running | 61 | $4,540 |
| 35 | 14 | 77 | Greg Sacks | U.S. Motorsports Inc. | Ford | 266 | 1 | engine | 63 | $4,515 |
| 36 | 23 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 257 | 2 | engine | 60 | $14,490 |
| 37 | 15 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 256 | 1 | timing chain | 57 | $16,680 |
| 38 | 17 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 199 | 0 | handling | 49 | $4,470 |
| 39 | 12 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 156 | 0 | engine | 46 | $16,260 |
| 40 | 39 | 20 | Jimmy Hensley | Moroso Racing | Ford | 76 | 0 | crash | 43 | $4,455 |
| 41 | 1 | 31 | Ward Burton (R) | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29 | 29 | crash | 45 | $29,655 |
| 42 | 20 | 22 | Bobby Labonte | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 4 | 0 | crash | 37 | $8,455 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 44 | | 9 | Phil Parsons | Melling Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 67 | Ken Bouchard | Cunningham Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 55 | Butch Miller | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 47 | | 02 | Brad Noffsinger | Taylor Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 48 | | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 49 | | 78 | Pancho Carter | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 50 | | 53 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 51 | | 84 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 52 | | 95 | Ben Hess | Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 53 | | 45 | Rich Bickle (R) | Terminal Trucking Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 54 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 4,291 |
| | 2 | Rusty Wallace | 3,970 (-321) |
| | 3 | Mark Martin | 3,744 (-547) |
| | 4 | Ken Schrader | 3,740 (–551) |
| | 5 | Ricky Rudd | 3,613 (–678) |
| | 6 | Morgan Shepherd | 3,582 (–709) |
| | 7 | Jeff Gordon | 3,412 (–879) |
| 1 | 8 | Terry Labonte | 3,389 (–902) |
| 1 | 9 | Darrell Waltrip | 3,360 (–931) |
| 2 | 10 | Bill Elliott | 3,350 (–941) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
