1992 Winchester 400

The twenty-third annual Featherlite Trailers Winchester 400 was held on October 4, 1992, at the Winchester Speedway.

For the first time in its proud history, the American Speed Association was not the sanctioning body for the event, but two ASA standouts stole the show. In his third attempt at winning the fall classic, Tim Steele passed three-time ASA Champion and two-time former winner Butch Miller on the 348th lap to score the first “Winchester 400” win under the sanction of the All-Pro Series.

Mike Garvey turned a lap of 16.145 seconds (111.489 MPH) in qualifications to establish a standard for the All-Pro Series. At the drop of the green flag, Steele got the early jump with Garvey in tow for most of the first 100 laps of the race. After traveling back from an ARTGO race at Toledo Speedway that he had won the night before, Miller was forced to start at the tail of the field after missing the mandatory driver’s meeting for the “400.”

On lap 111, Garvey passed Steele for the race lead and set a torrid pace until Steel passed him on the 140th circuit. As the leaders battled amongst themselves, Miller patiently maneuvered through the pack, advancing to second position on lap 185. Garvey passed Steele again for the lead on lap 193, but 15 laps later lost a piece of lead weight and cut a tire, sending him spinning and collecting Jack Sprague, ending the day for both competitors.

Gary Bradberry led for the first time following the caution period until Miller flashed by and into the top spot on lap 239. Steele quickly followed Miller into second with Bobby Labonte lurking within striking distance in third. After starting dead last in the field, Miller faced more adversity in the final 100 laps when his shift lever fell off, making restarts difficult. Miller remained in the lead until lap 348 when Steele went back to the front of the field for the third and final time. Miller kept it close, finishing just three car lengths behind Steele to take second place ahead of Bradberry, B. Labonte, and Jody Ridley as the top-five all completed the 400-lap distance. Steele was presented with a first prize of $11,825 for the win.

External links

* [http://www.winchesterspeedway.com/ Winchester Speedway website]
* [http://www.craracing.net/ Official CRA Website]