1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

The 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season began on February 9 and ended on November 15. Alan Kulwicki of AK Racing won the championship.

Busch Clash

The Busch Clash, an invitational event for all Busch Pole winners of the previous season, was held February 9 at Daytona International Speedway. Brett Bodine drew the pole.

Top Ten Results

# Geoffrey Bodine
# Rich Bickle
# Mark Martin
# Davey Allison
# Alan Kulwicki
# Sterling Marlin
# Bill Elliott
# Michael Waltrip
# Ricky Rudd
# Chad Little

Gatorade 125s

The Gatorade 125s, qualifying races for the Daytona 500, were held February 13 at Daytona International Speedway. Sterling Marlin and Bill Elliott won the poles for both races, respectively.

Race One: Top Ten Results

# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 6-Mark Martin
# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 41-Greg Sacks
# 33-Harry Gant
# 1-Rick Mast
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 9-Phil Parsons
# 03-Kerry Teague

Race Two: Top Ten Results

# 11-Bill Elliott
# 21-Morgan Shepherd
# 28-Davey Allison
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 30-Michael Waltrip
# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 66-Chad Little
# 15-Geoff Bodine
# 26-Brett Bodine
# 10-Derrike Cope

Daytona 500 by STP

GM Goodwrench 500

The GM Goodwrench 500 was held March 1 at North Carolina Speedway. The #42 of Kyle Petty won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 11-Bill Elliott
# 28-Davey Allison
# 33-Harry Gant
# 30-Michael Waltrip
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 6-Mark Martin
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 26-Brett Bodine
# 02-Jeremy Mayfield
# 17-Darrell Waltrip

Pontiac Excitement 400

The Pontiac Excitement 400 was held March 8 at Richmond International Raceway. Bill Elliott won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 11-Bill Elliott*
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 33-Harry Gant
# 28-Davey Allison
# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 12-Hut Stricklin
# 21-Morgan Shepherd

*This was Bill Elliott's second and final win at a short track.

Motorcraft Quality Parts 500

The Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 was held March 15 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The #6 of Mark Martin won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 11-Bill Elliott*
# 33-Harry Gant
# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 28-Davey Allison
# 8-Dick Trickle
# 15-Geoff Bodine
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 21-Morgan Shepherd

*Bill Elliott won this race as a result of superior fuel mileage (as a result of having a bad car, which did not allow to push as hard as he normally would have), and a caution that fell with about 45 laps to go after everyone else (besides Elliott) had already made a green-flag pit stop. The lucky caution put Elliott on a lap of his own and allowed him to pit under caution alone. From there, he led the rest of the way and won by 18 seconds after the rest of the lead lap cars (who got back on the tail end of the lead lap when Elliott pitted) never could get caught back up to Elliott.

TranSouth 500

The TranSouth 500 was held March 29 at Darlington Raceway. The #22 of Sterling Marlin won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 11-Bill Elliott*
# 33-Harry Gant
# 6-Mark Martin
# 28-Davey Allison
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 26-Brett Bodine
# 8-Dick Trickle
# 15-Geoff Bodine
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 3-Dale Earnhardt

*This was Bill Elliott's 4th consecutive victory, tying the modern-era record for consecutive victories, and the 2nd consecutive season that a driver achieved this feat.

Food City 500

The Food City 500 was held April 5 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Alan Kulwicki won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 18-Dale Jarrett
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 8-Dick Trickle
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 21-Morgan Shepherd
# 12-Hut Stricklin
# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 10-Derrike Cope

Failed to Qualify:98-Jimmy Spencer

*This was the last asphalt race at Bristol Motor Speedway. After the race ended, the blacktop was torn up and a new concrete surface was laid down.

First Union 400

The First Union 400 was held April 12 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Alan Kulwicki won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 28-Davey Allison
# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 15-Geoff Bodine
# 33-Harry Gant
# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 26-Brett Bodine

Hanes 500

The Hanes 500 was held April 26 at Martinsville Speedway. Darrell Waltrip won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 6-Mark Martin
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 33-Harry Gant
# 21-Morgan Shepherd
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 26-Brett Bodine
# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 11-Bill Elliott

Winston 500

The Winston 500 was held May 3 at Talladega Superspeedway. Ernie Irvan won the pole. This was Buddy Baker last race before retiring NASCAR for a long time

Top Ten Results

# 28-Davey Allison
# 11-Bill Elliott
# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 18-Dale Jarrett
# 6-Mark Martin
# 21-Morgan Shepherd
# 42-Kyle Petty

Failed to Qualify:0-Delma Cowart, 23-Eddie Bierschwale, 48-James Hylton, 73-Phil Barkdoll, 77-Mike Potter

*The #98 Moly Black Gold Chevrolet of Jimmy Spencer had a spectacular crash late in race on the backstretch. After contact in the middle of the backstretch from the #16 Keystone Beer Ford of Wally Dallenbach, Jr., the #98 spun and became airborne (to the point of being nearly vertical). Luckily, the car came back down on all 4 wheels without flipping over. However, the suspension broke in the car as a result of the landing.

The Winston

The Winston, an all-star race for previous winners, was held May 16 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Davey Allison won the race after a last-lap crash with Kyle Petty.

Coca-Cola 600

The Coca-Cola 600 was held May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The #11 of Bill Elliott won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 28-Davey Allison
# 33-Harry Gant
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 55-Ted Musgrave
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 8-Dick Trickle

*The Coca-Cola 600 would be Dale Earnhardt's lone victory of 1992 (with the exception of the Twin 125 qualifier) at Daytona. Earnhardt was the two-time defending Winston Cup champion (1990-1991), but would finish outside of the top 10 in points for the year for the first time in many seasons.

Budweiser 500

The Budweiser 500 was held May 31 at Dover International Speedway. Brett Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 33-Harry Gant
# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 12-Hut Stricklin
# 66-Jimmy Hensley
# 8-Dick Trickle
# 21-Morgan Shepherd

Save Mart 300K

The Save Mart 300K was held June 7 at Sears Point International Raceway. Ricky Rudd won the pole. On the day of this race, the founder of NASCAR, William France Sr., died. Ernie Irvan started 2nd in this race, but jumped the start and was forced to make a stop-and-go in the pits. Irvan came through the entire field to win in the fastest Winston Cup race held on the convert|2.52|mi|km|sing=on version of Sears Point.

Top Ten Results

# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 6-Mark Martin
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 11-Bill Elliott
# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 15-Geoff Bodine

Champion Spark Plug 500

The Champion Spark Plug 500 was held June 14 at Pocono Raceway. Ken Schrader won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 6-Mark Martin
# 11-Bill Elliott
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 28-Davey Allison
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 26-Brett Bodine
# 66-Jimmy Hensley
# 94-Terry Labonte

* This would be Alan Kulwicki's last win.

Miller Genuine Draft 400

The Miller Genuine Draft 400 was held June 21 at Michigan International Speedway. Davey Allison won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 28-Davey Allison
# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 6-Mark Martin
# 33-Harry Gant
# 55-Ted Musgrave
# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 11-Bill Elliott

Pepsi 400

The Pepsi 400 was held July 4 at Daytona International Speedway. Sterling Marlin won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 18-Dale Jarrett
# 15-Geoff Bodine
# 11-Bill Elliott
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 6-Mark Martin
# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 28-Davey Allison

*This race was attended by President George H. W. Bush.

*Richard Petty qualified on the outside pole for this race and led the last 5 laps of his long career early on before dropping out due to Fatigue.

Miller Genuine Draft 500

The Miller Genuine Draft 500 was held July 19 at Pocono Raceway. The #28 of Davey Allison* won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 33-Harry Gant
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 55-Ted Musgrave
# 6-Mark Martin
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 26-Brett Bodine
# 8-Dick Trickle
# 18-Dale Jarrett

*Davey Allison was seriously injured in a blowover crash on lap 150 after dominating the race. Coming out of Turn 2 (The "Tunnel Turn"), Darrell Waltrip tagged the left rear corner of Allison, spinning him into the grass. The air got under Allison's car and sent it into a barrel roll, eventually landing upside down. Allison suffered a skull fracture and a broken wrist in the crash.

DieHard 500

The DieHard 500 was held July 26 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama.

Top Ten Results

# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 28-Davey Allison*
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 11-Bill Elliott
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 30-Michael Waltrip
# 9-Chad Little
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 26-Brett Bodine

*Davey Allison found the strength to start this race after suffering the skull fracture the previous week at Pocono. At the first caution, he handed the driving duties over to Bobby Hillin, Jr..

Budweiser At The Glen

The Budweiser At The Glen was held August 9 at Watkins Glen International Raceway. The race was shortened to 51 laps due to a combination of rain and impending darkness. Dale Earnhardt won the pole. It was the first race for Cup cars since the new bus stop chicane was added.

Top Ten Results

# 42-Kyle Petty
# 21-Morgan Shepherd
# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 6-Mark Martin
# 16-Wally Dallenbach, Jr.
# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 26-Brett Bodine

Champion Spark Plug 400

The Champion Spark Plug 400 was held August 16 at Michigan International Speedway. The #7 of Alan Kulwicki won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 33-Harry Gant*
# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 11-Bill Elliott
# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 28-Davey Allison
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 18-Dale Jarrett
# 6-Mark Martin
# 21-Morgan Shepherd

*This was Harry Gant's last Winston Cup victory.

Bud 500

The Bud 500 was held August 29 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The #4 of Ernie Irvan won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 11-Bill Elliott
# 66-Jimmy Hensley
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 26-Brett Bodine
# 2-Rusty Wallace

*This was the first race at Bristol after the track surface was concreted.

Mountain Dew Southern 500

The Mountain Dew Southern 500 was held September 6 at Darlington Raceway. The #22 of Sterling Marlin won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 17-Darrell Waltrip*
# 6-Mark Martin
# 11-Bill Elliott
# 26-Brett Bodine
# 28-Davey Allison*
# 18-Dale Jarrett
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 5-Ricky Rudd

*This race was shortened to 298 laps due to rain.

*This was Darrell Waltrip's final Winston Cup victory.

*Davey Allison was leading with a chance to win the Winston Million when the caution came out with about 73 laps to go. Crew chief Larry McReynolds sent a crew member to the NASCAR hauler to look at the weather radar. The crewmember's inability to properly read the radar led to Allison pitting under the caution for 4 tires as raindrops were beginning to fall. Needless to say, the race never restarted and Allison finished 5th.

Miller Genuine Draft 400

The Miller Genuine Draft 400 was held September 12 at Richmond International Raceway. The #4 of Ernie Irvan won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 6-Mark Martin
# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 15-Geoff Bodine
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 21-Morgan Shepherd
# 33-Harry Gant
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 55-Ted Musgrave

Peak Antifreeze 500

The Peak Antifreeze 500 was held September 20 at Dover International Speedway. The #7 of Alan Kulwicki* won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 11-Bill Elliott
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 28-Davey Allison
# 21-Morgan Shepherd
# 33-Harry Gant
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 55-Ted Musgrave
# 10-Derrike Cope
# 68-Bobby Hamilton

*Alan Kulwicki crashed out of the race on lap 91 and finished 34th. This left him 278 points out of the lead with 6 races left.

Goody's 500

The Goody's 500 was held September 28 at Martinsville Speedway. Kyle Petty won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 15-Geoff Bodine
# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 26-Brett Bodine
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 8-Dick Trickle
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 6-Mark Martin
# 1-Rick Mast
# 5-Ricky Rudd

*This race was run on a Monday as a result of rain on Sunday. The previous day's rain left the infield very soggy. Kyle Petty, who finished 4th, actually got stuck in the mud and lost 2 laps at one point.

Tyson Holly Farms 400

The Tyson Holly Farms 400 was held October 5 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The #7 of Alan Kulwicki won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 15-Geoff Bodine
# 6-Mark Martin
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 26-Brett Bodine
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 18-Dale Jarrett

*This race was postponed to Monday as a result of rain (the 2nd week in a row that this occurred).

*This race was run caution-free. As a result, the field was stretched out quite a bit. Only 2 cars finished on the lead lap and Geoff Bodine was able to cruise to victory by over 5 seconds.

Mello Yello 500

The Mello Yello 500 was held October 11 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Alan Kulwicki won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 6-Mark Martin
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 42-Kyle Petty
# 12-Jimmy Spencer
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 33-Harry Gant
# 8-Dick Trickle
# 15-Geoff Bodine

*The #31 Team Ireland Chevrolet of Bobby Hillin, Jr. was disqualified due to illegal cylinder heads after finishing 15th. As a result, the team withdrew from the series in an attempt to avoid being drawn into disrepute.

AC Delco 500

The AC Delco 500 was held October 25 at North Carolina Speedway. Kyle Petty won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 42-Kyle Petty*
# 4-Ernie Irvan
# 5-Ricky Rudd
# 11-Bill Elliott
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 33-Harry Gant
# 26-Brett Bodine
# 3-Dale Earnhardt
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 28-Davey Allison

*Kyle Petty led all but 8 laps (484 of 492) of the race in a display of complete and utter domination. As a result of the domination and only 2 cautions in a convert|500|mi|km|sing=on race, only 2 cars finished on the lead lap.

Pyroil 500K

The Pyroil 500K was held November 1 at Phoenix International Raceway. The #2 of Rusty Wallace won the pole.

Top Ten Results

# 28-Davey Allison
# 6-Mark Martin
# 17-Darrell Waltrip
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 12-Jimmy Spencer
# 25-Ken Schrader
# 10-Derrike Cope
# 68-Bobby Hamilton
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 3-Dale Earnhardt

Hooters 500

The 1992 Hooters 500 was held November 15 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The #1 of Rick Mast* won the pole. This race was the last for 7-time champion Richard Petty, and the first for future champion Jeff Gordon. Coming into the race six drivers had a mathematical chance to win the title: Elliott, Kulwicki, Davey Allison, Kyle Petty, Harry Gant, and Mark Martin. Kyle Petty had engine problems that took him out of contention and Allison was involved in a crash with Ernie Irvan on lap 204, ending his championship hopes. Kulwicki won the championship by leading the most laps (by 1 over Elliott) in the race, and then finishing 2nd to Elliott. This gave Kulwicki the championship by only 10 points over Elliott.

Top Ten Results

# 11-Bill Elliott
# 7-Alan Kulwicki
# 15-Geoff Bodine
# 12-Jimmy Spencer
# 94-Terry Labonte
# 2-Rusty Wallace
# 22-Sterling Marlin
# 66-Jimmy Hensley
# 55-Ted Musgrave
# 18-Dale Jarrett

*This was Rick Mast's first career Winston Cup pole.

Final Points Standings

#Alan Kulwicki - 4078
#Bill Elliott - 4068
#Davey Allison - 4015
#Harry Gant - 3955
#Kyle Petty - 3945
#Mark Martin - 3887
#Ricky Rudd - 3735
#Terry Labonte - 3674
#Darrell Waltrip - 3659
#Sterling Marlin - 3603
#Ernie Irvan - 3580
#Dale Earnhardt - 3574
#Rusty Wallace - 3556
#Morgan Shepherd - 3549
#Brett Bodine - 3491
#Geoff Bodine - 3437
#Ken Schrader - 3404
#Ted Musgrave - 3315
#Dale Jarrett - 3251
#Dick Trickle - 3097
#Derrike Cope - 3033
#Rick Mast - 2830
#Michael Waltrip - 2825
#Wally Dallenbach, Jr. - 2799
#Bobby Hamilton - 2787
#Richard Petty - 2731
#Hut Stricklin - 2689
#Jimmy Hensley - 2410
#Dave Marcis - 2348
#Greg Sacks - 1759
#Chad Little - 1669
#Jimmy Means - 1531
#Jimmy Spencer - 1284
#Bobby Hillin, Jr. - 1135
#Stanley Smith - 959
#Mike Potter - 806
#Jim Sauter - 729
#Lake Speed - 726
#Jimmy Horton - 660
#Bob Schacht - 611
#Charlie Glotzbach - 592
#James Hylton - 476
#Andy Belmont - 467
#Jeff Purvis - 453
#Dave Mader III - 436
#Jerry O'Neil - 429
#Eddie Bierschwale - 277
#Buddy Baker - 255
#Rich Bickle - 252
#Mike Wallace - 249

Other information

* Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace who finsihed 12th and 13th respectively would finish 1-2 in the championship in 1993.

Rookie of the Year

Jimmy Hensley, driving for Cale Yarborough, was named Rookie of the Year, posting four top-ten finishes in 22 starts. Andy Belmont and Dave Mader III also declared for the award, but did not run enough races to compete for the award.

Additional reading

*"Race with Destiny", David Poole. Albion Press (FL), April 15 2002 . ISBN 978-0970917034.

External links

* [http://racing-reference.info/raceyear?yr=1992&series=W Winston Cup Standings and Statistics for 1992]