The 1993 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 14, 1993, before an audience of 150,000 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete.
In the final laps of the race, Joe Gibbs Racing's Dale Jarrett, Hendrick Motorsports' Jeff Gordon and Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt engaged in a battle for the victory. Heading into two laps left in the race, Gordon was passed by Jarrett for second, allowing Jarrett to stay behind Earnhardt. Proceeding into the final lap, Earnhardt had let Jarrett get to the inside of his car, allowing Jarrett to pass Earnhardt for the lead by the time the two exited out of the second turn. Jarrett was then able to defend the rest of the field to take his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his only win of the season, and his first career Daytona 500 victory. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Dale Earnhardt and Bud Moore Engineering's Geoff Bodine finished second and third, respectively.
Background
Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
#DriverTeamMake0Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingFord1Rick MastPrecision Products RacingFord2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet5Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord8Sterling MarlinStavola Brothers RacingFord9Chad LittleMelling RacingFord11Bill ElliottJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord12Jimmy SpencerBobby Allison MotorsportsFord14Terry LabonteHagan RacingChevrolet15Geoff BodineBud Moore EngineeringFord16Wally Dallenbach Jr.Roush RacingFord17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet18Dale JarrettJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet20Joe RuttmanMoroso RacingFord21Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFord22Bobby Labonte (R)Bill Davis RacingFord23Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobile24Jeff Gordon (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26Brett BodineKing RacingFord27Hut StricklinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord28Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord29Kerry TeagueLinro MotorsportsChevrolet30Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac31Steve KinserFolsom RacingChevrolet32Jimmy HortonActive MotorsportsChevrolet33Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet40Kenny Wallace (R)SABCO RacingPontiac41Phil ParsonsLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet42Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac44Rick WilsonPetty EnterprisesPontiac45Rich BickleTerminal Trucking MotorsportsFord46Al Unser Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet48James HyltonHylton MotorsportsFord50A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt RacingFord51Jeff PurvisPhoenix RacingChevrolet52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingFord55Ted MusgraveRaDiUs MotorsportsFord66Derrike CopeCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord68Bobby HamiltonTriStar MotorsportsFord71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet73Stanley SmithBarkdoll RacingChevrolet75Dick TrickleButch Mock MotorsportsFord77Mike PotterGray RacingFord83Lake SpeedSpeed RacingFord85Dorsey SchroederMansion MotorsportsFord89Jim SauterMueller Brothers RacingFord90Bobby Hillin Jr.Donlavey RacingFord95Ken RaganSadler Brothers RacingFord99Brad TeagueBall MotorsportsChevroletOfficial entry list
Qualifying Qualifying was set by the 1993 Gatorade Twin 125 Qualifiers. The top two positions were set by qualifying speeds held for the Twin 125 Qualifiers held on Saturday, February 6, with the top two qualifiers in the session earning the top two positions for the Daytona 500. The rest of the starting was set in the Twin 125 Qualifiers, held on Thursday, February 11, during two races. The top 14 finishers in the first race, excluding the pole position winner, set the inside row from rows two to 15, and the top 14 finishers in the second race, excluding the outside pole position winner, set the outside row from rows two to 15. The remaining non-qualifiers set positions 31-40 based on qualifying speeds from the first qualifying session held on Sunday. If needed, up to two extra provisionals were given to teams high enough in the previous season's owner's standings that did not qualify for the race by either qualifying speed or from the Twin 125 Qualifiers.
Kyle Petty, driving for SABCO Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 47.512 and an average speed of in Saturday's session.
13 drivers failed to qualify.
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeReason142Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiacQualified on pole218Dale JarrettJoe Gibbs RacingChevroletQualified on outside pole324Jeff Gordon (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevroletFirst in Twin 125 #143Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletFirst in Twin 125 #2511Bill ElliottJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordSecond in Twin 125 #1615Geoff BodineBud Moore EngineeringFordSecond in Twin 125 #2725Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevroletFourth in Twin 125 #184Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevroletFourth in Twin 125 #2990Bobby Hillin Jr.Donlavey RacingFordFifth in Twin 125 #1107Alan KulwickiAK RacingFordFifth in Twin 125 #21128Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFordSixth in Twin 125 #1125Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevroletSixth in Twin 125 #21383Lake SpeedSpeed RacingFordSeventh in Twin 125 #1148Sterling MarlinStavola Brothers RacingFordSeventh in Twin 125 #21544Rick WilsonPetty EnterprisesPontiacEighth in Twin 125 #11641Phil ParsonsLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevroletEighth in Twin 125 #2179Chad LittleMelling RacingFordNinth in Twin 125 #11827Hut StricklinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordNinth in Twin 125 #21914Terry LabonteHagan RacingChevroletTenth in Twin 125 #12026Brett BodineKing RacingFordTenth in Twin 125 #22175Dick TrickleButch Mock MotorsportsFord11th in Twin 125 #12216Wally Dallenbach Jr.Roush RacingFord11th in Twin 125 #2236Mark MartinRoush RacingFord12th in Twin 125 #12440Kenny Wallace (R)SABCO RacingPontiac12th in Twin 125 #22522Bobby Labonte (R)Bill Davis RacingFord13th in Twin 125 #12617Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet13th in Twin 125 #22768Bobby HamiltonTriStar MotorsportsFord14th in Twin 125 #12830Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac14th in Twin 125 #22932Jimmy HortonActive MotorsportsChevrolet15th in Twin 125 #13012Jimmy SpencerBobby Allison MotorsportsFord15th in Twin 125 #2311Rick MastPrecision Products RacingFordSpeed provisional (188.588)3221Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFordSpeed provisional (188.344)3355Ted MusgraveRaDiUs MotorsportsFordSpeed provisional (188.332)342Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiacSpeed provisional (188.107)3566Derrike CopeCale Yarborough MotorsportsFordSpeed provisional (187.919)3620Joe RuttmanMoroso RacingFordSpeed provisional (187.872)3733Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsChevroletSpeed provisional (187.707)3852Jimmy HensleyJimmy MeansFordSpeed provisional (187.559)3989Jim SauterMueller Brothers RacingFordSpeed provisional (187.426)4046Al Unser Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevroletSpeed provisional (186.749)4171Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevroletOwner's points provisionalFailed to qualify4285Dorsey SchroederMansion MotorsportsFord20th in Twin 125 #14348James HyltonHylton MotorsportsFord16th in Twin 125 #24445Rich BickleTerminal Trucking MotorsportsFord22nd in Twin 125 #14529Kerry TeagueLinro MotorsportsChevrolet18th in Twin 125 #2460Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingFord23rd in Twin 125 #14777Mike PotterGray RacingFord19th in Twin 125 #24873Stanley SmithBarkdoll RacingChevrolet25th in Twin 125 #14999Brad TeagueBall MotorsportsChevrolet20th in Twin 125 #25031Steve KinserFolsom RacingChevrolet26th in Twin 125 #15151Jeff PurvisPhoenix RacingChevrolet21st in Twin 125 #25295Ken RaganSadler Brothers RacingFord27th in Twin 125 #15350A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt RacingFord22nd in Twin 125 #25423Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobile27th in Twin 125 #2Official Twin 125 Qualifiers resultsOfficial starting lineup
Race Summary The start The first lap was led by rookie Jeff Gordon, who was the youngest winner of a Gatorade 125-mile qualifier on Thursday. Shortly after this, CBS reporter Chris Economaki said that Rookie of the Year is an award he would be almost assured of. Engine failures for Dick Trickle and Jimmy Hensley (the latter would crash in Turn 1 in his substitution for the injured Jimmy Means) brought out the first two caution flags in the first 15 laps.
Mid-race summary Over the next 110 laps, Dale Earnhardt, Ken Schrader, and Kyle Petty would lead the majority of the laps, with Jeff Gordon and Bobby Hillin Jr. leading a handful of laps as legitimate leaders. 1990 winner Derrike Cope and Harry Gant also led several of these laps, but they had pitted under the early yellows to stretch their fuel runs.
Meanwhile, two-time winner Bill Elliott dropped out of the race on lap 99, the victim of overheating in his #11 Ford Thunderbird.
Closing stages Dale Earnhardt was the leader on Lap 130 when Wally Dallenbach Jr. brushed the Turn 4 wall. Sterling Marlin and Michael Waltrip were lined up behind him, and when Marlin backed off, Waltrip tagged him and sent him into a spin. Marlin caught air as he spun by Joe Ruttman, who was coming to pit road to retire with engine failure. 5 laps after the restart, Rick Wilson and Bobby Hamilton collided on the backstretch. Approaching 50 laps to go, 1991 Daytona 500 winner Ernie Irvan was turned into the wall exiting Turn 2, eliminating a possible winner. The first major wreck happened when Dale Earnhardt touched 1992 Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. (competing in his only Winston Cup Series race). His #46 Chevrolet crashed into the 90 of Bobby Hillin Jr., who spun into the path of polesitter Kyle Petty. Both had a heated verbal exchange, Hillin reportedly was telling Petty he had no brakes, but both were victims of circumstances. With 31 laps to go, Derrike Cope and Waltrip touched in Turn 2. Waltrip spun down into 1989 Winston Cup Champion Rusty Wallace and sent him into a horrific series of flips and rollovers in the grass. A little more than minute later, Ken Squier reported that Wallace came on the radio to crew chief Buddy Parrott and said, "I'm okay."
The finish By this time, Hut Stricklin and Sterling Marlin presented themselves as contenders. Earnhardt led from the restart, only to be passed briefly by Dale Jarrett. The #3 was soon in the lead again, as he was pursued by the Chevrolets of Jarrett and Jeff Gordon, and the Fords of 1986 Daytona 500 winner Geoff Bodine, Hut Stricklin, Mark Martin, and Morgan Shepherd. The "Dale and Dale Show" commenced as Jarrett passed Earnhardt in the tri-oval as they took the white flag. As the leaders exited Turn 2, the CBS Sports producers told Ken Squier and Neil Bonnett through their headsets to let Ned Jarrett to "call his son Dale home". Jarrett held off Earnhardt by .16 (sixteen hundredths) of a second to claim his first Daytona 500 win.
Race results