The 1992 Champion Spark Plug 400 was the 19th stock car race of the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 16, 1992, before an audience of 95,000 in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Depending on fuel mileage, Leo Jackson Motorsports driver Harry Gant would manage to run the final 51 laps on one tank of fuel to take his 18th and final NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, owner-driver Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson & Associates driver Bill Elliott would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
#DriverTeamMakeSponsor1Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobileSkoal2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiacMiller Genuine Draft3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletGM Goodwrench Service Plus4Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevroletKodak5Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevroletTide6Mark MartinRoush RacingFordValvoline7Alan KulwickiAK RacingFordHooters8Dick TrickleStavola Brothers RacingFordSnickers9Chad LittleMelling RacingFordNational Child Abuse Hotline10Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevroletPurolator Filters11Bill ElliottJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordBudweiser12Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsChevroletRaybestos13Stan FoxFolsom RacingChevroletCarrier "We're The Inside Guys."15Geoff BodineBud Moore EngineeringFordMotorcraft16Wally Dallenbach Jr.Roush RacingFordKeystone17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevroletWestern Auto18Dale JarrettJoe Gibbs RacingChevroletInterstate Batteries21Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFordCitgo22Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordMaxwell House23Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobileSplitFire25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevroletKodiak26Brett BodineKing RacingFordQuaker State27Jeff McClureLinro MotorsportsChevroletShowcase Racing Collectibles28Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFordTexaco, Havoline30Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiacPennzoil31Bobby Hillin Jr.Team IrelandChevroletTeam Ireland32Jimmy HortonActive MotorsportsChevroletActive Trucking33Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobileSkoal Bandit41Greg SacksLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevroletKellogg's Frosted Flakes42Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiacMello Yello43Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiacSTP49Stanley SmithBS&S MotorsportsChevroletAmeritron Batteries51Jeff PurvisPhoenix RacingChevroletPhoenix Construction52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiacJimmy Means Racing55Ted MusgraveRaDiUs MotorsportsChevroletJasper Engines & Transmissions66Jimmy Hensley (R)Cale Yarborough MotorsportsFordPhillips 66 TropArtic68Bobby HamiltonTriStar MotorsportsChevroletCountry Time71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevroletTransmissions Unlimited77Mike PotterBalough RacingChevroletKenova Golf Course Construction83Lake SpeedSpeed RacingFordPurex94Terry LabonteHagan RacingFordSunoco
Qualifying Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, August 14, at 3:30 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, August 15, at 10:30 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 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.
Alan Kulwicki, driving for his own AK Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 40.405 and an average speed of in the first round.
No drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed17Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord40.405178.19626Mark MartinRoush RacingFord40.406178.191328Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord40.424178.112425Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet40.471177.90554Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet40.479177.870621Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFord40.532177.637711Bill ElliottJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord40.593177.370822Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord40.653177.109917Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet40.676177.0091026Brett BodineKing RacingFord40.696176.922115Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet40.707176.8741215Geoff BodineBud Moore EngineeringFord40.766176.6181394Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobile40.781176.5531418Dale JarrettJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet40.790176.5141542Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac40.794176.4971668Bobby HamiltonTriStar MotorsportsFord40.806176.4451710Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet40.875176.147188Dick TrickleStavola Brothers RacingFord40.906176.0131966Jimmy Hensley (R)Cale Yarborough MotorsportsFord40.973175.7252012Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsChevrolet41.005175.588Failed to lock in Round 12143Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac41.111175.1362232Jimmy HortonActive MotorsportsChevrolet41.116175.1142349Stanley SmithBS&S MotorsportsChevrolet41.141175.0082433Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobile41.164174.9102541Greg SacksLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet41.187174.8122630Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac41.214174.6982716Wally Dallenbach Jr.Roush RacingFord41.262174.495281Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobile41.269174.4652971Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet41.270174.4613031Bobby Hillin Jr.Team IrelandChevrolet41.306174.309319Chad LittleMelling RacingFord41.371174.0353223Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobile41.397173.926332Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac41.495173.5153483Lake SpeedSpeed RacingFord41.516173.4273555Ted MusgraveRaDiUs MotorsportsFord41.806172.2243651Jeff PurvisPhoenix RacingChevrolet41.902171.8303752Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac42.276170.3093813Stan FoxFolsom RacingChevrolet42.495169.4323927Jeff McClureLinro MotorsportsChevrolet42.597169.0264077Mike PotterBalough RacingChevrolet42.715168.559Provisional413Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet - -Official first round qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup
Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings12433Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobile20023running180$71,5452917Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet2006running175$45,6703711Bill ElliottJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord20072running175$45,820454Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet20035running165$28,9205328Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord2000running155$29,26561542Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac2000running150$21,7157822Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord2000running146$19,51581418Dale JarrettJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet2004running147$18,265926Mark MartinRoush RacingFord2007running143$19,71510621Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFord2000running134$18,76511425Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet2000running130$19,240121026Brett BodineKing RacingFord2007running132$16,61513281Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobile1990running124$15,1151417Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord19946running126$19,915151668Bobby HamiltonTriStar MotorsportsFord1990running118$14,41516413Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet1990running115$19,66517319Chad LittleMelling RacingFord1990running112$7,865182143Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac1990running109$13,16519188Dick TrickleStavola Brothers RacingFord1990running106$9,665202716Wally Dallenbach Jr.Roush RacingFord1990running103$7,96521332Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac1980running100$15,040222630Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac1980running97$11,940231394Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobile1980running94$11,740242012Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsChevrolet1980running91$11,590253555Ted MusgraveRaDiUs MotorsportsFord1970running88$11,340263031Bobby Hillin Jr.Team IrelandChevrolet1970running85$6,390273651Jeff PurvisPhoenix RacingChevrolet1970running82$6,340283223Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobile1930running79$6,290291966Jimmy Hensley (R)Cale Yarborough MotorsportsFord1910running76$8,590304077Mike PotterBalough RacingChevrolet1750running73$6,140313927Jeff McClureLinro MotorsportsChevrolet1730running70$5,990322971Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet1010engine67$7,540331710Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet960crash64$7,465343483Lake SpeedSpeed RacingFord870crash61$6,840352349Stanley SmithBS&S MotorsportsChevrolet610crash58$5,79036115Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet550crash55$13,765373813Stan FoxFolsom RacingChevrolet440crash52$5,740382232Jimmy HortonActive MotorsportsChevrolet210engine49$5,715393752Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac80engine46$7,240401215Geoff BodineBud Moore EngineeringFord40crash43$10,165412541Greg SacksLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet40crash40$7,140Official race results
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Bill Elliott 2,796 2 Davey Allison 2,759 (-37) 1 3 Harry Gant 2,661 (-135) 1 4 Alan Kulwicki 2,653 (–143) 5 Mark Martin 2,511 (–285) 3 6 Kyle Petty 2,431 (–365) 4 7 Ernie Irvan 2,429 (–367) 2 8 Morgan Shepherd 2,415 (–381) 2 9 Terry Labonte 2,401 (–395) 2 10 Dale Earnhardt 2,400 (–396)Official driver's standings
Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.
References