| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 31 in the1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1994 Winston Select 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | May 1, 1994 (1994-05-01) | ||
| Official name | 25th Annual Winston Select 500 | ||
| Location | Lincoln, Alabama,Talladega Superspeedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.66 miles (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 157.478 miles per hour (253.436 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 150,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Time | 49.540 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Laps | 78 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins,Ned Jarrett,Benny Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The1994 Winston Select 500 was the ninthstock car race of the1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 25th iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, May 1, 1994, before an audience of 150,000 inLincoln, Alabama, atTalladega Superspeedway, a 2.66-mile (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shapedsuperspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race,Richard Childress Racing driverDale Earnhardt would make a charge to the front with six to go, defending the lead for the final five laps to take his 62nd careerNASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season.[1][2] Earnhardt dedicated his win to the lateAyrton Senna, wholost his life earlier that day in a crash at the1994 San Marino Grand Prix. To fill out the top three,Robert Yates Racing driverErnie Irvan andBahari Racing driverMichael Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known asAlabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is amotorsports complex located north ofTalladega, Alabama. It is located on the formerAnniston Air Force Base in the small city ofLincoln. The track is atri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by theInternational Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by theFrance family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts theNASCAR series such as theNASCAR Cup Series,Xfinity Series and theCamping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longestNASCAR oval, a 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like theDaytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) tri-oval.
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 29, at 4:00 PMEST. 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, April 30, at 11:30 AMEST. 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,[3] 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.
Ernie Irvan, driving forRobert Yates Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.540 and an average speed of 193.298 miles per hour (311.083 km/h) in the first round.[4]
Seven drivers would fail to qualify.
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