1993 Slick 50 500 Explained

Type:NASWINSTON
Date:October 31
Caption:The 1993 Slick 50 500 program cover.
Pole Team:Junior Johnson & Associates
First Team:Roush Racing
First Driver:Mark Martin
Most Team:Roush Racing
Most Driver:Mark Martin
Most Laps:212
Pole Driver:Bill Elliott
Network:TNN
Announcers:Mike Joy, Buddy Baker, Neil Bonnett
Car:6
Radio:Motor Racing Network
Avg:100.375mph
Season No:30
Location:Avondale, Arizona, Phoenix International Raceway
Race No:29
Scheduled Km:502.115
Distance Km:502.115
Scheduled Laps:312
Distance Laps:312
Course Km:1.6
Scheduled Mi:312
Course Mi:1
Official Name:6th Annual Slick 50 500
Race Name:Slick 50 500
Year:1993
Pole Time:27.803
Distance Mi:312

The 1993 Slick 50 500 was the 29th and penultimate stock car race of the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, the 14th and final race of the 1993 NASCAR Winston West Series season, and the sixth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 31, 1993, in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to dominate a majority of the race to take his 12th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth and final victory of the season.[1] [2] To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan and SABCO Racing driver Kyle Petty would finish second and third, respectively.

Heading into the final race of the season, the 1993 Hooters 500, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt was the heavy favorite to win the championship, only needing a 34th place or better to win the driver's championship.[3] [4]

Background

Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.

Entry list

DriverTeamMakeSponsor
1Rick MastPrecision Products RacingFordSkoal
2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiacMiller Genuine Draft
3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletGM Goodwrench Service Plus
4Jimmy HensleyMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevroletKodak
5Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevroletTide
6Mark MartinRoush RacingFordValvoline
7Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFordThe Family Channel
8Sterling MarlinStavola Brothers RacingFordRaybestos
11Bill ElliottJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordBudweiser
12Jimmy SpencerBobby Allison MotorsportsFordMeineke
13Stan FoxFolsom RacingChevroletCarrier
14Terry LabonteHagan RacingChevroletKellogg's Frosted Flakes
15Lake SpeedBud Moore EngineeringFordMotorcraft
16Wally Dallenbach Jr.Roush RacingFordKeystone
17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevroletWestern Auto
18Dale JarrettJoe Gibbs RacingChevroletInterstate Batteries
20Dirk StephensCraigen RacingFordMark's Drywall
21Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFordCitgo
22Bobby Labonte (R)Bill Davis RacingFordMaxwell House
24Jeff Gordon (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevroletDuPont
25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevroletKodiak
26Brett BodineKing RacingFordQuaker State
27Hut StricklinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordMcDonald's
28Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFordTexaco, Havoline
29Steve GrissomDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevroletDiamond Ridge Motorsports
30Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiacPennzoil
33Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsChevroletSkoal Bandit
36Butch GillilandGilliland RacingChevroletGear Engineering
39Chuck BownRoulo Brothers RacingChevroletPedigree
40Kenny Wallace (R)SABCO RacingPontiacDirt Devil
41Dick TrickleLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevroletManheim Auctions
42Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiacMello Yello
44Rick WilsonPetty EnterprisesPontiacSTP
48Jack SellersSellers RacingChevroletBear Automotive
50Mike ChaseJTC RacingChevroletStar Race Computers
51Rick ScribnerScribner RacingChevroletAll-Pro Auto Parts
52Scott GaylordJimmy Means RacingFordOliver Gravity Separators
55Ted MusgraveRaDiUs MotorsportsFordUSAir, Jasper Engines & Transmissions
58Wayne JacksJacks MotorsportsPontiacImperial Palace Hotel and Casino
61Rick CarelliChesrown RacingChevroletChesrown Racing
68Loy Allen Jr.TriStar MotorsportsFordCountry Time
71Terry FisherMarcis Auto RacingPontiacExide
72John AndrettiTex RacingChevroletTex Racing
75Todd Bodine (R)Butch Mock MotorsportsFordFactory Stores of America
76Ron Hornaday Jr.Spears MotorsportsChevroletSpears Manufacturing
81Jeff DavisJeff Davis RacingFordVan-K Karting Wheels
86Rich Woodland Jr.Woodland RacingOldsmobileNational Cold Storage
90Bobby Hillin Jr.Donlavey RacingFordHeilig-Meyers
98Derrike CopeCale Yarborough MotorsportsFordBojangles

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, October 29, at 6:00 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, October 30, at 3:00 PM 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,[5] 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; which was one for cars in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and two extra provisionals for the NASCAR Winston West Series. 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.

Bill Elliott, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, would win the pole, setting a time of 27.803 and an average speed of 129.482mph in the first round.[6]

Six drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

Pos.DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
111Bill ElliottJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord27.803129.482
241Dick TrickleLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet27.827129.371
36Mark MartinRoush RacingFord27.877129.139
45Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet27.877129.139
528Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord27.894129.060
62Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac27.899129.037
78Sterling MarlinStavola Brothers RacingFord27.901129.028
825Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet27.957128.769
924Jeff Gordon (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet27.968128.719
1039Chuck BownRoulo Brothers RacingChevrolet27.977128.677
113Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet27.998128.581
1226Brett BodineKing RacingFord28.001128.567
131Rick MastPrecision Products RacingFord28.068128.260
1418Dale JarrettJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet28.073128.237
1533Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet28.097128.128
1615Lake SpeedBud Moore EngineeringFord28.098128.123
1712Jimmy SpencerBobby Allison MotorsportsFord28.099128.118
1829Steve GrissomDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet28.136127.950
197Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord28.139127.936
2022Bobby Labonte (R)Bill Davis RacingFord28.157127.855
Failed to lock in Round 1
2117Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet28.057128.310
2221Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFord28.176127.768
2330Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac28.214127.596
2476Ron Hornaday Jr.Spears MotorsportsChevrolet28.215127.592
2561Rick CarelliChesrown RacingChevrolet28.238127.488
2614Terry LabonteHagan RacingChevrolet28.252127.425
2742Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac28.261127.384
2827Hut StricklinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord28.261127.384
294Jimmy HensleyMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet28.269127.348
3075Todd Bodine (R)Butch Mock MotorsportsFord28.277127.312
3198Derrike CopeCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord28.294127.235
3240Kenny Wallace (R)SABCO RacingPontiac28.318127.128
3316Wally Dallenbach Jr.Roush RacingFord28.357126.953
3472John AndrettiTex RacingChevrolet28.357126.953
3590Bobby Hillin Jr.Donlavey RacingFord28.390126.805
3655Ted MusgraveRaDiUs MotorsportsFord28.400126.761
3744Rick WilsonPetty EnterprisesPontiac28.426126.645
3850Mike ChaseJTC RacingChevrolet28.481126.400
3986Rich Woodland Jr.Woodland RacingOldsmobile28.759125.178
4068Loy Allen Jr.TriStar MotorsportsFord28.836124.844
Winston Cup provisional
4171Terry FisherMarcis Auto RacingPontiac-*-*
Winston West provisionals
4220Dirk StephensCraigen RacingFord-*-*
4358Wayne JacksJacks MotorsportsPontiac-*-*
Failed to qualify
4452Scott GaylordJimmy Means RacingFord-*-*
4536Butch GillilandGilliland RacingChevrolet-*-*
4613Stan FoxFolsom RacingChevrolet-*-*
4748Jack SellersSellers RacingChevrolet-*-*
4881Jeff DavisJeff Davis RacingFord-*-*
4951Rick ScribnerScribner RacingChevrolet-*-*
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

FinStDriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings
136Mark MartinRoush RacingFord312212running185$67,035
2528Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord3126running175$44,155
32742Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac3129running170$28,430
4113Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet3122running165$29,980
5111Bill ElliottJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord3121running160$31,655
645Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3120running150$21,120
72117Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet3120running146$21,820
82022Bobby Labonte (R)Bill Davis RacingFord3122running147$14,620
92330Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac3122running143$16,020
10131Rick MastPrecision Products RacingFord3126running139$17,770
112221Morgan ShepherdWood Brothers RacingFord3120running130$14,820
121533Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsChevrolet31116running132$17,520
131615Lake SpeedBud Moore EngineeringFord3110running124$16,220
142614Terry LabonteHagan RacingChevrolet3110running121$13,720
153655Ted MusgraveRaDiUs MotorsportsFord3110running118$13,420
161418Dale JarrettJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet3110running115$15,320
173240Kenny Wallace (R)SABCO RacingPontiac3100running112$9,920
183590Bobby Hillin Jr.Donlavey RacingFord3100running109$7,095
1962Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac3101running111$15,495
203744Rick WilsonPetty EnterprisesPontiac3090running103$9,260
212561Rick CarelliChesrown RacingChevrolet3090running100$6,685
222476Ron Hornaday Jr.Spears MotorsportsChevrolet3070running97$6,660
233198Derrike CopeCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord3060running94$11,535
241039Chuck BownRoulo Brothers RacingChevrolet3060running91$6,610
253075Todd Bodine (R)Butch Mock MotorsportsFord3050running88$6,585
264068Loy Allen Jr.TriStar MotorsportsFord3050running85$6,560
271712Jimmy SpencerBobby Allison MotorsportsFord3050running82$11,385
281226Brett BodineKing RacingFord3000running79$11,260
291829Steve GrissomDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet2600running76$6,485
3078Sterling MarlinStavola Brothers RacingFord2554crash78$11,110
31241Dick TrickleLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet2543trail arm75$9,535
32294Jimmy HensleyMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet2420handling67$15,760
33825Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet2360running64$10,710
343316Wally Dallenbach Jr.Roush RacingFord2340rear end61$10,660
35924Jeff Gordon (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet19548handling63$7,610
362827Hut StricklinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord1570handling55$10,560
374171Terry FisherMarcis Auto RacingPontiac1320engine52$6,040
383986Rich Woodland Jr.Woodland RacingOldsmobile1140engine49$6,030
393850Mike ChaseJTC RacingChevrolet870engine46$6,015
403472John AndrettiTex RacingChevrolet490crash43$5,980
414358Wayne JacksJacks MotorsportsPontiac480engine40$5,980
424220Dirk StephensCraigen RacingFord240engine37$5,980
43197Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord140crash34$15,380
Failed to qualify
4452Scott GaylordJimmy Means RacingFord
4536Butch GillilandGilliland RacingChevrolet
4613Stan FoxFolsom RacingChevrolet
4748Jack SellersSellers RacingChevrolet
4881Jeff DavisJeff Davis RacingFord
4951Rick ScribnerScribner RacingChevrolet
Official race results

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
PosDriverPoints
1Dale Earnhardt4,387
2Rusty Wallace4,261 (-126)
3Mark Martin4,047 (-340)
4Dale Jarrett3,849 (–538)
5Morgan Shepherd3,735 (–652)
16Kyle Petty3,730 (–657)
17Ernie Irvan3,707 (–680)
28Ken Schrader3,633 (–754)
9Bill Elliott3,609 (–778)
10Ricky Rudd3,469 (–918)
Official driver's standings

Notes and References

  1. News: Harris . Mike . November 1, 1993 . Earnhardt very close to '93 championship . 29 . The Indianapolis Star . January 18, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  2. News: Armijo . Mark . November 1, 1993 . Martin drives monster NASCAR race . 27 . Arizona Republic . January 18, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  3. News: Higgins . Tom . November 1, 1993 . Gamble on tires leaves Wallace flat . 14 . The Charlotte Observer . January 18, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Harris . Mike . November 1, 1993 . Flat tire ends Wallace's hopes . 7 . Daily World . January 18, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  5. News: October 29, 1993 . NASCAR today . 23 . . January 18, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  6. News: Harris . Mike . October 30, 1993 . Elliott Smashes Record . 10 . The Times-Tribune . January 18, 2023 . Newspapers.com.