1994 The Winston Select


The 1994 edition of The Winston Select was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 21, 1994. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 70-lap race was an exhibition race in the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Rusty Wallace of Penske Racing South won the pole, while Ernie Irvan of Robert Yates Racing led the most laps, but it was Geoff Bodine of Geoff Bodine Racing who won the race.

Background

The Winston Select was open to winning drivers and team owners from last season through the Save Mart Supermarkets 300 at Sears Point Raceway and all previous All-Star race winners and past NASCAR Winston Cup champions who had attempted to qualify for every race in 1994. The top six finishers of The Winston Select Open advanced to complete the starting grid of 20 cars.
The 1994 season saw the second of two tire wars between Goodyear and Hoosier.
The earnings for The Winston Select were as follows:

1994 The Winston drivers and eligibility

Race winners in 1993 and 1994

  • 2-Rusty Wallace
  • 3-Dale Earnhardt
  • 4-Sterling Marlin
  • 5-Terry Labonte
  • 6-Mark Martin
  • 7-Geoff Bodine
  • 10-Ricky Rudd
  • 18-Dale Jarrett
  • 21-Morgan Shepherd
  • 28-Ernie Irvan
  • 42-Kyle Petty

    Winning team owners in 1993 and 1994

  • 15-Bud Moore Engineering with new driver Lake Speed

    Previous NASCAR Winston Cup Champions

  • 11-Bill Elliott
  • 17-Darrell Waltrip

    Top six finishers of The Winston Open

  • 8-Jeff Burton
  • 24-Jeff Gordon
  • 25-Ken Schrader
  • 31-Ward Burton
  • 41-Joe Nemechek
  • 77-Greg Sacks

    Race summary

Segment 1

won the pole for the all-star event to collect the bonus. Jeff Gordon, Greg Sacks, Ken Schrader, Jeff Burton, Ward Burton, and Joe Nemechek transferred from The Winston Select Open to make the field. Mark Martin, Geoff Bodine, and Lake Speed served as the onboard camera cars throughout the race. At the drop of the green flag, Wallace led the field until the yellow flag waved on lap 4 when Speed blew a right-front tire and scraped the turn 3 outside wall after bumping Morgan Shepherd. When the race resumed on lap 7, Ernie Irvan took the lead from Wallace and kept it until the second yellow flag waved on lap 14 when Bodine spun on the frontstretch after contact with Marlin. Irvan retained the lead at the restart and crossed the finish line to win Segment 1 and the bonus while Marlin and Dale Jarrett completed the top-three.
;Segment results
  1. 28-Ernie Irvan
  2. 4-Sterling Marlin
  3. 18-Dale Jarrett

    Segment 2

During the 10-minute break between segments, the fan balloting on whether or not to invert the field for the second 30-lap segment was unveiled. The fans had spoken and the result flashed on the Winston Cup scoreboard — INVERT!
During the warmup lap, Speed, who was supposed to lead the field, surrendered it to Sacks and moved to the back of the field due to handling issues. At the drop of the green flag, Sacks led the field for 13 laps. On lap 36, Terry Labonte retired from the race due to transmission issues. Schrader took the lead from Sacks on lap 44, but the yellow flag waved when Ward Burton spun on the frontstretch after contact with Dale Earnhardt. When the race resumed on lap 49, Sacks resumed the lead, but on lap 50, a multi-car accident on turn 4 involving Wallace, Earnhardt, Marlin, and Gordon triggered the caution; Wallace and Earnhardt's night was over. The race restarted on lap 54 with Bodine taking the lead, but the yellow flag waved again on lap 56 when Martin and Sacks collided and hit the turn 1 wall hard while Jarrett spun beneath the white line. The green flag waved on lap 58 for a two-lap shootout, with Bodine outgunning Irvan to win Segment 2 and collect the bonus. In an attempt to take the lead from Bodine on the frontstretch, Irvan ran over the infield grass and spun before crashing on the outside wall, ending his chances to win the final segment.
;Segment results
  1. 7-Geoff Bodine
  2. 28-Ernie Irvan
  3. 25-Ken Schrader

    Segment 3

For the final 10-lap shootout, Schrader outgunned Bodine to lead for four laps before alternating with Marlin between laps 65 and 67. On lap 68, Bodine retook the lead from Schrader and took the checkered flag to win the bonus while Marlin beat Schrader for second place. Bodine turned the car around to do a Polish victory lap in memory of Alan Kulwicki, who was killed in a plane crash on April 1, 1993, and whose team was purchased by Bodine at the end of the 1993 season.