NASCAR: The Thunder Era and Beyond

[RDT]

The year is 1995. Stock car racing was getting popular in the United States.

To the untrained eye, it may look like drivers are just driving around in circles over and over again. But for anyone who knows what’s going on, every race is an all-out war from anywhere from 300-600 miles each weekend. Try passing Seven-Time Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt with the race on the line, and you may find yourself spinning in the grass, courtesy of ”The Intimidator”. Good luck to anyone trying to outdrive Mark Martin or 1984 Champion Terry Labonte. And is there anyone faster in a race car in the world than ”Awesome Bill From Dawsonville”? It’s not just the action on the track, but the personalities behind the wheel that make NASCAR racing the great sport that it is.

It's been an insane few years for NASCAR. The 90s meant change for NASCAR. With more television time available and the dawn of the internet age coming along, there was a need to create new stars. Some of NASCAR’s stars of the 80s have been slowing down, if not downright retiring from the sport. Most notably, ”The King” Richard Petty, NASCAR Winston Cup’s all-time race winner with 200 victories, raced his last race at the season-finale for the 1992 season, the 1992 Hooters 500 at Atlanta. Darrell Waltrip, winner of 84 races and three Cups himself, has been held winless in the past two seasons. But some of the 80s drivers are still showing some life. Dale Earnhardt just capped off his fourth title in five seasons. Rusty Wallace, the 1989 Champion, had his chances to beat Earnhardt the last two seasons (scoring 18 victories in that stretch). Terry Labonte returned to his winning form In 1994 as well. The biggest issue for NASCAR in regards to creating stars may perhaps be tragedy. 1992 Champion Alan Kulwicki and potential superstar Davey Allison would both pass away in 1993, stunning the racing world.

But still, the door is open for a new star to bring NASCAR into the next era. Mark Martin has already had his own shots at taking down Earnhardt, coming very close in 1990 (and perhaps only losing out on the title because of a penalty). Names such as Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Jeremy Mayfield and 1994 Rookie of the Year Jeff Burton look to make a splash in the upcoming years. And of course, there’s Jeff Gordon, the 23 year old who won the 1993 Rookie of the Year and took down the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis in 1994. And lastly, we’ll have fictional, but new journeys for the stars of the 2000s. We’ll see Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Adam Petty and more climb through the ranks of the top three divisions in NASCAR!

This should be fun a project. With help from ChatGPT I was able to program a very basic simulator to run races, and I’ll be using that. Expect a lot of different (and perhaps unrealistic) changes to what took place in real life, but it should be a fun journey!​

 

[RDT]

BTB Almanac​

 

[CakeWalker]

excited for this more than you would believe. nice to see another racing btb join the hallowed halls

 

[RDT]

1995 NASCAR Season Preview

We’re going to go over some rule changes for this BTB that will be enforced from this point on. NASCAR is famous for changing rules year after year. We won’t be doing that at all (we certainly won’t switch to the Chase format down the line either). Here are the following constants that we will stick with throughout the BTB.

Winston Cup Series Driver Field will always be 40 drivers. Busch Series Driver Field will always be 30 drivers. Craftsman Truck Series Driver Field will always be 20 drivers.

The Winston Cup schedule will always be 36 races. Busch Series Schedule will always be 27 races. Craftsman Truck Series will always be 18 races.

Points for races will be modified to the following:

1st: 200
2nd: 170
Then -5 until…
6th: 150
7th: 146
Then -4 until…
11th: 130
12th: 127
Then -3 until the end of the finishing order

Points will no longer be awarded for lap leading.

There will be no more cross series racing other than Exhibition/All-Star Events. The 40 drivers in Cup will race all 36 starts, etc.

There are five non-points races.

The Bud Shootout At Daytona

The Bud Shootout is a 40 lap sprint at Daytona that any driver can participate in. The starting grid is made up of: previous season Winston Cup pole sitters, all previous Daytona 500 Winners, all previous Bud Shootout winners, the previous year’s Cup Rookie of the Year, all Cup Champions.

Gatorade 125s

The Daytona 500 has a different qualifying structure. After the front row is determined, the rest of the field is determined by the finishing order. There are two of these.

Winston Open

All drivers who have not qualified for the Winston All-Star Race compete for a spot in the Winston All-Star Race.

The Winston

NASCAR’s All-Star Race at Charlotte. The field is made up of: race winners of the prior season and race winners in the current season so far, all past Winston winners, all past Cup Champions, the Winston Open winner and a vote from you all!

***

1995 is shaping up to be a transformative year in NASCAR. With the sports becoming more popular and TV Networks asking for more content, the Winston Cup schedule has expanded to 36 races. Also, a new third-tier series, the Craftsman Truck Series, would also have its inaugural season. With some new races this year (information to be provided below) the season is looking to be as unpredictable as ever. The race schedule is expected to change quite a bit over the next few years as well, as tracks in California, Texas, Las Vegas, Kansas and Chicago are all currently be developed.

1994 Winston Cup Standings

1994 Busch Series Standings

1995 Winston Cup Team/Driver Information

John Andretti, Kranefuss-Haas Racing, #36
Age: 32
1994 Cup Rank: 32nd
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 33 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 32nd Best Rank (’94)

Time will tell if Andretti can even remotely live up to his last name.

Brett Bodine, Junior Johnson and Associates, #27
Age: 36
1994 Cup Rank: 19th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 6 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 220 Starts, 1 Win, 16 Top 5s, 54 Top 10s, 12th Best Rank (’90)
Career Busch Series Stats: 73 Starts, 5 Wins, 31 Top 5s, 51 Top 10s, 16 Poles, 2nd Best Rank (’86)

Brett Bodine is another driver who looked to have all the potential in the world, but it hasn’t quite worked out at the Cup level. Bodine’s Cup win in 1990 was also subject to tons of controversy due to a bad official call…although at least he finished 12th in the standings that year. We’ll see if a comeback is due in ’94.

Geoff Bodine, Geoff Bodine Racing, #7
Age: 46
1994 Cup Rank: 17th
1994 Cup Stats: 3 Wins (Pocono, Michigan, North Wilkesboro), 7 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 5 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 26 Starts, 381 Starts, 17 Wins, 91 Top 5s, 161 Top 10s, 35 Poles, 3rd Best Rank (’90)
Career Busch Series Stats: 57 Starts, 6 Wins, 30 Top 5s, 35 Top 10s, 13 Poles

Geoff Bodine is moving onto his own team in 1995. His 1994 was all over the place: he won 3 races and scored 5 poles…but only finished 16 of 31 races as he had severe engine problems all season long.

Jeff Burton, Stavola Brothers Racing, #8
Age: 28
1994 Cup Rank: 24th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 31 Starts, 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 24th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 153 Starts, 4 Wins, 15 Top 5s, 41 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 9th Best Rank (’92)

The 1994 Rookie of the Year has potential oozing out of him, but he needs the right team behind him to live up to that potential.

Ward Burton, A.G. Dillard Motorsports, #31
Age: 33
1994 Cup Rank: 35th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Career Cup Stats: 26 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 35th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 111 Starts, 4 Wins, 14 Top 5s, 31 Top 10s, 6 Poles, 6th Best Rank (’93)

The younger brother of 1994 Rookie of the Year Jeff Burton, Ward Burton has some potential himself. He’s shown talent qualifying overall, apparent by his Cup pole at Charlotte.

Derrike Cope, Bobby Allison Motorsports, #12
Age: 36
1994 Cup Rank: 28th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 30 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 28th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 194 Starts, 8 Wins, 35 Top 5s, 63 Top 10s, 1st Best Rank (’93)

The 1993 Busch Series Champion has shown that he can win races. His 1994 Cup series debut wasn’t great, but two late Top 10s at Richmond and Dover has Grissom looking up in ’95.

Ricky Craven, Rookie, Larry Hedrick Motorsports, #41
Age: 29
1994 Cup Rank: N/A
1994 Cup Stats: None
Career Cup Stats: 1 Start, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 82nd Best Rank (’91)
Career Busch Series Stats: 99 Starts, 4 Wins, 17 Top 5s, 41 Top 10s, 5 Poles, 2nd Best Rank (’93, ’94)

Two runner-up in the standings finishes in the Busch Series have people excited about Ricky Craven. Craven is one of three Cup rookies and is the favorite to win the award.

Dale Earnhardt, Richard Childress Racing, #3
Age: 44
1994 Cup Rank: 1st
1994 Cup Stats: 4 Wins (Darlington, Bristol, Talladega, Rockingham), 20 Top 5s, 25 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 480 Starts, 63 Wins, 217 Top 5s, 314 Top 10s, 1st Best Rank (’80, ’86, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93, ’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 136 Starts, 21 Wins, 65 Top 5s, 75 Top 10s, 7 Poles, 21st Best Rank (’82)

Dale Earnhardt won his 2nd straight Cup Championship, his record-tying 7th, in 1994. There’s no reason to think he can’t break Richard Petty’s record and win #8 in 1995. That and winning the Daytona 500 are pretty much the only two things he’s yet to do in NASCAR.

Bill Elliott, Elliott-Hardy Racing, #94
Age: 39
1994 Cup Rank: 10th
1994 Cup Stats: 1 Win (Darlington), 6 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Career Cup Stats: 438 Starts, 40 Wins, 142 Top 5s, 240 Top 10s, 1st Best Rank (’88)
Career Busch Series Stats: 36 Starts, 1 Win, 8 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 29th Best Rank (’93)

Awesome Bill From Dawsonville won the Winston Cup title in 1988 and ended up on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a result. While he broke a winless streak in ’94, things weren’t working out with Junior Johnson and Elliott went out to form his own team, with sponsorship from McDonald’s.

Ernie Irvan, Robert Yates Racing, #28
Age: 36
1994 Cup Rank: 22nd
1994 Cup Stats: 3 Wins (Talladega, Martinsville, Charlotte), 13 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, 5 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 196 Starts, 12 Wins, 51 Top 5s, 77 Top 10s, 5th Best Rank (’91)
Career Busch Series Stats: 54 Starts, 3 Wins, 12 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, 5 Poles, 28th Best Rank (’91)

Perhaps the wildest driver in all of NASCAR. Ernie Irvan at one time was vilified by drivers because of his reckless ways on the track (even leading to a written apology from Irvan at a driver’s meeting). But Irvan’s style was effective. He’s won at every type of track and don’t let the 22nd place rank in 1994 fool you. He was the only title contender to Earnhardt in ’94 before a horrific crash at Michigan ended his season early (and only gave him a 10% chance to live). We’re going to cheat a bit and speed up Irvan’s recovery, so he’ll be back for the 1995 season. But will he be the driver he once was?

Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports, #24
Age: 23
1994 Cup Rank: 8th
1994 Cup Stats: 2 Wins (Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400), 7 Top 5s, 14 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Career Cup Stats: 62 Starts, 2 Wins, 14 Top 5s, 25 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 8th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 62 Starts, 3 Wins, 15 Top 5s, 25 Top 10s, 12 Poles, 4th Best Rank (’92)

Jeff Gordon has shown unlimited potential since he made his 1st start in the Busch Series in 1990. Gordon had an excellent 1992 in the Busch Series, followed that with the 1993 Cup Rookie of the Year, and then won the Coca-Cola 600 and the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994. Gordon improved to 8th in the final standings. The sky is the limit in 1995, although he needs to be more consistent.

Steve Grissom, Diamond Ridge Motorsports, #29
Age: 32
1994 Cup Rank: 30th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 2 Top 10s
Career Cup Stats: 217 Starts, 2 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s, 18th Best Rank (’90)
Career Busch Series Stats: 12 Starts, 1 Win, 2 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 32nd Best Rank (’94)

1990 feels like so long ago. Back in 1990 Cope infamously won the Daytona 500 when Dale Earnhardt blew a tire on the last lap. To his credit, he would win a 2nd race that season at Dover to prove it wasn’t a fluke, but there hasn’t been much success since then.

Bobby Hamilton, Petty Enterprises, #43
Age: 38
1994 Cup Rank: 23rd
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10
Career Cup Stats: 106 Starts, 0 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 22nd Best Rank (’91)
Career Busch Series Stats: 70 Starts, 1 Win, 11 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 11th Best Tank (’89, ’90)

Bobby Hamilton turned heads in 1990 when driving a car that was intended to get race footage for the movie Days of Thunder. The car wasn’t intended to be competitive at all, yet qualified 5th. Hamilton hasn’t been great, although he’s shown consistency in his short Cup career. He now is the face of Petty Enterprises, the former legendary team that has struggled since Richard Petty’s retirement.

Bobby Hillin Jr., Jasper Motorsports, #77
Age: 31
1994 Cup Rank: 44th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s
Career Cup Stats: 279 Starts, 1 Win, 8 Top 5s, 42 Top 10s, 9th Best Rank (’86)
Career Busch Series Stats: 43 Starts, 2 Wins, 8 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, 21st Best Rank (’88)

The sky seemed to be the limit for Bobby Hillin Jr. when he won at Talladega in 1986. He was the youngest driver to win a Cup race in the modern era. His career has been uneven at best since. Only 31, we’ll see if he can make a comeback.

Dale Jarrett, Robert Yates Racing, #88
Age: 38
1994 Cup Rank: 16th
1994 Cup Stats: 1 Win (Charlotte), 4 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 228 Starts, 3 Wins, 25 Top 10s, 58 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 4th Best Rank (’93)
Career Busch Series Stats: 268 Starts, 8 Wins, 88 Top 5s, 148 Top 10s, 4th Best Rank (’84, ’86)

Dale Jarrett showed all the potential in the world in 1993 with Joe Gibbs. After an off-year he’s now signed on with Robert Yates, who just had a title contender last season before tragedy struck. The late 90s should be very good for Jarrett, we’ll see if that means title contender like he was in ’93.

Bobby Labonte, Joe Gibbs Racing, #18
Age: 31
1994 Cup Rank: 21st
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 63 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 8 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 19th Best Rank (’93)
Career Busch Series Stats: 123 Starts, 6 Wins, 33 Top 5s, 64 Top 10s, 6 Poles, 1st Best Rank (’91)

The 1991 Busch Series Champion is primed to have a big season. While not quite having the potential Jeff Gordon has, he’s been racing and rivaling Gordon for the past few years. Labonte would be the ’93 Rookie of the Year runner up, but he did best Gordon in the Busch standings in ’92. With the emerging Joe Gibbs Racing, this could be a huge breakout year for Labonte.

Terry Labonte, Hendrick Motorsports, #5
Age: 38
1994 Cup Rank: 7th
1994 Cup Stats: 3 Wins (North Wilkesboro, Richmond, Phoenix), 6 Top 5s, 14 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 322 Starts, 13 Wins, 123 Top 5s, 248 Top 10s, 20 Poles, 1st Best Rank (’84)
Career Busch Series Stats: 53 Starts, 6 Wins, 22 Top 5s, 31 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 18th Best Rank (’94)

The 1984 Cup Champion ended a rough 4 year slump after joining Hendrick Motorsports. A year ago it looked like his career may be on the downside, now Labonte looks like he may be a championship contender once again.

Randy LaJoie (Rookie), Bill Davis Racing, #22
Age: 33
1994 Cup Rank: 48th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 13 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, Best Rank: 48th (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 63 Starts, 0 Wins, 9 Top 5s, 17 Top 10s, 1 Pole

LaJoie isn’t expected to run up front all season and is very unlikely to win Rookie of the Year in his first full Cup season.

Dave Marcis, Marcis Auto Racing, #71
Age: 54
1994 Cup Rank: 36th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 761 Starts, 5 Wins, 94 Top 5s, 222 Top 10s, 14 Poles, 2nd Best Rank (’75)
Career Busch Series Stats: 2 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 81st Best Rank (’89)

Marcis is a veteran who still goes out there to race, but his best days are very long ago.

Sterling Marlin, Morgan-McClure Motorsports, #4
Age: 38
1994 Cup Rank: 14th
1994 Cup Stats: 1 Win (Daytona 500), 5 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Career Cup Stats: 309 Starts, 1 Win, 35 Top 5s, 102 Top 10s, 8 Poles, 7th Best Rank (’91)

It took Marlin a long time, but the wait was worth it as Marlin won the 1994 Daytona 500 to lock in his 1st career victory. The only surprise is that victory didn’t come from Marlin sooner. 1994 marked his 8th straight season finishing in the top 15 in points.

Mark Martin, Roush Racing, #6
Age: 36
1994 Cup Rank: 2nd
1994 Cup Stats: 2 Wins (Watkins Glen, Atlanta), 15 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Career Cup Stats: 263 Starts, 14 Wins, 87 Top 5s, 137 Top 10s, 22 Poles, 2nd Best Rank (’90, ‘94)
Busch Series Stats: 114 Starts, 17 Wins, 39 Top 5s, 59 Top 10s

Mark Martin enters 1995 as one of the favorites to win the championship. He’s finished as the runner-up twice to Dael Earnhardt in 1990 and 1994…and the margin between him and Earnhardt was smaller than a controversial early season penalty. Nonetheless, Martin is primed to dominate the late 90s.

Rick Mast, Precision Products Racing, #1
Age: 38
1994 Cup Rank: 18th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 4 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Career Cup Stats: 154 Starts, 0 Wins, 6 Top 5s, 21 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 18th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 242 Starts, 9 Wins, 39 Top 5s, 94 Top 10s, 5 Poles, 7th Best Rank (’89)

Mast has been a solid, if not spectacular driver throughout his career. His career highlight was winning the pole for the inaugural Brickyard 400…and if things went a little differently that could have been his day as well.

Jeremy Mayfield, Cale Yarborough Motorsports, #98
Age: 26
1994 Cup Rank: 37th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 21 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 37th Best Rank (’94)

While he doesn’t have the accolades yet, Mayfield has a ton of potential.

Ted Musgrave, Roush Racing, #16
Age: 39
1994 Cup Rank: 13th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 8 Top 10s, 3 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 122 Starts, 0 Wins, 4 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 13th Best Rank (’94)
Busch Series Stats: 2 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 79th Best Rank (’89)

Musgrave showed some promise in ’94, we’ll see if he can continue that momentum in ’95.

Joe Nemechek, NEMCO Motorsports, #87
Age: 31
1994 Cup Rank: 27th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 34 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 27th Best Rank (’94)
Busch Series Stats: 130 Starts, 3 Wins, 29 Top 5s, 52 Top 10s, 4 Poles, 1st Best Rank (’92)

The 1992 Busch Series Champion didn’t look great in Cup in ’94, but the potential is there.

Robert Pressley, Rookie, Leo Jackson Motorsports, #33
Age: 36
1994 Cup Rank: 57th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 3 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 57th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 169 Starts, 10 Wins, 35 Top 5s, 65 Top 10s, 4 Poles, 3rd Best Rank (’91)

Pressley is a Rookie of the Year contender. We’ll see if he can beat out Craven.

Kyle Petty, Team SABCO, #42
Age: 35
1994 Cup Rank: 15th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 411 Starts, 7 Wins, 48 Top 5s, 239 Top 10s, 8 Poles, 5th Best Rank (’92, ’93)
Career Busch Series Stats: 32 Starts, 0 Wins, 3 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 35th Best Rank (’90)

Kyle has had some success outside of the Petty Enterprises banner with Felix Sabates, although 1994 was a step back. We’ll see if he can get back into the top 10 in points after a really good 1992 and 1993.

Jeff Purvis, 997 Racing, #44
Age: 36
1994 Cup Rank: 46th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 32 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 39th Best Rank (’93)
Career Busch Series Stats: 16 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Pole, 51st Best Rank (’92)

Purvis will be lucky to score his first career Top 10 this season.

Ricky Rudd, Rudd Performance Motorsports, #10
Age: 38
1994 Cup Rank: 5th
1994 Cup Stats: 1 Win (New Hampshire), 6 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Career Cup Stats: 500 Starts, 15 Wins, 128 Top 5s, 250 Top 10s, 21 Poles, 2nd Best Rank (’91)
Career Busch Series Stats: 72 Starts, 2 Wins, 16 Top 5s, 29 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 29th Best Rank (’92)

Ricky Rudd is as tough as they come. He’s been consistently in the Top 10 of the standings for about a decade and a half, finishing 9th in the standings way back in 1979. Rudd’s consistency even stretches out to his as he’s never won more than 2 races in a season, but has won at least one race for 12 straight years. Rudd is one of the veterans running his own team and is a dark horse to win the ’95 title.

Ken Schrader, Hendrick Motorsports, #25
Age: 40
1994 Cup Rank: 4th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 9 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 355 Starts, 4 Wins, 54 Top 5s, 124 Top 10s, 17 Poles, 4th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 72 Starts, 2 Wins, 16 Top 5s, 29 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 29th Best Rank (’92)

Ken Schrader has been consistent his entire career, with some wins sprinkled around. He is coming off his most consistent season even though he didn’t find victory lane. He’s a very outside contender for the Championship, but he could be a factor if he can find victory lane to add to his consistency.

Morgan Shepherd, Wood Brothers Racing, #21
Age: 53
1994 Cup Rank: 6th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 9 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: Career Cup Stats: 384 Starts, 4 Wins, 57 Top 5s, 150 Top 10s, 7 Poles, 5th Best Rank (’90)
Career Busch Series Stats: 156 Starts, 15 Wins, 43 Top 5s, 64 Top 10s, 6 Poles, 11th Best Rank (’82)

Veteran Morgan Shepherd was able to lead the legendary Wood Brothers team to a top 10 in the points finish in 1994. We’ll see how many more years he has left at that level.

Lake Speed, Melling Racing, #9
Age: 47
1994 Cup Rank: 11th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 4 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 299 Starts, 1 Win, 16 Top 5s, 71 Top 10s, 10th Best Rank (’85)
Career Busch Series Stats: 6 Starts, 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 37th Best Rank (’84)

While Speed’s peak was back in the 80s, he was surprisingly consistent in Cup in 1994. He finished 20 of 31 races in the top 15.

Jimmy Spencer, Travis Carter Motorsports, #36
Age: 37
1994 Cup Rank: 29th
1994 Cup Stats: 2 Wins, 3 Top 5s, 4 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Career Cup Stats: 143 Starts, 2 Wins (Daytona, Talladega), 12 Top 5s, 28 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 12th Best Rank (’93)
Career Busch Series Stats: 104 Starts, 5 Wins, 18 Top 5s, 41 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 7th Best Rank (’88)

Brash and aggressive Jimmy Spencer found two wins in 1994 at superspeedways. He needs to be more consistent overall, but he has shown such consistency back in 1993.

Hut Stricklin, King Racing, #26
Age: 34
1994 Cup Rank: 26th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 170 Starts, 0 Wins, 5 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 16th Best Rank (’91)
Career Busch Series Stats: 28 Starts, 0 Wins, 3 Top 5s, 5 Top 10s

Sticklin’s career has been going nowhere after a decent start.

Dick Trickle, Bud Moore Engineering, #15
Age: 53
1994 Cup Rank: 34th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10
Career Cup Stats: 167 Starts, 0 Wins, 13 Top 5s, 31 Top 10s
Career Busch Series Stats: 21 Starts, 0 Wins, 9 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 37th Best Rank (’91)

Short track legend around the United States, Trickle never found much success in NASCAR. He’s been making starts in Cup since 1970.

Kenny Wallace, FILMAR Racing, #81
Age: 31
1994 Cup Rank: 40th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s
Career Cup Stats: 36 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 6 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 23rd Best Rank (’93)
Career Busch Series Stats: 150 Starts, 6 Wins, 37 Top 5s, 77 Top 10s, 2nd Best Rank (’91)

Kenny Wallace has been great in the Busch Series, but his lone full Winston Cup series was disappointing. He’ll get another shot at it, and has tons of potential, especially on short tracks. All of his victories in the Busch Series have been on short tracks, including Cup tracks New Hampshire, Martinsville, Bristol and Richmond.

Mike Wallace, Donleavy Racing, #90
Age: 36
1994 Cup Rank: 33rd
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 31 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles, 33rd Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 77 Starts, 3 Wins, 9 Top 5s, 24 Top 10s, 12th Best Rank (’93)

Mike Wallace managed to finish in the top-half of the field often in his 22 Cup starts in 1994 (21.3 average finish). That, combined with some Busch Series wins, should play out favorably.

Rusty Wallace, Penske Racing, #2
Age: 37
1994 Cup Rank: 3rd
1994 Cup Stats: 8 Wins (Rockingham, Martinsville, Dover, Pocono, Michigan, Bristol, Dover, Martinsville), 17 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 331 Starts, 39 Wins, 93 Top 5s, 172 Top 10s, 1st Best Rank (’89)
Career Busch Series Stats: 33 Starts, 0 Wins, 8 Top 5s, 14 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 32nd Rank (’87)

The 1989 Cup Champion has been a title contender for years. One of the favorites to end Dale Earnhardt’s reign up top in 1995.

Darrell Waltrip, DarWal, Inc., #17
Age: 48
1994 Cup Rank: 9th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Wins, 4 Top 5s, 13 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 627 Starts, 84 Wins, 270 Top 5s, 374 Top 10s, 1st Best Rank (’81, ’82, ’85)
Career Busch Series Stats: 93 Starts, 13 Wins, 40 Top 5s, 52 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 22nd Best Rank (’86)

Three-time Cup Champion Darrell Waltrip looks to be on the downside of his career. Driving for his own team has led to some struggles. While still consistent (he finished in the Top 10 of the standings in 1994) he went through 1993 and 1994 without winning a Cup race.

Michael Waltrip, Bahari Racing, #30
Age: 32
1994 Cup Rank: 12th
1994 Cup Stats: 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 268 Starts, 13 Top 5s, 48 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 12th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 72 Starts, 7 Wins, 25 Top 5s, 34 Top 10s, 7 Poles, 26th Best Rank (’92)

Driving in the shadow of his brother, Michael Waltrip has the unfortunate distinction of possibly being the best driver to not win a Cup race. While consistent, he’s yet to land a top tier ride, which has held him back. He’s shown race-winning talent at a lot of various races, winning at tracks like Dover, Richmond, and Charlotte in his Busch Series career.

***

1995 Busch Series Team/Driver Information

Loy Allen Jr., Rookie, Finch Racing, #19
Age: 29
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Cup Series Stats: 24 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 39th Best Rank (’94)

Allen surprised everyone with 3 Cup poles last season.

Johnny Benson, BASE Motorsports, #74
Age: 32
1994 Busch Series Rank: 6th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 1 Win (Dover), 6 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s
Career Busch Series Stats: 32 Starts, 1 Win, 6 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 6th Best Rank (’94)

The 1994 Busch Series Rookie of the Year has title aspirations…and probably has a Cup career ahead of him.

Rich Bickle, Virtue Racing, #54
Age: 34
1994 Busch Series Rank: 76th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 26 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 43rd Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 3 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 76th Best Rank (’94)

Todd Bodine, Parker Racing, #73
Age: 31
1994 Busch Series Rank: 105th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Series Stats: 41 Starts, 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 20th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 99 Starts, 7 Wins, 28 Top 5s, 50 Top 10s, 5 Poles, 3rd Best Rank (’92)

Bodine will return to the Busch Series after a decent 1994 in Cup. He was a Busch Series title contender in the past.

Jim Bown, Bown Racing, #51
Age: 35
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Busch Series Stats: 23 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles, 56th Best Rank (’82)

Rodney Combs, Petty Enterprises, #43
Age: 45
1994 Busch Series Rank: 21st
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Series Stats: 55 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles, 35th Best Rank (’87, 88)
Career Busch Series Stats: 57 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 15th Best Rank (’93)

Bobby Dotter, Shoemaker Racing, #64
Age: 34
1994 Busch Series Rank: 7th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Busch Series Stats: 160 Starts, 1 Win, 10 Top 5s, 35 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 7th Best Rank (’93, ’94)

Tim Fedewa, RaDiUs Motorsports, #55
Age: 28
1994 Busch Series Rank: 10th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 1 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Series Stats: 1 Start, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 64th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 57 Starts, 2 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 10th Best Rank (’94)

Jeff Fuller, Rookie, ST Motorsports, #47
Age: 38
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Cup Stats: 1 Start, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Busch Series Stats: 1 Start, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles

David Green, Labonte Motorsports, #44
Age: 37
1994 Busch Series Rank: 1st
1994 Busch Series Stats: 1 Win (Bristol), 10 Top 5s, 14 Top 10s, 9 Poles
Career Busch Series Stats: 88 Starts, 2 Wins, 22 Top 5s, 39 Top 10s, 10 Poles, 1st Best Rank (’94)

The 1994 Busch Series Champion looks to defend his title, and after that we may see him in Cup.

Jeff Green, Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Age: 32
1994 Busch Series Rank: 61st
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s, 1 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 3 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 51st Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 43 Starts, 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 5 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 29th Best Rank (’91)

Despite not much success so far, Jeff Green will be driving for the emerging DEI race team, so there are expectations.

Doug Heveron, Doug Heveron Racing, #35
Age: 34
1994 Busch Series Rank: 27th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 2 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 31 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 35th Best Rank (’86)
Career Busch Series Stats: 21 Starts, 2 Top 5s, 2 Top 10s, 27th Best Rank (’94)

Tommy Houston, Houston Racing, #6
Age: 50
1994 Busch Series Rank: 28th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 3 Top 5s, 4 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 13 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 48th Best Rank (’80)
Career Busch Series Stats: 376 Starts, 24 Wins, 122 Top 5s, 192 Top 10s, 18 Poles, 2nd Best Rank (’89)

Tommy Houston has had a great Busch Series career, but the end is imminent, and he’s not expected to contend in ’95.

P.J. Jones, Rookie, Bobby Jones Racing, #50
Age: 26
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Cup Stats: 8 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10, 1 Pole, 42nd Best Rank (’93)

Jason Keller, KEL Racing, #57
Age: 25
1994 Busch Series Rank: 17th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 7 Top 10s, 3 Poles
Career Busch Series Stats: 45 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 8 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 17th Best Rank (’94)

Keller is a driver with some potential, might breakout in ’95.

Kevin Lepage, Lepage Racing, #71
Age: 33
1994 Busch Series Rank: 24th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles
Career Busch Series Stats: 22 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles, 24th Best Rank (’94)

Tracy Leslie, Parker Racing, #72
Age: 37
1994 Busch Series Rank: 11th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 5 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 56th Best Rank (’89)
Career Busch Series Stats: 117 Starts, 1 Win, 11 Top 5s, 36 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 11th Best Rank (’93, ’94)

Chad Little, Mark Rypein Motorsports, #23
Age: 32
1994 Busch Series Rank: 3rd
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 10 Top 5s, 14 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Series Stats: 86 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 2 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 27th Best Rank (’91)
Career Busch Series Stats: 41 Starts, 0 Wins, 12 Top 5s, 17 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 3rd Best Rank (’94)

Little is a contender for the Busch Series title, and he’s still looking for win #1.

Curtis Markham, Rookie, Hensley Motorsports, #63
Age: 35
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Cup Series Stats: 5 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 78th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 15 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5s, 2 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 59th Best Rank (’91)

Mike McLaughlin, Team 34, #34
Age: 38
1994 Busch Series Rank: 13th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 3 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 2 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 55th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 53 Starts, 0 Wins, 5 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 13th Best Rank (’94)

McLaughlin has finally landed a ride that may make him competitive in the Busch Series this season.

Jerry Nadeau, T&G Racing, #15
Age: 25
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A

Jerry Nadeau is a young driver who’s flashed potential at a lot of different types of tracks.

Phil Parsons, J&J Racing, #99
Age: 38
1994 Busch Series Rank: 25th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 1 Win (Charlotte), 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 200 Starts, 1 Win, 10 Top 5s, 40 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 9th Best Rank (’88)
Career Busch Series Stats: 108 Starts, 2 Wins, 18 Top 5s, 52 Top 10s, 6 Poles, 5th Best Rank (’82)

Parsons is a consistent driver who may contend for a win or two.

Larry Pearson, Martin Motorsports, #92
Age: 41
1994 Busch Series Rank: 8th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 3 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s
Career Cup Series Stats: 57 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 23rd Best Rank (’89)
Career Busch Series Stats: 187 Starts, 71 Top 5s, 116 Top 10s, 1st Best Rank (’86, ’87)

The son of the legendary David Pearson never got it going in Cup, but he’s won two Busch Series Championships and while he hasn’t won a Busch Series race since ’88, he’s still a threat out there.

Stevie Reeves, Whitaker Racing, #7
Age: 28
1994 Busch Series Rank: 26th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Busch Series Stats: 20 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 26th Best Rank (’94)

Robbie Reiser, Reiser Enterprises, #17
Age: 32
1994 Busch Series Rank: 9th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 2 Wins (South Boston, Hickory), 4 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Busch Series Stats: 34 Starts, 2 Wins, 4 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 9th Best Rank (’94)

Setzer was the runner up for the 1994 Busch Series Rookie of the Year.

Elliott Sadler, Sadler Racing, #11
Age: 20
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A

The younger Sadler will make his debut in the Busch Series and has a lot of potential.

Hermie Sadler, Sadler Racing, #1
Age: 26
1994 Busch Series Rank: 5th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 1 Win, 6 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Busch Series Stats: 61 Starts, 2 Wins, 10 Top 5s, 19 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 5th Best Rank (’94)

The 1993 Busch Series Rookie of the Year had a strong 1994 and should be in contention for the ’95 title.

Elton Sawyer, Akins-Sutton Motorsports, #38
Age: 35
1994 Busch Series Rank: 48th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Busch Series Stats: 10 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 48th Best Rank (’94)

Dennis Setzer, Alliance Racing, #59
Age: 35
1994 Busch Series Rank: 9th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 2 Wins (South Boston, Hickory), 4 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Busch Series Stats: 34 Starts, 2 Wins, 4 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 9th Best Rank (’94)

Setzer was the runner up for the 1994 Busch Series Rookie of the Year.

Kirk Shelmerdine, Rookie, Beverly Racing, #25
Age: 37
1994 Busch Series Rank: 59th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Stats: 2 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 66th Best Rank (’94)
Career Busch Series Stats: 4 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 59th Best Rank (’94)

***

1995 Craftsman Truck Series Team/Driver Information

Mike Bliss, Ultra Motorsports, #2
Age: 30
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A

Tobey Butler, Venable Racing, #21
Age: 35
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A

Rick Carelli, Chesrown Racing, #6
Age: 40
Career Cup Stats: 9 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 49th Best Rank (’93, ’94)

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc., #8
Age: 20
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A

Perhaps the draw of the Truck Series, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be making his high level NASCAR debut. Sky is the limit for Dale Jr.

Walker Evans, Walker Evans Racing, #20
Age: 56
1994 Busch Series Rank: 83rd
1994 Busch Series Stats: 1 Start, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Series Stats: 3 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 64th Best Rank (’91)
Career Busch Series Stats: 3 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 83rd Best Rank (’94)

Butch Gilliland, Ultra Motorsports, #12
Age: 37
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Cup Stats: 6 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, Top 10s, 0 Poles, 65th Best Rank (’92)

Robby Gordon, Irvan-Simo Racing, #94
Age: 26
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Cup Stats: 4 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 55th Best Rank (’91)

Andy Hillenburg, Vestar Motorsports, #1
Age: 32
1994 Busch Series Rank: 83rd
1994 Busch Series Stats: 1 Start, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles
Career Cup Series Stats: 3 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 64th Best Rank (’91)
Career Busch Series Stats: 3 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 83rd Best Rank (’94)

Ron Hornaday Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc., #16
Age: 37
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Cup Stats: 5 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 60th Best Rank (’94)

The veteran of the DEI Truck program, Hornaday has had middling success in NASCAR, but the Truck Series may be right up his alley.

Buckshot Jones, Buckshot Racing, #00
Age: 24
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A

Has potential. Only attempt at racing in the top two series so far is missing the cut in a Buch Series race in 1993.

Bob Keselowski, K-Automotive Motorsports, #26
Age: 43
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Cup Stats: 1 Start, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 81st Best Rank (’94)

Scott Lagasse, Hendrick Motorsports
Age: 36
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Cup Stats: 2 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 59th Best Rank (’93)
Career Busch Series Stats: 1 Start, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 101st Best Rank (’93)

With Hendrick horsepower, there’s some expectation for Lagasse to perform.

Butch Miller, Liberty Racing, #98
Age: 43
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Busch Series, Stats: 77 Starts, 2 Wins, 11 Top 5s, 25 Top 10s, 4 Poles, 7th Best Rank (’92)
Career Cup Stats: 41 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles, 27th Best Rank (’94)

Steve Park, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., #15
Age: 27
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Busch Series Stats: 1 Start, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 98th Best Rank (’90)

Steve Park is one of the young drivers Dale Earnhardt has tapped for his emerging race team. He has a ton of potential.

Shawna Robinson, CPR Motorsports, #36
Age: 30
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Busch Series Stats: 50 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10, 1 Pole

One of the few women to race in any form of NASCAR.

Joe Ruttman, Irvan-Simo Racing, #84
Age: 50
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Cup Series Stats: 217 Starts, 0 Wins, 19 Top 5s, 60 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 12th Best Rank (’83)
Career Busch Series Stats: 16 Starts, 1 Win, 2 Top 5s, 5 Top 10s, 41st Best Rank (’85)

NASCAR veteran will look to drive the twilight of his career in the Truck Series.

Boris Said, Irvan-Simo Racing, #4
Age: 32
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A

Talented road course racer.

Bill Sedgwick, Spears Motorsports, #75
Age: 40
1994 Busch Series Rank: N/A
1994 Busch Series Stats: N/A
Career Cup Stats: 10 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 49th Best Rank (’91)

Mike Skinner, Richard Childress Racing, #3
Age: 38
1994 Busch Series Rank: 57th
1994 Busch Series Stats: 5 Starts, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Career Busch Series Stats: 7 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 57th Best Rank (’94)
Career Cup Stats: 10 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 59th Best Rank (’92)

With RCR backing him, Skinner may be looking at a breakout season.

Jack Sprague, Hendrick Motorsports, #25
Age: 30
Career Busch Series Stats: 69 Starts, 0 Wins, 3 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 19th Best Rank (’93)

Like Lagasse, Sprague is hoping to jumpstart his career with Hendrick horsepower.

1995 Schedule
Winston Cup
Busch Series
Craftsman Truck Series
Exhibition

Race #: Date, Race, Track, Laps, Type, 1994 Winner

E: 2/12/95, Bud Shootout (Non-Points), Daytona, 40 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Jeff Gordon
Q1: 2/16/95, Gatorade 125 #1 (Non-Points, Qualifying for Daytona 500), Daytona, 50 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Ernie Irvan
Q2: 2/16/95, Gatorade 125, #2 (Non-Points, Qualifying for Daytona 500), Daytona, 50 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Dale Earnhardt
T1: 2/17/95, Daytona Beach 200, Daytona, 80 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Inaugural
B1: 2/18/95, Sunshine State 300, Daytona, 120 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Dale Earnhardt
W1: 2/19/95, Daytona 500, Daytona, 200 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Sterling Marlin

B2: 2/25/95, Goodwrench 200, Rockingham, 197 Laps, 1.017 Mile Oval, Terry Labonte
W2: 2/26/95, Goodwrench 400, Rockingham, 393 Laps, 1.017 Mile Oval, Rusty Wallace


T2: 3/3/95, Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic, Phoenix, 80 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B3: 3/4/95, Cactus 150, Phoenix, 150 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural
W3: 3/5/95, Desert 312, Phoenix, 312 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural

B4: 3/11/95, Bud Light 300, Atlanta, 197 Laps, 1.53 Mile Oval, Harry Gant
W4: 3/12/95, Purolater 500, Atlanta, 328 Laps, 1.53 Mile Oval, Ernie Irvan

B5: 3/18/95, Opryland USA 300, Nashville, 300 Laps, 0.596 Short Track, Inaugural
W5: 3/19/95, Music City 400, Nashville, 400 Laps, 0.596 Short Track, Inaugural

W6: 3/26/95, Transouth Financial 400, Darlington, 293 Laps, 1.366 Mile Oval, Dale Earnhardt

***

T3: 3/31/95, Food City 125, Bristol, 125 Laps, 0.533 Short Track, Inaugural
B6: 4/1/95, Food City 250, Bristol, 250 Laps, 0.533 Short Track, David Green
W7: 4/2/95, Food City 500, Bristol, 500 Laps, 0.533 Short Track, Dale Earnhardt

W8: 4/9/95, First Union 400, North Wilkesboro, 250 Laps, 0.625 Mile Short Track, Terry Labonte

B7: 4/22/95, Hanes 250, Martinsville, 250 Laps, 0.526 Short Track, Terry Labonte
W9: 4/23/95, Hanes 500, Martinsville, 500 Laps, 0.526 Short Track, Rusty Wallace

T4: 4/28/95, Nazareth 100, Nazareth, 100 Laps, 1.125 Oval, Inaugural
B8: 4/29/95, Nazareth 200, Nazareth, 200 Laps, 1.125 Oval, Inaugural
W10: 4/30/95, Winston Select 500, Talladega, 188 Laps, 2.66 Mile Super Speedway, Dale Earnhardt

W11: 5/7/95, Miller Genuine Draft 400, Michigan, 200 Laps, 2.0 Mile Oval, Rusty Wallace

B9: 5/13/95, Hardee’s 250, Richmond, 250 Laps, 0.75 Mile Oval, Joe Nemechek
W12: 5/13/95, Pontiac Excitement 400, Richmond, 400 Laps, 0.75 Mile Oval, Ernie Irvan

***

E: 5/20/95, Winston Open (Non-Points), Charlotte, 50 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Jeff Gordon
E: 5/20/95, The Winston (Non-Points), Charlotte, 70 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Geoff Bodine

T5: 5/26/95, Red Dog 150, Charlotte, 100 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B10: 5/27/95, Sprite 300, Charlotte, 200 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Phil Parsons
W13: 5/28/95, Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte, 400 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Jeff Gordon

B11: 6/3/95, NH Chevy Dealers 250, New Hampshire, 250 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Derrike Cope
W14: 6/4/95, Diesel Power 300, New Hampshire, 300 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural

T6: 6/9/95, Budweiser 100, Dover, 100 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B12: 6/10/95, Budweiser 200, Dover, 200 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Mike Wallace
W15: 6/11/95, Budweiser 400, Dover, 400 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Rusty Wallace

T7: 6/16/95, Bala Cynwyd, Pocono, 50 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Inaugural
B13: 6/17/95, Schuylkill 250, Pocono, 100 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Inaugural
W16: 6/18/95, Pocono 500, Pocono, 200 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Rusty Wallace

T8: 6/24/95, Subway 100, Sears Point, 40 Laps, 2.52 Mile Road Course, Inaugural
W17: 6/25/95, Save Mart Supermarkets 350, Sears Point, 110 Laps, 2.52 Mile Road Course, Ernie Irvan

B14: 6/30/95, Diet Pepsi 250, Daytona, 100 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Inaugural
W18: 7/1/95, Pepsi 400, Daytona, 160 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Jimmy Spencer

***

T9: 7/7/95, Sears Auto Center 125, Milwaukee Mile, 125 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B15: 7/8/95, Packers 250, Milwaukee Mile, 250 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Mike Wallace
W19: 7/9/95, Cheesehead 400, Milwaukee Mile, 400 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural

W20: 7/16/95, Pennsylvania 500, Pocono, 200 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Geoff Bodine

B16: 7/22/95, Carolina Pride 250, Myrtle Beach, 250 Laps, 0.538 Short Track, Elton Sawyer
T10: 7/23/95, Home Depot 200, New Hampshire, 300 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural
W21: 7/23/95, Pennzoil Discount Center 300, New Hampshire, 300 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Ricky Rudd

B17: 7/29/95, Aquafina 200, Michigan, 100 Laps, 2.0 Mile Oval, Bobby Labonte
W22: 7/30/95, Aquafina 400, Michigan, 200 Laps, 2.0 Mile Oval, Geoff Bodine

T11: 8/4/95, Action Packed Racing Cards 150, Indianapolis Raceway Park, 150 Laps, 0.686 Short Track, Inaugural
B18: 8/5/95, Kroger 200, Indianapolis Raceway Park, 200 Laps, 0.686 Short Track, Mike Wallace
W23: 8/6/95, Brickyard 400, Indianapolis, 160 Laps, 2.5 Mile Quad-Oval, Jeff Gordon

T12: 8/11/95, Parts America 150, Watkins Glen, 62 Laps, 2.45 Mile Road Course, Inaugural
B19: 8/12/95, Lysol 200, Watkins Glen, 82 Laps, 2.45 Mile Road Course, Terry Labonte
W24: 8/13/95, Bud at the Glen, Watkins Glen, 90 Laps, 2.45 Mile Road Course, Mark Martin

***

T13: 8/20/95, Ford Credit 150, South Boston, 150 Laps, 0.4 Mile Short Track, Inaugural
B20: 8/20/95, Ford Credit 300, South Boston, 300 Laps, 0.4 Mile Short Track, Dennis Setzer

B21: 8/25/95, Food City 250, Bristol, 250 Laps, 0.533 Short Track, Kenny Wallace
W25: 8/26/95, Sharpie 500, Bristol, 500 Laps, 0.533 Short Track, Rusty Wallace

B22: 9/2/95, Gatorade 200, Darlington, 147 Laps, 1.366 Mile Oval, Mark Martin
W26: 9/3/95, Southern 500, Darlington, 367 Laps, 1.366 Mile Oval, Bill Elliott

T14: 9/7/95, Fast Mart Supertruck Shootout, Richmond, 150 Laps, 0.75 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B23: 9/8/95, Autolite 250, Richmond, 250 Laps, 0.75 Mile Oval, Kenny Wallace
W27: 9/9/95, Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400, Richmond, 400 Laps, 0.75 Mile Oval, Terry Labonte

W28: 9/17/95, MBNA 400, Dover, 400 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Rusty Wallace

T15: 9/23/95, Goody’s 150, Martinsville, 150 Laps, 0.526 Short Track, Inaugural
W29: 9/24/95, Goody’s 500, Martinsville, 500 Laps, 0.526 Short Track, Rusty Wallace

T16: 9/30/95, Lowe’s 150, North Wilkesboro, 150 Laps, 0.625 Mile Short Track, Inaugural
W30: 10/1/95, Tyson Holly Farms 400, North Wilkesboro, 400 Laps, 0.625 Mile Short Track, Geoff Bodine

***

B24: 10/7/95, Bumper to Bumper 300, Charlotte, 200 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Terry Labonte
W31: 10/8/95, UAW-GM Quality 500, Charlotte, 334 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Dale Jarrett

B25: 10/14/95, Hummingbird Fishfinder 500k, Talladega, 117 Laps, 2.66 Mile Super Speedway, Ken Schrader
W32: 10/15/95, EA Sports 499, Talladega, 188 Laps, 2.66 Mile Super Speedway, Jimmy Spencer

T17: 10/20/95, AC-Delco 125, Rockingham, 128 Laps, 1.017 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B26: 10/21/95, AC-Delco 200, Rockingham, 197 Laps, 1.017 Mile Oval, Mark Martin
W33: 10/22/95, AC-Delco 400, Rockingham, 393 Laps, 1.017 Mile Oval, Dale Earnhardt

W34: 10/29/95, Dura Lube 500k, Phoenix, 312 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Terry Labonte

T18: 11/3/95, Jiffy Lube 200, Homestead, 133 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B27: 11/4/95, Jiffy Lube Miami 300, Homestead, 200 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Inaugural
W35: 11/5/95, Jiffy Lube Miami 400, Homestead, 267 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Inaugural

W36: 11/12/95, NAPA 500, Atlanta, 328 Laps, 1.53 Mile Oval, Mark Martin

***

PREDICTION CONTEST

Similar to the NBA: Modern Era Contest.

You’ll be picking 7 total drivers. You must have at least one Winston Cup rookie, one Busch Series Driver, and one Craftsman Truck Series driver. Also, you may not share more than four drivers with any other team. So while it is first-come, first-serve, this prevents someone from hogging a driver. Make sure to check other teams before picking your own. This will be your team for the entire season.

Driver Points determines the rankings.

Good luck!​

 

[Dubb]

Dale Earnhardt
Rusty Wallace
Jeff Gordon
Mark Martin
Ricky Craven (Rookie)
Johnny Benson (Busch Series)
Dale Jr (Truck Series)

 

[AlanSmithee1981]

My selections: Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Kyle Petty, Robert Pressley (Rookie), Hermie Sadler (Busch Series), and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Truck Series)...

 

[RDT]

1995 Season Part 1

Speedweeks

Race #: Date, Race, Track, Laps, Type, 1994 Winner

E: 2/12/95, Bud Shootout (Non-Points), Daytona, 40 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Jeff Gordon
Q1: 2/16/95, Gatorade 125 #1 (Non-Points, Qualifying for Daytona 500), Daytona, 50 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Ernie Irvan
Q2: 2/16/95, Gatorade 125, #2 (Non-Points, Qualifying for Daytona 500), Daytona, 50 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Dale Earnhardt
T1: 2/17/95, Daytona Beach 200, Daytona, 80 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Inaugural
B1: 2/18/95, Sunshine State 300, Daytona, 120 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Dale Earnhardt
W1: 2/19/95, Daytona 500, Daytona, 200 Laps, 2.5 Mile Restrictor Plate Super Speedway, Sterling Marlin

Exhibition: 1995 Bud Shootout

The 1995 Bud Shootout rewards the winning driver with a $1 Million (and some attribute bonuses for the Daytona 500). Daytona is a 2.5 mile oval that uses restrictor plates to limit cars from going too fast. Here are the list of eligible entrants for this 40 lap shootout and how they qualified.

Loy Allen Jr. (3 Poles)
Geoffrey Bodine (1992 Bud Shootout Winner)
Ward Burton (1 Pole)
Derrike Cope (Daytona 500 Winner)
Dale Earnhardt (7 Time Cup Champion)
Bill Elliott (1 Time Cup Champion)
Ernie Irvan (1991 Daytona 500 Winner)
Jeff Gordon (1994 Bud Shootout Winner)
Terry Labonte (1 Time Cup Champion)
Sterling Marlin (1994 Daytona 500 Winner)
Mark Martin (1 Pole)
Rick Mast (1 Pole)
Ted Musgrave (3 Poles)
Ricky Rudd (1 Pole)
Jimmy Spencer (1 Pole)
Ken Schrader (1989, 1990 Bud Shootout Winner)
Rusty Wallace (1 Time Cup Champion)
Darrell Waltrip (3 Time Cup Champion)

Qualifying: Sterling Marlin took down the pole, with Jeff Gordon starting right next to him.

Lap 1: Marlin showed some early dominance. Ward Burton tries to make a move on Gordon quickly but Gordon holds on.

Lap 4: Bill Elliott’s engine goes after just three completed laps.

Lap 11: It only took 11 laps for Rusty Wallace (started 11th) and Dale Earnhardt (started 12th) to get to the front, but they are here, right behind Marlin and Gordon.

Lap 13: First caution of the race as Ernie Irvan turns Ward Burton, collecting Rick Mast and Ted Musgrave as well. It would finish Mast and Musgrave’s day.

Lap 16: Caution is lifted and Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace get by Sterling Marlin and Jeff Gordon off turn 2. Rusty slides behind Earnhardt for the lead.

Lap 25:Earnhardt[/b] continues to hold off Rusty and Marlin. Jeff Gordon falls back as Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin try to make their own move.

Lap 38: Rusty tries one more time, but Dale Earnhardt has the blocking game down pat.

Finish: Dale Earnhardt holds on to win his Sixth Bud Shootout!

Earnhardt: “Yeah man. This car is fast, and we’re going to finally get ourselves a Daytona 500!”

***

Initial Daytona 500 Qualifying

The front row would guarantee their spots up top for the Daytona 500, while the rest will be set by how the Gatorade 125s play out. Each Gatorade 125 is 50 laps. The drivers who finish in odd positions will be in the first race, drivers in even positions in the second race.

In a surprising development, rookie Ricky Craven recorded the fastest time and won his first career pole. Ward Burton put together another strong qualifying performance to lock up the #2 starting spot.

Qualifying Race: Gatorade 125-#1

Qualifying: Ricky Craven leads the field as he outright won Daytona 500 qualifying.

Lap 1: Bobby Labonte powers past Ricky Craven right away, with Ernie Irvan and Kyle Petty following through.

Lap 2: We immediately have a huge wreck as Ricky Craven tries to fight Ernie Irvan for second position, which sends Craven and Kyle Petty spinning in front of the field. Ultimately, 12 cars are left as Morgan Shepherd, Jimmy Spencer, Steve Grissom, Derrike Cope, Dick Trickle and Ken Schrader are all caught in the mess. Caution is out. Craven and Petty are out too.

Lap 8: We resume racing with Bobby Labonte in the lead.

Lap 21: Sterling Marlin, the 1994 Daytona 500 winner, has made his way through the field and passes Bobby Labonte on the inside for the lead off turn 2.

Lap 23: Bobby Labonte re-takes the lead for a moment…

Lap 24: …until Bill Elliott passes both him and Sterling Marlin, thanks to a push from Jeff Gordon, to take the lead himself.

Lap 31: Jeff Gordon gets past Bill Elliott. Kenny Wallace is up here as well, pushing Gordon.

Lap 45: Gordon has been mostly untouchable since he took the lead. Sterling Marlin looked like he had a shot at him coming into Turn 3, but Gordon proved to be too much.

Finish: Jeff Gordon wins the first Gatorade 125 over Sterling Marlin. This will lock up the #3 starting position for Gordon.

Gordon: “Wooo! This is gonna be our year everyone!”

Craven: “That was a tough mistake for us out there, but we’re going to prove out starting spot is no fluke in the 500.”

Qualifying Race: Gatorade 125-#2

Qualifying: Ward Burton leads the field as he had the 2nd fastest time.

Lap 11: Terry Labonte, starting 4th here, gets to the front.

Lap 23: Jeff Purvis’ motor goes. We still stay green with Terry Labonte leading the race.

Lap 32: Mark Martin catches up to Terry and makes a pass off turn 4 as they cross the line. Dale Earnhardt is right on the both of them.

Lap 36: Martin holds off a challenge from Earnhardt.

Lap 45: Martin still manages to hold off Earnhardt. it’s a two-man race at this point.

Lap 48: Jeff Burton blows a tire, which does cause a caution. Mark Martin beats Dale Earnhardt to the line.

Finish: Mark Martin wins under caution. He’ll start 4th for the Daytona 500.

Martin: “Boy that was fun. If we do this on Sunday we’ll be on great shape!”

Earnhardt: “Mark’s sure lucky that caution came out. I had him right where I wanted him.”

***

Craftsman Truck Series Race #1 – Daytona Beach 200

It’s Friday night where the Craftsman’s Truck Series will make its debut at Daytona! All eyes are on Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he makes his debut at the higher level of NASCAR racing. There are several other potential young stars with Cup futures in the field as well. This will be an 80 lap race with one required pit stop.

Qualifying: Jack Sprague nabbed the first pole, with Robby Gordon starting 2nd. Mike Skinner starts 5th, Ron Hornaday Jr. starts 13th, Steve Park 14th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 15th.

Lap 1: Robby Gordon aggressively tries to get by Jack Sprague for the lead, but no dice.

Lap 15: First accident that leads to a caution as Mike Bliss gets into it with Scott Lagasse. Lagasse hits the wall, but Bliss loses control and Rick Carelli smashes into him. Joe Ruttman also looks like he took some damage. A couple of drivers in the back, Shawna Robinson and Bob Keselowski, decide to pit. While they won’t make it to the end, they could end up with a splash and go stop near the end that may get them valuable position.

Lap 19: Back to green with Jack Sprague still leading over Robby Gordon.

Lap 26: Fans boo as it looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s day is done as his engine has blown up.

Lap 31: Another engine goes near the front, as Mike Skinner, while trying to push Robby Gordon to the lead, blows up in front of the field. Fortunately he is able to get out of everyone’s way. Gordon still can’t pass Sprague.

Lap 39: We see some green flag pit stops begin to cycle through until Steve Park spins around the infield, causing a caution.

Lap 41: Everyone comes in. Shawna Robinson and Bob Keselowski only take fuel to fill up and end up coming out 1-2.

Lap 44:: Back to green with Robinson leading over Keselowski, Gordon, Hornaday Jr. and Sprague.

Lap 51: Robby Gordon powers past Shawna Robinson for the lead. Steve Park says the steering is broken, which ends his day.

Lap 62: Ron Hornaday Jr. taps Robby Gordon to take the lead! Shawna Robinson and Bob Keselowski fall back.

Lap 68: Robby Gordon takes the lead back.

Lap 78: Jack Sprague tries to make a move, but gets caught up high, causing some of the field to get jumbled a bit.

Finish: Robby Gordon holds on and beats Ron Hornaday Jr. off turn 4 to win the first ever Craftsman Truck Series Race!

Gordon: This is our series!

***

Busch Series Race #1 – Sunshine State 300

There’s a certain amount of intrigue for the 1995 Busch Series opener. Now that Cup drivers are not in the field, fans are wondering who may break out score a victory at historic Daytona. 120 laps.

Qualifying: Chad Little edges out Elliott Sadler to win the pole. Larry Pearson starts 3rd. Jeff Green starts 12th. David Green starts 20th.

Lap 1: Chad Little leads the field early on. Elton Sawyer makes some moves to get to 2nd quickly.

Lap 11: Chad Little continues to lead the way. Jim Bown blows an engine.

Lap 23: Rich Bickle blows a tire and hits the wall, leading to the first caution of the race. Chad Little still leads.

Lap 43: Through the first round of pit stops, Chad Little still leads. Jason Keller and Jeff Green are right on him.

Lap 52: Larry Pearson and David Green get tangled up, leading to a huge crash that takes out Tracy Leslie, Curtis Markham and Todd Bodine. Caution out again.

Lap 57: Coming off the caution, Jason Keller gets by Chad Little for the first on track lead change of the race.

Lap 84: Cycling through green flag pit stops, Jerry Nadeau comes out the leader, followed by Hermie Sadler, Jeff Green and Chad Little.

Lap 90: Hermie Sadler takes the lead for a moment, but Jeff Green uses his momentum to get by him for the lead himself.

Finish: No one was able to touch Jeff Green for the last 30 laps as Green scores his first career Busch Series victory at Daytona!

Jeff Green: “This is the ride I’ve been waiting for. We’re going to win ourselves a championship this year!”

***

Winston Cup Series Race #1 – Daytona 500

Time for the crown jewel of racing, the Daytona 500! From the results of the Gatorade 125s, rookie Ricky Craven is on the pole and Ward Burton starts second. The Gatorade 125 winners Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin start 3rd and 4th. Defending Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin starts 5th with defending Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt 6th. Bill Elliott starts 7th. Rusty Wallace 11th. Terry Labonte 18th. We’ll go 200 laps today.

Lap 2: Jeff Gordon takes the lead from Ricky Craven. Rusty Wallace gets turned around and spins into the infield grass, causing a caution. Wallace doesn’t hit anything though and his car seems okay.

Lap 5: Jeff Gordon leads Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt, and Sterling Marlin.

Lap 11: Mark Martin gets pushed to the lead by Earnhardt.

Lap 13: Jeff Gordon re-takes the lead, and Martin backs off, realizing the race isn’t won on lap 13.

Lap 24: Michael Waltrip works his way through the top 10 and takes the leaf after going side-by-side with Jeff Gordon.

Lap 33: The lead changes again as Dale Earnhardt takes the lead.

Lap 46: Earnhardt still has the lead as green flag pit stops begin.

Lap 50: Pit stops cycle through with Sterling Marlin leading, Earnhardt in 2nd.

Lap 57: Bobby Hillin Jr. turns Mike Wallace around. Mike collects brother Kenny Wallace, Jeremy Mayfield and Dick Trickle. Trickle would get back out on the track.

Lap 62: Earnhardt retakes the lead off the restart.

Lap 75: Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon bang a bit and Earnhardt loses some speed. Mark Martin takes the lead as a result. Earnhardt on the radio sounds pissed off, “that son-of-a-bitch just messed up our fender!”

Lap 88: Jeff Gordon passes Mark Martin in turn 3 to re-take the lead.

Lap 98: Michael Waltrip’s engine blows up, leaving oil on the track. Caution comes out with Gordon leaving. Drivers will definitely pit as they can make it on one more stop after this one.

Lap 101: After a tough start, Rusty Wallace cycles through pit stops as the leader. Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte are 2nd and 3rd.

Lap 115: Dale Jarrett spins out and crashes into the wall. Caution.

Lap 119: Rusty Wallace holds off a restart charge from Jeff Gordon.

Lap 126: Mark Martin retakes the lead with Bill Elliott and Sterling Marlin pushing him.

Lap 140: Joe Nemechek has a mechanical problem, ending his day.

Lap 145:Drivers begin to cycle through the last green flag pit stops.

Lap 150: Rusty Wallace is the leader after pit stops with Mark Martin right behind him.

Lap 161: Sterling Marlin blows a tire. Cars behind him get bottlenecked, leading to several cars crashing into the wall. Lake Speed, Dave Marcis and Jeff Purvis has their days end. Marlin, Dale Earnhardt, Hut Stricklin all looked to take a little damage. Rusty Wallace still leads.

Lap 168: Caution ends with Rusty Wallace leading over Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Ricky Rudd.

Lap 179: Mark Martin takes the lead with just 21 laps to go!

Lap 185: Jeff Gordon tries to get past Martin, but he quite can’t get by him and ends up getting hung out to dry.

Lap 193: Ricky Rudd manages to pass Mark Martin for the lead. Derrike Cope blows up, but no caution is needed.

Lap 198: Mark Martin charges with Geoff Bodine pushing him, but Ricky Rudd holds onto the lead with Rusty Wallace pushing him! Jeff Burton gets turned around in the middle of the field, sending him airborne briefly! Caution comes out with Rudd as the leader!

Finish: Ricky Rudd wins the Daytona 500 under caution! This is Rudd’s 16th career victory. Mark Martin finishes 2nd, Geoff Bodine 3rd. Rusty Wallace 4th, Bobby Hamilton 5th.

Rudd: “This is exactly what we needed! We’ve been close the last few years, but this year we’re gonna win ourselves a championship!”

Martin: “Man, I would have loved to have that one. Still, a great start for us this year.”

Rusty Wallace: “I’m telling you, one of these days I’m gonna win one of these superspeedway deals.”

Dale Earnhardt: “We never recovered. That’s a dangerous game Gordon’s playing.”

Jeff Gordon: “We were just trying to run our race. We had our chances to win and if that upsets Dale then that upsets Dale.”

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Week 2: Rockingham

B2: 2/25/95, Goodwrench 200, Rockingham, 197 Laps, 1.017 Mile Oval, Terry Labonte
W2: 2/26/95, Goodwrench 400, Rockingham, 393 Laps, 1.017 Mile Oval, Rusty Wallace

Busch Series Race #2 – Goodwrench 200

Rockingham is a favorite of most drivers. It’s not quite a short track although it sometimes races like one. 197 laps. Drivers will likely pit once, although some may try a second stop for better tires depending on if cautions come out.

Qualifying: Phil Parsons is on the pole. Hermie Sadler will start second. Jeff Green starts back in 27th. Jason Keller starts 7th. Elliott Sadler 5th.

Lap 1: Phil Parsons leads the field.

Lap 15: First caution of the day as Tracy Leslie spins out. A little damage there. Phil Parsons still leads.

Lap 41: Hermie Sadler takes the lead from Phil Parsons.

Lap 55: Kirk Shelmerdine crashes into the wall. Caution is out.

Lap 78: Chad Little takes the lead from Hermie Sadler.

Lap 99: Drivers pit.

Lap 103: Johnny Benson Jr. comes out of the pit cycle the leader. Jason Keller in 2nd, Chad Little 3rd.

Lap 111: P.J. Jones and Rich Bickle get tangled up, leading to a caution.

Lap 137: Kevin Lepage and Jim Bown wreck one another. Benson still leads.

Lap 141: Once we go back to green, Hermie Sadler, in the top 5, makes an unscheduled pit stop. Sadler says he ran over something on the track and was frustrated about the situation. Benson leads over Keller.

Finish: Johnny Benson Jr. dominated the rest of the race, scoring his first win of the season and second of his career. Chad Little finishes 2nd. Jason Keller 3rd. Jeff Green 4th and Elton Sawyer 5th.

***

Winston Cup Race #2 – Goodwrench 400

As mentioned before, Rockingham is a favorite of NASCAR drivers. Rockingham is a tick over 1 mile (1.017 miles) and drivers like a hybrid of a short track and a speedway. Rusty Wallace is the defending race winner. This will go 393 laps.

Qualifying: Rusty Wallace captures the pole. He’ll share the front row with brother Kenny Wallace. Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd and Bobby Labonte round out the top five. Dale Earnhardt starts 20th. Terry Labonte starts 23rd. Jeff Gordon starts 25th.

Lap 1: Rusty Wallace leads the field. Mark Martin and Bobby Labonte get by Kenny Wallace and Ricky Rudd right off the bat.

Lap 44: Mark Martin gets by Rusty Wallace for the first lead change of the race.

Lap 67: Ken Schrader has a mechanical problem and heads to pit road. He would not return.

Lap 88: Kenny Wallace gets by his brother and Mark Martin to grab the lead.

Lap 98: Green flag pit stops cycle. Brett Bodine notably has an issue which costs him a lot of time on the track.

Lap 103: Kenny Wallace comes out the lead over Bobby Labonte, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin. Dale Earnhardt up to 7th.

Lap 125: Bobby Labonte gets by Kenny Wallace in turn 2 for the lead.

Lap 146: First caution of the day as Jimmy Spencer and Mike Wallace crash in turn 3. Bobby Labonte leads over Kenny Wallace. Some cars do pit, putting drivers on different pit schedules.

Lap 150: We go back to green with Bobby Labonte leading over Kenny and Rusty Wallace.

Lap 177: Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte, two drivers who pitted during the caution, begin to cut through the field sitting 4th and 5th.

Lap 201: Green flag pit stops begin. Bobby Hamilton, Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Lake Speed take the lead spots and lap the field as they don’t need to pit for another 50 laps or so, although now they’ll be behind on tires.

Lap 225: Second caution of the day comes up as Bobby Hillin Jr. blows up and spills oil all over the track. Most drivers got back on the lead lap. Expect everyone to pit, which will let everyone make the rest of the race with just one more stop.

Lap 230: After pit stops, we have Terry Labonte up front, followed by Lake Speed, Kenny Wallace and Ricky Craven.

Lap 256:: Kenny Wallace passes Terry Labonte to take the lead. He’s having the race of his life so far.

Lap 318: Rick Mast spins out, causing Dave Marcis and Joe Nemechek to also spin and tap the wall. Caution is out, and everyone should be good to get to the finish.

Lap 323: Restart has Kenny Wallace leading over Terry Labonte, Lake Speed, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin.

Lap 345: Complete heartbreak as Kenny Wallace, while leading the race, has some kind of mechanical failure. He heads down pit road, surrendering the lead to Terry Labonte. Kenny would exit the race and end up 36th.

Lap 360: Rusty Wallace passes Terry Labonte for the lead. Rusty now has both Labonte Brothers chasing him for the win.

Lap 393: Terry Labonte slightly hits the wall, causing Bobby to lose some time as well (and get passed by Lake Speed. Rusty Wallace will win.

Finish: Rusty Wallace wins his 2nd straight Goodwrench 400 for this 40th career Winston Cup victory! With Ricky Rudd finishing 5th, Rusty now has a 5 point lead in the points standings. Lake Speed found a 2nd place finish. Bobby Labonte 3rd. Michael Waltrip 4th.

Rusty Wallace: “We’re gonna win the title his year! We’re fast and looking great so far. I feel bad for my brother, but this is how it works out sometimes.”

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Week 3: Phoenix

T2: 3/3/95, Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic, Phoenix, 80 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B3: 3/4/95, Cactus 150, Phoenix, 150 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural
W3: 3/5/95, Desert 312, Phoenix, 312 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural

Craftsman Truck Series Race #2 – Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic

Phoenix International Raceway is a unique 1 mile track that isn’t quite a symmetrical oval. At 80 laps, we won’t see a pit stop under green, but if we get a yellow we may see some drivers pit for tires.

Qualifying: Mike Bliss scored the pole. Starting outside in 2nd is Scott Lagasse. Buckshot Jones, Mike Skinner and Walker Evans round out the top 5. Robby Gordon starts 11th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. starts 12th.

Lap 1: Scott Lagasse immediately makes a move on Mike Bliss to take the lead out of turn 2.

Lap 16: Mike Skinner takes the lead from Lagasse.

Lap 26: Walker Evans spins out, which causes Bob Keselowski to spin out and hit the inside wall. Caution comes out.

Lap 29: A few drivers, most notably Ron Hornaday Jr. and Jack Sprague elect to pit under caution.

Lap 41: Buckshot Jones spins out, no caution.

Lap 65: Robby Gordon makes his way to 2nd place, but Mike Skinner has a dominating lead.

Lap 75: Ron Hornaday Jr. moves to 2nd. He won’t have enough time to catch Mike Skinner.

Finish: Mike Skinner cruises to victory at Phoenix.

***

Busch Series Race #3 – Cactus 150

150 laps for the Busch Series. Expect one pit stop around the 82 lap mark.

Qualifying: Jeff Green scored the pole with Loy Allen Jr. on the outside. Tommy Houston, Robbie Reiser, and Jason Keller round out the Top 5. Last week’s winner, Johnny Benson Jr. starts back in 25th.

Lap 1: Jeff Green leads the field.

Lap 22: First caution, Kirk Shelmerdine, Curtis Markham, Hermie Sadler, Rodney Combs and Elliott Sadler all get caught up in an accident in turn 3.

Lap 27: Jason Keller takes the lead from Jeff Green off the restart.

Lap 43: Stevie Reeves heads to the garage.

Lap 66: Chad Little takes the lead from Jason Keller. Johnny Benson Jr. in the top 7.

Lap 87: Green flag pit stops cycle through and David Green comes out the leader, with Chad Little right behind him.

Lap 99: Robbie Reiser spins out for a caution. David Green, Chad Little and Johnny Benson Jr. are the top 3.

Lap 113: Chad Little retakes the lead.

Lap 124:: David Green gets by Little. Benson also passes Little for 2nd, but can’t get by Green.

Finish: David Green holds on to win at Phoenix! Benson 2nd, Little 3rd.

***

Winston Cup Series Race #3 – Desert 312

The Desert 312 is a temporary placeholder until Las Vegas Motor Speedway opens up for Cup business in 1998. While this version of the race is inaugural, Cup has run a fall race at Phoenix for seven years. Four drivers in the field have won here, Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin and last year’s winner, Terry Labonte. 312 laps for this one.

Qualifying: Michael Waltrip snags the pole over Daytona 500 winner Ricky Rudd. Michael’s brother, Darrell Waltrip starts 3rd, with Mark Martin and Ernie Irvan starting 4th and 5th. Dale Earnhardt starts 6th. Terry Labonte starts 13th. Jeff Gordon 18th. Rusty Wallace and Bill Elliott have their work cut out for them, they start 33rd and 34th respectively.

Lap 1: Michael Waltrip kicks things off.

Lap 31: Ernie Irvan bumps Ken Schrader as Schrader looked to make a pass, leading to both cars spinning out and crashing into the backstretch wall. Kenny Wallace’s bad luck continues as he’s caught up in the mess and smashes hard into Schrader. Jeremy Mayfield and Randy Lajoie also took some damage, and it looks like Dale Earnhardt has some fender damage.

Lap 51: Good ol’ DW passes his brother at the line to take the lead.

Lap 55: Darrell Waltrip’s lead doesn’t last long as Mark Martin takes the lead. Sterling Marlin up to 3rd.

Lap 85: First green flag pit stops cycle through. Mark Martin leads over Jeff Gordon and Kyle Petty.

Lap 114: Jeff Gordon gets by Mark Martin for the lead.

Lap 130: Dick Trickle spins out to lead to a caution.

Lap 135: Jeff Gordon continues to lead. Kyle Petty gets by Mark Martin for 2nd.

Lap 171: Jeff Gordon has a poor pit stop in green flag stops. Rusty Wallace has come all the way from starting 33rd to take the lead after stops cycle.

Lap 224: Mark Martin regains the lead from Rusty Wallace.

Lap 243: Sterling Marlin has a wheel come off, destroying the bottom of his car and leading to a caution. This will lead to the last pit stops of the day most likely.

Lap 248: Mark Martin leads over Terry Labonte and Ricky Rudd as we go back to green.

Lap 294: Robert Pressley spins out, causing a caution. Most drivers do pit as having stickers (fresh tires) may be powerful at the finish. Notably, Ricky Craven, Dale Jarrett, Morgan Shepherd and Jimmy Spencer stay out, so they’ll be the top 4 and have to hold off everyone. Terry Labonte is the highest car that pitted in 5th.

Lap 300: Terry Labonte rips through the drivers with worn tires and retakes the lead. Mark Martin is right on him.

Lap 303: Mark Martin makes a move, but Terry Labonte holds him off.

Lap 308: Terry Labonte once again holds off Mark Martin at the line. We’ll see if Martin has another run in him.

Finish: Terry Labonte holds off Mark Martin and wins his second straight race at Phoenix. This is career win #14 for Labonte and will move him to 4th in the points. This is Mark Martin’s second runner up of the season already. Kyle Petty finished 3rd. Rusty Wallace finished 4th and leads the championship standings. Ricky Craven puts an early top 5 up in his rookie campaign.

Labonte: “I knew we had enough for this one. Team made the call to pit late and said we’d be fine, and they got us this one!”

Martin: “We would have liked to have this one, but we’re running great so far.”

Rusty Wallace: “We had to fight and claw all day. Thought we had a chance to win it, but we’ll take a fourth for sure.”

Ricky Craven: “Man that was fun. We really wanted to start strong and this is what we mean!”

Week 4: Atlanta

B4: 3/11/95, Bud Light 300, Atlanta, 197 Laps, 1.53 Mile Oval, Harry Gant
W4: 3/12/95, Purolater 500, Atlanta, 328 Laps, 1.53 Mile Oval, Ernie Irvan

Busch Series Race #4 – Bud Light 300

Atlanta is a 1.5 miler that hits speeds higher than a standard 1.5 mile racetrack. It’s not unlikely that speeds will exceed 200 miles-per-hour. The Busch race will go 300 miles at 197 laps.

Qualifying: Larry Pearson scored the pole over Kevin Lepage, Todd Bodine, Loy Allen Jr., and Jeff Green. David Green, who won last week, starts 17th. Johnny Benson Jr. again starts in the back of the field in 25th.

Lap 1: Larry Pearson leads the field for the green flag.

Lap 33: Jeff Green takes over the lead after getting through the top 5. David Green already up to the top 5, Johnny Benson Jr. up to 12th.

Lap 53: Robbie Resier spins around, leading to a caution.

Lap 55: Drivers pit. With 141 laps left, drivers may be able to make it to the end with just one more stop, but it’ll be very close.

Lap 58: We go back to green with Kevin Lepage leading. Bobby Dotter heads to the garage.

Lap: 78: David Green takes the lead from Kevin Lepage.

Lap 80: Jerry Nadeau, from the back of the field, grabs the lead from David Green.

Lap 83: David Green takes the lead back.

Lap 126: Green flag stops begin to cycle through. The pit window is generally 65-70 laps. There are 71 laps left.

Lap 129: After green flag spots cycle through, Johnny Benson Jr. leads over Larry Pearson.

Lap 141: David Green gets by Benson and Pearson to take the lead.

Lap 146: Elliott Sadler blows up. No caution.

Lap 157: Jeff Green moves to 2nd and tries to bump David Green out of the way, but David holds onto the lead.

Lap 188: David Green, Jeff Green and Johnny Benson Jr. run 1-2-3. Loy Allen Jr. blows up.

Lap 195: David Green runs out of fuel on the backstretch! Jeff Green takes the lead with Johnny Benson Jr. right on him.

Lap 196: A couple other drivers run out of fuel: Larry Pearson, Phil Parsons.

Lap 197: Kevin Lepage runs out of fuel. Jeff Green has control, and Johnny Benson Jr. just can’t catch up.

Finish: Jeff Green takes down the Bug Light 300! Johnny Benson Jr. finishes 2nd for the second straight race. Jerry Nadeau, Jason Keller and Dennis Setzer round out the Top 5.

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Winston Cup Series Race #4 – Purolater 500

Atlanta hit an average of 185 MPH speed in its last race, won by Mark Martin. This may be the race that Dale Earnhardt gets his season together as he’s won here six times. A lot of the title contenders have had success at Atlanta. Rusty Wallace won here in 1988 and 1993. Ricky Rudd scored a win in 1987. Martin won last year and in ’91. Bill Elliott has won here 5 times as well. 328 laps.

Qualifying: Jeff Gordon locks up his 3rd career pole with Mark Martin starting 2nd. Bobby Labonte starts 3rd and Terry Labonte 4th, Michael Waltrip 5th. Bill Elliott starts 10th. Rusty Wallace 21st. Ricky Rudd starts 27th. Dale Earnhardt’s struggles continue as he starts way back in 39th.

Lap 1: Jeff Gordon leads the field.

Lap 3: Geoff Bodine blows up. Some oil on the track leads to the first caution of the race.

Lap 14: Bobby and Terry Labonte get by Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin for the lead spots.

Lap 22: Second caution of the day, Morgan Shepherd crashes into the turn three wall.

Lap 68: Pit stops cycle through under green. Rusty Wallace says on the radio he has a problem. Jeff Gordon cycles through pit stops as the leader over teammate Terry Labonte. Dale Earnhardt already up to the top 15.

Lap 76: Third caution of the day as Ted Musgrave, Dave Marcis and Randy Lajoie all get into an accident. Marcis looks like he can continue.

Lap 99: Rusty Wallace blows up. No caution. Jeff Gordon remains the leader. Wallace: “God damn this sucks.”

Lap 107: Dale Jarrett has made his way to the front and passes Jeff Gordon for the lead!

Lap 141: Second green flag put cycle ends, Dale Jarrett leads over Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt.

Lap 156: Jeff Purvis spins around, leading to the fourth caution of the day.

Lap 166: Dale Earnhardt has come from 39th to lead as he passes Dale Jarrett.

Lap 184: Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon nearly wreck one another racing for the lead. Bobby Labonte slips into the lead.

Lap 210: Green flag pit stops cycle once again. Bobby Labonte comes out in front of Earnhardt.

Lap 233: Sterling Marlin’s bad luck continues as he drops a cylinder, ending his day.

Lap 263: Dale Earnhardt re-takes the lead. Bobby Labonte, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Petty and Ernie Irvan make up the top 5.

Lap 280: Last pit stops cycle through. Dale Earnhardt comes out the leader with Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte in 2nd and 3rd.

Lap 299: Dale Earnhardt fights off a challenge from Bobby Labonte.

Lap 305: Dale Earnhardt extends his lead to a few seconds. Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin all battle for second.

Lap 328: Dale Earnhardt blows a tire on the backstretch! Earnhardt tries to get to the line…but Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon are battling side by side!

Finish: Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte come out of turn 4 side-by-side! Gordon has Labonte by a half-car length and WINS the Purolater 500! This is Gordon’s 3rd career victory. Mark Martin finishes 3rd for another great run this season. Kyle Petty finishes 4th and Earnhardt rolls to a disappointing 5th.

Gordon:: “We got him! YEAH! That’s what we’re talking about!”

Bobby Labonte: “Man, that was a close one. I thought we had it.”

Dale Earnhardt: “Talk about snakebitten. We had that one in the bag and sometimes they just take it away.”

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Week 5: Nashville

B5: 3/18/95, Opryland USA 300, Nashville, 300 Laps, 0.596 Mile Short Track, Inaugural
W5: 3/19/95, Music City 400, Nashville, 400 Laps, 0.596 Mile Short Track, Inaugural

Busch Series Race #5 – Opryland USA 300

NASCAR returns to Nashville after a decade due to issues with Nashville’s government. The hope is that the stop will stay on the schedule. Jeff Green had done well in in 1990 in races there, in fact it was his performance at Nashville that got him noticed in the top series in NASCAR. Nashville is a hair under 0.6 miles, a short track. The Busch race will be 300 laps.

Qualifying: Hermie Sadler won the pole. Elton Sawyer starts on the outside. Jeff Green starts 25th. Johnny Benson Jr. again struggled in qualifying, starting 26th.

Lap 1: Hermie Sadler leads the field to the green flag.

Lap 54: Tracy Leslie has a steering issue and loses control on the track. Caution comes out with Hermie Sadler still leading. David Green up from 7th to 3rd. Sawyer still in 2nd.

Lap 101: Green flag pit stops cycle through and David Green comes out the leader. Jeff Green has already made his way through the field and is in 2nd.

Lap 155: First caution as Jerry Nadeau and Doug Heveron get tangled up at the line. David Green leads Hermie Sadler and Jeff Green.

Lap 203: Second green flag pit stops cycle with David Green coming out the leader.

Lap 222: Rich Bickle spins out to bring out a second caution.

Lap 274: David Green busts out to a 6 second lead and has complete control of the race.

Finish: David Green wins at Nashville. Hermie Sadler 2nd, Loy Allen Jr. 3rd, P.J. Jones 4th, Jeff Fuller 5th. Jeff Green ended up 8th which had to be considered a disappointment for him. Chad Little ended up 15th, Johnny Benson Jr. never got going and ended up 17th.

***

Winston Cup Series Race #5 – Music City 400

For the first time since 1984, Winston Cup racing is back at Nashville. Three drivers on the active roster have won here before Nashville was taken off the schedule: Darrell Waltrip (who has won here 6 times), Dale Earnhatdt (twice) and Geoff Bodine, who was the last winner. Those races were 420 laps, this one is a little shorter at 400.

Qualifying: Jeff Gordon recorded his 2nd straight pole. Billy Hillin Jr. is on the outside pole. Geoff Bodine starts 3rd, Ted Musgrave 4th and Ward Burton 5th. Dale Earnhardt starts 11th. Mark Martin starts 16th. Terry Labonte 18th. Rusty Wallace starts 28th.

Lap 1: Jeff Gordon gets a great start to kick off the Music City 400.

Lap 61: Ricky Craven blows up, getting oil on the track. Dale Earnhardt’s bad luck streak continues as he spins around and slightly hits the wall. It doesn’t finish his day, but he’d go down a couple of laps fixing the damage.

Lap 101: Green flag pit stops cycle through and Ted Musgrave comes out the leader over Geoff Bodine. Jeff Gordon loses big time in the pits, coming out in 24th. Kenny Wallace, looking for a huge finish, is in 3rd.

Lap 114:Second caution comes out as Ernie Irvan spins and smacks the wall in turn 3. Ted Musgrave still leads.

Lap 166: Kenny Wallace gets by Ted Musgrave to take the lead.

Lap 204: Green flag stops cycle though, Kenny Wallace leads over Geoff Bodine and Ted Musgrave.

Lap 225: Bobby Hillin Jr. spins, bringing out a caution.

Lap 241: Ted Musgrave retakes the lead from Kenny Wallace.

Lap 305: Last pitstop of the race most likely. Ted Musgrave comes out the leader.

Lap 341: Caution comes out when Geoff Bodine blows up and can’t get back to pit road. Smoke blocks a lot of drivers’ view, and a bit of a jumble takes place in the pack.

Lap 345: Ted Musgrave leads Darrell Waltrip and Kenny Wallace on the restart.

Lap 346: Darrell Waltrip makes his move and gets by Musgrave! Musgrave has mostly dominated on longer runs, so that may have been Waltrip’s best chance.

Lap 366: Ted Musgrave gets ahead of Darrell Waltrip for a moment, but Waltrip holds on.

Lap 398: Ted Musgrave bumps Darrell Waltrip, but Waltrip holds his line and Musgrave falls back.

Finish: Darrell Waltrip snaps a 42 race winless streak and proves he’s still the master at Nashville! Ted Musgrave finished 2nd. Sterling Marlin quietly put up his first good finish this year and finished 3rd. Kenny Wallace also got a huge finish with a strong 4th. Lake Speed also with a quiet 5th. Rusty Wallace 6th, Mark Martin 7th, Jeff Gordon 11th, Terry Labonte 19th. Dale Earnhardt never recovered from his early issue and ended up 30th.

Darrell Waltrip: “Oh man how awesome was that? You know we were starting to worry a bit but I knew we still had something for them. NASCAR belongs at Nashville! Musgrave’s a good driver, I don’t know if we would have gotten him without that caution. But we’re gonna build on this and maybe we got a championship in us!”

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Week 6: Darlington

W6: 3/26/95, Transouth Financial 400, Darlington, 293 Laps, 1.366 Mile Oval, Dale Earnhardt

Winston Cup Series Race #6 – Transouth Financial 400

Darlington is a trickly 1.366 miler called by drivers “Too Tough to Tame” and the “Lady in Black”. It’s not uncommon for drivers to bounce off the wall off turn 2, getting a “Darlington stripe”. While home to the Southern 500 later in the season, Darlington is a two stop track, at least for now. Dale Earnhardt won this race last season and has 7 total wins at the track. Bill Elliott has 5 wins. Darrell Waltrip two. Terry Labonte won his only race at Darlington in 1980 in one of the wildest finishes you’ll ever see (his 1st win as well). Ricky Rudd, Lake Speed and Mark Martin have all won races here too. This one goes 293 laps. Drivers will generally pit for tire reasons here, expect a range of 60-65 laps if it goes green.

Qualifying: Roush Racing took down the front row, with Ted Musgrave starting 1st and Mark Martin in 2nd. Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, and Sterling Marlin would round out the top 5. Last week’s winner Darrell Waltrip starts 13th. Ricky Rudd 21st. Jeff Gordon 26th. Bill Elliott 29th. Rusty Wallace 36th. Dale Earnhardt 37th.

Lap 1: Ted Musgrave leads the field to the green flag and leads through lap 1.

Lap 9: First caution of the day as Dick Trickle slams into the turn 2 wall.

Lap 22: Second caution comes out as Joe Nemechek spins off turn 3. Seems like the car is okay.

Lap 56: Mark Martin takes the lead from teammate Musgrave.

Lap 65: Caution takes place just as pit stops were cycling through. This messes up the order a little bit, with Bobby Hamilton cycling through as the leader. Terry Labonte 2nd, Mark Martin 3rd.

Lap 77: Third caution of the day as Morgan Shepherd, Jeremy Mayfield and Steve Grissom wreck. Grissom looks okay, but this is the end of Shepherd and Mayfield’s days.

Lap 84: Terry Labonte takes the lead from Hamilton. Ken Schrader up to 2nd.

Lap 100: Bobby Labonte gets by Schrader and Terry for the lead. Rusty Wallace up to 5th. Dale Earnhardt up to 10th.

Lap 111: 4th caution of the day as Ricky Craven spins around. Cars will pit.

Lap 114: Bobby Labonte comes out the leader, with Dale Jarrett and Terry Labonte in 2nd and 3rd.

Lap 116: Caution out again, once again for Ricky Craven, who spins around in turn 2.

Lap 143: Dale Jarrett takes the lead.

Lap 157: Caution again out as Derrike Cope and Steve Grissom end up sideways. Cars should be able to make it on one stop after pitting during this caution.

Lap 161: Rusty Wallace comes out the leader over Sterling Marlin and Terry Labonte.

Lap 177: Caution out as Brett Bodine slams into the turn 2 wall. Dale Earnhardt said over the radio he had a tire going down and pits. He was up to 6th at this point.

Lap 199: Sterling Marlin gets by Rusty Wallace to take the lead.

Lap 224: Drivers begin to cycle through their pit stops.

Lap 229: Sterling Marlin leads over Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace after the last pit stops.

Lap 244: 8th caution of the day as Randy Lajoie gets turned around.

Lap 260: 9th caution comes out as Ricky Craven spins around for the third time. Some drivers at the end of the lead lap pit, such as Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Spencer to see if they can make a late run. Sterling Marlin still leads over Rusty Wallace.

Lap 285: Terry Labonte gets by Rusty Wallace for 2nd as Sterling Marlin looks to have this one locked up.

Lap 292: Rusty Wallace reports that he has a tire do gown and slows down, losing tons of spots as we get the white flag.

Finish: Sterling Marlin records his 2nd career Cup victory at Darlington! His only other victory was at last season’s Daytona 500. Terry Labonte finishes 2nd, Dale Jarrett 3rd, Bobby Hamilton 4th and Bobby Labonte 5th. Mark Martin ended up 8th and Jeff Gordon 9th. Rusty Wallace fell to 14th.

Marlin: “I knew we weren’t just a one trick pony!”

Rusty Wallace: “That one really sucked, we can’t afford to lose points like that.”

size=7]Prediction Results so far[/size]

Dubb

Dale Earnhardt – 676 (15th), 1 T5, 1 T10
Rusty Wallace – 846 (5th), 1 W, 3 T5, 4 T10, 1 P
Jeff Gordon – 882 (2nd), 1 W, 1 T5, 4 T10, 2 P
Mark Martin – 943 (1st), 3 T5, 6 T10
Ricky Craven – 604 (21st), 1 T5, 1 T10, 1 P
Johnny Benson – 758 (2nd), 1 W, 3 T5, 3 T10
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 258 (11th), 1 T10

Total: 4,967 Points, 3 Wins, 12 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 4 Poles

AlanSmithee1981

Dale Earnhardt – 676 (15th), 1 T5, 1 T10
Darrell Waltrip – 728 (7th), 1 W, 1 T5, 2 T10
Rusty Wallace – 846 (5th), 1 W, 3 T5, 4 T10, 1 P
Kyle Petty – 728 (8th), 2 T5, 2 T10
Robert Pressley – 498 (33rd)
Hermie Sadler – 634 (10th), 2 T5, 2 T10, 1 P
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 258 (11th), 1 T10

Total: 4,368 Points, 2 Wins, 9 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, 2 Poles​

 

[RDT]

Week 7: Bristol

T3: 3/31/95, Food City 125, Bristol, 125 Laps, 0.533 Short Track, Inaugural
B6: 4/1/95, Food City 250, Bristol, 250 Laps, 0.533 Short Track, David Green
W7: 4/2/95, Food City 500, Bristol, 500 Laps, 0.533 Short Track, Dale Earnhardt

Craftsman Truck Series Race #3/18 – Food City 125

It’ll be exciting to see the trucks at tiny, but mighty Bristol. At 125 laps, a pit stop won’t be needed, but if a caution comes out teams will have to decide whether to go for tires or not. 125 laps for the Truck race.

Qualifying: Steve Park is on the pole, followed by Mike Bliss, Mike Skinner, Butch Gilliland and Joe Ruttman. Ron Hornaday Jr. starts 7th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. starts 8th.

Lap 1: Steve Park breaks out to a decent lead to kick things off.

Lap 12: First caution of the day as Scott Lagasse and Rick Carelli get into one another. Carelli’s truck turns over.

Lap 55: Steve Park has led the whole way as we get to a second caution. This time Boris Said tried to get by Buckshot Jones, resulting in both slamming into the wall. Looks like Joe Ruttman was caught up a bit in this as well. Some cars pit, some don’t, playing the tire game. Ultimately Bob Keselowski leads over Butch Miller and Tobey Butler, who all stayed out. Mike Skinner 4th, Steve Park 5th.

Lap 85: It takes about 20 laps of green flag racing for Mike Skinner to take the lead. Steve Park is on him.

Finish: Mike Skinner rode the rest of the way unimpeded, winning his second straight Truck race. Ron Hornaday Jr. was able to get by Steve Park for 2nd. Skinner’s two wins are enough to give him the points lead, although barely has he’s up five on Hornaday. Hornaday has finished 2nd in each race so far.

***

Busch Series Race #6/27 – Food City 250

Similar to the truck series where tires may be a factor over fuel. One pit stop is required, but there’s a chance we’ll see two if the caution flag is out often. 250 laps.

Qualifying: Chad Little has the pole. Mike McLaughlin outside pole. Dennis Setzer, Larry Pearson, Kevin Lepage and David Green are the top 6.

Lap 1: We already get our first caution as David Green spins out. While Green seems okay despite losing tons of spots, Rodney Combs took a rough shot into the wall.

Lap 9: We get to green flag racing with Chad Little leading.

Lap 33: Caution for debris.

Lap 54: 3rd Caution as something breaks in Curtis Markham’s car, leaving debris and oil on the track. Some cars do pit here, already messing with pit cycles. The leader Chad Little pits as well putting Dennis Setzer in the front.

Lap 88: 4th Caution of the day, once again for debris.

Lap 104: Caution comes out as Elton Saywer and Stevie Reeves get into a small mess. It looks like Sawyer’s day is done. Everyone pits here, as theoretically they could make it the whole way if the rest of the race on fuel goes green. Johnny Benson Jr. comes out the leader.

Lap 125: 6th caution as P.J. Jones spins out.

Lap 151: Green flag lead change as David Green comes all the way back and passes Johnny Benson Jr..

Lap 174: 7th Caution of the day as Dennis Setzer blows a tire. Everyone pits here, as fresh tires likely are too strong to contend with. David Green comes out the leader over Chad Little.

Lap 182: Green flag is delayed as Loy Allen Jr. blows up during the caution period.

Lap 199: David Green leads over Chad Little, Todd Bodine and Jeff Green.

Lap 226:Caution out again as Bobby Dotter spins out and smashes into the wall. It’ll be about a 15-17 lap race for the win.

Lap 249: 9th caution comes out as Kirk Shelmerdine spins out, causing a whole mess. David Green had a clear lead with the caution out.

Finish David Green his 2nd straight Busch Series race under caution. Chad Little 2nd, Kevin Lepage 3rd, Todd Bodine 4th, Elliott Sadler 5th. Jeff Green finished 6th and Johnny Benson Jr. 7th.

***

Winston Cup Series Race #7/36 – Food City 500

A favorite of many drivers and perhaps the most “fun” race on the schedule, fans love both Bristol Cup races. While one of the shortest tracks on the circuit, there’s no shortage of action around the track. A race at Bristol has been described as everyone doing laundry and losing a sock or two. Darrell Waltrip has won 12 races at Bristol, including a run of seven in a row. Dale Earnhardt has won eight. Rusty Wallace has won 5. Mark Martin, Terry Labonte and Ernie Irvan have all pulled off wins at Bristol as well. The amount of pitstops will likely be determined by when cautions come out. Theoretically cars could last about 160 laps on fuel, but tires are generally in the 115 lap range, and tire wear becomes a factor even before that. We have 500 laps to run.

Qualifying: Mark Martin locks up the pole. Bobby Labonte starts 2nd, Ricky Rudd 3rd, Rusty Wallace 4th and Dale Jarrett rounds out the Top 5. Terry Labonte starts 15th, Dale Earnhardt 22nd, Darrell Waltrip 25th, Jeff Gordon 27th.

Lap 1: Mark Martin leads the field for the Food City 500.

Lap 4: Big trouble in the front as Bobby Labonte hits the outside wall in turn 2, causing a big mess in on the track. Labonte flips over and rolls down the track as cars are all over the place.

Lap 20: Still under caution cleaning up the huge mess. Labonte, Rick Mast and Mike Wallace are listed out of the race. Notably Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt avoided trouble and picked up tons of spots, with both in the top 10 already due to the mess.

Lap 77: Second caution as Bobby Hamilton’s car seems to fall apart on the track, with a tire bouncing around. Mark Martin leads over Rusty Wallace. Cars do pit here.

Lap 85: Back to green with Mark Martin leading over Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett.

Lap 111: Rusty Wallace gets by Mark Martin just as another caution comes out as Kyle Petty spins around.

Lap 164: 4th caution of the day as Steve Grissom, Randy Lajoie, and Robert Pressley all get into a mess. Lake Speed also looks to be involved. Everyone will pit.

Lap 174: We go back to green as Dale Earnhardt won the race off pit road, with Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett on him.

Lap 187: A caution comes out for debris, looks like from Jeff Purvis’s car.

Lap 236: 6th caution of the day as Michael Waltrip hits the wall hard. Dale Earnhardt leads, but we’ll see drivers come in again.

Lap 244: We go back to green, where it’s Dale Earnhardt over Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace.

Lap 294: Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace get by Earnhardt.

Lap 312: 7th caution of the day as Joe Nemechek has a tire go down and slams into the wall. Expect cars to pit.

Lap 322: Back to green as Rusty Wallace is back in the lead over Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon.

Lap 378: 8th caution of the day as Dave Marcis spins out in front of some cars, leading to Morgan Shepherd crashing into the wall. Some drivers pit, some don’t, as everyone can make it on one more stop. Most of leaders do pit, putting Dick Trickle in the lead over Ricky Rudd and Ernie Irvan. Dale Earnhardt is the highest driver to cycle through pit stops in 8th.

Lap 411: Earnhardt, Rusty, Gordon etc. have already run through most of the drivers who did not pit, except for Ernie Irvan, who’s managing to keep up the pace.

Lap 444: 9th caution as Michael Waltrip again has problems with his car. It stalls on the backstretch. Three cars who pitted on lap 378 stay out, hoping to play the long game: Jeff Burton, Hut Stricklin and Ricky Craven. Everyone else went for tires. Ernie Irvan came out in the lead of that group so he’s 4th, with Rusty Wallace 5th, Dale Earnhardt 6th, Terry Labonte 7th and Jeff Gordon 8th.

Lap 459: Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt get by Ernie Irvan and begin to pick off the three drivers on old tires.

Lap 476: Rusty Wallace takes the lead from Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt follows him.

Lap 480: Hut Stricklin blows a tire for our 10th caution of the day. Burton and Craven struggle to get any grip. No one will be pitting here. Rusty, Earnhardt, Irvan, Gordon, Burton the top 5, although Burton was not as fast as the others.

Lap 491: Green flag as Rusty Wallace leads over Dale Earnhardt. 10 laps to go.

Lap 495: Dale Earnhardt gets Rusty on a bump and run and takes the lead!

Lap 499: Rusty Wallace tries to give it back to Earnhardt, but Earnhardt is just out of range.

Finish: Dale Earnhardt holds on to win the Food City 500! It’s his 1st win of the season, Earnhardt’s 9th Cup win at Bristol and his 64th career victory overall! Rusty Wallace 2nd, Ernie Irvan 3rd, Jeff Gordon 4th, Terry Labonte 5th. Points leader and pole sitter Mark Martin finished 6th.

Earnhardt:: “That’s more like it! Sorry Rusty, but I had to get this one!”

Rusty Wallace: “I’m gonna tell you something I’m not gonna let Earnhardt run all over me this season. If that’s the way he wants to play it then that’s the way it’s gonna be the rest of the way.”

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Week 8: North Wilkesboro

W8: 4/9/95, First Union 400, North Wilkesboro, 250 Laps, 0.625 Mile Short Track, Terry Labonte

Winston Cup Race #8/36 – First Union 400

Just Cup racing this weekend. North Wilkesboro has been raced at since NASCAR’s beginnings in 1949. It remains a fan favorite for NASCAR fans and drivers alike. As expected, the standard short track experts in Winston Cup have dominated the 0.625 miler in NASCAR’s modern era. Darrell Waltrip has scored 10 wins here, his first back in 1977. Dale Earnhardt has 4 career wins. Rusty Wallace has three, including a sweep in 1993. Terry Labonte also has three, and he’s the defending champion of this race. Geoff Bodine also has three wins. Infamously, Brett Bodine won a race here in 1990, although that was mainly due to a huge scoring error. Mark Martin also scored a win here in 1990. 400 laps around this 0.625 miler. We’ll see cars pit from anywhere from 60 to 70 laps depending on tire wear.

Qualifying: A surprise, as Jeff Burton scored his first career pole. Sterling Marlin, Ernie Irvan, Bill Elliott and Lake Speed round out the Top 5. Mark Martin starts 20th, Terry Labonte starts 21st, Dale Earnhardt 22nd, Rusty Wallace 24th and Jeff Gordon 25th, Darrell Waltrip 27th.

Lap 1: Jeff Burton leads the field.

Lap 26:: Ernie Irvan gets by Sterling Marlin and Jeff Burton for the lead.

Lap 64: Drivers begin to pit.

Lap 75: After pit stops Ernie Irvan once again leads over Bill Elliott and Sterling Marlin.

Lap 102: Bill Elliott takes the lead. Dale Earnhardt all the way up to 4th, Rusty Wallace 7th.

Lap 124: Ward Burton blows up and spins, leading to the 1st caution of the day. We should see everyone pit.

Lap 130: After pit stops, we go to green with Ernie Irvan back in the lead, Dale Earnhardt in 2nd.

Lap 155: Dale Earnhardt takes the lead. Ernie Irvan in 2nd, Rusty Wallace 3rd, Sterling Marlin 4th, Jeff Gordon 5th.

Lap 192: Cars hit green flag pit stops.

Lap 201: Dale Earnhardt leads over Rusty Wallace after pit stops cycle.

Lap 244: Jeff Gordon catches Rusty Wallace and passes him for 2nd. Dale Earnhardt still leads.

Lap 260: Green flag pit stops come up.

Lap 277: We get a caution as green flag pit stops just cycle through as Dave Marcis breaks something and leaves debris on the track. Earnhardt leads.

Lap 283: Jeff Gordon gets by Dale Earnhardt on the restart to take the lead!

Lap 292: Dale Earnhardt retakes the lead, only for Jeff Gordon to retake going into turn 3.

Lap 322: Jeff Gordon begins to create distance between himself and Dale Earnhardt. Sterling Marlin, Rusty Wallace and Ernie Irvan round out the Top 5.

Lap 333: Last round of pit stops take place.

Lap 339: Jeff Gordon leads out of the pits. It looks like Dale Earnhardt was slow coming out of the pits as he came out 9th. Jeff Gordon has a 2 second lead on Sterling Marlin.

Finish: Jeff Gordon has no problems, leading the last 61 laps with no challenge to win at North Wilkesboro! This is Gordon’s 4th career win, 1st at North Wilkesboro and 1st at a short track. Sterling Marlin finished 2nd, Ernie Irvan 3rd, Rusty Wallace 4th and Ken Schrader 5th.

Gordon: “Man, what am I doing winning at North Wilkesboro?! What an awesome run today. We took care of the tires, and the tires took care of us!”

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Week 9: Martinsville

B7: 4/22/95, Hanes 250, Martinsville, 250 Laps, 0.526 Short Track, Terry Labonte
W9: 4/23/95, Hanes 500, Martinsville, 500 Laps, 0.526 Short Track, Rusty Wallace

Busch Series Race #7/27 – Hanes 250

More short track action as we again race at a track since the beginning of NASCAR: Martinsville. The paperclip track is the shortest on the circuit. The Busch Series race will go 250 laps.

Qualifying: Jason Keller is on the pole, followed by Hermie Sadler, Jeff Fuller, Jeff Green, and Mike McLaughlin.

Lap 1: Green flag comes out, Jason Keller leads.

Lap 8: First caution as Mike McLaughlin spins off turn 2. Manages to not hit anyone.

Lap 57: Jeff Green charges to the front to take the lead.

Lap 85: Green flag pit stops finish cycling, Jeff Green leads over Jason Keller.

Lap 96: Todd Bodine slides into the wall, causing a caution.

Lap 133: Jeff Green continues to dominate.

Lap 144: Caution comes out as P.J. Jones and Robbie Reiser get into a wreck. Everyone will pit and will make it on one more stop after this one.

Lap 151: Jeff Green leads over Johnny Benson Jr. as we get back to green.

Lap 176: 4th caution of the day as Phil Parsons slams into the wall. Everyone will pit one more time.

Lap 182: Jeff Green comes out in front over Johnny Benson Jr. and Tommy Houston.

Finish: No one has anything for Jeff Green as he wins his third race of the season, extending his points lead!

***

Winston Cup Series Race #9/36 – Hanes 500

For the third straight week, we have short track racing in Winston Cup, and once again we’re at a track with strong historical ties to NASCAR. Darrell Waltrip has won 11 times here. Dale Earnhardt has 6 wins. Rusty Wallace and Geoff Bodine have won 4. Ricky Rudd has 2. Ernie Irvan and Mark Martin also have victories here. We’re going a full 500 laps.

Qualifying: Ricky Rudd scores the pole. Rusty Wallace, Terry Labonte, John Andretti and Kenny Wallace round out the Top 5. Mark Martin starts 7th, Dale Earnhardt starts 10th, his best qualifying effort in a few races.

Lap 1: Ricky Rudd leads the field for the green flag.

Lap 7: Rusty Wallace wastes no time passing Rudd to take the lead.

Lap 33: First caution of the day where Brett Bodine, Jimmy Spencer, and Kyle Petty all get into it. Petty hits the wall hard.

Lap 85: We get a caution right as green pit stops were taking place as Derrike Cope hits the wall. John Andretti and Terry Labonte were running in the Top 6 but are now trapped 2 laps down. Rusty Wallace leads over Ricky Rudd.

Lap 91: We go back to green. It’s Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd and a surprise, Steve Grissom in the top 3. Grissom has won a Busch race here in 1990.

Lap 111: Jeff Gordon, the points leader, has a serious problem and goes back in the garage! Rusty still leads over Rudd.

Lap 171: Green flag pit stops cycle through. Rusty Wallace leads over Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin.

Lap 188: Darrell Waltrip spins around and the third caution of the day comes out.

Lap 211: Mark Martin makes his way to 2nd and challenges Rusty Wallace, but Rusty holds onto the lead.

Lap 222: Mike Wallace hits the wall and we have a caution. Cars should be pitting here.

Lap 229: Mark Martin leads over Ward Burton and Kenny Wallace. Rusty 4th.

Lap 258: Rusty Wallace storms back to the front and passes Mark Martin.

Lap 288: Mark Martin makes a move on the inside to get past Rusty Wallace. Kenny Wallace is on his brother.

Lap 317: Green flag pit stops cycle though and we have a surprising leader, Morgan Shepherd, followed by Kenny Wallace and Rusty Wallace. Drivers will have to make two more stops still.

Lap 353: Rusty Wallace powers back to the lead.

Lap 361: Caution is out for a Michael Waltrip spin where he hits the wall. Cars will pit for sure.

Lap 368: Rusty Wallace leads Ricky Rudd, Mark Martin, Kenny Wallace and Geoff Bodine.

Lap 399: Caution comes out again for a Jeff Burton spin. 6th of the day. Too early to pit.

Lap 448: Drivers finish cycling through pit stops. Rusty Wallace leads over Geoff Bodine.

Lap 499: Rusty Wallace has it won. Mark Martin gets tapped by Steve Grissom and drops a couple of sports.

Finish: Rusty Wallace holds off Geoff Bodine for his 41st career Cup victory and his 5th at Martinsville. Rusty has now won three straight races at Martinsville and 4 of the last 5. With Jeff Gordon’s troubles, Gordon fell back to 3rd in the points as Rusty took the lead. Ricky Rudd finished 3rd, Steve Grissom a career high 4th place finish, his first career top 5. Morgan Shepherd finished 5th. Mark Martin ended up 6th and moved up to 2nd in points. Dale Earnhardt was a non-factor for most of the race and ended up 14th. Terry Labonte 15th. Jeff Gordon ended up 37th.

Rusty Wallace: “We run so good at these short tracks. We keep this up and we’ll be Champion!”

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Week 10: Nazareth (Truck and Busch) and Talladega (Cup)

T4: 4/28/95, Nazareth 100, Nazareth, 100 Laps, 1.125 Oval, Inaugural
B8: 4/29/95, Nazareth 200, Nazareth, 200 Laps, 1.125 Oval, Inaugural
W10: 4/30/95, Winston Select 500, Talladega, 188 Laps, 2.66 Mile Super Speedway, Dale Earnhardt

Craftsman Truck Series Race #4/18 – Nazareth 100

One of the few tracks that does not sport a Winston Cup race, Nazareth is a 1.125 oval that provides plenty of excitement for drivers. While the Truck drivers will make their debut here, the Busch Series has been racing here since 1988. The Truck race will be 100 laps.

Qualifying: Jack Sprague won the pole over Ron Hornaday Jr., Robby Gordon, Mike Skinner and Steve Park.

The Race: Jack Sprague dominated the Nazareth 100 to get on the winner’s board for the Truck Series. Sprague fended off a late challenge from Robby Gordon and would lead all but one lap. Ron Hornaday Jr. would finish 4th, his worst finish so far this season, but he is now the points leader. We had one caution caused by an early crash between Steve Park and Butch Gilliland.

***

Busch Series Race #8/27 – Nazareth 200

The Busch Series has come to Nazareth since 1988. Cup regulars Rick Mast, Ricky Craven and Robert Pressley have won here. The only driver in the field with a victory at Nazareth is Todd Bodine. They’ll go 200 laps here.

Qualifying: Tim Fedewa nabbed his first career Busch Series pole. Elton Sawyer, Elliott Sadler, Phil Parsons, and Larry Pearson rounded out the Top 5. Johnny Benson Jr. starts 8th. David Green starts 14th. Jeff Green starts back in 18th.

The Race: Elliott Sadler took the lead early on from Fedewa and was out in front most of the day. David Green at times would challenge Sadler, but never made it to the front. With 66 laps to go drivers went through a caution pit stop due to a Dennis Setzer and Doug Heveron wreck, and Johnny Benson Jr. restarted right behind Sadler. Sadler did what he could to hold him off, but with 19 laps left Benson got him off turn 2 and never looked back for the victory. With Jeff Green finishing back in 18th, Benson moved to within 19 points of the points lead.

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Winston Cup Series Race #10/36 – Winston Select 500

After weeks of short track racing, we move to NASCAR’s biggest, and fastest track, Talladega SuperSpeedway. Due to the restrictor plate on cars, cars will peak at about 200 miles per hour, but that’s only by drafting one another in close quarters. It’s not unheard of to have 30+ drivers all racing in one pack, where just one mistake can cause a massive wreck. Dale Earnhardt, the master of the restrictor plate superspeedway, has 7 wins at Talladega and is the defending race winner here. Bill Elliott has the fastest recorded lap in NASCAR history here and two wins himself. Ernie Irvan has won twice here. Darrell Waltrip has four, but hasn’t scored one since 1982. Terry Labonte, Ken Schrader, Bobby Hillin Jr. and Jimmy Spencer have all managed a victory here as well.

Qualifying: Ernie Irvan scored the pole, with Jimmy Spencer, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Bobby Labonte rounding out the top 5. Ricky Rudd starts 8th. Rusty Wallace starts 26th, Dale Earnhardt 10th. Terry Labonte 15th.

The Race The first half of the race saw multiple lead changes. Bill Elliott was the first to pass Irvan on lap 5, but it didn’t take long for Dale Earnhardt to get in front. Earnhardt, Elliott, Irvan and Dale Jarrett all swapped the lead multiple times before the first major incident.

Lap 68. That's when the first of the two massive accidents occurred. Running in the mid-pack, Ricky Rudd and Darrell Waltrip tangled going into turn 3, triggering a chain reaction that took out a large part of the field. The likes of Geoff Bodine, Randy Lajoie, and Mark Martin were unable to avoid the carnage, marking the end of their race prematurely.

Other than one other small caution, we went green flag until lap 147. Kyle Petty, running in the top 15, got loose coming out of turn 4 and spun into the path of the oncoming cars. A major crash followed, taking out the likes of Terry Labonte, Bobby Hamilton, and Ted Musgrave[/b].

Throughout the day though, one thing remained consistent: Dale Earnhardt was at or near the front. Dale Jarrett did lead with 12 to go, but once Earnhardt passed him, he would hold on to win his 8th victory at Talladega. Rusty Wallace and Jeff Gordon would finish the race in 12th and 14th, allowing Earnhardt to gain on all the point leaders. Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Bill Elliott and Joe Nemechek rounded out the Top 5.

This is Earnhardt’s 65th career win.

Earnhardt: “Hell yeah man! We started off slow but we’re not even close to out of it. Let’s win ourselves a championship!”

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Week 11: Michigan

W11: 5/7/95, Miller Genuine Draft 400, Michigan, 200 Laps, 2.0 Mile Oval, Rusty Wallace

Winston Cup Series Race #11/36 – Miller Genuine Draft 400

Michigan is a big, fast, 2 mile racetrack. Bill Elliott dominated the track in the late 80s, winning here 7 times. Rusty Wallace has three wins and is the defending race winner. Darrell Waltrip, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt won twice. Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine also have a win here, as does Dale Jarrett. Jarrett’s win in 91 was the first of his career.

Qualifying: Ricky Rudd scores his second pole of the season. Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Dick Trickle and Lake Speed round out the top 5. Dale Earnhardt starts 6th. Mark Martin 11th. Terry Labonte 21st.

Race: The race kicked off with Ricky Rudd in pole position, but Jeff Gordon, starting second, immediately proved he was a force to reckon with, constantly pressuring Rudd.

Lap 52 was the first caution as Mike Wallace, having a terrible season so far, spun and crashed into the turn 3 wall. Both Geoff Bodine and Michael Waltrip had mechanical issues as well, and they finished below Mike Wallace.

Most of the race was a battle between polesitter Ricky Rudd and Jeff Gordon. But the race was going to turn into a fuel milage battle. After the last cycle of pit stops, drivers knew they needed to conserve fuel. Some drivers took a risk. The last 30 laps had Dale Jarrett, John Andretti, Rudd and Gordon looking for the win. Gordon managed to get to second, but it looked like Jarrett was going to score the victory. But with two laps to go, Jarrett ran out of fuel! Gordon took the lead over Rudd and Andretti. Rudd too would run out of fuel, but Andretti didn’t get the miracle needed as Jeff Gordon made it to the end to win at Michigan! Andretti took home a second place finish.

Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, all top 5 in the points, finished 3-4-5.

This is Gordon’s 5th career victory.

Gordon: “We just keep digging! This might be our year!”

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Week 12: Richmond

B9: 5/13/95, Hardee’s 250, Richmond, 250 Laps, 0.75 Mile Oval, Joe Nemechek
W12: 5/13/95, Pontiac Excitement 400, Richmond, 400 Laps, 0.75 Mile Oval, Ernie Irvan

Busch Series Race #9/27 – Hardee’s 250

Back to the short tracks. We’ll have back-to-back races at Richmond, another track favorite of drivers. The Busch drivers will face during the day, Cup drivers at night. Richmond is 3/4ths of a mile. 250 laps for the Busch race. Tommy Houston is the only driver in the field with a victory here, he won the inaugural race here in 1982.

Qualifying: David Green just edged out Elliott Sadler for the pole. Chad Little, Loy Allen Jr. and P.J. Jones round out the top 5. Johnny Benson Jr. starts 10th and Jeff Green starts 12th.

The Race: The Hardee’s 250 was dominated by David Green, but late in the game rookie P.J. Jones managed to get the lead, with David Green and Chad Little right on him. Little took the lead with 28 to go, but David Green would pass him with 16 to go and finish what he started. As a result of winning, David Green took the points lead by 3 over Jeff Green (10th) and 6 over Johnny Benson Jr. (6th).

***

Winston Cup Series Race #12/36 – Pontiac Excitement 400

We’re back to short track racing, this time under the lights! The familiar names have won here before: Darrell Waltrip leading the way with 6. Dale Earnhardt had 5. Rusty Wallace has 4. Dave Marcis, Kyle Petty, Ernie Irvan, Bill Elliott, Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin have all scored wins as well. Terry Labonte has a win here too, the fall race here last season. Some drivers in the field have scored Busch Series wins here, giving them an outside shot today, names such as Bobby Hamilton, Michael Waltrip, Rick Mast, Robert Pressley, Joe Nemechek and Kenny Wallace.

Qualifying: Kenny Wallace start off strong, leading the first 90 laps. The first big caution came out when Morgan Shepherd spun out Jeff Burton, causing a multi-car wreck. Notably, Jeff Gordon was caught up in the accident, and while that didn’t end his day, Gordon would never recover and end up 33rd.

Bobby Labonte took over the lead from Kenny Wallace. Bobby would get challenged by Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Ernie Irvan and brother Terry Labonte throughout the race. Rusty would take the lead, but Bobby would get it back with 85 laps to go.

Terry Labonte wore down his brother though and with 37 to go he would pass his brother to take the lead, and he’d never look back. Terry scored his 2nd victory of the season, 15th of his career.

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Winston All-Star Race Preview

Drivers Who Are Guaranteed a Spot

Geoff Bodine
Dale Earnhardt
Bill Elliott
Ernie Irvan
Dale Jarrett
Jeff Gordon
Terry Labonte
Sterling Marlin
Mark Martin
Ricky Rudd
Jimmy Spencer
Rusty Wallace
Darrell Waltrip

There will be two additional entrants, the winner of the Winston Open and a Popular Choice. Please PM me a choice of a driver from any series you’d like to see in the All-Star race.

***

Prediction Results so far

@Dubble J

Dale Earnhardt – 1640 (5th), 2 Wins, 4 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s
Rusty Wallace – 1823 (1st), 2 Wins, 8 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Jeff Gordon – 1679 (4th), 3 Wins, 4 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Mark Martin – 1703 (2nd), 4 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Ricky Craven – 1221 (20th), 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Johnny Benson Jr. – 1419 (3rd), 2 Wins, 5 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 513 (12th), 2 Top 10s

Total: 9,998 Points, 9 Wins, 26 Top 5s, 40 Top 10s, 5 Poles

@AlanSmithee1981

Dale Earnhardt – 1640 (5th), 2 Wins, 4 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s
Darrell Waltrip – 1385 (10th), 1 Win, 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10s
Rusty Wallace – 1823 (1st), 2 Wins, 8 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Kyle Petty – 1267 (15th), 2 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s
Robert Pressley – 996 (35th)
Hermie Sadler – 1136 (8th), 3 Top 5s, 4 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 513 (12th), 2 Top 10s

Total: 8,760 Points, 5 Wins, 18 Top 5s, 28 Top 10s, 2 Poles​

 

[RDT]

1995 Season Part 3

All-Star Weekend

E: 5/20/95, Winston Open (Non-Points), Charlotte, 50 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Jeff Gordon
E: 5/20/95, The Winston (Non-Points), Charlotte, 70 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Geoff Bodine

Winston Open

The following drivers have qualified for the Winston already: Geoff Bodine, Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Jimmy Spencer, Rusty Wallace, and Darrell Waltrip. Rookie Ricky Craven won the popular vote and has been entered into the race.

The winner of the Winston Open will also gain entry into the race. The drivers in the Winston Open are drivers in the current season Top 20 in Cup, all current season winners and current season Top 5 in Busch and Truck. It will be a 50 lap shootout.

Qualifying: Bobby Labonte won the pole over David Green.

Race: Other than one caution midway due to Mike Skinner, the Open was smooth sailing. Bobby Labonte led wire-to-wire, only getting a late challenge from Michael Waltrip.

The Winston

The Winston is broken up into three segments – two 20 lap segments and a 30 segment lap segment. After each segment, the field is randomly switched around in some way. The bottom two drivers are eliminated after the first segment, and three more are eliminated after the second segment. Teams win $200,000 for each segment won, and $1,000,000 for winning the race overall.

Qualifying: Jeff Gordon won the pole.

Segment #1: Mark Martin passed Jeff Gordon with 2 laps left in the segment to win the segment. Geoff Bodine, last year’s winner, blew an engine. Ricky Rudd just missed out of advancing to segment #2.

Segment #2: The field was inverted, so Darrell Waltrip started next to Ernie Irvan. Waltrip couldn’t stay up front, but Irvan would hold on to win segment #2. Notably, Jimmy Spencer and Jeff Gordon wrecked on the frontstretch, eliminating both. Ricky Craven was also eliminated in this round.

Segment #3: The field was inverted again, but 15 laps into the segment it was clear who the best two cars on the track were: Mark Martin and Bobby Labonte. Labonte would take the lead with 15 laps to go, but Mark Martin grabbed it two laps later and never looked back. It’s Martin’s 1st All-Star victory!

Martin: “Man were we fast or what?! And we won a million dollars!”

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Week 13: Charlotte

T5: 5/26/95, Red Dog 150, Charlotte, 100 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B10: 5/27/95, Sprite 300, Charlotte, 200 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Phil Parsons
W13: 5/28/95, Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte, 400 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Jeff Gordon

Craftsman Truck Series Race 5/18 – Red Dog 150

Charlotte is a hometown track for many drivers. The Truck Series runs their 1st race here, 100 laps.

Qualifying: Fans were very excited as Dale Earnhardt Jr. took down his 1st pole of his career. Teammate Steve Park is on the outside pole. Andy Hillenburg, Butch Miller, and Mike Skinner round out the Top 5.

Race: Dale Earnhardt Jr. led most of the way, but faded back on lap 67 and never contended for the win after that. Mike Skinner and Ron Hornaday Jr., the top 2 point leaders, battled until the end, with Skinner bumping Hornaday Jr. out of the way to take his third victory in five races and regain the points lead. Mike Bliss got by Hornaday as well, with Dale Jr. and Steve Park finishing 4th and 5th.

***

Busch Series Race 10/27 - Sprite 300

One driver in the field here has won a Busch race here before: defending race winner Phil Parsons.

Qualifying: Johnny Benson Jr. scores the pole, with Jeff Green, David Green, Dennis Setzer and Kevin Lepage rounding out the top 5. Chad Little starts 12th.

Race: Johnny Benson Jr., David Green, and Jeff Green, all racing for valuable points, battle for the lead and nearly wreck one another in the process. Most of the race goes this way until the last pit stop. During the last stop, some drivers took two right-side tires as opposed to four. Tommy Houston[ and Jerry Nadeau ended up in the front with both Greens and Benson following. Houston couldn’t hang onto a top spot, but no one could pass Nadeau, leading to Nadeau’s first career Busch Series victory! Benson finished 2nd, David Green 3rd and Jeff Green 4th. This put Benson just 1 point behind David for the points lead, with Jeff Green 8 points behind the leader.

***

Winston Cup Series Race 13/36 – Coca-Cola 600

The Coca-Cola 600 is one of NASCAR Winston Cup’s crown jewel races. Many drivers are from North Carolina, and thus this is considered a “hometown” race. It is the only 600 miler on the circuit, we’ll be going 400 laps. Darrell Waltrip has six total wins at Charlotte. Dale Earnhardt has four. Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace have two. Kyle Petty, Ernie Irvan, Mark Martin, Ken Schrader, Dale Jarrett, and Jeff Gordon have one win, with Gordon being the defending Coca-Cola 600 winner (his first career win).

Qualifying: Bobby Labonte continues his strong week at Charlotte with the pole. Defending Coke 600 winner Jeff Gordon starts 2nd. Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, and Mark Martin round out the Top 5. Dale Earnhardt starts 9th, Rusty Wallace 13th, Terry Labonte 25th.

Race: Bobby Labonte started strong, but Dale Earnhardt quickly made his way through the field and found himself in 2nd position after just 50 laps. Earnhardt and Mark Martin were all over Labonte until lap 122, when the first caution came out for a wreck involving Dick Trickle and John Andretti. After pit stops the field looked very different as teams attempted different strategies. Now, Kyle Petty lead over Bill Elliott and Sterling Marlin.

Jeff Gordon started to heat up here, racing through the cars with older tires and eventually outright taking the lead from Sterling Marlin on lap 206. Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt were still in hot pursuit. Labonte would pass Gordon on lap 244, but Gordon took it back just 8 laps later.

On lap 288, Bobby Hillin Jr. hit the wall hard in a terrible crash which hit a lot of other cars. Notably, points leader Rusty Wallace took a hit to the fender, and while he was okay, he was never a factor in the race.

Michael Waltrip led coming out of pit stops again, over Bobby Labonte, Jeff Gordon, Sterling Marlin and Mark Martin. Dale Earnhardt was also lurking. Waltrip got up here with a two-tire stop, and it didn’t take too long for Gordon to get by him for the lead (Lap 326). Bobby Labonte, Sterling Marlin, and Mark Martin all tried to challenge Gordon, but Gordon held on and would win his second straight Coca-Cola 600! Marlin ended up 2nd, Labonte 3rd, Martin 4th and Earnhardt 5th. Rusty would end up 16th. Rusty still held the points lead, but it was a good day for Gordon, Martin and Earnhardt in that respect. This is Gordon’s 4th win of the season, 6th of his career!

Gordon: “Yeah! Woo! That was one hell of a run. Bobby, Sterling, Martin they all gave us a run and we had to worry a bit there, but these guys gave us an incredible Dupont Chevrolet today!”

Bobby Labonte: “Man, we’ve been so good this past week and really all season I thought we’d get this one. We won the Open, runner-up in the Winston, we had the pole. We just didn’t have it at the end. That’s okay, we’re doing great this season and I think that win will come.”

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Week 14: New Hampshire

B11: 6/3/95, NH Chevy Dealers 250, New Hampshire, 250 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Derrike Cope
W14: 6/4/95, Diesel Power 300, New Hampshire, 300 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural

Busch Series Race 11/27 – New Hampshire Chevy Dealers 250

New Hampshire is a flat 1 mile track that makes it somewhat difficult to pass, therefore makes track position very important.

Qualifying: Mike McLaughlin scores the pole. Chad Little, David Green, Jeff Green and Johnny Benson Jr. round out the top 5.

Race: Mike McLaughlin makes an early mistake as it only takes Chad Little 3 laps to take the lead. On just lap 9, Jason Keller and Jeff Green get into an accident, to which Green and Keller argue on the track about it. Green of course was just 8 points from the points lead coming into this race and Keller was 5th in points. Neither would return.

Little led most of the way, but late race pitstops put Elliott Sadler and Elton Sawyer in the front. Neither Little or McLaughlin would be a factor for the last 60 laps, as Sadler and Sawyer battled for the lead. Sawyer utilized the bump and run with just 3 laps to go, and it was enough to score his 2nd career Busch Series race! Sadler would hold onto 2nd. Chad Little would finish 4th, which got him back in the points race. Jeff Green’s accident put him 80 back of Benson (7th) and David Green (9th).

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Winston Cup Series Race 14/36 – Diesel Power 300

This is only the third Cup race ever at New Hampshire. Despite the track being tough to pass on overall, Rusty Wallace won the inaugural race here starting 33rd in 1993. Ricky Rudd won here last year. The Busch Series have run here since 1990. Current Cup drivers Rick Mast, Kenny Wallace, Ricky Craven, Jeff Burton, Joe Nemechek, Robert Pressley and Derrike Cope all have Busch wins here.

Qualifying: Jeff Gordon, coming off a victory at the Coca-Cola 600, scores his third pole of the season. Points leader Rusty Wallace starts second. Rookie Robert Pressley, who has a Busch Series victory here, starts 3rd. Ernie Irvan and Terry Labonte round out the top 5. Dale Earnhardt starts 9th and Mark Martin starts all the way back in 36th.

Race: Rusty Wallace goes right after Jeff Gordon and manages to get by him on Lap 22, but Jeff Gordon would regain the lead on lap 41. After that, it was the Jeff Gordon show. Gordon would lead the rest of the way, barring a couple of green flag laps under caution. Probably the easiest victory of Gordon’s young career. It’s the second win in a row for Gordon, 5th this season and 3rd in the last 5 races. It’s Gordon’s 7th career win. This is also the 4th straight win for Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick finished 1-2 here, as Terry Labonte finishes 2nd. Rusty Wallace finished 3rd and still has a small lead in the points despite Gordon’s recent dominance. Ricky Rudd finished 4th, and Robert Pressley was able to convert his great starting position into his 1st career top 5. Mark Martin finished 22nd, not the finish he wanted with the other point contenders finishing in the top 3. Dale Earnhardt also had issues all day and ended up 26th.

Gordon: “Man, we’re just on fire this season! I got the best crew chief, the best team, we’re so good and we’re gonna win a championship this year I’m telling you. Dupont and Chevrolet as helping us the whole way, and man we’re just awesome right now!”

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Week 15: Dover

T6: 6/9/95, Budweiser 100, Dover, 100 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B12: 6/10/95, Budweiser 200, Dover, 200 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Mike Wallace
W15: 6/11/95, Budweiser 400, Dover, 400 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Rusty Wallace

Craftsman Truck Series Race 6/18 – Budweiser 100

The Truck Series makes its debut at the Monster Mile.

Qualifying: D.E.I. has the front row again, this time with Steve Park on the pole and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2nd. Mike Skinner is 3rd, Buckshot Jones starts 4th and Ron Hornaday Jr. starts 5th.

Race: The race came down to two drivers: Steve Park and Buckshot Jones, both looking for their first win in the top 3 NASCAR series. After a hard wreck by Robby Gordon and Shawna Robinson on lap 87, it ended up being a shootout between leader Jones and Park. Park would make the move on lap 96, getting by Buckshot inside turn 2 and would win his 1st career Truck race! Buckshot Jones finished 2nd, Butch Gilliland 3rd, Dale Jr. with a 2nd straight 4th and Bob Keselowski finished 5th. Ron Hornaday Jr. finished 6th and Mike Skinner 8th, which cut Skinner’s point lead over Hornaday to just 10 points.

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Busch Series Race 12/27 – Budweiser 200

Two drivers in the field have won here, Todd Bodine has three Busch wins here and Johnny Benson Jr. won one last season.

Qualifying: Johnny Benson Jr. scores another pole, with Chad Little, Loy Allen Jr., Jeff Fuller and Elton Sawyer rounding out the top 5. Jeff Green starts 9th, David Green starts 11th.

Race: Chad Little nearly wrecks Johnny Benson Jr. on lap 1 to take the lead, a spot he would hold most of the race. As the race went on it looked like Jeff Green had the best car and he would get to the lead with 50 to go. Todd Bodine was looking for his 4th win here and was able to get Green loose to pass him with 16 laps to go. Green nearly wrecked Bodine to get the lead back, but Bodine held on to win! This is Bodine’s 8th career Busch Series win. Jeff Green finished 2nd. Benson 3rd. Little 4th. David Green was never a factor and ended up 11th. This puts Benson up 42 points on David Green, 75 on Jeff Green and 89 on Little.

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Winston Cup Series Race 15/36 – Budweiser 400

The Monster Mile is a fast 1 miler full of action and speed, and as a result is a favorite of NASCAR fans. Darrell Waltrip and Ricky Rudd have two career wins here. Dale Earnhardt has three. Bill Elliott has four. Ken Schrader, Derrike Cope and Geoff Bodine have scored wins here as well. The favorite here may be Rusty Wallace, who has won three straight at Dover coming into this race.

Qualifying: A surprise, as rookie Randy Lajoie scores the pole. Jeff Burton also surprised starting 2nd. Bill Elliott, Ricky Rudd, and Mark Martin round out the top 5. Jeff Gordon starts 7th, Terry Labonte starts 9th. Rusty Wallace starts 10th. Dale Earnhardt starts back in 29th.

Race: Randy Lajoie led the first 21 laps, until his day quickly turned into one of disappointment as a handling issues ended his day in 39th. Jeff Burton would briefly assume the lead, but then Bill Elliott took the lead and dominated for a while, leading all the way through the half-way point, with Mark Martin on him.

A massive crash on lap 226 between Jimmy Spencer and Bobby Hillin Jr. (Spencer ended up turning over on his hood) changed the dynamics of the race. Mark Martin would have an issue on pit road, and Bobby Hamilton, who slowly was making his way through the field, found himself up front. Hamilton led over the Hendrick stars: Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte.

But the best car was probably Elliott’s. Hamilton surprisingly held off Gordon and Labonte, and with just 30 laps to go Bill Elliott had passed them both. Elliott did all he could and he did catch up to Hamilton, but Hamilton held on to win his 1st career victory. This is monumental victory for NASCAR, as this is the first time the famed 43 car for Petty Enterprises returned to victory lane since the days of Richard Petty 12 years ago. Bill Elliott finished 2nd. Terry Labonte 3rd. Morgan Shepherd 4th. Jeff Burton managed to score his 3rd career top 5 finish with a 5th. Jeff Gordon continued his strong stretch of runs with a 6th. With Rusty Wallace finishing 10th Gordon gained some more points, he’s now only 8 back. Mark Martin ended up 11th. Dale Earnhardt finished 16th and struggling to catch-up to the point leaders.

Hamilton: “I had a great feeling when I joined Petty Enterprises that we were gonna put something special together and that’s what we did today. Thank you to the King, thank you to STP. I really think we keep racing keep working together we’ll really put something together.”

Elliott: “This one was a lot of fun, it’s a shame it got away from us. But we’re figuring out things, and I think we’ll only be stronger as the season progresses.”

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Week 16: Pocono

T7: 6/16/95, Bala Cynwyd 125, Pocono, 50 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Inaugural
B13: 6/17/95, Schuylkill 250, Pocono, 100 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Inaugural
W16: 6/18/95, Pocono 500, Pocono, 200 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Rusty Wallace

Craftsman Truck Series Race 7/18 – Bala Cynwyd 125

The Truck Series makes their debut at one of the more unique tracks on the NASCAR circuit: Pocono Raceway. Pocono is known as the Tricky Triangle, as there are three main turns complimented by three straightaways.

Qualifying: Ron Hornaday Jr. scored the pole, with Steve Park getting his third straight top 2 starting position. Robby Gordon, Mike Skinner and Jack Sprague lock up the 3 through 5 spots.

Race: There was a scary, early crash as Steve Park was bumped by Robby Gordon on the straightway between turns two and three. Park would flip over, taking out a few other drivers in the back of the field as well. Park would be okay.

Mike Skinner would take the lead on lap 14 and held off Robby Gordon and Ron Hornaday Jr. to win his 4th race of the season. Skinner has now won 4 of the 7 Truck Races, but only has a 45 point lead over Hornaday due to Hornaday’s consistency.

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Busch Series Race 13/27 – Schuylkill 250

This is the Busch Series’ first race at Pocono in history.

Qualifying: David Green scores the pole. Tim Fedewa, Elliott Sadler, Todd Bodine, and Jeff Green round out the top 5. Chad Little starts 6th, Johnny Benson Jr. starts 12th.

Race: The race was the David Green vs. Chad Little show. Little got up to the top 2 just in 5 laps and began to chase down Green. On lap 21 we had a massive crash similar to the Truck race, where Jeff Green was turned around. His car went airborne, taking out Kevin Lepage, Hermie Sadler and Mike McLaughlin.

David Green held on through Lap 64 before Little took his first lead. But then they went back and forth. Green took the lead back on lap 68, but Little grabbed it back the next lap. Green again got ahead on lap 76, but Little regained the lead on 81. Green and Little crossed the line at the same time on lap 86, but that looked like the end of David Green’s chances as Chad Little began to drive away. It took to his 20th top five finish, but Chad Little finally wins a Busch Series race. David Green finished 2nd, and since Johnny Benson Jr. finished 14th, Green would retake the points lead, although a slight one at 7 points. Little is only back 17. Jeff Green, with his 2nd DNF in three races now finds himself 121 points behind.

***

Winston Cup Series Race 16/36 Pocono 500

The Winston Cup Series comes to Pocono. Darrell Waltrip and Bill Elliott have won at the Tricky Triangle 4 times. Geoffrey Bodine has three wins here, including one last season. Dale Earnhardt took down Pocono twice. Terry Labonte, Kyle Petty and Rusty Wallace have also won here, Rusty is the defending race winner. This is where driver’s feel the heart of the schedule starts. Drivers will race 200 laps.

Qualifying: Ernie Irvan scores the 2nd pole of his season. Bobby Labonte qualifies second. Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte round out the top 5. Rusty Wallace starts 10th. Dale Earnhardt starts 15th.

Race: Mark Martin quickly got up to the front, passing Ernie Irvan on lap 16 for the lead. Ricky Rudd would get past Martin on lap 28 for the lead. Rudd, Martin and Bobby Labonte dominate the first quarter of the race. Notably, Jeremy Mayfield had pushed himself into the top 10 starting from the 31st position.

For the third straight race at Pocono this weekend, a horrible accident took place, this one on lap 78. Title contender Terry Labonte got turned around by Jeff Burton and flipped through the field. Labonte would be okay, although this really hurt him in the points. Derrike Cope, Randy Lajoie and Bobby Hillin Jr. were heavily involved, although a lot of cars took minor damage.

The best cars started to show themselves late in the race. Mayfield made his way all the way to the front and took the lead from Martin on lap 104. Jeff Gordon, who slid a bit early on, was on his tail. But so was Dale Earnhardt. Gordon would get Mayfield on lap 117 and take the lead, looking for a fourth win in six races. Earnhardt would eventually get by Mayfield. After the last set of pitstops, Ricky Rudd was back in front with Gordon and Earnhardt in 2nd and 3rd. On lap 173, Gordon and Earnhardt got by Rudd, and the race was on.

Lap 183 was when Earnhardt made his move, but Gordon held him off. Earnhardt bumped Gordon on lap 188, but Gordon again held his ground and wouldn’t let Earnhardt pass. It felt like we may get one of those classic Intimidator moves, but Gordon started to pull away from Earnhardt, and Earnhardt wouldn’t get a chance. Jeff Gordon took down the victory, his 6th this season, 8th for his career, with Earnhardt in 2nd, Rudd ending up 3rd, Irvan in 4th and Mayfield 5th. This was the points day Gordon needed as Rusty Wallace finished 11th. Terry Labonte, due to his wreck, ended up 35th.

Gordon: “Unbelievable! Wooo! This team is amazing. Hendrick, Dupont, Chevrolet. This is just amazing guys! Woo!”

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Week 17: Sears Point

T8: 6/24/95, Subway 100, Sears Point, 40 Laps, 2.52 Mile Road Course, Inaugural
W17: 6/25/95, Save Mart Supermarkets 350, Sears Point, 110 Laps, 2.52 Mile Road Course, Ernie Irvan

Craftsman Truck Series Race 8/18 – Subway 100

The Truck Series makes their Road Course debut at Sears Point. Sears Point is a 12-turn, 2.52 mile road course.

Qualifying: Robby Gordon dominated qualifying and took down the pole, with Boris Said, a road course specialist, qualifying second. Ron Hornaday Jr. starts 4th, Mike Skinner started 7th.

Race: Boris Said gave Robby Gordon a little bit of trouble, but Gordon dominated all 40 laps to win his 2nd race. Said finished 2nd. Joe Ruttman made a run to score 3rd. Steve Park finished 4th. Mike Skinner gained 5 points on Ron Hornaday Jr. as Skinner finished 5th and Hornaday 6th.

***

Winston Cup Series Race 17/36 - Save Mart 350k

Sears Point debuted on the Winston Cup schedule in 1989, won by Ricky Rudd. Rusty Wallace won here in 1990, Ernie Irvan won twice in ’92 and ’94, and Geoffrey Bodine has a win as well. Rudd would have two wins here, but a controversial call after he spun out Davey Allison in 1991 got him black flagged.

Qualifying: Dale Earnhardt scored his first pole of the season, with Ricky Rudd on the outside pole. Hut Stricklin had a great run and starts 3rd. Rusty Wallace starts 4th, Bill Elliott 5th. Mark Martin starts 6th, Jeff Gordon 11th, Terry Labonte 16th.

Race: Dale Earnhardt looked determined to win his first career road course race, but Ricky Rudd was giving him all he could handle early on. A couple of spins on the track led to cautions, and we ended up with yellow flag pit stops. One of those drivers was Rusty Wallace, who took slight damage. Some drivers rook right-side tires, and it was [b[Geoff Bodine[/b] who had the lead with 46 laps to go.

Mark Martin caught up to Bodine and passed him on lap 91. For the second straight race, Earnhardt found himself in 2nd, trying to run down the leader, but for the second straight race, he wouldn’t be able to make a move. Mark Martin took down his 1st race of the 1995 season for his 15th career victory. It’s his 2nd straight road course win as he won at Watkins Glen last season as well. Dale Earnhardt scores back-to-back runner-up finishes. Rudd ended up 3rd, Irvan 4th, and Elliott 5th. Jeff Gordon finished 6th and went up triple-digits in the points. Terry Labonte finished 9th and Rusty ended up 17th.

Martin: “What a great day for Jack Roush and Valvoline! The guys made the right adjustments as we were awesome the rest of the way!”

Earnhardt: “You know one day I’m gonna win one of these things. 2nd two weeks in a row, it’s good for points, but we gotta put together some wins especially with the new bonus if we wanna get back in this thing.”

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Week 18: Daytona Night

B14: 6/30/95, Diet Pepsi 250, Daytona, 100 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Inaugural
W18: 7/1/95, Pepsi 400, Daytona, 160 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Jimmy Spencer

***

Busch Series Race 14/27 – Diet Pepsi 250

We return to Daytona for night racing. Once we get through Daytona, we’ll be past the halfway point in the Busch Series this season. Jeff Green won the February race.

Qualifying: Elliott Sadler wins the pole, with Johnny Benson Jr. starting outside pole. Jason Keller, Todd Bodine, and Loy Allen Jr. are the top 5.

Race:The Diet Pepsi 250 started off with a complete mess, as Jason Keller bumps Elliott Sadler at right off turn 2, turning Sadler and Keller in front of the field. Keller would flip down the backstretch and Jim Bown also flipped over. Keller would say that Sadler lost speed, Sadler says he just got hit. Jeff Green and Johnny Benson Jr. were both heavily involved.

After the mess is cleaned up, Todd Bodine led the way over Phil Parsons. Parsons grabbed the lead on lap 34. David Green, looking at a golden opportunity to really gain on Benson and Jeff Green in the points, gets to Parsons and passes him on lap 47. After the round of pit stops, Green was being chased by title contender Chad Little. Little, Dennis Setzer and David Green go three-wide with 10 to go in a scary spot, but Green held onto the lead. The last lap was chaotic. David Green was being pushed by Jeff Fuller while Chad Little was getting pushed by Parsons, when Fuller accidentally turned Green around on the front stretch! Little won the race as Green smashed into Parsons as they crossed the line, creating a huge mess! Little won his 2nd straight race and suddenly has the points lead. David Green ended up 9th.

***

Winston Cup Series Race 18/36 – Pepsi 400

The Pepsi 400 at Daytona has been a July 4th weekend tradition since the 1960s. Bill Elliott has won 4 Daytona races, two of them Pepsi 400s. Geoff Bodine snagged a Daytona 500 in 1986. Darrell Waltrip did the same in 1989. Ernie Irvan has won one each, for a total of two Daytona wins. Derrike Cope infamously won the 500 in 1990 when Dale Earnhardt blew a tire. Speaking of Earnhardt, he did win the Pepsi 400 in 1990 and 1993. Earnhardt is considered the master of the big plate races. He’s won over 20 times in various series at Daytona, and even won Talladega earlier this season. Dale Jarrett won the 500 in ‘93. Sterling Marlin won the 500 last year, with Jimmy Spencer winning the 400 last year. Of course, Ricky Rudd managed to win the 500 earlier this season.

Qualifying: Jeff Gordon won the pole, followed by Dale Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt, Kyle Petty and Darrell Waltrip. Mark Martin starts 7th, Rusty Wallace starts 13th, Terry Labonte starts back in 34th.

Race: Early on it looked like the top 3 qualifiers, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt were the class of the field. Gordon led the first 20 laps before Jarrett got a few. Earnhardt took over at lap 26. Gordon began to complain of an issue and would fade back. Kyle Petty would take the lead a bit after green flag pit stops, but Earnhardt and Jarrett quickly took back the top 2 spots.

The race went caution free until lap 98, where the “Big One” happened. Bobby Hillin Jr. would bump Ricky Rudd, leading to a 10+ car pile-up. Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Labonte and Rudd all had their day end. Gordon, Terry Labonte took some damage and wouldn’t be a factor the rest of the race.

That left it as a 60 lap shootout for the win. Earnhardt led Jarrett with Kyle Petty, Sterling Marlin and Jimmy Spencer all in contention. Bill Elliott also made it into the top 3 at several points. Earnhardt led the pack until the final laps, where Jarrett made his move. Earnhardt blocked, but gave just a little too much room to Marlin. On lap 156 Marlin took the lead with Jarrett pushing him. Earnhardt would fall to 6th and recover to 3rd, but the win was out of his reach. Jarrett couldn’t find a spot to pass Marlin, allowing Marlin to win his 2nd race of the season, 2nd at Daytona and 3rd of his career! Jarrett, Earnhardt, Bobby Hamilton and Ward Burton rounded out the top 5.

Marlin: “Man what an awesome machine Morgan-McClure’s given us. We’re primed to have a big second-half of the season!”

Jarrett: “We had our chances, but we’ve been fast. We’ll get to victory lane sooner or later.”

Earnhardt: “That’s three in a row we’ve given away. We’d be right there if we just finished the job.”

Prediction Results so far

@Dubble J

Dale Earnhardt – 2500 (4th), 2 Wins, 8 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Rusty Wallace – 2573 Points (3rd), 2 Wins, 9 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Jeff Gordon – 2661 Points (1st), 6 Wins, 7 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, 4 Poles
Mark Martin – 2590 Points (4th), 1 Win, 6 Top 5s, 13 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Ricky Craven – 1763 Points (22nd), 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Johnny Benson Jr. – 2109 Points (3rd), 2 Wins, 7 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 1069 Points (10th), 2 Top 5s, 4 Top 10s, 1 Pole

Total: 15,265 Points, 13 Wins, 40 Top 5s, 63 Top 10s, 11 Poles

@AlanSmithee1981

Dale Earnhardt – 2500 (4th), 2 Wins, 8 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Darrell Waltrip – 1907 Points (17th), 1 Win, 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Rusty Wallace – 2573 Points (3rd), 2 Wins, 9 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Kyle Petty – 1946 Points (15th), 2 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s
Robert Pressley – 1639 Points (28th), 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s
Hermie Sadler – 1714 Points (13th), 3 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 1069 Points (10th), 2 Top 5s, 4 Top 10s, 1 Pole

Total: 13,348 Points, 5 Wins, 25 Top 5s, 43 Top 10s, 5 Poles[/center[​

 

[Joey Bananas]

I love this so much. Please tag me or PM me before the next season, I want to get in on the prediction thing!

 

[RDT]

1995 Season Part 4

Week 19: Milwaukee Mile

T9: 7/7/95, Sears Auto Center 125, Milwaukee Mile, 125 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B15: 7/8/95, Packers 250, Milwaukee Mile, 250 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Mike Wallace
W19: 7/9/95, Cheesehead 400, Milwaukee Mile, 400 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural

Craftsman Truck Series Race 9/18 – Sears Auto Center 125 at the Milwaukee Mile

The Milwaukee Mile was run a few times in the Busch Series in the 80s and returned in 1993. The Truck Series makes its debut here. 1 mile track, 125 laps.

Qualifying: Ron Hornaday Jr. took down his 2nd pole of the season. Steve Park 2nd, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd, Mike Skinner 6th.

Race: The inaugural Truck race at Milwaukee was a two-driver affair. Ron Hornaday Jr. and Steve Park battled all race, and Hornaday re-took the lead from Park with just 4 laps to go to win his 1st race of the season. Mike Skinner finished 4th, allowing him to hold a 10 point lead in the standings as the Truck Series hits it’s halfway point.

***

Busch Series Race 15/27 – Packers 250 at the Milwaukee Mile

NASCAR returned to Milwaukee in the Busch Series in 1993 after a few outings in the 80s. No one in the field has scored a victory here yet. 250 laps in this one.

Qualifying: Tim Fedewa scored the pole. Jeff Green, Jason Keller, Todd Bodine, and Chad Little rounded out the Top 5. David Green starts 8th. Johnny Benson Jr. starts 12th.

Race: Jeff Green took the lead almost immediately, on lap 3. Jeff Green controlled the early part of the race until the 1st caution came out due to a Dennis Setzer crash on lap 68. Green had an issue in pit road and was never a contender the rest of the way. Johnny Benson Jr. made his way through the field and would take the lead from Todd Bodine on lap 173. Benson held on until the last lap, where Bodine bumped him out of the way! Bodine though ended up going up the race track as well, allowing Hermie Sadler to pass both in turn 2 and win his 3rd career Busch Series race! Bodine still finished 2nd. Phil Parsons finished 3rd, with Benson and David Green finishing 4th and 5th respectively. Chad Little ended up 8th, holding onto his points lead by 32 points over David Green and 84 over Benson.

***

Winston Cup Race 19/36 – Cheesehead 400 at Milwaukee Mile

Winston Cup racing makes it’s debut at the Milwaukee Mile. Some drivers in the field have won in other series: Mike Wallace and Steve Grissom have won Busch Series races here. It’s a 1 mile track, 400 laps.

Qualifying: Jeff Gordon scored his 5th pole of the season. Ricky Rudd, Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, and Rusty Wallace rounded out the Top 5. Mark Martin starts 7th. Dale Earnhardt starts 11th.

Jeff Gordon dominated the first 100 laps or so despite some challenges from Ricky Rudd. After a round of pit stops due to a caution from a John Andretti spin, Rusty Wallace emerged as the dominant car. Rusty got by Gordon and would lead throughout the day, with Terry Labonte occasionally challenging and leading a couple of times.

A late crash between the Burton Brothers created a situation where some drivers decided to gamble. With 17 laps to go, Ken Schrader, Ted Musgrave, Kyle Petty, and Morgan Shepherd decided to stay out on worn out tires, and took the top 4 spots. Rusty, Gordon and Dale Jarrett were all behind them. Schrader held the lead for the next 11 laps before Rusty Wallace caught up to him, easily getting by the rest of the field. Schrader proved to be a bit more difficult to pass. Still, on lap 397, Rusty got by Schrader in turn 4 and hit the line with three to go and was back in the lead. Rusty would drive away from Schrader to score his third win of the season, his 42nd of his career. Schrader finished 2nd, Kyle Petty 3rd. Terry Labonte finished 4th and Musgrave ended up 5th. Jeff Gordon never got back to the front despite his early dominance but ended up 9th. Mark Martin finished 14th and Dale Earnhardt 16th. This allowed Rusty to get right back in the points race as he’s only 26 behind Gordon.

Rusty Wallace: “We were struggling a bit for a few weeks. We needed this one and we got it. Thanks Miller Lite and Team Penske for giving me an awesome race car today at Milwaukee!”

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Week 20: Pocono

W20: 7/16/95, Pennsylvania 500, Pocono, 200 Laps, 2.5 Mile Tri-Oval, Geoff Bodine

Winston Cup Race 20/36 – Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono

Cup racing returns to Pocono for the 2nd time this season. Jeff Gordon took down the victory earlier this season. Darrell Waltrip and Bill Elliott have 4 wins each at Pocono. Geoffrey Bodine is the defending champion of the race and has won 3 times. Dale Earnhardt took down Pocono twice. Terry Labonte, Kyle Petty and Rusty Wallace have also won here. Drivers will race 200 laps.

Qualifying: Ernie Irvan scored his 3rd pole of the season, with Jeremy Mayfield putting together a strong qualifying effort with a 2nd. Bobby Labonte 3rd, Geoff Bodine 4th and Dale Jarrett 5th. Jeff Gordon is 6th, Dale Earnhardt 7th, Mark Martin 8th, Terry Labonte 10th and Rusty Wallace 13th.

Race: Ernie Irvan held onto the lead for the first 36 laps before Jeremy Mayfield got up front. A strong finish for Mayfield would do wonders. Bobby Labonte would pass Mayfield on lap 59 when the caution came out for a violent wreck involving Michael Waltrip. Waltrip was okay.

Bobby Labonte looked to be the class of the field. Jeff Gordon, winner of the earlier Pocono race this season, briefly took the lead on lap 111, but Labonte took it back. Labonte would be in complete control until lap 168, where another hard crash involving Robert Pressley, Dave Marcis, Ward Burton and Mike Wallace resulted in everyone taking yellow flag stops. While Bobby Labonte got out 1st, the #18 team sped through pit road, resulting in a pass-through penalty. Labonte was furious as this ruined his day and a chance at his first career victory.

The top of the field was full of very strong competitors. Dale Jarrett assumed the lead over Terry Labonte, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt. With 28 to go, Terry Labonte passed Jarrett off turn 1. Jarrett wouldn’t give up as Labonte and Jarrett battled for the next 10 laps. Ultimately Terry’s car proved to be superior, as once he created some space between he and Jarrett he was able to extend his lead. This is Terry’s 3rd win of the season and 16th of his career, and it gives Hendrick a Pocono sweep in 1995. Jarrett held off Mark Martin for 2nd. Jeff Gordon was 4th, Earnhardt 5th. Rusty Wallace lost a little ground with a 9th.

Terry Labonte: “The team won it for us today, got us out in 2nd off pit road and gave us a great car to the Kellogg’s Chevrolet past Jarrett!”

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Week 21: Myrtle Beach and New Hampshire

B16: 7/22/95, Carolina Pride 250, Myrtle Beach, 250 Laps, 0.538 Short Track, Elton Sawyer
T10: 7/22/95, Home Depot 200, New Hampshire, 200 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Inaugural
W21: 7/23/95, Pennzoil Discount Center 300, New Hampshire, 300 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Ricky Rudd

Busch Series Race 16/27: Carolina Pride 250 at Myrtle Beach Speedway

Myrtle Beach is a popular testing track for drivers and has run a Busch series race since 1988. This is one of the few tracks without a Cup race. Only one driver in the field has a win here: Elton Sawyer won this race last season. It’s a 0.538 mile short track and we’ll race 250 laps.

Qualifying: David Green wins the pole, his 3rd of the season. Jeff Green starts 2nd, Johnny Benson Jr. 3rd, defending race winner Elton Sawyer 4th and points leader Chad Little 5th.

Race: We only had one lead change all day, and it was early. Jeff Green passed David Green on lap 34 and never looked back, dominating the rest of the way. This is Jeff Green’s 4th win of the season and 4th win of his career. Jim Bown had a great run but couldn’t catch up to Jeff Green, finishing 2nd. David Green was 3rd, Mike McLaughlin 4th and Elton Sawyer 5th. Chad Little ended up 6th, losing some ground on David Green (still 17 points up). Johnny Benson Jr. took some slight damage early and ended up 12th.

***

Craftsman Truck Series Race 10/18 – Home Depot 200 at New Hampshire

The Truck series makes its debut at New Hampshire. This is a 1 mile track, we’ll go 200 laps.

Qualifying: Steve Park continues his strong streak of starts with his 3rd pole of the season. It is his 6th straight top 3 starting position. Jack Sprague starts 2nd. Ron Hornaday Jr. starts 4th and points leader Mike Skinner starts 7th.

Race: Despite the trucks struggling to pass, Ron Hornaday Jr. seemed to be the strongest early, passing Mike Bliss, Jack Sprague and eventually Steve Park to take the lead by lap 43. But shockingly Hornaday would spin out on his own and slightly hit the wall on lap 55. He would eventually recover to 9th place, but he lost a chance to put a stranglehold on the championship standings.

Robby Gordon also made his way through the field and found himself behind Mike Bliss and Steve Park at the halfway point. Gordon would pass Park for 2nd and was on Bliss. With 20 laps to go, Gordon would bump and spin Bliss out, but Park would take the lead as a result. After the caution, Gordon and Park battled each lap, with Gordon driving aggressively and Park not backing down. Gordon got a solid bump and run into turn 1 on lap 199, and Park couldn’t get him back. This is Gordon’s 3rd win of the season and puts him just 33 points behind Mike Skinner, who finished 11th. Steve Park finished 2nd and Jack Sprague 3rd. Hornaday ended up 9th, putting him just 2 points behind Skinner.

After the race, Mike Bliss and Robby Gordon got into a loud argument in the haulers, but were separated.

***

Winston Cup Race 21/36 – Pennzoil Discount Center 300 at New Hampshire[/b]

The 2nd stop this season at New Hampshire. Jeff Gordon won earlier this year. b]Rusty Wallace[/b] won the inaugural race here starting 33rd in 1993. Ricky Rudd also has a victory here. The Busch Series have run here since 1990. Current Cup drivers Rick Mast, Kenny Wallace, Ricky Craven, Jeff Burton, Joe Nemechek, Robert Pressley and Derrike Cope all have Busch wins here. We’re going 300 laps here.

Qualifying: Rusty Wallace scores his 2nd pole of the season. Bobby Labonte 2nd. Points leader Jeff Gordon 3rd. Kenny Wallace and Mark Martin round out the top 5. Dale Earnhardt starts 11th, Terry Labonte starts 21st.

Race: We had one caution all day long and it came early with a shocking development. On lap 22 pole sitter and leader Rusty Wallace began leaking oil all over the track. Rusty would head back into the garage and not come out, calling the issue some kind of oil line malfunction. He would finish 39th.

Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon dominated the race, but neither would win. Labonte and Gordon led 270 of the next 273 laps, but Mark Martin would find strength as the day went on and passed Labonte on lap 287. Martin would roll to victory for his 2nd win of the season and 16th of his career. Gordon ended up 5th, allowing Martin to get within 38 points of the title chase. It was another disappointment for Labonte, who can’t seem to get his 1st career win (this is his 3rd straight 2nd place finish). Ricky Rudd and Joe Nemechek finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Terry Labonte finished 6th. Dale Earnhardt 8th.

Mark Martin: “Man we were awesome today. Great team, great sponsor, great points day, great win!”

Bobby Labonte: “This was a tough one. I thought we had the best car all day and I just couldn’t get Mark at the end. We’ll get there eventually. It’s been a great season for us.”

Rusty Wallace: “I don’t know, something with the oil line broke. It really sucks I think we would have had the car to beat and we really like this race track. We really couldn’t afford to lose those points.”

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Week 22: Michigan

B17: 7/29/95, Aquafina 200, Michigan, 100 Laps, 2.0 Mile Oval, Bobby Labonte
W22: 7/30/95, Aquafina 400, Michigan, 200 Laps, 2.0 Mile Oval, Geoff Bodine

Busch Series Race 17/27 – Aquafina 200 at Michigan

The Busch Series began running Michigan a few years ago. Only one driver in the field has won a Busch Series race here: Todd Bodine. One of the fastest tracks on the circuit without restrictor plates, Michigan is a big, fast, exciting track. We’ll go 100 laps here.

Qualifying: Elliott Sadler scored the pole with Jason Keller starting on the outside. David Green starts 5th, Johnny Benson Jr. starts 7th and Chad Little starts 8th.

Race: Todd Bodine and Elliott Sadler contended for the lead early on, but after pit stops Johnny Benson Jr. emerged as the car to beat. Benson would have little trouble, but a late caution after a Robbie Reiser wreck led to a shootout involving Benson, Bodine, polesitter Benson and title contenders Chad Little and David Green. With just 4 laps left, Benson continued to prove he had the best car and rolled to victory. Bodine finished 2nd, Sadler 3rd. Green gained a few points on little as he got by Little for 4th. This wasn’t a great day for Little despite the 5th as Benson’s win got him within 62 points, and David Green is only 12 points behind.

***

Winston Cup Race 22/36 - Aquafina 400 at Michigan

Cup racing returns to Michigan after visiting here earlier this season. Jeff Gordon won here earlier this season. Bill Elliott has 7 victories here. Rusty Wallace has three. Darrell Waltrip, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt won twice. Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine also have a win here, as does Dale Jarrett. Bodine is the defending race winner.

Qualifying: Geoff Bodine scored the first pole of his season. Rick Mast put together a strong qualifying run to start 2nd. Ernie Irvan, perhaps looking for vengeance against the track that nearly took his life, starts 3rd. Title contenders Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon start 4th and 5th. Dale Earnhardt starts 10th, Rusty Wallace 14th and Terry Labonte had a terrible qualifying effort at 31st.

Race: Geoff Bodine led the way for the first 22 laps before Rick Mast was able to make a run and take the lead. His lead wouldn’t last long though as Ernie Irvan took the lead on lap 29 to the roar of the crowd. Irvan would lead for a while. A hard Lake Speed crash on lap 88 would lead to pit stops, and Irvan had to now deal with the points leader, Jeff Gordon. Gordon took the lead on lap 99, but Irvan took it back on 106.

Irvan held strong, but Gordon, Sterling Marlin, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip all found themselves in the mix. Earnhardt pushed his way to the lead on lap 137. Gordon would blow a tire shortly afterwards, although he wouldn’t sustain any damage. Earnhardt led Irvan and Marlin heading into the last set of pit stops, but Marlin came out the leader, with Irvan 2nd and Earnhardt 3rd. It took until lap 188 for Earnhardt to get by Irvan, but there wasn’t enough time for him to get Marlin. This would be Marlin’s 3rd win of the season, his 4th for his career. Earnhardt finished as the runner up. Bobby Labonte got by Irvan for 3rd. Irvan finished 4th and Terry Labonte came back from poor qualifying to finish 5th. Mark Martin had a quiet 7th place, but Jeff Gordon ended up 16th after being strong early. This put Mark just 7 points behind Gordon for the points lead. Rusty Wallace also had an uneventful day, ending up 19th.

Sterling Marlin: “Really proud of the guys today and Kodak and Morgan-McClure. I told everyone we were more than a one-trick pony when it came to racing at different tracks. We’re really happy to get this one.”

Dale Earnhardt: “Man, Sterling got us today. I guess it was a good day in the points. We’re still alive for this championship. We’re still digging ourselves out of the hole we started in but we’ve got a lot left.”

Ernie Irvan: “You know I would have loved to win it here but can’t complain with a top 5. Happy to be healthy again and I just wanna get back in victory lane.”

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Week 23: Indianapolis

T11: 8/4/95, Action Packed Racing Cards 150, Indianapolis Raceway Park, 150 Laps, 0.686 Short Track, Inaugural
B18: 8/5/95, Kroger 200, Indianapolis Raceway Park, 200 Laps, 0.686 Short Track, Mike Wallace
W23: 8/6/95, Brickyard 400, Indianapolis, 160 Laps, 2.5 Mile Quad-Oval, Jeff Gordon

Craftsman Truck Series Race 11/18 – Action Packed Racing Cards 150 at Indianapolis Raceway Park

While the Cup drivers will race on historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Truck and Busch series will race at nearby Indianapolis Raceway Park, a 0.686 mile short track. Trucks will go 150 laps.

Qualifying: Scott Lagasse scored his 1st career pole. Butch Miller starts 2nd, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3rd, Steve Park 4th and Mike Skinner 5th. Ron Hornaday Jr. starts 6th.

Race: It was a messy race full of spins and cautions. Fans got really excited early on when Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead on lap 31, but Mike Skinner and Ron Hornaday Jr. got by him on lap 38. The entire race was between the two point leaders, each trading the lead multiple times. Skinner would take the lead on lap 141 for good and score a crucial win, extending his points lead over Hornaday, the runner-up. Dale Jr. would finish 3rd. Steve Park wrecked on lap 101, severely hurting his chances as the title.

***

Busch Series Race 18/27 – Kroger 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park

One series that has run at IRP is the Busch Series (since 1982). Larry Pearson and Tracy Leslie have won here in a Busch car.

Qualifying: David Green scores a 4th pole, with Jeff Green 2nd. Chad Little starts 6th.

Race: It was a wire-to-wire victory for David Green.his 5th of the season. Due to a wild crash that led to Chad Little’s 1st DNF of the season, Green now has an 85 point lead over the 3rd place finisher of the race, Johnny Benson Jr.. Jeff Green finished 10th, running out of time to make up points.

***

Winston Cup Race 23/36 – Brickyard 400

This is Winston Cup’s 2nd ever race at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon scored his 2nd career victory in the inaugural Brickyard 400. There are two tracks in racing at the top of the prestige chain: Daytona and Indy. Cup drivers always dreamed of ever winning Daytona. Now suddenly they have a chance to win at the crown jewel of auto racing tracks in Indy. Cup drivers will go 160 laps.

Qualifying: Dale Earnhardt, coming off a runner-up finish, scores his 2nd pole of the season. Last season’s winner and points leader Jeff Gordon starts 2nd. Darrell Waltrip starts 3rd. Bobby Labonte and Kyle Petty start 4th and 5th. Mark Martin starts 8th, Terry Labonte 10th and Rusty Wallace 11th.

Race: We only saw two cautions and only total DNF for mostly green and action packed racing. Dale Earnhardt was on a mission, leading the first 68 laps of the race. Jeff Gordon managed to take the lead, but Earnhardt quickly bumped him out of the way to retake the lead on 72. Dale Jarrett would take the lead for a while on lap 89, holding it through 122.

After the last set of pitstops, we had a couple drivers take chances to win at the Brickyard. Brett Bodine and Rick Mast gambled on two tires, leading Bill Elliott, Jarrett, Earnhardt and Gordon for the last 38 lap stretch. Awesome Bill got by both of them on lap 135, and was able to create some space from Jarrett. Earnhardt passed Jarrett on 148, which gave him 30 miles to catch Elliott. Earnhardt had the better car and nearly got to Elliott’s bumper on the final lap, but Bill Elliott was good enough to score his 1st victory of the season. This snaps a 31 race winless streak for Elliott. Earnhardt finished 2nd for the second straight race, Gordon 3rd, Jarrett 4th and Mark Martin 5th. Terry Labonte finished 6th and Rusty Wallace again struggled, finishing 22nd.

Bill Elliott: “Man, we worked so far all season and we didn’t have a ton to show for it. Boy does this change things a little bit. We keep working hard, all these guys in the back, and it finally paid off today. Thank you to McDonalds as well!”

Dale Earnhardt: “It sure would have been cool to win this one. Another good day, but again we’re leaving the big points on the table. I think if we had a couple more we woulda won this thing.”

Week 24: Watkins Glen

T12: 8/11/95, Parts America 150, Watkins Glen, 62 Laps, 2.45 Mile Road Course, Inaugural
B19: 8/12/95, Lysol 200, Watkins Glen, 82 Laps, 2.45 Mile Road Course, Terry Labonte
W24: 8/13/95, Bud at the Glen, Watkins Glen, 90 Laps, 2.45 Mile Road Course, Mark Martin

Craftsman Truck Series Race 12/18 – Parts American 150 at Watkins Glen

The Truck series visits a second road course this season at historic Watkins Glen. The Glen is an 11 turn road course. The Trucks will go 62 laps here.

Qualifying: Steve Park took down his 4th pole of the season. Ron Hornaday Jr. starts 2nd and points leader Mike Skinner starts 3rd.

Race: Robby Gordon, starting 6th, quickly weaved through the field and outright took the lead from Steve Park on lap 15. Gordon, a road course expert, seemed to have things firmly in control, but after the one round of pit stops Park would make a run back at Gordon. On lap 56, Park would bump Gordon through turn 1 and re-take the lead, and Gordon couldn’t get him back. Notably, in the race, Ron Hornaday Jr. had a tire problem late and missed a Top 10 finish for the 1st time this season (13th) while Mike Skinner finished 4th, extending Skinner’s lead with just six races to go. This is Steve Park’s 2nd victory of the season.

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Busch Series Race 19/27 – Lysol 200 at Watkins Glen

The Busch Series began racing at the Glen in 1991, although only Cup drivers have won so far. They’ll go 82 laps.

Qualifying: Points leader David Green scored the pole. Elliott Sadler qualified 2nd, Chad Little 3rd. Johnny Benson Jr. is back in 17th and Jeff Green starts 20th.

Race: David Green held the lead for the first 16 laps until Mike McLaughlin was able to make a run and get by him. McLaughlin and Chad Little battled throughout the race. Pit stops came somewhat early as a crash involving Phil Parsons and Elton Sawyer brought out the caution on lap 35. Some drivers decided to gamble and take two left side tires, putting Dennis Setzer in the lead.

The next 12 laps was a battle between Setzer and Tracy Leslie, with Leslie making a move for the lead on lap 49. McLaughlin looked to make a run back to the top, but the car to really watch down the stretch was Jerry Nadeau. Nadeau would get by Setzer and McLaughlin and began to hunt Leslie. On lap 76, Nadeau made the pass after Leslie drove a bit too hard out of the outer loop. Nadeau would prove to be too strong the rest of the way, locking down a 2nd Busch Series win. David Green finished 8th, but ahead of Chad Little (11th), Johnny Benson Jr. (13th) and Jeff Green (14th), adding to his points lead. Just 8 Busch Series races remain.

***

Winston Cup Race 24/36 – Bud at the Glen

Cup Racing returns to Watkins Glen for the second of two road courses on the schedule. NASCAR 1st came to the Glen back in 1957, but it’s only been since 1986 since Cup Racing has been an annual event. Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, and Mark Martin have won twice each here, while Ernie Irvan and Kyle Petty each have a victory. Martin has won the last two races here in 1993 and 1994. This one will go 90 laps.

Qualifying: Ernie Irvan scored his 4th pole of the season. This week looks like a good one to get back in victory lane. Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin, the points leaders, start 2nd and 3rd. Rusty Wallace, looking to bounce back after a rough few races, starts 4th. Ricky Rudd starts 5th. Dale Earnhardt starts 9th, Terry Labonte starts 10th.

Race: This race was about the top 3 qualifiers, Ernie Irvan, Jeff Gordon and mark Martin. They would be the only three drivers to lead. Gordon and Irvan traded the lead a few times over the first 40 laps of the race. Martin took his first lead on lap 41. Gordon would take the lead out of pit stops on lap 53, but Irvan got him at lap 55. Martin battled Gordon for 2nd for the next 10 laps, getting by him at lap 65. A late caution bunched the leaders up, where Dale Earnhardt tried to get in contention.

Irvan led over Martin, Gordon and Earnhardt with 15 to go, but it was then where Mark Martin would regain the lead and never lose it. Irvan raced Martin aggressively, even bumping him on lap 89 coming out of the outer loop, but Martin held on to sweep the road course races in 1995! Irvan held on to 2nd, Gordon 3rd, Terry Labonte 4th and Earnhardt 5th. Rusty Wallace ended up 8th. This win put Mark Martin a top the points standings, although only by 18 points. It's Martin’s 17th career victory.

Mark Martin: “Oh boy, I know Irvan wanted that one, but we weren’t going to give up without a fight. Ounce again everything was amazing, everyone here worked hard and we got the win!”

Prediction Results so far

@Dubble J

Dale Earnhardt – 3407 (4th), 2 Wins, 12 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Rusty Wallace – 3302 Points (5th), 3 Wins, 10 Top 5s, 14 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Jeff Gordon – 3559 Points (2nd), 6 Wins, 11 Top 5s, 17 Top 10s, 5 Poles
Mark Martin – 3577 Points (1st), 3 Wins, 10 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Ricky Craven – 2324 Points (23rd), 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Johnny Benson Jr. – 2885 Points (2nd), 3 Wins, 10 Top 5s, 13 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 1613 Points (11th), 3 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s, 1 Pole

Total: 20,667 Points, 17 Wins, 57 Top 5s, 86 Top 10s, 14 Poles

@AlanSmithee1981

Dale Earnhardt – 3407 (4th), 2 Wins, 12 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Darrell Waltrip – 2603 Points (15th), 1 Win, 1 Top 5, 6 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Rusty Wallace – 3302 Points (5th), 3 Wins, 10 Top 5s, 14 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Kyle Petty – 2635 Points (14th), 3 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s
Robert Pressley – 2032 Points (33rd), 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s
Hermie Sadler – 2320 Points (14th), 1 Win, 4 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 1613 Points (11th), 3 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s, 1 Pole

Total: 17,912 Points, 7 Wins, 34 Top 5s, 57 Top 10s, 8 Poles​

 

[RDT]

1995 NASCAR Season Part 5

Week 25 – Bristol Night

B21: 8/25/95, Food City 250, Bristol, 250 Laps, 0.533 Short Track, Kenny Wallace
W25: 8/26/95, Sharpie 500, Bristol, 500 Laps, 0.533 Short Track, Rusty Wallace

Busch Series Race 21/27 – Food City 250 at Bristol

We return to Bristol in the Busch Series with just 7 races left to decide a champion. Phil Parsons, Larry Pearson and Todd Bodine have won at Bristol in their Busch careers. So has points leader David Green, who won the Fall race this year and in ’94. This will go 250 laps.

Qualifying: Bobby Dotter scores his 1st pole of the season. As for the title contenders, David Green starts 4th, Jeff Green starts 5th, Chad Little 8th and Johnny Benson Jr. 16th.

Race: Larry Pearson, coming off a win, started outside pole and took the lead immediately from Bobby Dotter, leading lap 1. Dotter did get him back on lap 7 to officially lead, but Pearson took it back. Their battling caused the first caution, as Elton Sawyer got caught up behind Pearson and Dotter, and was turned around by Tim Fedewa. Sawyer would smash into the wall hard.

David Green and Todd Bodine drove through the field, and by lap 63 Bodine had taken the lead with David Green right behind him. A second caution came out on lap 119, leading to pit stops. Elliott Sadler came out the leader.

Sadler led over Bodine until another caution on lap 197 came out due to a multi-car wreck caused by Kevin Lepage. Some cars came in to get an advantage with “stickers”, or fresh tries, but some stayed out. The leaders came in, and Jeff Green stayed out to take the lead. Todd Bodine restarted in 8th and charged through the field again. But he ran out of time as Jeff Green held on to the victory, a big one for his championship aspirations.

Todd Bodine finished 2nd, Elliott Sadler 3rd, polesitter Dotter 4th and Tim Fedewa 5th. Chad Little put together a quiet 6th with points leader David Green finishing 7th. Johnny Benson Jr. was a complete non-factor again, finishing 18th. With six races left, David Green leads Chad Little by 89 points, Benson by 155 and Jeff Green by 180.

***

Winston Cup Race 25/36 – Sharpie 500 at Bristol Night

It’s one thing to race at Bristol, but for whatever reason the Saturday night stop has always had an extra edge to it. Darrell Waltrip has won 12 races at Bristol, including a run of seven in a row. Dale Earnhardt won his 9th race here in the Spring.. Rusty Wallace has won 5, including this race last year. Mark Martin, Terry Labonte and Ernie Irvan have all pulled off wins at Bristol as well. 500 laps.

Qualifying: Kenny Wallace took down his 2nd pole of the season and short track expert Dick Trickle starts 2nd. Rusty Wallace, looking to break out of a slump, starts 3rd. Rookie of the Year leader Ricky Craven starts 4th while points leader Mark Martin starts 5th. Dale Earnhardt, looking to sweep Bristol this year, starts 6th. Jeff Gordon starts 9th and Terry Labonte 11th.

Race: Kenny Wallace dominated early on, but the story was on lap 23, where Dale Earnhardt’s radio indicated that their gear box had malfunctioned. Earnhardt wouldn’t make it back out there and his momentum was crippled with a 39th place finish. Earnhardt was quoted on the radio, “well, we’re f***ed”.

Rusty Wallace tried to get by his brother, but no luck as Kenny led the first 87 laps. Ricky Craven would be the one to pass Kenny, having a great run. Craven would lead into pit stops, but a bad stop pushed him back into the field. Kenny Wallace led again afterwards, this time with championship points leader Mark Martin right behind him.

Martin would take the lead on lap 155, and Rusty finally got by his brother shortly thereafter. Martin would lead into another caution, caused by a Geoff Bodine spin out. Teams did different thing here. Some stayed out, some got tires. Jimmy Spencer assumed the lead, with Trickle and Michael Waltrip making up the top 3.

Spencer didn’t last long, with Trickle taking the lead on lap 213. Jeff Gordon made a run though with field with stickers, catching Trickle and passing him on lap 248. Eventually, the top 3 read Gordon, Rusty and Martin. A lap 266 caution evened up things tire wise, with Gordon still leading.

Kenny Wallace emerged as a contender, getting by his brother and Martin, but he couldn’t quite get by Gordon. Things went pretty cleanly until lap 342, where Joe Nemechek smashed into the wall. Kenny Wallace had the pit stop of his life to regain the lead, with Gordon behind him. Kenny proved tough to pass, holding on for the next 70 laps before another caution came out. This would lead to the last set of pitstops again, and Kenny Wallace came out the leader. Darrell Waltrip gambled, taking only two tires, to move up to 2nd.

Kenny, DW, Gordon, Martin and Rusty made up the top 5 for the last 90 laps. DW was quickly eaten up by Gordon, Martin and Rusty. Kenny Wallace tried to hang on, but Gordon would get by him on lap 458. Rusty got by Martin, then got by his brother. All he had to do was run down Gordon. And that’s exactly what he did. With the laps ticking away, Rusty Wallace deliberately made up the gap between him and Gordon, then bumped Gordon out of the way on Lap 498! Gordon would end up spinning, causing a caution (and causing Gordon to lose a lot of spots). Rusty would ride the caution to his 4th victory of the season, breaking a late season slump. It’s Rusty’s 6th Bristol win and 43rd Cup win of his career. Mark Martin, continuing a scorching hot run, finished 2nd. Kenny Wallace ended up 3rd. Ernie Irvan finished 4th and Darrell Waltrip managed to hold on for 5th. Terry Labonte ended up 6th while Gordon tumbled back to 13th, resulting in a huge swing in the championship standings. Of course as mentioned early, Earnhardt finished 39th.

Rusty Wallace: “We needed this one. I wish we were on a run but this keeps us alive for the championship and that’s all we can ask for right now. Great day by the guys, Miller Lite, everything came together today.”

Jeff Gordon: “I know I’m still the young guy on the block but Rusty just ran over me. If that’s how it’s going to be I don’t want to hear anything when I give it back.”

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Week 26: Darlington

B22: 9/2/95, Gatorade 200, Darlington, 147 Laps, 1.366 Mile Oval, Mark Martin
W26: 9/3/95, Southern 500, Darlington, 367 Laps, 1.366 Mile Oval, Bill Elliott

Busch Series Race 22/27 – Gatorade 200 at Darlington

The Busch Series has come to Darlington since 1982, but has mostly been won by Cup regulars. We will see who emerges today. 147 laps.

Qualifying: Larry Pearson scores the pole, with Phil Parsons starting 2nd. David Green starts 3rd, Johnny Benson Jr. 6th, Chad Little 7th and Jeff Green 11th.

Race: David Green took the lead on lap 21 and looked to hold the lead the rest of the way…but Johnny Benson Jr. had something for him at the end. Benson and Green battled hard for the last two laps, fighting to a photo finish, but Green came out just ahead in what is a huge swing for the championship. Larry Pearson finished 3rd, Tim Fedewa 4th and Phil Parsons 5th. Jeff Green finished 7th. Chad Little was part of a minor wreck in the middle of the race, and he never was a factor, finishing 16th. This is David Green’s 6th win this season, 8th for his career.

With just 5 races left, Green leads the championship race by 174 points over Chad Little, 185 over Benson and 234 over brother Jeff Green.

***

Winston Cup Race 26/36 – Southern 500 at Darlington

One of NASCAR’s oldest traditions: the Southern 500. Regarded as arguably the toughest race on the schedule, Cup drivers will battle at the Track Too Tough to Tame for 500 miles. Dale Earnhardt has won here 7 times. Bill Elliott has 5 wins, including last year’s Southern 500. Darrell Waltrip has 2. Terry Labonte won his only race at Darlington in 1980 in one of the wildest finishes you’ll ever see (his 1st win as well). Ricky Rudd, Lake Speed, Mark Martin all have wins here, as does Sterling Marlin, who won the Spring race here.

Qualifying: Jeff Gordon was rocket fast for his 6th pole of the season. Sterling Marlin, Ernie Irvan, Rusty Wallace and Kyle Petty round out the Top 5. Terry Labonte starts 9th. Mark Martin limped to an 18th place starting spot, and Dale Earnhardt had all kinds of problems in qualifying and will start 36th.

Race: A huge lap 1 crash changed the course of the championship, as Ernie Irvan, Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd all ended up in a massive wreck. Rudd and Rusty tried to limp on, but they didn’t finish. Rusty ended up 36th, ruining any momentum he may have gained from his Bristol victory the prior week.

While Sterling Marlin gave him a bit of a challenge, the Southern 500 was mostly dominated by Jeff Gordon. That looked to be the story of the race, but the track called the Lady in Black was conquered by the Man in Black. Dale Earnhardt spent all day weaving through the field and for found himself on Jeff Gordon’s bumper with just three laps to go. We got a classic Intimidator bump and run, and Earnhardt overcame a 36th place start to win the Southern 500! Gordon finished 2nd, Bobby Labonte 3rd, Bill Elliott 4th and Ted Musgrave 5th. Mark Martin put together a quiet 7th and Terry Labonte scored a 9th. It’s career win 66 for Earnhardt.

Dale Earnhardt: “After last week winning was the only option for us to have a shot. 240 points, 10 races, RCR, Goodwrench, Chevrolet, we’re still in it for #8. And I hope Gordon learned something today.”

Jeff Gordon: “You know all these guys criticize me for being too aggressive but when the shoe’s on the other foot they’re knocking me out of the way. That’s two weeks in a row now. Hey, that’s how they want to race me, we can play that game for sure. I just don’t want to hear any excuses when I do it to them. I’d rather race clean but they’re showing me otherwise.”

Martin holds a 40 point lead over Gordon.

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Week 27: Richmond

T14: 9/7/95, Fast Mart Supertruck Shootout, Richmond, 150 Laps, 0.75 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B23: 9/8/95, Autolite 250, Richmond, 250 Laps, 0.75 Mile Oval, Kenny Wallace
W27: 9/9/95, Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400, Richmond, 400 Laps, 0.75 Mile Oval, Terry Labonte

Craftsman Truck Series Race 14/18 - Fast Mart Supertruck Shootout at Richmond

The Truck Series comes down to their last five races of their inaugural season – with Mike Skinner leading the way. Richmond is one of the most fun short tracks on the circuit. The Trucks will go 150 laps.

Qualifying: Dale Earnhardt Jr., coming off his first win of any kind in NASCAR’s top three circuits, takes down his 2nd pole of the season. Bob Keselowski starts outside pole. Steve Park, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Mike Skinner, all contending for the title, round out the Top 5.

Race: It was another special day for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who ran into little resistance in winning his second straight race. Robby Gordon made a late run and even led at one point, but this was easily Dale Jr’s race. The other story was Mike Skinner, who struggled to a 13th place finish after hitting the wall early. Gordon is now only 51 points behind Skinner. Ron Hornaday Jr. finished 3rd and is just 63 points behind Skinner.

***

Busch Series 23/27 - Autolite 250 at Richmond

The Busch Series returns to Richmond. David Green won here in the spring, and if he can find a win here he will almost be a prohibitive favorite for the 1995 Busch Series Championship. The pressure is on Chad Little, Jeff Green and Johnny Benson Jr. to come up big. 250 laps.

Qualifying: David Green continues to apply big pressure, scoring his 6th pole of the season. His brother and fellow title contender Jeff Green starts outside pole. Johnny Benson Jr. starts 7th, Chad Little 14th.

Race: David Green dominated early on, but Jerry Nadeau had a rocketship at Richmond today. Despite starting 29th, Nadeau ran through the field and was Top 5 in just 80 laps, an amazing performance. Elliott Sadler would grab the lead from David Green at this point, although Green kept the pressure on him. Good news for David Green is that those chasing him for the title, Jeff Green, Johnny Benson Jr. and Chad Little were not making much noise.

After final pitstops from a caution on lap 189, Jason Keller emerged with the lead with Sadler, Nadeau and David Green following. Nadeau seemed to run out of steam and Green would get by Sadler but ran out of time to catch Keller. This is Jason Keller’s first career victory in the Busch Series. David Green finished 2nd, gaining big points on Benson (6th), Jeff Green (8th) and Chad Little (11th). David Green now has over a 200-point lead over Benson with just 4 races left in the season.

***

Winston Cup Race 27/36 - Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond

With 10 races to go, Mark Martin has his eyes set on finally breaking through for his first Winston Cup, but champions Terry Labonte, Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace are still alive, as is “The Kid” Jeff Gordon. This could be a huge race for Terry Labonte, who has won two straight at Richmond: last year’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 and the Spring race this year. Earnhardt has five wins here, Rusty has four. Martin himself won here in 1990. This will go 400 laps.

Qualifying: The Labonte brothers finished 1-2 here in the Spring, with Terry winning. The starting front row reads Labonte-Labonte again, but it is Bobby scoring his 2nd pole of the season. Rusty Wallace starts 3rd. Dale Jarrett starts 4th. Likely Rookie of the Year Ricky Craven starts 5th. Jeff Gordon 8th, Dale Earnhardt 10th and points leader Mark Martin 11th.

Race: Bobby Labonte led the way for the first 67 laps until a Lake Speed crash brought out the first caution of the day. Rusty Wallace assumed the lead after pitstops, but on lap 101 Terry Labonte would take the lead. Terry’s main competition was Rusty and his brother, Kenny Wallace.

Lap 157 had a multi-car crash involving Dale Jarrett and Ricky Craven. Ernie Irvan took the lead after another round of pit stops. He would begin to fade back on lap 202, putting Terry Labonte back into the lead, with Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt in pursuit. After another caution on lap 213, Rusty and Earnhardt battled heavily, probably way too early to be honest, allowing several cars to get by. Kenny Wallace and Mark Martin were not on Terry’s tail. Next pit stops would be around lap 254, and Martin would emerge as the leader. Terry Labonte chased Martin through lap 305, where he would catch him and re-take the lead.

Labonte looked to be unstoppable down the stretch. Rusty would make up ground and get back to 2nd. One more late caution on lap 367 gave Rusty a chance to win, but Terry Labonte had a great restart and just drove away, scoring his 4th victory of the season. That’s win #17 for Terry. Rusty Wallace finished 2nd. Sterling Marlin 3rd. Kenny Wallace finished 4th. Mark Martin fell a bit but still finished with a strong 5th. Earnhardt ended up 6th. Jeff Gordon was surprisingly a non-factor and finished 13th. Martin now leads Gordon by 71 with 9 races left.

Terry Labonte: “Man that was a great run today! Kellogg’s, Hendrick, we were just great all around today.”

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Week 28: Dover

W28: 9/17/95, MBNA 400, Dover, 400 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Rusty Wallace

Winston Cup Race 28/36 - MBNA 400 at Dover

Winston Cup returns to the Monster Mile as the season winds down. Bobby Hamilton scored the first Cup win of his career here in the summer. Rusty Wallace had won the prior three races in a row before Hamilton’s victory. Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Darrell Waltrip, Derrike Cope and Ken Schrader all have won races in Cup at Dover. We’ll go 400 miles.

Qualifying: Michael Waltrip, in search of his first career Cup win, is on the pole. Hut Stricklin starts on the outside pole. Championship leader Mark Martin and 2nd in the points Jeff Gordon are 3rd and 4th. Geoff Bodine starts 5th. Dale Earnhardt starts 7th, Rusty Wallace 8th and Terry Labonte 20th.

Race: Jeff Gordon quickly stormed to the front, looking to cut into Mark Martin’s championship lead. Gordon dominated early on, with Rusty Wallace moving up to 2nd, looking to make a move. It wouldn’t be until lap 117 that Rusty would pass Gordon on the track. Gordon fought back, leading to Rusty bumping Gordon into the wall. Damage wasn’t too bad for Gordon, but he ended up being a non-factor the rest of the way.

Ken Schrader and Kyle Petty would challenge Rusty next, with Petty taking the lead on lap 204. Darrell Waltrip also looked to contend, but was run over by Dale Earnhardt, ruining his day. Coming out of yellow flag pitstops, Mark Martin emerged as the leader with just 160 laps to go.

Rusty Wallace looked determined to beat Martin as he did everything he could to run him down. Rusty looked to get the lead on lap 312, but Martin fought him off. One more caution would come out on lap 336 and most cars looked to pit for tire reasons, although Bobby Labonte stayed out and assumed the lead. Martin and Rusty were the best two cars though and made it through the teams that stayed out. Martin caught Bobby with 34 to go and easily made the pass, and Rusty was right with him. Rusty gave Martin everything he could, but Martin held on for his 4th win of the season, extending his championship lead. It’s career Cup win 18 for Martin.

Mark Martin: “What an incredible run today! We’re trying not to get of ourselves but the Championship is in our sights. Thank you Valvoline and Roush Racing, just an incredible performance all around today!”

Rusty Wallace: “It’s hard to complain about two seconds in a row. We just didn’t have enough for Mark today. We’re running out of time for the title this year leaving points on the table though. We need to get back in victory lane.”

After Martin and Rusty, Kyle Petty finished 3rd, Bobby Labonte 4th and Ken Schrader 5th. Dale Earnhardt ended up 8th and Terry Labonte 9th. Jeff Gordon never regained his early form and finished a disappointing 15th. Mark Martin is now up 153 points on Jeff Gordon with 8 races left.

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Week 29: Martinsville

T15: 9/23/95, Goody’s 150, Martinsville, 150 Laps, 0.526 Short Track, Inaugural
W29: 9/24/95, Goody’s 500, Martinsville, 500 Laps, 0.526 Short Track, Rusty Wallace

Craftsman Truck Series Race 15/18 – Goody’s 150 at Martinsville

The Truck series comes to one of NASCAR’s oldest tracks: Martinsville. Martinsville is a 0.526 mile paperclip. The Trucks will race 150 laps.

Qualifying: Ron Hornaday Jr. scored the pole over Robby Gordon and Mike Skinner. Of course all three are the top title contenders at the moment. Dale Jr. and Steve Park round out the Top 5, both keeping very slim title hopes alive.

Race: This was a race between the top title contenders for the most part. Ron Hornaday Jr. battled hard to stop Robby Gordon and Mike Skinner from getting any advantage over him. There was one round of pit stops, where Joe Ruttman decided to gamble with 2 tires and take the lead. With still 55 laps left, there was little hope he could stay ahead of the leaders, but he held on for a while. Robby Gordon struggled on pit road, knocking him out of contention.

Mike Skinner would take the lead from Ruttman on lap 107, and now Hornaday was chasing Skinner. But like so many times this season, Mike Skinner was best when it mattered, and he went on to score his 6th win of the season. This allowed him to extend his points lead to 98 over Hornaday with just 3 races to go.

***

Winston Cup Race 29/36 – Goody’s 500 at Martinsville

Cup returns to historic Martinsville Speedway, the shortest track on the circuit. Rusty Wallace won here in the Spring, his 5th win here. He’s won the last three Cup races at Martinsville. Dale Earnhardt has won here five times as well. Darrell Waltrip has won here eleven times. Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Geoffrey Bodine and Ernie Irvan have all scored wins here as well.

Qualifying: Jeff Gordon has scored his 7th pole of the season, over Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Kenny Wallace and Ricky Craven. Dale Earnhardt starts 7th and Terry Labonte starts 13th.

Race: It was the Jeff Gordon show at Martinsville, although he had to withstand a late challenge from Bobby Hamilton. Gordon dominated, leading 468 of 500 laps, to score his 7th win of the season and 9th of his career. Mark Martin rode in the top 5 all day and finished 3rd, continuing a scorching hot streak. In his last 10 races his average finish is 3.5. Rusty Wallace battled for the lead early and ended up 5th. Terry Labonte and Dale Earnhardt struggled, with Labonte finished 12th and Earnhardt 18th.

Jeff Gordon: “We’re not going to just let this Championship slip away. We’re gonna keep fighting and keep digging until the very last race. Today should have showed everyone that!”

With 7 races to go, Martin leads Gordon by 118 points. Terry Labonte is 3rd, back 240.

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Week 30: North Wilkesboro

T16: 9/30/95, Lowe’s 150, North Wilkesboro, 150 Laps, 0.625 Mile Short Track, Inaugural
W30: 10/1/95, Tyson Holly Farms 400, North Wilkesboro, 400 Laps, 0.625 Mile Short Track, Geoff Bodine

Craftsman Truck Series 16/18 – Lowe’s 150 at North Wilkesboro

We’re down to the last three races in the Truck Series. Mike Skinner can put a stranglehold on the Championship with a big performance here. Robby Gordon and Ron Hornaday Jr. need a big run themselves to stay alive. The Trucks will run 150 laps.

Qualifying: Dale Earnhardt Jr., who’s been on a roll lately, scores the pole with D.E.I. teammate Steve Park starting 2nd. Robby Gordon starts 3rd. Ron Hornaday Jr. starts 5th and Mike Skinner starts 6th.

Race: The race was between Dale Jr., Steve Park and Robby Gordon. All three battled in the top 3 spots for virtually the entire race. The big story though was Ron Hornaday Jr. smacking the backstretch wall on lap 75. It didn’t knock him out, but it led to a 13th place finish, severely dampening his title hopes. Mike Skinner would finish a strong 7th.

But it was Dale Earnhardt Jr’s day. Dale Jr. took down his 3rd win in 4 races, all at short tracks. Dale Jr. broke away with about 30 laps to go as Park and Gordon battled one another. Park would get 2nd, Gordon 3rd. With just two races left, Mike Skinner has a 90 point lead on Robby Gordon, 120 on Hornaday and 161 on Park. The most points that can be gained on a driver in the truck series is 97, so anyone more than 194 points behind is out of the hunt for the inaugural Truck Championship.

Winston Cup 30/36 – Tyson’s Holly Farm 400 at North Wilkesboro

Cup Racing returns to North Wilkesboro. Jeff Gordon won in the spring and will look to duplicate that performance in order to catch up to Mark Martin in the 1995 Championship Standings. Dale Earnhardt has 4 career wins here. Rusty Wallace has three, including a sweep in 1993. Terry Labonte and Geoff Bodine also have three wins. Infamously, Brett Bodine won a race here in 1990, although that was mainly due to a huge scoring error. Mark Martin, the points leader, won here in 1990. We’ll go 400 laps here.

Qualifying: Jeff Gordon recorded his 2nd straight pole and his 8th of the season. Kenny Wallace, desperately looking for career Cup win #1 and showing strength on short tracks, starts 2nd. Bobby Labonte, Ken Schrader and Ricky Rudd round out the Top 5. Dale Earnhardt starts 6th, Mark Martin 7th, Rusty Wallace 8th and Terry Labonte 9th.

Race: Jeff Gordon picked up where he left off in the spring and dominated the first quarter of the race, but on lap 102 Kenny Wallace made his move and grabbed the lead from Gordon. After the first round of pitstops, Kenny Wallace led over Gordon and an emerging Darrell Waltrip. The first caution came when something broke in Jeff Burton’s car, leading to Ricky Rudd spinning out and colliding with Bobby Labonte. Both driver’s continued, although it ruined both of their days.

Good ol’ DW got by Kenny Wallace on lap 133 and held onto control until past the halfway point, when Jeff Gordon took the lead back on lap 218. Gordon ended up having a tire problem, but a well-timed caution saved him. Gordon would never get back to the very front though. Mark Martin would take the lead through lap 305, where a caution, and what turned out to be final pit stops, took place. DW took the lead back after pit stops cycled through, and he had Kenny Wallace and Dale Earnhardt to contend with.

Earnhardt made quick work of Wallace and looked to hunt down his long-time rival. Earnhardt, remembering what happened in the spring with Gordon, charged hard and didn’t waste anytime. Waltrip aggressively tried to block, but on lap 365 Earnhardt got his bumper on Waltrip and nearly turned him around. Waltrip’s great driving skill saved him, but it allowed Earnhardt to get away. Earnhardt looked primed to win, but a last caution when Jeremy Mayfield wrecked on lap 391 set up a 4 lap green flag run.

Earnhardt, Waltrip, Kenny Wallace, Terry Labonte all looked to have shots at the win, but Earnhardt got off to a great start when the green came out and didn’t give anyone a chance to beat him today. Waltrip held onto 2nd while Labonte finished 3rd. Kenny Wallace put together another strong short track run in 4th while Jeff Gordon finished 5th. Mark Martin finished 7th, minimizing any points loss. Rusty Wallace was never really in contention surprisingly, finishing 12th. This is Earnhardt’s 67th career victory.

Dale Earnhardt: “We weren’t gonna get beat the same way twice. It was cool to run against DW again and, well, it came out the same way it always did. I don’t know if we have a shot at the championship still, but we’re sure gonna run like we do.”

Darrell Waltrip: Man that was a hell of a run out there and I wish I had a few more laps, I think we would had something for Dale. But we needed a good run today as we had a tough summer and I’m glad we pulled one off today.”

With just six races left, Mark Martin has a 109 point lead on Jeff Gordon, 221 on Terry Labonte, 305 on Earnhardt and 380 on Rusty Wallace. Everyone else is more than 600 points back and do not have a realistic shot at the Championship.

Prediction Results so far

@Dubble J

Dale Earnhardt – 4254 (4th), 4 Wins, 14 Top 5s, 19 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Rusty Wallace – 4179 Points (5th), 4 Wins, 14 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Jeff Gordon – 4450 Points (2nd), 7 Wins, 14 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 8 Poles
Mark Martin – 4559 Points (1st), 4 Wins, 14 Top 5s, 24 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Ricky Craven – 2989 Points (21st), 1 Top 5, 5 Top 10s, 3 Pole
Johnny Benson Jr. – 3423 Points (2nd), 3 Wins, 11 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2363 Points (6th), 3 Wins, 6 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 3 Poles

Total: 26,217 Points, 25 Wins, 74 Top 5s, 111 Top 10s, 21 Poles

@AlanSmithee1981

Dale Earnhardt – 4254 (4th), 4 Wins, 14 Top 5s, 19 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Darrell Waltrip –3265 Points (15th), 1 Win, 3 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, 3 Poles
Rusty Wallace – 4179 Points (5th), 4 Wins, 14 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Kyle Petty – 3305 Points (14th), 4 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s
Robert Pressley – 2506 Points (33rd), 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s
Hermie Sadler – 2776 Points (15th), 1 Win, 4 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2363 Points (6th), 3 Wins, 6 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 3 Poles

Total: 22,648 Points, 13 Wins, 46 Top 5s, 75 Top 10s, 11 Poles​

 

[RDT]

1995 Season Finale: The Race For the Championships

Week 31: Charlotte

B24: 10/7/95, Bumper to Bumper 300, Charlotte, 200 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Terry Labonte
W31: 10/8/95, UAW-GM Quality 500, Charlotte, 334 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Dale Jarrett

Busch Series Race 24/27 - Bumper to Bumper 300 at Charlotte

With just four races left in the 1995 season David Green is getting closer and closer to the 1995 Busch Series Championship. He cannot clinch here, but a good run could really put the title out of reach. Jerry Nadeau won here in the Busch Series in the Spring. We’ll go 200 miles at the 1.5 miler.

Qualifying: Johnny Benson Jr. nabbed his 3rd pole of the season. Chad Little starts 3rd, points leader David Green 4th and Jeff Green 5th.

Race: A caution-free race only featured one DNF (Phil Parsons due to a gear box issue)[/b], the Bumper to Bumper 300 was dominated by Jerry Nadeau, who swept the Charlotte races in the Busch Series this year. While Johnny Benson Jr. led the first 44 laps, Nadeau made his way through the top 10, took the lead and never looked back. This is Nadeau’s 3rd win of the season and 3rd for his career.

Title Picture: Benson finished 3rd, David Green finished 6th, Chad Little 7th and Jeff Green 9th. With three races remaining this puts David Green up 190 on Benson, 218 on Little and 274 on brother Jeff. To have a shot, drivers need to be within 254 points after the next race at Talladega to still be alive. The most pressure is on Jeff Green, who is not within that total at the moment. There are scenarios where David Green can outright clinch the title at Talladega.

***

Winston Cup Race 31/36 - UAW-GM Quality 500 at Charlotte

With six races left, Mark Martin has created some space between himself, Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte. He’ll need to be great to hold off the Hendrick cars to win his first Winston Cup. Man of the Cup greats have scored a win here. Darrell Waltrip has six. Dale Earnhardt has five. Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace each have two. Kyle Petty, Ernie Irvan, Ken Schrader and Geoffrey Bodine have each won here as well. As for the title contenders, Mark Martin won here in 1992 and Jeff Gordon won his first Cup race at the 94 Coke 600. Dale Jarrett also has a win here as he is the defending race winner. Cup will go 334 laps here.

Qualifying: Mark Martin makes a statement with his second pole of the season, and what great timing that is. Bobby Labonte, desperate for that first career victory on what’s been an amazing breakout season, starts second. Dale Earnhardt, Ernie Irvan and Ward Burton round out the top 5. Terry Labonte starts 12th, Jeff Gordon 13th and Rusty Wallace 24th.

Race: Mark Martin dominated the early portion of the race, with Bobby Labonte on his tail the whole time. It wasn’t until lap 86 that Labonte would get by Martin. Dale Jarrett, looking to defend his title, made his way through the field to contend as well. Dale Earnhardt made an appearance as the leader on lap 111 before it went back to Labonte.

Martin re-took the lead after a caution involving Derrike Cope on lap 145…and after pit stops that was basically it. Martin would lead 187 of the next 189 laps, with Bobby Hamilton leading a couple in the middle, to win at Charlotte and add to his Championship total. It’s Martin’s 5th win of the season and the 19th of his career. Bobby Labonte falls short again as he finished 2nd. Hamilton finished 3rd. Darrell Waltrip continued his solid run and finished 4th, with Bill Elliott in 5th.

Title Picture: Everyone lost big points to Martin here. Terry Labonte finished 7th and is 3rd in the standings, 275 back. Dale Earnhardt’s already slim hopes for title #8 continued to fall as he finished 8th. He’s in 4th, 363 points back. Jeff Gordon finished 19th and finds himself 203 points behind Martin. Rusty Wallace finished 22nd and finds himself 483 points back, out of serious contention.

Rookie of the Year Race: Ricky Craven basically has the award locked up, and this 9th place finish will only help. He’s 19th in the standings with Robert Pressley way back in 33rd.

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Week 32: Talladega

B25: 10/14/95, Hummingbird Fishfinder 500k, Talladega, 117 Laps, 2.66 Mile Super Speedway, Ken Schrader
W32: 10/15/95, EA Sports 499, Talladega, 188 Laps, 2.66 Mile Super Speedway, Jimmy Spencer

Busch Series Race 25/27 - Hummingbird Fishfinder 500k, at Talladega

The Busch Series comes to the fastest track on the circuit, Talladega Superspeedway. With just three races left and the specter of the “Big One” looming, the Busch Series Championship can swing in a lot of different ways. Cup drivers have generally dominated the Talladega races in the Busch Series, but that changes today. The Busch Series will go 117 laps.

Qualifying: Chad Little grabs his 4th pole of the season, hoping for a big run to stay alive in the title chase. Points leader David Green starts 5th. Jeff Green starts 7th, Johnny Benson Jr. starts 15th.

Race: Chad Little and Phil Parsons battled for the lead early on, with Jerry Nadeau passing both with David Green right behind him on lap 8. David Green led through lap 35, when his brother Jeff Green got by him with Little pushing him to the front. Jeff Green and Little would trade the lead a few times until Jason Keller grabbed the lead on lap 68.

The race went green through pit stops, which cycled through on Lap 67. Some cars took two tires (only Tracy Leslie is out at this point with an engine failure), but that didn’t matter soon as on lap 82 Tommy Houston got turned around, causing the “Big One”. While no title contenders were out for good, both Johnny Benson Jr. and David Green received extensive damage. Both would finish, with Benson finishing 17th and Green in 22nd, leaving the title race open.

That would be the only caution of the race as the finish came down to a 30 lap shootout between Mike McLaughlin and Jeff Green. Green would pull out in front of McLaughlin on lap 115 and received a challenge from Nadeau. Green would hold on for his 6th win of the season, with Nadeau, McLaughlin, Kirk Shelmerdine and Tim Fedewa rounding out the top 5. Chad Little finished 10th.

Title Picture: Due to David Green’s 22nd place finish, Jeff Green, Benson Jr. and Little are still all alive, although David is still the heavy favorite. With two races left David Green needs just one 4th place finish to clinch the championship.

***

Winston Cup Race 32/36 - EA Sports 499 at Talladega

The wildcard of the 1995 Winston Cup Championship race, Talladega Superspeedway challenges Cup drivers with speeds up to 200 miles per hour. All drivers, but especially the title contenders, will look to avoid the “Big One”. Dale Earnhardt won his 8th race here earlier this season. Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Ernie Irvan, Jimmy Spencer, Bobby Hillin Jr., Darrell Waltrip and Ken Schrader have all been to victory lane at Talladega. The cup drivers will go 188 laps.

Qualifying: Dale Earnhardt scored his 3rd pole of the season. Rick Mast, Jeff Gordon, Sterling Marlin and John Andretti round out the top 5. Terry Labonte starts 8th, Rusty Wallace 18th and championship leader Mark Martin back in 23rd.

Race: Disaster struck quickly as on lap 4 Rick Mast looked to pass Dale Earnhardt for the lead off turn 2, causing Sterling Marlin to bump into Mast, who smashed into Earnhardt. This caused a very early “Big One”, with nearly half the field in some way. Some big names were finished almost right away, such as Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Ernie Irvan and Ricky Rudd. Jeff Gordon was involved but took minimal damage. Marlin emerged from the mess as the leader.

Sterling Marlin spent the next 60 laps fending off the Labonte Brothers as both Terry (competing for the title) and Bobby (getting closer and closer to career victory #1) both ran hard. Emerging through the field was also Mark Martin, looking to put a tight lid on the 1995 Championship, and Dale Jarrett, who made his way to the top 7 after starting way back in 39th.

On Lap 74 Terry Labonte grabbed the lead from Marlin. Terry would hold onto it though pitstops on lap 69, where ”Awesome” Bill Elliott would cycle as the leader. Marlin would run down Elliott quickly, but once again the Labontes were on him. The lead seemingly changed every lap for the next 60 laps. On lap 130 with Bobby Labonte leading the 2nd caution of the day came out as Jeff Burton smashed into the wall hard, sending his car flying through the air and landing on Dick Trickle.

It took a while to get back to green, but we did on lap 141. It would go green the rest of the way. Bobby Labonte still led over Marlin and his brother, with Bill Elliott, Joe Nemechek, Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett in pursuit. Bobby would hold on until Marlin would power past him on lap 156, with Martin pushing him. Darrell Waltrip used that draft to get himself to third. Marlin did all he could to block and hold onto the lead, but Martin would get him on lap 161, but Terry Labonte would pass Martin the very next lap. Terry Labonte looked to perhaps have the car to beat as held the lead, but on lap 185 Dale Jarrett made his move to pass Terry on the inside of turn 4! Terry Labonte and Dale Jarrett battled side by side for the final laps, with Jarrett having Marlin and Martin pushing him and Terry having his brother, Elliott and Nemechek. Jarrett and Labonte keep banging, nearly causing a huge wreck on the last lap. Coming off turn 4, Jarrett was able to get a huge run and scored the victory over Terry, his 1st of the season and only his 4th of his career!

Jarrett won over Terry Labonte, Marlin, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin. Jeff Gordon, the only other true title contender, once again never got going and ended up 23rd.

Dale Jarrett: “Man this is what Robert Yates horsepower is all about. It took us a bit to get going this season but if this is what we got today I think we’re gonna be in great shape over the next few seasons!”

Title Chase: Another top 5 for Mark Martin only made it tougher for everyone else. Terry Labonte did make up some points on Martin but is still 260 back. Jeff Gordon dropped to 3rd and is 264 back of Martin. It’s unlikely Earnhardt or Rusty are going to make any type of run now after poor finishes this week. Earnhardt is now 469 back, missing out on a great chance to make up points at his best track. Rusty Wallace is 580 points back from the title and has to worry about holding onto his top 5 in the points standing.

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Week 33: Rockingham

T17: 10/20/95, AC-Delco 125, Rockingham, 128 Laps, 1.017 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B26: 10/21/95, AC-Delco 200, Rockingham, 197 Laps, 1.017 Mile Oval, Mark Martin
W33: 10/22/95, AC-Delco 400, Rockingham, 393 Laps, 1.017 Mile Oval, Dale Earnhardt

Craftsman Truck Series 17/18 - AC-Delco 125 at Rockingham

With just two races left in the season, Mike Skinner is on the verge of winning the inaugural Craftsman Truck Series Championship. Skinner needs to just lead 2nd place by 97 points to be crowned champion at Rockingham. Skinner currently leads by 90 over Robby Gordonp, 120 points over Ron Hornaday Jr. and Steve Park by 161. The Trucks will go 128 laps at this 1.017 miler.

Qualifying: Buckshot Jones scored the pole over contenders Ron Hornaday Jr. and Steve Park. Mike Skinner starts 5th. Robby Gordon starts 13th.

Race: Buckshot Jones led the first 10 laps before Ron Hornaday Jr. grabbed the lead. An ugly crash involving Bill Sedgewick on lap 38 led to a lengthy yellow flag and all trucks coming in for pit stops. Steve Park took the lead over Hornaday coming out. Park would dominate most of the remainder of the race, with only Jack Sprague making a run at him. Park scored his 3rd win of the season.

Title Chase: mike Skinner stayed out of trouble all day and finished 3rd, locking up the inaugural Craftsman Truck Series Championship. Hornaday ended up 4th and Robby Gordon 10th.

Mike Skinner: “Man this is amazing. Richard Childress, thank you so much. What an awesome season!”

***

Busch Series 26/27 - AC-Delco 200 at Rockingham

We return to The Rock for the 2nd time in the Busch Series season. David Green can clinch the 1995 Busch Series Championship here (a 4th or better wins the title no matter what). Johnny Benson Jr., a title contender, did win here in the Spring. Jeff Green and Chad Little are also still alive for the title. 197 laps.

Qualifying: Todd Bodine scores his 1st pole of the season. Points leader David Green starts 3rd, Johnny Benson Jr. started 6th. Jeff Green 8th. Chad Little 11th.

Race: Todd Bodine was strong early, but Johnny Benson Jr. quickly got to the front, looking to keep his championship hopes alive. David Green though, moved up to 2nd, and Jeff Green was in pursuit as well. Jeff would pass his brother David on lap 45, and he and Benson got to the top two spots on lap 71. First caution of the day took place on lap 77 when Stevie Reeves crashed. Benson would come out of pit stops the leader, with Jeff and David Green 2nd and 3rd, and Chad Little back in 14th.

On Lap 131 the championship race took a huge swing as Jeff Green began to smoke, leading to a caution. Jeff Green’s day, and championship hopes, were over. Benson led over David Green, but everyone would come down to pit lane. Some drivers would take only two tires. Elliott Sadler led over Jason Keller and brother Hermie Sadler coming out of pit stops. Chad Little came out 4th. Benson was the highest 4 tire stop driver in 7th. David Green was back in 15th.

Hermie Sadler would surprise Keller and Elliott Sadler, getting by them quickly on lap 143. Benson then made his run, beginning to get by drivers. Benson would make it to third, but no higher. Hermie Sadler surprisingly held on, scoring his 2nd win of the season, his 4th Busch Series win of his career. Jason Keller finished 2nd.

Title Chase: Benson Jr. finished 3rd and Chad Little 6th, but David Green played it safe and finished 9th to lock up the 1995 Busch Series Championship. It was a monster season for David Green, leading to a well-earned championship.

David Green: “Such a great season guys! Just incredible!”

***

Winston Cup Race 33/36 - AC-Delco 400 at Rockingham

With four races left, Mark Martin leads the Winston Cup standings by 260 points over Terry Labonte and 264 over Jeff Gordon. We’ll see what happens at the Rock. Martin has won here in 1989, while Terry won here in 1986. The favorite is likely Rusty Wallace, who has won five straight races at the Rock, including the Spring race earlier this season. Cup drivers go 393 laps.

Qualifying: Kenny Wallace scores his 3rd pole of the season. Mark Martin puts the pressure on his fellow title contenders and starts 2nd. Ernie Irvan starts 3rd, Jeff Gordon 4th, Rusty Wallace 5th. Dale Earnhardt, still with an outside shot at the title #8, starts 9th. Terry Labonte starts back in 28th.

Race: Kenny Wallace dominated the race early on (he’s been great on short tracks all season). He led the first 96 laps before pit stops cycled through. Jeff Gordon would led through pit stops as Kenny seemed to have some issues. Gordon led Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace through lap 138, where Martin took the lead. A caution on lap 155 due to a Lake Speed spinout changed the race a bit, as through good yellow flag pit stops Terry Labonte made his way to the top 5. Kyle Petty, looking for a win this season, had the lead.

Petty led for a few laps before Bobby Labonte grabbed the lead. Jeff Gordon battled Bobby and re-took the lead on lap 188. Gordon’s teammate Terry Labonte made his way to 2nd and passed Gordon on lap 211, with Mark Martin in 7th. Terry led through green flag stops, but Martin came out as the leader on lap 252. Martin led over Terry, and they both looked to have the best cars.

It was thought strategy may make a big play at the end here, but a Derrike Cope crash in turn 2 led to only the 2nd caution of the day on lap 318. Everyone would pit with no trickery, and Mark Martin came out the leader over Rusty Wallace (looking for a 6th straight Rockingham finish) in 2nd. Gordon was 3rd and Terry Labonte 4th. Mark Martin looked unstoppable, and while Terry Labonte would get by Gordon and Rusty, he had no chance at catching Martin. In perhaps the most clutch performance of his career, Mark Martin took down the AC Delco 400 for his 6th victory of the season and career win #20.

Title Chase: Terry Labonte minimized the damage with a 2nd place finish, but Martin’s win still pushes the title lead to 290 points. Jeff Gordon ended up 7th, losing more ground. Rusty Wallace finished 3rd and Dale Earnhardt 12th, but both are pretty much out of time.

Mark Martin: “This is a dream come true man! We’ve been so good. Roush Racing, Valvoline, Ford, we’ve been unstoppable and we’re so close to a championship!”

Terry Labonte: “It was a good run, but we just had to start better. We spent all we had getting back from 28th and we just didn’t have time to catch Mark.”

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Week 34: Phoenix

W34: 10/29/95, Dura Lube 500k, Phoenix, 312 Laps, 1.0 Mile Oval, Terry Labonte

Winston Cup Race 34/36 - Dura Lube 500k at Phoenix

The clock is ticking for Hendrick Motorsports to catch Mark Martin for the 1995 Winston Cup Championship. With 3 races left, Martin leads Terry Labonte by 290 points and Jeff Gordon by 318 points. Terry Labonte has won the last two races at Phoenix, this race last year and the Spring Race this year. Martin finished 2nd in the Spring Race. 312 laps.

Qualifying: The 1995 Rookie of the Year Ricky Craven scores the pole. Jeff Gordon starts 2nd, Ernie Irvan 3rd, Kyle Petty 4th and Lake Speed 5th. Terry Labonte starts 7th. This may be a chance for Gordon and Labonte to get back in the title race, as Mark Martin starts 26th.

Race: Ricky Craven looked determined to score his 1st career victory. He dominated most of the race, leading the first 166 of 178 laps. Bobby Hamilton established a run passing Craven on lap 179. But eyes were on the title contenders. Jeff Gordon did lead a little bit earlier but was running 5th, while Terry Labonte was hanging onto the top 10. Mark Martin was knocking on the door of the top 10 himself.

After yellow flag stops due to Kyle Petty blowing up on lap 267, a 45 lap shootout for the win was left. Craven had regained the lead, but Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt looked to take him down. Craven fought valiantly, but Gordon passed him on lap 283. Earnhardt also got by Craven, but didn’t have the time to catch Gordon. Jeff Gordon scored his 8th win of the season, 10th of his young Cup career.

Title Chase: This obviously is a big win for Jeff Gordon. He and Terry Labonte (5th) gained points on Mark Martin to stay alive as Martin finished 13th. With two races left, Gordon finds himself 242 points behind and Terry 259 points behind. Martin, Gordon or Terry Labonte are the only drivers still mathematically alive for the championship.

Jeff Gordon: “We started falling off a little bit but we kept digging and we got this one! We’re still alive and we think we can catch Mark!”

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Week 35: Homestead-Miami

T18: 11/3/95, Jiffy Lube 200, Homestead, 133 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Inaugural
B27: 11/4/95, Jiffy Lube Miami 300, Homestead, 200 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Inaugural
W35: 11/5/95, Jiffy Lube Miami 400, Homestead, 267 Laps, 1.5 Mile Oval, Inaugural

Craftsman Truck Series Race 18/18 – Jiffy Lube 200 at Homestead

NASCAR debuts at newly built Homestead-Miami speedway for the season finales for the Truck Series and Busch Series, and the penultimate race of the Winston Cup season. The track is flat and grooves have yet to be formed, so anything can happen. The inaugural Craftsman Truck Series Championship has been decided as Mike Skinner took down the title, but there’s still the story of who be the winner of the 1st NASCAR race ever at Homestead-Miami. The Trucks will go 133 laps.

Qualifying: 1995 Champion Mike Skinner adds to his championship season with his 1st pole of the season. Ron Hornaday Jr., Tobey Butler, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Park round out the top 5.

Race: It seemed clear that Mike Skinner had the best car, but that didn’t guarantee a win. On lap 24 two race contenders and teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Park got into one another on accident, with Dale Jr. taking some damage to the fender and Park crashing into the wall. It would end Park’s strong season with a disappointing 20th.

Skinner led the entire way, until lap 100 featured yellow flag pit stops after a Butch Gilliland crash. Tobey Butler found himself as the leader and hoped to take his 1st career victory. Skinner would get by Butler on lap 108, and while Jack Sprague followed Skinner close he had nothing for him. Mike Skinner put an exclamation point on the 1995 Championship with his 7th win of the season!

***

Busch Series Race 27/27 - Jiffy Lube Miami 300 at Homestead

The Busch Series will race their season finale at Homestead, going 200 laps. David Green has already locked in the 1995 Busch Series Championship. P.J. Jones has a virtual lock on the Rookie of the Year award, just needing to finish 29th (or avoid a Kirk Shelmerdine victory) to win.

Qualifying: Jeff Green scored his 2nd pole of the season. Johnny Benson Jr., Loy Allen Jr., Mike McLaughlin and Jerry Nadeau round out the Top 5.

Race: It was mostly a safe race until the later stages. Jeff Green led early, but Chad Little eventually emerged in the front, taking the lead on lap 67. After pit stops on lap 76 Little was dominating the race. A caution on lap 121 added some drama though with Jeff Fuller crashed. Everyone pit, and the race became a game of fuel milage.

Tommy Houston, one of the greatest Busch Series drivers of all-time, looked for his 1st win since 1992. Todd Bodine was right behind him, but Bodine would run out of fuel on lap 198. Houston would run out too on lap 199. Chad Little and Jerry Nadeau passed him. Nadeau aggressively bumped Little through turn 2 on the final lap, and got by him on the backstretch. Little didn’t give up, but Nadeau just edged out Little off turn 4 to win the last race of the 1995 season! Houston ended up 3rd still, Jeff Green 4th and Mike McLaughlin 5th. Champion David Green capped off his season in 6th.

***

Winston Cup Race 35/36 - Jiffy Lube Miami 400 at Homestead

Winston Cup racing returns to South Florida at the brand new Homestead-Miami Speedway. Homestead is a 1.5 mile oval. Unlike NASCAR’s other two top tier series, we have yet to determine a Winston Cup Champion and there are just two races left in the season. Now, Mark Martin looks to have the title well in hand, leading by 242 points over Jeff Gordon and 259 points over Terry Labonte. Martin just needs one 16th place finish in the final two races to win the 1995 Championship. The Rookie of the Year title had been decided a long time ago, as Ricky Craven easily won the award and has no pressure left to deal with. Cup drivers will go 267 laps.

Qualifying: Jeff Gordon stays hot, scoring his 9th pole of the season. Mark Martin starts 6th, Terry Labonte 13th.

Race: Once again, it was the Jeff Gordon show. As Gordon dominated the inaugural race at Homestead, all eyes were on Mark Martin, who struggled most of the day. Martin would fall as low as 23rd on lap 111, but Martin fought his way back throughout the day to finish 12th and capture the 1995 Winston Cup Championship.

Gordon would lead 248 of the 267 laps to score his 9th win of the season and the 11th of his career, a truly monster season. Terry Labonte was a non-factor all day, ending up 11th. Neither Hendrick Car would remain alive for the championship. The only other event of note was that Rusty Wallace blew his engine on lap 2 and finished last.

Mark Martin: “Oh my, we did it! We did it! Unbelievable guys, thank you thank you thank you! Wow! What an incredible season!”

Jeff Gordon: “We kept digging all day and we’re going to enjoy this win like all the others this season. We’re not disappointed at all, we won nine races and we’ll win the whole thing next year.

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Week 36 – Atlanta

W36: 11/12/95, NAPA 500, Atlanta, 328 Laps, 1.53 Mile Oval, Mark Martin

Winston Cup Race 36/36 – NAPA 500 at Atlanta

With the championship locked up by Mark Martin, all that’s left is the NAPA 500 at Atlanta. There’s still fact, exciting Winston Cup racing left to cap off an exciting 1995 season. Jeff Gordon won the Spring Atlanta race. Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott have dominated at Atlanta over the years. Rusty Wallace, Morgan Shepherd, Ken Schrader, Ernie Irvan and 1995 Champion Mark Martin have all won races here. We’ll go 328 laps.

Qualifying: Jeff Gordon scores pole #10 of the season, with Ernie Irvan, Ricky Craven, Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte rounding out the Top 5.

Race: Jeff Gordon starts off strong, looking to finish the 1995 season with three straight wins. He would lead through lap 119, where suddenly he blew up, ending his amazing season with a thud. Mark Martin took over, looking to end his championship season with a victory. Sterling Marlin would pass Martin on lap 169, but Bobby Labonte found the lead after pit stops.

Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt battled as the laps turned into the 200s, with Earnhardt emerging as the clear leader on lap 209. Dale Jarrett, after making his way through the field, got by Earnhardt on lap 224, but Marlin again took the lead on lap 236. He and Jarrett would battle, and Bobby Labonte would again emerge as the lead on lap 277 aft a final round of pit stops.

Labonte, Jarrett and Earnhardt battled for the lead, with Jarrett taking the lead again on lap 301. Earnhardt did all he could to get by Jarrett, including trying a bump and run on the final lap, but Jarrett held on to score his 2nd win of the season, and his 5th of his career. Earnhardt finished 2nd, Marlin 3rd, 1995 Champion Mark Martin 4th and Bobby Labonte 5th. Terry Labonte finished 6th and Jeff Gordon ended up 38th, which allowed Terry to pass Gordon in the standings.

Dale Jarrett: “This was a really strong finish for us this season. I think these Robert Yates machines are gonna be a real factor next year let me tell you that!”

Prediction Results

@Dubble J

Dale Earnhardt – 5054 (4th), 4 Wins, 16 Top 5s, 23 Top 10s, 3 Poles
Rusty Wallace – 4765 Points (6th), 4 Wins, 15 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Jeff Gordon – 5245 Points (3rd), 9 Wins, 16 Top 5s, 23 Top 10s, 10 Poles
Mark Martin – 5525 Points (1st), 6 Wins, 18 Top 5s, 28 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Ricky Craven – 3746 Points (17th), 2 Top 5, 8 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Johnny Benson Jr. – 4011 Points (3rd), 3 Wins, 13 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s, 3 Poles
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2614 Points (6th), 3 Wins, 6 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 3 Poles

Total: 30,960 Points, 29 Wins, 86 Top 5s, 130 Top 10s, 25 Poles

@AlanSmithee1981

Dale Earnhardt – 5054 (4th), 4 Wins, 16 Top 5s, 23 Top 10s, 3 Poles
Darrell Waltrip –3955 Points (15th), 1 Win, 4 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s
Rusty Wallace – 4765 Points (6th), 4 Wins, 15 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Kyle Petty – 4030 Points (13th), 4 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s
Robert Pressley – 2993 Points (33rd), 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s
Hermie Sadler – 3336 Points (13th), 2 Wins, 5 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 1 Pole
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2614 Points (6th), 3 Wins, 6 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 3 Poles

Total: 26,747 Points, 14 Wins, 51 Top 5s, 90 Top 10s, 9 Poles

Congratulations to @Dubble J on winning the 1995 Prediction Contest!
​

 

[Dubb]

What a year for Mark Martin. Was rooting for Big E but nothing wrong with a Mark Martin win, especially when he was on my team

 

[RDT]

1995 NASCAR Season Review

John Andretti, Kranefuss-Haas Racing, #37
1995 Cup Rank: 26th (Career High), (+6)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 3 DNFs
Best Finish: 2nd (Michigan)
Career Cup Stats: 69 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 26th Best Rank (’95)

Some progress was made by John Andretti, and he nearly took down a victory at Michigan. He scored his first three career Top 10s. We’ll see if he can continue that upward momentum next season.

Brett Bodine, Junior Johnson and Associates, #27
1995 Cup Rank: 24th (-5)
1995 Cup Stats: 3 Top 10s, 3 DNFs
Best Finish: 7th (Homestead)
Career Cup Stats: 256 Starts, 1 Win, 16 Top 5s, 57 Top 10s, 12th Best Rank (’90)

1995 was a step back for Brett Bodine, who failed to score even one top 5 all season. A late-season 7th at the inaugural race at Homestead should inspire some confidence though.

Geoff Bodine, Geoff Bodine Racing, #7
1995 Cup Rank: 16th (+1)
1995 Cup Stats: 2 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 9 DNFs
Best Finish: 2nd (Martinsville)
Career Cup Stats: 417 Starts, 17 Wins, 93 Top 5s, 172 Top 10s, 36 Poles, 3rd Best Rank (’90)

Geoffrey Bodine continued to have some of the issues he had in 1994 as he failed to finish the race nine times. He also struggled to stay up front, often falling back to the 6th-10th range anytime he had a good car. He was consistent enough to slightly improve his standings position from 1994, but he failed to win a race for the first time since 1987.

Jeff Burton, Stavola Brothers Racing, #8
1995 Cup Rank: 23rd (+1)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 5 DNFs
Best Finish: 5th (Dover)
Career Cup Stats: 67 Starts, 0 Wins, 3 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 23rd Best Rank (’95)

There wasn’t much improvement from Jeff Burton this season, but the garage continues to rave about him. Don’t be surprised to see one of the top teams expand to try to scoop him up from failing Stavola.

Ward Burton, A.G. Dillard Motorsports, #31
1995 Cup Rank: 29th (+6)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10s, 8 DNFs
Best Finish: 5th (Daytona Night)
Career Cup Stats: 62 Starts: 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 29th Best Rank (’95)

Similar to brother Jeff, Ward Burton didn’t make many strides in 1995, but most think a team change would do wonders.

Derrike Cope, Bobby Allison Motorsports, #12
1995 Cup Rank: 36th (-6)
1995 Cup Stats: 11 DNF
Best Finish: 14th (Phoenix)
Career Cup Stats: 253 Starts, 2 Wins, 3 Top 5s, 19 Top 10s, 18th Best Rank (’90)

It’s starting to look like the 1990 Daytona 500 winner’s career is on the way down. Not guaranteed to be in Cup next season.

Ricky Craven, Rookie, Larry Hedrick Motorsports, #41
1995 Cup Rank: 17th (Rookie)
1995 Cup Stats: 2 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 3 DNF
Best Finish: 3rd (Phoenix)
Career Cup Stats: 37 Starts: 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 17th Best Rank (’95)

Solid year for the 1995 Rookie of the Year. He scored both top fives at Phoenix.

Dale Earnhardt, Richard Childress Racing, #3
1995 Cup Rank: 4th (-3)
1995 Cup Stats: 4 Wins, 16 Top 5s, 23 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 2 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Bristol, Talladega, Southern 500, North Wilkesboro)
Career Cup Stats: 516 Starts: 67 Wins, 233 Top 5s, 337 Top 10s, 1st Best Rank (’80, ’86, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93, ’94)

Dale Earnhardt fell short of a record 8th championship, but he still finished in the front for more than his fair share. Earnhardt will be back next year and will likely be a favorite for the ’96 Championship.

Bill Elliott, Elliott-Hardy Racing, #94
1995 Cup Rank: 9th (+1)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Win, 7 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, 2 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Brickyard 400)
Career Cup Stats: 474 Starts, 41 Wins, 149 Top 5s, 256 Top 10s, 1st Best Rank (’88)

While he showed some success, “Awesome” Bill struggled to race with the top tier cars all season. Luckily, a victory at Indy in the Brickyard 400 likely paid all the bills. We’ll see if Elliott can get back into the Top 5 in points in ’96.

Ernie Irvan, Robert Yates Racing, #28
1995 Cup Rank: 11th (+11)
1995 Cup Stats: 9 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, 4 Poles, 6 DNF
Best Finish: 2nd (Watkins Glen)
Career Cup Stats: 232 Starts, 12 Wins, 60 Top 5s, 93 Top 10s, 5th Best Rank (’91)

Ernie Irvan returned to Robert Yates after his horrible accident in 1994 and ran strong. While he didn’t get back into victory lane, he was a threat most of the time, scoring 9 top 5s. We’ll see if he can regain Championship form in 1996.

Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports, #24
1995 Cup Rank: 3rd (+5)
1995 Cup Stats: 9 Wins, 16 Top 5s, 23 Top 10s, 10 Poles, 2 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Atlanta, North Wilkesboro, Michigan, Coca-Cola 600, New Hampshire, Pocono, Martinsville, Phoenix, Homestead)
Career Cup Stats: 98 Starts, 11 Wins, 30 Top 5s, 48 Top 10s, 12 Poles, 3rd Best Rank (’95)

Jeff Gordon came out like a house on fire in 1995. A lack of consistency perhaps cost him the 1995 Championship, but he’s proven he can win every single week, and he will undoubtedly be a Championship favorite in ’96.

Steve Grissom, Diamond Ridge Motorsports, #29
1995 Cup Rank: 30th (-2)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10s, 6 DNF
Best Finish: 4th (Martinsville)
Career Cup Stats: 66 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 7 Top 10s, 28th Best Rank (’94)

While Steve Grissom at times showed some promise, scoring 4 Top 10s, the season can’t be classified as anything more than a disappointment or a failure. We will see where he and Diamond Ridge are next season.

Bobby Hamilton, Petty Enterprises, #43
1995 Cup Rank: 14th (+9)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Win, 6 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s, 3 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Dover)
Career Cup Stats: 142 Starts, 1 Win, 6 Top 5s, 17 Top 10s, 14th Best Rank (’95)

It was a career year for Bobby Hamilton and a year of redemption for Petty Enterprises. Hamilton showed some speed early and scored his 1st career victory at Dover. Hamilton would finish a career high 14th in the standings. This was Petty’s 1st victory since the King won in ’84.

Bobby Hillin Jr., Jasper Motorsports, #77
1995 Cup Rank: 37th (+7)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Top 10, 9 DNF
Best Finish: 10th (Daytona Night)
Career Cup Stats: 315 Starts, 1 Win, 8 Top 5s, 43 Top 10s, 9th Best Rank (’86)

It looks like Hillin’s best days are past him, and his Cup career may be over too.

Dale Jarrett, Robert Yates Racing, #88
1995 Cup Rank: 10th (+6)
1995 Cup Stats: 2 Wins, 7 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, 2 Poles
Best Finish: 1st (Talladega, Atlanta)
Career Cup Stats: 264 Starts, 5 Wins, 32 Top 5s, 73 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 4th Best Rank (’93)

Dale Jarrett and Robert Yates proved to be a winning combination. For the first time in his career, DJ won twice. Jarrett also returned to the Top 10 in the standings. Outlook is quite high for 1996.

Bobby Labonte, Joe Gibbs Racing, #18
1995 Cup Rank: 7th (+14)
1995 Cup Stats: 15 Top 5s, 22 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 2 DNF
Best Finish: 2nd (Atlanta, Richmond, New Hampshire, Charlotte)
Career Cup Stats: 99 Starts, 0 Wins, 16 Top 5s, 30 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 7th Best Rank (’95)

What a break out year for Bobby Labonte. Bobby did pretty much everything you can do…but win a race. Four seconds is a testament to his speed. A darkhorse candidate for the 1996 Championship for sure.

Terry Labonte, Hendrick Motorsports, #5
1995 Cup Rank: 2nd (+5)
1995 Cup Stats: 4 Wins, 15 Top 5s, 28 Top 10s, 2 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Phoenix, Richmond, Pocono, Richmond)
Career Cup Stats: 358 Starts, 17 Wins, 138 Top 5s, 276 Top 10s, 20 Poles, 1st Best Rank (’84)

It was Terry Labonte, and not Jeff Gordon, who led the way for Hendrick Motorsports. Terry’s consistency resulted in his best year since his Championship year in 1984, but he couldn’t catch Mark Martin. Terry should be a title contender again in 1996.

Randy LaJoie (Rookie), Bill Davis Racing, #22
1995 Cup Rank: 38th (+10)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Pole, 10 DNF
Best Finish: 15th (Sears Point)
Career Cup Stats: 49 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 1 Pole, Best Rank: 38th (’95)

It did not look like Randy LaJoie was ready for Cup.

Dave Marcis, Marcis Auto Racing, #71
1995 Cup Rank: 35th (+1)
1995 Cup Stats: 8 DNF
Best Finish: 13th (Nashville)
Career Cup Stats: 797 Starts, 5 Wins, 94 Top 5s, 222 Top 10s, 14 Poles, 2nd Best Rank (’75)

It may be time for retirement for Dave Marcis.

Sterling Marlin, Morgan-McClure Motorsports, #4
1995 Cup Rank: 5th (+9)
1995 Cup Stats: 3 Wins, 9 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, 2 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Darlington, Daytona Night, Michigan)
Career Cup Stats: 345 Starts, 4 Wins, 44 Top 5s, 118 Top 10s, 8 Poles, 5th Best Rank (’95)

1995 was a big season for Sterling Marlin. Marlin proved he wasn’t a one-trick pony, scoring three victories, including one at tough Darlington. Marlin also finished a career high 5th in the standings. Could contend for the title next season.

Mark Martin, Roush Racing, #6
1995 Cup Rank: 1st
1995 Cup Stats: 6 Wins, 18 Top 5s, 28 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Sears Point, New Hampshire, Watkins Glen, Dover, Charlotte, Rockingham)
Career Cup Stats: 299 Starts, 20 Wins, 105 Top 5s, 165 Top 10s, 24 Poles, 1st Best Rank (’95)

Mark Martin broke though for Roush Racing to win the 1995 Championship. His consistency in the last 20 races of the season was the stuff of legend: An average of 164.25 points a race, 6 wins, 13 Top 5s, 17 Top 10s, and no finishes below 14th. Arguably the favorite for 1996.

Rick Mast, Precision Products Racing, #1
1995 Cup Rank: 25th (-7)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 5 DNFs
Best Finish: 5th (Homestead)
Career Cup Stats: 190 Starts, 0 Wins, 7 Top 5s, 24 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 18th Best Rank (’94)

Rick Mast struggled throughout 1995 and will be approaching a crossroads in his career.

Jeremy Mayfield, Cale Yarborough Motorsports, #98
1995 Cup Rank: 32nd (+5)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s, 6 DNFs
Best Finish: 5th (Pocono)
Career Cup Stats: 57 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s, 32nd Best Rank (’95)

Jeremy Mayfield flashed his potential, scoring his first two career Top 10s in 1995. Cale Yarborough Motorsports is clearly on its last legs though, and Mayfield is likely being held back.

Ted Musgrave, Roush Racing, #16
1995 Cup Rank: 20th (-7)
1995 Cup Stats: 3 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 6 DNFs
Best Finish: 2nd (Nashville)
Career Cup Stats: 158 Starts, 0 Wins, 7 Top 5s, 27 Top 10s, 4 Poles, 13th Best Rank (’94)

Ted Musgrave took a step back in 1995 as he struggled to remain consistent. Roush Racing is rumored to expand after Mark Martin’s title win, and Musgrave is likely the most expendable piece at the moment due to his disappointing 1995.

Joe Nemechek, NEMCO Motorsports, #87
1995 Cup Rank: 27th (0)
1995 Cup Stats: 2 Top 5s, 4 Top 10s, 5 DNFs
Best Finish: New Hampshire (4th)
Career Cup Stats: 70 Starts, 0 wins, 3 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 27th Best Rank (’94, ’95)

Joe Nemechek didn’t make many strides in 1995. We’ll see if he can hang in Cup or if a return to Busch is imminent.

Kyle Petty, Team SABCO, #42
1995 Cup Rank: 13th (+2)
1995 Cup Stats: 4 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, 3 DNFs
Best Finish: 3rd (Phoenix, Milwaukee, Dover)
Career Cup Stats: 447 Starts, 7 Wins, 52 Top 5s, 251 Top 10s, 8 Poles, 5th Best Rank (’92, ’93)

Kyle Petty failed to return to the heights of his 1992 and 1993 campaigns, and also failed to return to victory lane. Still, he managed to be a threat at times, and with some additional support he may get back in the Top 10 in 1996.

Jeff Purvis, 997 Racing, #44
1995 Cup Rank: 40th (+6)
1995 Cup Stats: 7 DNFs
Best Finish: 15th (Richmond)
Career Cup Stats: 68 Starts: 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 39th Best Rank (’93)

Not much to say here. Jeff Purvis never got rolling and will probably not be in Cup next season.

Ricky Rudd, Rudd Performance Motorsports, #10
1995 Cup Rank: 8th (-3)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Win, 8 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 4 DNFs
Best Finish: 1st (Daytona 500)
Career Cup Stats: 536 Starts, 16 Wins, 136 Top 5s, 270 Top 10s, 23 Poles, 2nd Best Rank (’91)

Ricky Rudd’s season couldn’t have started any better. He won a race for the 13th straight season by winning the opening Daytona 500. Rudd would finish in the Top 10 in points once again, but couldn’t hang with the true title contenders. He should be a threat in 1996.

Ken Schrader, Hendrick Motorsports, #25
1995 Cup Rank: 12th (-8)
1995 Cup Stats: 3 Top 5s, 13 Top 10s, 3 DNFs
Best Finish: 2nd (Milwaukee)
Career Cup Stats: 391 Starts, 4 Wins, 57 Top 5s, 137 Top 10s, 17 Poles, 4th Best Rank (’94)

Ken Schrader took a step back in 1995. While he was still somewhat consistent, he struggled to finish in the Top 5 and failed to finish within the Top 10 in points. We’ll see if Schrader can bounce back in 1995.

Morgan Shepherd, Wood Brothers Racing, #21
1995 Cup Rank: 21st (-15)
1995 Cup Stats: 2 Top 5s, 5 Top 10s, 7 DNFs
Best Finish: 4th (Dover)
Career Cup Stats:
420 Starts, 4 Wins, 59 Top 5s, 155 Top 10s, 7 Poles, 5th Best Rank (’90)

Wood Brothers and Morgan Shepherd couldn’t keep up the momentum built in 1994. Shepherd ran in the middle of the pack all season, and don’t be surprised if it’s Shepherd’s last season in Cup, as retirement is creeping up.

Lake Speed, Melling Racing, #9
1995 Cup Rank: 19th (-8)
1995 Cup Stats: 2 Top 5s, 5 Top 10s, 5 DNFs
Best Finish: 2nd (Rockingham)
Career Cup Stats: 335 Starts, 1 Win, 18 Top 5s, 76 Top 10s, 10th Best Rank (’85)

Lake Speed fell off a little bit, with his highlight being a near win at Rockingham.

Jimmy Spencer, Travis Carter Motorsports, #36
1995 Cup Rank: 28th (+1)
1995 Cup Stats: 3 Top 10s, 6 DNFs
Best Finish: 9th (Daytona Night)
Career Cup Stats: 179 Starts, 2 Wins, 12 Top 5s, 31 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 12th Best Rank (’93)

It wasn’t a good season for brash Jimmy Spencer as Travis Carter tries to build their team up. Spencer has talent, we’ll see if he bounces back in 1996.

Hut Stricklin, King Racing, #26
1995 Cup Rank: 34th (-8)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Top 10, 6 DNFs
Best Finish: 7th (Sears Point)
Career Cup Stats: 206 Starts, 0 Wins, 5 Top 5s, 21 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 16th Best Rank (’91)

The outlook for Cup isn’t bright for Hut Stricklin, who accomplished about nothing in 1995.

Dick Trickle, Bud Moore Engineering, #15
1995 Cup Rank: 31st (+3)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Top 10, 8 DNFs
Best Finish: 10th (Martinsville)
Career Cup Stats: 203 Starts, 0 Wins, 13 Top 5s, 32 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 15th Best Rank (’89)

This is the twilight of Dick Trickle’s career. He did show some speed on short tracks, scoring his only top 10 at Martinsville, and 8 top 16 finishes overall.

Kenny Wallace, FILMAR Racing, #81
1995 Cup Rank: 22nd (+18)
1995 Cup Stats: 6 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 6 DNFs
Best Finish: 3rd (Bristol Night)
Career Cup Stats: 72 Starts, 0 Wins, 7 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 22nd Best Rank (’95)

1995 was a good step forward for Kenny Wallace. Kenny looked great on the short tracks and was a threat to win a few. He finished 6 top 5 finishes overall, which was tied for 12th for the most in 1995.

Mike Wallace, Donleavy Racing, #90
1995 Cup Rank: 39th (-6)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Top 10, 11 DNFs
Best Finish: 10th (New Hampshire)
Career Cup Stats: 67 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5s, 2 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 33rd Best Rank (’94)

Mike Wallace struggled to stay on the track in 1995, and when he was finishing races it was usually in the back of the pack. We’ll see if he can hang onto a Cup ride.

Rusty Wallace, Penske Racing, #2
1995 Cup Rank: 6th (-3)
1995 Cup Stats: 4 Wins, 15 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 5 DNFs
Best Finish: 1st (Rockingham, Martinsville, Milwaukee, Bristol Night)
Career Cup Stats: 367 Starts, 43 Wins, 108 Top 5s, 192 Top 10s, 1st Best Rank (’89)

Rusty Wallace looked like a bonafide title contender throughout the first two-thirds of 1995, but horrible inconsistency led to a drop in the standings down to 6th. Rusty still scored 4 victories, and while he wasn’t as good as he was in 1993 and 1994, he still showed enough speed to be a legitimate title contender in 1996.

Darrell Waltrip, DarWal, Inc., #17
1995 Cup Rank: 15th (-6)
1995 Cup Stats: 1 Win, 4 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 4 DNFs
Best Finish: 1st (Nashville)
Career Cup Stats: 663 Starts, 85 Wins, 274 Top 5s, 385 Top 10s, 58 Poles

It was a bittersweet season for Waltrip. He fell to 15th in the standings, his worst finish since 1990 and the 2nd worst of his career since the late 70s. But one thing Waltrip did was return to victory lane for the first time since 1992, allowing him to gain sole possession of 3rd on the all-time Cup wins list with 85. We will see how running his own team turns out for DW. 1996 should tell us a lot.

Michael Waltrip, Bahari Racing, #30
1995 Cup Rank: 18th (-6)
1995 Cup Stats: 2 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 6 DNFs
Best Finish: 3rd (Homestead)
Career Cup Stats: 304 Starts, 15 Top 5s, 56 Top 10s, 4 Poles, 12th Best Rank (’94)

Michael Waltrip didn’t make much ground in 1995. Waltrip has the talent to score a victory, but he hasn’t found the right team it seems.

Note: I forgot to include Jerry Nadeau, Elliott Sadler and Jeff Fuller in the Rookie of the Year chase. Nadeau won the award. Loy Allen Jr. was not included because of his Cup experience.

Loy Allen Jr., Finch Racing, #19
1995 Busch Rank: 17th (N/A)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Top 5, 7 Top 10s, 4 DNFs
Best Finish: 3rd (Nashville)
Career Busch Stats: 27 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 7 Top 10s, 4 DNFs, 17th Best Rank (’95)

Johnny Benson, BASE Motorsports, #74
1995 Busch Rank: 3rd (+3)
1995 Busch Stats: 3 Wins, 13 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Rockingham, Nazareth, Michigan)
Career Busch Stats: 59 Starts, 4 Wins, 19 Top 5s, 27 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 3rd Best Rank (’95)

Johnny Benson was in contention for the 1995 Busch Championship, but just fell short. It seems likely he’ll make his Cup debut next season.

Rich Bickle, Virtue Racing, #54
1995 Busch Rank: 25th (+51)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Top 10, 7 DNFs
Best Finish: 9th (Richmond)
Career Busch Stats: 30 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles, 25th Best Rank (’95)

Todd Bodine, Parker Racing, #73
1995 Busch Rank: 6th (+99)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Win, 9 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 3 DNFs
Best Finish: 1st (Dover)
Career Busch Stats: 126 Starts, 8 Wins, 37 Top 5s, 65 Top 10s, 6 Poles, 3rd Best Rank (’92)

1995 was solid for Todd Bodine. Todd will likely look to return to Cup, but don’t be surprised to see him back a run at the 1996 Busch Title if that doesn’t pan out.

Jim Bown, Bown Racing, #51
1995 Busch Rank: 29th (N/A)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s, 7 DNFs
Best Finish: 2nd (Myrtle Beach)
Career Busch Stats: 60 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 29th Best Rank (’95)

Rodney Combs, Petty Enterprises, #43
1995 Busch Rank: 30th (-9)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Top 10, 3 DNFs
Best Finish: 7th (Watkins Glen)
Career Busch Stats: 84 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 15th Best Rank (’93)

It’s probably over for Combs. Petty may be on the rise again, we’ll see who they put in the car next year.

Bobby Dotter, Shoemaker Racing, #64
1995 Busch Rank: 21st (-14)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 4 DNFs
Best Finish: 4th (Bristol Night)
Career Busch Stats: 187 Starts, 1 Win, 11 Top 5s, 38 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 7th Best Rank (’93, 94)

Big step back for Dotter in 1995.

Tim Fedewa, RaDiUs Motorsports, #55
1995 Busch Rank: 9th (+1)
1995 Busch Stats: 4 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 4th (Nazareth, Darlington)
Career Busch Stats: 84 Starts, 0 Wins, 5 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 9th Best Rank (’95)

Tim Fedewa’s ceiling is likely the Busch Series. We’ll see if he can find victory lane over the next few seasons.

Jeff Fuller, Rookie, ST Motorsports, #47
1995 Busch Rank: 19th (Rookie)
1995 Busch Stats: 2 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s, 4 DNFs
Best Finish: 2nd (Daytona Night)
Career Busch Stats: 28 Starts, 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 19th Best Rank (’95)

David Green, Labonte Motorsports, #44
1995 Busch Rank: 1st (0)
1995 Busch Stats: 6 Wins, 14 Top 5s, 21 Top 10s, 6 Poles, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Phoenix, Nashville, Bristol, Richmond, IRP, Darlington)
Career Busch Stats: 115 Starts, 8 Wins, 36 Top 5s, 60 Top 10s, 16 Poles, 1st Best Rank (’94, ’95)

David Green successfully defended his Busch Championship in 1995. With the Busch-wackers out of the way, Green shined with 6 victories. He’ll certainly be in Cup next season for someone.

Jeff Green, Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
1995 Busch Rank: 4th (+57)
1995 Busch Stats: 6 Wins, 11 Top 5s, 19 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 4 DNFs
Best Finish: 1st (Daytona, Atlanta, Martinsville, Myrtle Beach, Bristol Night, Talladega)
Career Busch Stats: 70 Starts, 6 Wins, 13 Top 5s, 24 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 4th Best Rank (’95)

Jeff Green broke out in 1995. With DEI slowly emerging Green will probably have a good future ahead of him.

Doug Heveron, Doug Heveron Racing, #35
1995 Busch Rank: 24th (+3)
1995 Busch Stats: 2 Top 10s, 5 DNFs
Best Finish: 7th (Milwaukee)
Career Busch Stats: 48 Starts, 2 Top 5s, 4 Top 10s, 24th Best Rank (’95)

Tommy Houston, Houston Racing, #6
1995 Busch Rank: 15th (+13)
1995 Busch Stats: 4 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, 2 DNFs
Best Finish: 2nd (Martinsville, South Boston)
Career Busch Stats: 403 Starts, 24 Wins, 126 Top 5s, 200 Top 10s, 18 Poles, 2nd Best Rank (’89)

Houston had two shots to win his 25th Busch race, falling short each time.

P.J. Jones, Rookie, Bobby Jones Racing, #50
1995 Busch Rank: 20th (Rookie)
1995 Busch Stats: 2 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 4 DNFs
Best Finish: 3rd (Richmond)
Career Busch Stats: 27 Starts, 0 Wins, 2 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 4 DNF

Jason Keller, KEL Racing, #57
1995 Busch Rank: 7th (+10)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Win, 9 Top 5s, 17 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 3 DNFs
Best Finish: 1st (Richmond)
Career Busch Stats: 72 Starts, 1 Win, 10 Top 5s, 25 Top 10s, 4 Poles, 7th Best Rank (’95)

Break out year for Jason Keller, highlighted by his first career win at Richmond.

Kevin Lepage, Lepage Racing, #71
1995 Busch Rank: 16th (+8)
1995 Busch Stats: 6 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 7 DNFs
Best Finish: 2nd (Charlotte)
Career Busch Stats: 49 Starts, 0 Wins, 6 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 16th Best Rank (’95)

Tracy Leslie, Parker Racing, #72
1995 Busch Rank: 23rd (-12)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 5 DNFs
Best Finish: 2nd (Watkins Glen)
Career Busch Stats: 144 Starts, 1 Win, 12 Top 5s, 39 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 11th Best Rank (’93, ’94)

Big step back for Leslie, who was hoping to break into the Top 10 in the points in 1995.

Chad Little, Mark Rypein Motorsports, #23
1995 Busch Rank: 2nd (+1)
1995 Busch Stats: 2 Wins, 12 Top 5s, 20 Top 10s, 4 Poles, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Pocono, Daytona Night)
Career Busch Stats: 68 Starts, 2 Wins, 24 Top 5s, 37 Top 10s, 4 Poles, 2nd Best Rank (’95)

Chad Little had another great year in the Busch Series, highlighted by his first two career wins. He’s rumored to head to Cup with Roush.

Curtis Markham, Rookie, Hensley Motorsports, #63
1995 Busch Rank: 27th (+32)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Top 10, 5 DNFs
Best Finish: 10th (Daytona Night)
Career Busch Stats: 42 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 27th Best Rank (’95)

Mike McLaughlin, Team 34, #34
1995 Busch Rank: 11th (+2)
1995 Busch Stats: 7 Top 5s, 13 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 2 DNFs
Best Finish: 3rd (New Hampshire, Talladega)
Career Busch Stats: 80 Starts, 0 Wins, 12 Top 5s, 25 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 11th Best Rank (’95)

Jerry Nadeau, T&G Racing, #15
1995 Busch Rank: 5th (Rookie)
1995 Busch Stats: 4 Wins, 8 Top 5s, 14 Top 10s, 2 DNFs
Best Finish: 1st (Charlotte, Watkins Glen, Charlotte, Homestead)
Career Busch Stats: 27 Starts, 4 Wins, 8 Top 5s, 14 Top 10s, 5th Best Rank (’95)

Jerry Nadeau showed great potential on 1.5 mile tracks and Road Courses in route to Rookie of the Year. Nadeau will likely take a shot at the Busch Series Championship in 1996.

Phil Parsons, J&J Racing, #99
1995 Busch Rank: 12th (+13)
1995 Busch Stats: 3 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 3 DNFs
Best Finish: 2nd (IRP)
Career Busch Stats: 135 Starts, 2 Wins, 21 Top 5s, 64 Top 10s, 7 Poles, 5th Best Rank (’82)

Larry Pearson, Martin Motorsports, #92
1995 Busch Rank: 9th (-1)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Win, 4 Top 5s, 12 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (South Boston)
Career Busch Stats: 214 Starts, 1 Win, 75 Top 5s, 128 Top 10s, 12 Poles, 1st Best Rank (’86, ’87)

The former two-time Busch Champion got back into victory lane in 1995.

Stevie Reeves, Whitaker Racing, #7
1995 Busch Rank: 26th (0)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Top 10, 3 DNFs
Best Finish: 6th (Talladega)
Career Busch Stats: 47 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles, 26th Best Rank (’94, ’95)

Robbie Reiser, Reiser Enterprises, #17
1995 Busch Rank: 28th (+20)
1995 Busch Stats: 6 DNFs
Best Finish: 12th (IRP)
Career Busch Stats: 37 Starts, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 28th Best Rank (’95)

Elliott Sadler, Sadler Racing, #11
1995 Busch Rank: 8th (Rookie)
1995 Busch Stats: 9 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 2 DNF
Best Finish: 2nd (Nazareth, New Hampshire)
Career Busch Stats: 27 Starts, 0 Wins, 9 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 8th Best Rank (’95)

The 20-year-old Sadler showed speed in 1995, although he couldn’t lock down a victory.

Hermie Sadler, Sadler Racing, #1
1995 Busch Rank: 13th (-8)
1995 Busch Stats: 2 Wins, 5 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 6 DNFs
Best Finish: 1st (Milwaukee, Rockingham)
Career Busch Stats: 88 Starts, 4 Wins, 15 Top 5s, 30 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 5th Best Rank (’94)

Elton Sawyer, Akins-Sutton Motorsports, #38
1995 Busch Rank: 14th (+34)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Win, 5 Top 5s, 13 Top 10s, 4 DNFs
Best Finish: 1st (New Hampshire)
Career Busch Stats: 37 Starts, 1 Win, 5 Top 5s, 13 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 14th Best Rank (’94)

Dennis Setzer, Alliance Racing, #59
1995 Busch Rank: 18th (-9)
1995 Busch Stats: 3 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s, 5 DNFs
Best Finish: 3rd (Watkins Glen)
Career Busch Stats: 61 Starts, 2 Wins, 7 Top 5s, 18 Top 10s, 0 Poles, 9th Best Rank (’94)

Kirk Shelmerdine, Rookie, Beverly Racing, #25
1995 Busch Series Rank: 22nd (+37)
1995 Busch Stats: 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 7 DNFs
Best Finish: 4th (Talladega)
Career Busch Stats: 31 Starts, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 0 Poles, 22nd Best Rank (’95)

Mike Bliss, Ultra Motorsports, #2
1995 Truck Rank: 7th
1995 Truck Stats: 4 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 2nd (Charlotte)

Tobey Butler, Venable Racing, #21
1995 Truck Rank: 18th
1995 Truck Stats: 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 4 DNFs
Best Finish: 4th (Homestead)

b]Rick Carelli, Chesrown Racing, #6[/b]
1995 Truck Rank: 15th
1995 Truck Stats: 5 Top 10s, 3 DNFs
Best Finish: 6th (Pocono, IRP)

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc., #8
1995 Truck Rank: 6th
1995 Truck Stats: 3 Wins, 6 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 3 Poles, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (South Boston, Richmond, North Wilkesboro)

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s potential may be unmatched. He’ll likely look to win the 1996 Truck Series title next season before moving onto the Busch Series.

Walker Evans, Walker Evans Racing, #20
1995 Truck Rank: 20th
1995 Truck Stats: 3 Top 10s, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 9th (Daytona, Pocono, Milwaukee)

Butch Gilliland, Ultra Motorsports, #12
1995 Truck Rank: 14th
1995 Truck Stats: 1 Top 5, 7 Top 10s, 4 DNFs
Best Finish: 3rd (Dover)

Robby Gordon, Irvan-Simo Racing, #94
1995 Truck Rank: 3rd
1995 Truck Stats: 3 Wins, 9 Top 5s, 14 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Daytona, Sears Point, New Hampshire)

Robby Gordon proved he can drive anything as he contended for the inaugural Truck Championship. We’ll see which series he ends up in next season, but he’s a threat to score wins, especially at Road Courses.

Andy Hillenburg, Vestar Motorsports, #1
1995 Truck Rank: 9th
1995 Truck Stats: 4 Top 5s, 9 Top 10s, 2 DNFs
Best Finish: 4th (Daytona, Bristol, New Hampshire, South Boston)

Ron Hornaday Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc., #16
1995 Truck Rank: 2nd
1995 Truck Stats: 1 Win, 12 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, 3 Poles
Best Finish: 1st (Milwaukee)

Ron Hornaday Jr. was a favorite to win the title, but couldn’t hang with Mike Skinner. He’ll likely take another shot at it in 1996.

Buckshot Jones, Buckshot Racing, #00
1995 Truck Rank: 8th
1995 Truck Stats: 5 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 2 DNF
Best Finish: 2nd (Dover)

Bob Keselowski, K-Automotive Motorsports, #26
1995 Truck Rank: 12th
1995 Truck Stats: 2 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, 3 DNFs
Best Finish: 3rd (Milwaukee)

Scott Lagasse, Hendrick Motorsports
1995 Truck Rank: 11th
1995 Truck Stats: 1 Top 5, 8 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 1 DNF
1995 Best Finish: 5th (IRP)

Butch Miller, Liberty Racing, #98
1995 Truck Rank: 13th
1995 Truck Stats: 4 Top 5s, 7 Top 10s, 4 DNFs
1995 Best Finish: 4th (IRP)

Steve Park, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., #15
1995 Truck Rank: 4th
1995 Truck Stats: 3 Wins, 13 Top 5s, 13 Top 10s, 5 Poles, 5 DNFs
1995 Best Finish: 1st (Dover, Watkins Glen, Rockingham)

While Dale Earnhardt Jr’s potential was expected, Steve Park looked just as good, if not better. The future of DEI is very bright.

Shawna Robinson, CPR Motorsports, #36
1995 Truck Rank: 16th
1995 Truck Stats: 2 Top 5s, 5 Top 10s, 5 DNF
1995 Best Finish: 3rd (Daytona)

Joe Ruttman, Irvan-Simo Racing, #84
1995 Truck Rank: 10th
1995 Truck Stats: 3 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, 3 DNFs
1995 Best Finish: 3rd (Nazareth, Sears Point)

Boris Said, Irvan-Simo Racing, #4
1995 Truck Rank: 17th
1995 Truck Stats: 2 Top 5s, 5 Top 10s, 4 DNFs
1995 Best Finish: 2nd (Sears Point)

Bill Sedgwick, Spears Motorsports, #75
1995 Truck Rank: 19th
1995 Truck Stats: 2 Top 10s, 2 DNF
1995 Best Finish: 7th (Daytona)

Mike Skinner, Richard Childress Racing, #3
1995 Truck Rank: 1st
1995 Truck Stats: 7 Wins, 12 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Phoenix, Bristol, Charlotte, Pocono, IRP, Martinsville, Homestead)

Mike Skinner dominated the inaugural Craftsman Truck Series season. He’ll likely be in the Busch Series next season, although he may just skip up to Cup, depending on how things play out.

Jack Sprague, Hendrick Motorsports, #25
1995 Truck Rank: 5th
1995 Truck Stats: 1 Win, 9 Top 5s, 16 Top 10s, 2 Poles, 1 DNF
Best Finish: 1st (Nazareth)

Solid season for Sprague, that should only help his career.

See you all in 1996!​