1992 Champion Spark Plug 400

The 1992 Champion Spark Plug 400 was the 19th stock car race of the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 16, 1992, before an audience of 95,000 in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Depending on fuel mileage, Leo Jackson Motorsports driver Harry Gant would manage to run the final 51 laps on one tank of fuel to take his 18th and final NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, owner-driver Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson & Associates driver Bill Elliott would finish second and third, respectively.

1992 Champion Spark Plug 400
Race details
Race 19 of 29 in the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1992 Champion Spark Plug 400 program cover, featuring Richard Petty. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
The 1992 Champion Spark Plug 400 program cover, featuring Richard Petty. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
Date August 16, 1992
Official name 23rd Annual Champion Spark Plug 400
Location Brooklyn, Michigan, Michigan International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
2 mi (3.2 km)
Distance 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Scheduled Distance 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Average speed 146.056 miles per hour (235.054 km/h)
Attendance 95,000
Pole position
Driver AK Racing
Time 40.405
Most laps led
Driver Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates
Laps 72
Winner
No. 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Michigan International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Oldsmobile Skoal
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Pontiac Miller Genuine Draft
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service Plus
4 Ernie Irvan Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Tide
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Valvoline
7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford Hooters
8 Dick Trickle Stavola Brothers Racing Ford Snickers
9 Chad Little Melling Racing Ford National Child Abuse Hotline
10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Chevrolet Purolator Filters
11 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford Budweiser
12 Hut Stricklin Bobby Allison Motorsports Chevrolet Raybestos
13 Stan Fox Folsom Racing Chevrolet Carrier "We're The Inside Guys."
15 Geoff Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford Motorcraft
16 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Roush Racing Ford Keystone
17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet Western Auto
18 Dale Jarrett Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Interstate Batteries
21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Sterling Marlin Junior Johnson & Associates Ford Maxwell House
23 Eddie Bierschwale B&B Racing Oldsmobile SplitFire
25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kodiak
26 Brett Bodine King Racing Ford Quaker State
27 Jeff McClure Linro Motorsports Chevrolet Showcase Racing Collectibles
28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac Pennzoil
31 Bobby Hillin Jr. Team Ireland Chevrolet Team Ireland
32 Jimmy Horton Active Motorsports Chevrolet Active Trucking
33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Oldsmobile Skoal Bandit
41 Greg Sacks Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac Mello Yello
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
49 Stanley Smith BS&S Motorsports Chevrolet Ameritron Batteries
51 Jeff Purvis Phoenix Racing Chevrolet Phoenix Construction
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Jimmy Means Racing
55 Ted Musgrave RaDiUs Motorsports Chevrolet Jasper Engines & Transmissions
66 Jimmy Hensley (R) Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford Phillips 66 TropArtic
68 Bobby Hamilton TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet Country Time
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Transmissions Unlimited
77 Mike Potter Balough Racing Chevrolet Kenova Golf Course Construction
83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Ford Purex
94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Ford Sunoco

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, August 14, at 3:30 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, August 15, at 10:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 would be decided on time,[3] and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; up to two were given. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.

Alan Kulwicki, driving for his own AK Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 40.405 and an average speed of 178.196 miles per hour (286.779 km/h) in the first round.[4]

No drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 40.405 178.196
2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 40.406 178.191
3 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 40.424 178.112
4 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 40.471 177.905
5 4 Ernie Irvan Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 40.479 177.870
6 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 40.532 177.637
7 11 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 40.593 177.370
8 22 Sterling Marlin Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 40.653 177.109
9 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 40.676 177.009
10 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Ford 40.696 176.922
11 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 40.707 176.874
12 15 Geoff Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford 40.766 176.618
13 94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 40.781 176.553
14 18 Dale Jarrett Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 40.790 176.514
15 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 40.794 176.497
16 68 Bobby Hamilton TriStar Motorsports Ford 40.806 176.445
17 10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Chevrolet 40.875 176.147
18 8 Dick Trickle Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 40.906 176.013
19 66 Jimmy Hensley (R) Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 40.973 175.725
20 12 Hut Stricklin Bobby Allison Motorsports Chevrolet 41.005 175.588
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 41.111 175.136
22 32 Jimmy Horton Active Motorsports Chevrolet 41.116 175.114
23 49 Stanley Smith BS&S Motorsports Chevrolet 41.141 175.008
24 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Oldsmobile 41.164 174.910
25 41 Greg Sacks Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 41.187 174.812
26 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 41.214 174.698
27 16 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Roush Racing Ford 41.262 174.495
28 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Oldsmobile 41.269 174.465
29 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 41.270 174.461
30 31 Bobby Hillin Jr. Team Ireland Chevrolet 41.306 174.309
31 9 Chad Little Melling Racing Ford 41.371 174.035
32 23 Eddie Bierschwale B&B Racing Oldsmobile 41.397 173.926
33 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Pontiac 41.495 173.515
34 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Ford 41.516 173.427
35 55 Ted Musgrave RaDiUs Motorsports Ford 41.806 172.224
36 51 Jeff Purvis Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 41.902 171.830
37 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 42.276 170.309
38 13 Stan Fox Folsom Racing Chevrolet 42.495 169.432
39 27 Jeff McClure Linro Motorsports Chevrolet 42.597 169.026
40 77 Mike Potter Balough Racing Chevrolet 42.715 168.559
Provisional
41 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet - -
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 24 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Oldsmobile 200 23 running 180 $71,545
2 9 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 200 6 running 175 $45,670
3 7 11 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 200 72 running 175 $45,820
4 5 4 Ernie Irvan Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 200 35 running 165 $28,920
5 3 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 0 running 155 $29,265
6 15 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 200 0 running 150 $21,715
7 8 22 Sterling Marlin Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 200 0 running 146 $19,515
8 14 18 Dale Jarrett Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 200 4 running 147 $18,265
9 2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 200 7 running 143 $19,715
10 6 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 200 0 running 134 $18,765
11 4 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 130 $19,240
12 10 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Ford 200 7 running 132 $16,615
13 28 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Oldsmobile 199 0 running 124 $15,115
14 1 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 199 46 running 126 $19,915
15 16 68 Bobby Hamilton TriStar Motorsports Ford 199 0 running 118 $14,415
16 41 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 199 0 running 115 $19,665
17 31 9 Chad Little Melling Racing Ford 199 0 running 112 $7,865
18 21 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 199 0 running 109 $13,165
19 18 8 Dick Trickle Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 199 0 running 106 $9,665
20 27 16 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Roush Racing Ford 199 0 running 103 $7,965
21 33 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Pontiac 198 0 running 100 $15,040
22 26 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 198 0 running 97 $11,940
23 13 94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 198 0 running 94 $11,740
24 20 12 Hut Stricklin Bobby Allison Motorsports Chevrolet 198 0 running 91 $11,590
25 35 55 Ted Musgrave RaDiUs Motorsports Ford 197 0 running 88 $11,340
26 30 31 Bobby Hillin Jr. Team Ireland Chevrolet 197 0 running 85 $6,390
27 36 51 Jeff Purvis Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 197 0 running 82 $6,340
28 32 23 Eddie Bierschwale B&B Racing Oldsmobile 193 0 running 79 $6,290
29 19 66 Jimmy Hensley (R) Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 191 0 running 76 $8,590
30 40 77 Mike Potter Balough Racing Chevrolet 175 0 running 73 $6,140
31 39 27 Jeff McClure Linro Motorsports Chevrolet 173 0 running 70 $5,990
32 29 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 101 0 engine 67 $7,540
33 17 10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Chevrolet 96 0 crash 64 $7,465
34 34 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Ford 87 0 crash 61 $6,840
35 23 49 Stanley Smith BS&S Motorsports Chevrolet 61 0 crash 58 $5,790
36 11 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 55 0 crash 55 $13,765
37 38 13 Stan Fox Folsom Racing Chevrolet 44 0 crash 52 $5,740
38 22 32 Jimmy Horton Active Motorsports Chevrolet 21 0 engine 49 $5,715
39 37 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 8 0 engine 46 $7,240
40 12 15 Geoff Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford 4 0 crash 43 $10,165
41 25 41 Greg Sacks Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 4 0 crash 40 $7,140
Official race results

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (August 17, 1992). "Gant able to stretch fuel to end for NASCAR win". Muncie Evening Press. p. 16. Retrieved February 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Harris, Mike (August 17, 1992). "Gant conserves his way to victory". The Tribune. p. 11. Retrieved February 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. August 13, 1992. p. 27. Retrieved February 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Higgins, Tom (August 15, 1992). "Kulwicki earns pole with record-setting lap". The Charlotte Observer. p. 11. Retrieved February 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
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1992 Budweiser at The Glen
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1992 season
Next race:
1992 Bud 500