1994 Mello Yello 500

{{Short description|28th race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Date=October 9|Scheduled_km=806.281|Distance_km=806.281|Avg={{convert|145.922|mph|km/h}}|Pole_Team=A.G. Dillard Motorsports|Network=TBS|Most_Driver=Geoff Bodine|Radio=Performance Racing Network|Announcers=Ken Squier, Chuck Bown, Cale Yarborough|Most_Team=Geoff Bodine Racing|First_Driver=Dale Jarrett|First_Team=Joe Gibbs Racing|Most_laps=202|Season_No=31|Location=Concord, North Carolina, Charlotte Motor Speedway|Pole_Time=29.070|Attendance=170,000|Scheduled_mi=501|Distance_laps=334|Scheduled_laps=334|Course_km=2.41|Course_mi=1.5|Race_No=28|Official_name=35th Annual Mello Yello 500|Car=18|Race_Name=Mello Yello 500|Year=1994|Distance_mi=501|Pole_Driver=Ward Burton|Image=1994_Mello_Yello_500.jpeg|Caption=The 1994 Mello Yello 500 program cover, with artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.}}

The 1994 Mello Yello 500 was the 28th stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 9, 1994, in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. In the final restart of the race with four to go, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to defend the field for the next three laps before a caution on the final lap ended the race, handing Jarrett the victory.{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=October 10, 1994 |title=Dales have good day at Charlotte |pages=19 |work=Evansville Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115031129/dales-have-good-day-at-charlotte/ |access-date=December 23, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Macenka |first=Joe |date=October 10, 1994 |title=Jarrett wins Mello Yello 500, Earnhardt one step closer to fourth title in five years |pages=13 |work=The Park City Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115075752/jarrett-wins-mello-yello-500-earnhardt/ |access-date=December 23, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} The victory was Jarrett's third NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory of his career and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Wood Brothers Racing driver Morgan Shepherd and Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.

Heading into the 1994 AC Delco 500, Dale Earnhardt was the extremely heavy favorite to win the driver's championship, only needing to be ahead of second-place driver, Rusty Wallace by 371 points at the finish of the race to mathematically clinch the championship.{{Cite news |last=Clarke |first=Liz |date=October 10, 1994 |title=Wallace's point race hope hurt |pages=10 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115076069/wallaces-point-race-hope-hurt/ |access-date=December 23, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

Background

File:Charlotte_Motor_Speedway_diagram.svg, the venue where the race was held.]]

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

= Entry list =

(R) denotes rookie driver.

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1994 Mello Yello 500

Background

= Entry list =

Qualifying

= Full qualifying results =

Race results

Standings after the race

References