The 1993 Slick 50 500 was the 29th and penultimate stock car race of the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, the 14th and final race of the 1993 NASCAR Winston West Series season, and the sixth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 31, 1993, in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to dominate a majority of the race to take his 12th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth and final victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan and SABCO Racing driver Kyle Petty would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 29 of 30 in the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1993 Slick 50 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | October 31, 1993 | ||
| Official name | 6th Annual Slick 50 500 | ||
| Location | Avondale, Arizona, Phoenix International Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.6 km) | ||
| Distance | 312 laps, 312 mi (502.115 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 312 laps, 312 mi (502.115 km) | ||
| Average speed | 100.375 miles per hour (161.538 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
| Time | 27.803 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 212 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Buddy Baker, Neil Bonnett | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Heading into the final race of the season, the 1993 Hooters 500, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt was the heavy favorite to win the championship, only needing a 34th place or better to win the driver's championship.[3][4]
Background
edit
Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
editQualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, October 29, at 6:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, October 30, at 3:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 would be decided on time,[5] and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; which was one for cars in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and two extra provisionals for the NASCAR Winston West Series. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.
Bill Elliott, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, would win the pole, setting a time of 27.803 and an average speed of 129.482 miles per hour (208.381 km/h) in the first round.[6]
Six drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editStandings after the race
edit
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References
edit- ^ Harris, Mike (November 1, 1993). "Earnhardt very close to '93 championship". The Indianapolis Star. p. 29. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Armijo, Mark (November 1, 1993). "Martin drives monster NASCAR race". Arizona Republic. p. 27. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (November 1, 1993). "Gamble on tires leaves Wallace flat". The Charlotte Observer. p. 14. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Harris, Mike (November 1, 1993). "Flat tire ends Wallace's hopes". Daily World. p. 7. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. October 29, 1993. p. 23. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Harris, Mike (October 30, 1993). "Elliott Smashes Record". The Times-Tribune. p. 10. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
