1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Season: Earnhardt's Seventh Title and the Irvan Crash

The 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series ran from February 20 to November 13 and ended with Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing winning his seventh championship. That total tied Richard Petty's record for top-level titles. The season was also shaped by deaths and injuries, including Ernie Irvan's near-fatal crash in practice at Michigan in August.

How did the 1994 season start?

The season opened in grief. Neil Bonnett died in practice for the Daytona 500, and Rodney Orr was killed the day after the Busch Clash. Sterling Marlin then won the 36th Daytona 500 for his first career Cup victory, becoming the fifth driver to do so as a first win.

The Busch Clash on February 13 was won by Jeff Gordon, with Brett Bodine and Dale Earnhardt next in the top three. Ken Schrader had drawn the pole for that exhibition. Orr's car hit the outside wall and catch fence in turn two, and the accident came the day after the Clash finished.

Loy Allen Jr. took the Daytona 500 pole as a rookie and became the first to do so, although he led no laps. Marlin's victory came in his 279th start, after eight second-place finishes that tied Bill Elliott for the most runner-up results before a first win.

The race was also the first points event in which cars were required to run roof flaps. The rule followed multiple violent flips at Daytona and Talladega in 1993, and this race was the first to enforce it.

Two deaths at the start of the year and a near-fatal crash at Michigan framed Earnhardt's record-tying seventh title.

Why did Earnhardt's seventh title stand out?

Earnhardt clinched his seventh championship with two races to go, winning consecutive titles for the third time in his career. He drew level with Richard Petty on seven championships and finished 448 points ahead of Rusty Wallace when the title was settled at North Carolina Speedway.

The points lead had changed hands during the summer. Irvan had been 16 points ahead of Earnhardt entering the Brickyard 400, but his right front tyre cut down with five laps to go and Jeff Gordon moved into the lead. Irvan finished 17th, a lap down, while Earnhardt's fifth place put him in front for the rest of the year.

Earnhardt's seven titles all came under a single points system, which makes his record unusual. As of 2024 no other driver has done that. Petty's seven titles came under five different systems, and Jimmie Johnson later won seven under four.

The season closed with Earnhardt finishing 444 points ahead of Mark Martin in the standings. That was the fourth-largest points margin under the Bob Latford system,.

What did Ernie Irvan's crash change?

Ernie Irvan suffered near-fatal head, chest and lung injuries when he blew a tyre in turn two during practice for the GM Goodwrench Dealer 400 at Michigan on August 21. He hit the outside wall at high speed, and the team withdrew from the race. He was sidelined for the remainder of 1994 and much of 1995.

Irvan had already won earlier in the year, taking the Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond in March and the Purolator 500 at Atlanta a week later. He added the Save Mart Supermarkets 300 at Sears Point in May, becoming the first driver to win twice at that circuit.

Kenny Wallace replaced him in the #28 Ford from the Goody's 500 at Bristol onwards. Wallace finished a lap down in 13th on his first start in the car, and he drove it for the rest of the season.

How did the Brickyard 400 change the points race?

The inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis on August 6 was won by Jeff Gordon, and it moved Earnhardt into the points lead. Rick Mast had won the pole for the race, and Irvan was leading Earnhardt by 16 points going in.

Gordon passed Irvan with five laps to go when Irvan's right front tyre cut down, and Irvan's late-race problem dropped him to 17th. Earnhardt finished fifth, which was enough to take the lead, and he kept it through to the finish.

Brett Bodine led the most laps at Indianapolis. Around lap 101, though, he spun his older brother Geoff while Geoff was apparently making the winning pass. Geoff then publicly announced a feud between the two brothers, which lasted for several years.

Jimmy Spencer was hurt in a lap nine crash, with bruising and a broken shoulder blade, and was forced to miss the following race.

Which drivers won for the first time in 1994?

Three drivers recorded their first career Cup victories in 1994. Sterling Marlin won the Daytona 500, Jimmy Spencer took the Pepsi 400 at Daytona by 0.008 seconds, and Jeff Gordon won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte at 22 years old from the pole.

Gordon's Charlotte win came after a day of wrecks, and he took only two tyres on his final pit stop.

Spencer's Daytona win came when he passed Irvan on the last lap, and it was his first career Cup victory. Earnhardt had started from the pole that day and finished third. Spencer won again at Talladega later that month, his second and final win.

Ricky Rudd won the Slick 50 300 at New Hampshire in July, the first victory with his own team, Rudd Performance Motorsports. Geoff Bodine won the Miller Genuine Draft 500 at Pocono in the same month, his first points race win as an owner-driver.

Which drivers decided the second half of the year?

Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Geoff Bodine and Dale Jarrett all won races in the second half of 1994. Wallace took three late-season races at Bristol, Dover and Martinsville, while Martin won at The Glen and closed the season with a victory at Atlanta.

Rusty Wallace was the busiest winner in the late stretch. He took the Goody's 500 at Bristol on August 27, the SplitFire Spark Plug 500 at Dover on September 18 and the Goody's 500 at Martinsville on September 25. The Dover win was his third consecutive there, and the Martinsville victory was his eighth of the year.

Terry Labonte had two strong moments in the autumn. He won the Miller Genuine Draft 400 at Richmond on September 10 and the Slick 50 500 at Phoenix on October 30. His first win of the year had come at North Wilkesboro in April, ending a wait that dated to 1989 and marking his first with Hendrick Motorsports.

Dale Jarrett's year was defined by an unusual turn. He failed to qualify at North Wilkesboro on October 2, something that had never happened to him in his Hall of Fame career. He then won the Mello Yello 500 at Charlotte the following week, the first driver to fail to qualify for a race and win the next one.

Geoff Bodine won three races in 1994, at Pocono in July, Michigan in August and North Wilkesboro in October. The North Wilkesboro win was his penultimate Cup victory, and he would win one more race in 1996 at Watkins Glen. Hoosier's last points win was that same October race.

Mark Martin won at The Glen on August 14 from the pole. He then won the Hooters 500 at Atlanta on November 13, with Earnhardt second and Martin passing Rusty Wallace in the final standings after Wallace suffered engine trouble late in the race.

Selected race results

Rookies, teams and the end of Hoosier

Jeff Burton was named Rookie of the Year after two top-five finishes in Stavola Brothers' No. 8 Ford, and his brother Ward was also among the candidates. Loy Allen Jr. had three poles but struggled for consistency and sat well down the table. Fellow Busch Series graduates Steve Grissom and Joe Nemechek each had three top-ten finishes, and a record eight drivers declared for the award.

Hoosier's exit was also a story. The tyre maker left the series after the Atlanta finale, which left Goodyear as the sole supplier from 1995. Hoosier's last Cup start came at the Hooters 500, and its final points victory had come at North Wilkesboro in October with Geoff Bodine.

Harry Gant's season ended with his last points race, the Hooters 500, where he finished 33rd after an oil pan failure on lap 257. He had won his final pole at Bristol in August, and he finished his career with 18 Cup victories.