Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 4, 1993 TAG: 9312040101
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
\ February: Dale Earnhardt wins the Busch Clash and his 125 qualifying race at Daytona, but his 500 is another heartbreaker as Dale Jarrett passes him with about a lap to go. Rusty Wallace's car flips eight times while he is running among the leaders, but he comes back to win two weeks later at Rockingham. (The potential points Wallace loses at Daytona would have given him the title in November.)
\ March: What turns out to be Davey Allison's last victory comes at Richmond on March 7; Wallace is second, Alan Kulwicki third. The blizzard of '93 snows out Atlanta; Morgan Shepherd wins a week later. Earnhardt wins his first of the year, at Darlington. Kulwicki finishes sixth in his last race.
\ April: Kulwicki, the reigning Winston Cup champion, is killed on April 1 when his plane goes down while approaching Bristol. Wallace wins the race and makes a clean sweep of April, winning at North Wilkesboro and Martinsville, as well.
\ May: Wallace suffers a broken wrist in a wild last-lap finish at Talladega and slides into an injury-induced slump. Ernie Irvan wins the race, his last victory in the Kodak car. Geoff Bodine wins at Sears Point, and Earnhardt gets a controversial Winston victory at Charlotte and comes back from a lap down late in the 600 there to win again.
\ June: Earnhardt wins at Dover, while Kyle Petty takes the first Pocono race. Ricky Rudd announces at Michigan that he is forming his own team, then goes out and wins the race as a lame-duck driver for Rick Hendrick.
\ July: It's Earnhardt again at Daytona. Wallace returns to the winner's circle in the inaugural New Hampshire race on July 11. The next day, while trying to land his helicopter at Talladega to watch Neil Bonnett's son, David, practice, Davey Allison loses control, crashes and suffers a fatal head injury. Longtime friend Red Farmer is seriously injured. Earnhardt wins a bleak Pocono race six days later and then wins a tumultuous Talladega race that features horrific crashes, including one that gravely injures Stanley Smith.
\ August: Mark Martin begins his four-race win streak, finishing first at Watkins Glen, at Michigan and then at Bristol, where he passes Wallace with 12 laps to go after Wallace dominates much of the 500-lap night race. After Bristol, Earnhardt leads Wallace by 309 points, his largest lead of the season.
\ September: Martin wins his fourth race at Darlington, but Wallace, on the comeback trail, takes Richmond and a controversial Dover. At Martinsville, Irvan wins his first as Allison's permanent replacement. Wallace is second and trails Earnhardt by 82 points.
\ October: Wallace wins at North Wilkesboro, but Earnhardt is second. Wallace is 72 points behind - as close as he will get. Irvan clobbers the field at Charlotte. Earnhardt is third, Wallace fourth. Wallace wins his ninth race of 1993 at Rockingham, but Earnhardt is second.
\ November: Martin wins at Phoenix, Earnhardt is fourth and Wallace stumbles to 19th. Earnhardt easily wraps up his sixth championship at Atlanta, while Wallace wins his 10th race of the year.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB