1992 Winston Cup Series

1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Alan Kulwicki, the 1992 series champion
Duration	February 16 to November 15
TV	CBS, TNN/TBS, ESPN/ABC
Season statistics
No. of races	29
No. of teams	31 (full-time) 30 (part-time)
First race	Daytona 500
Last race	Hooters 500
Drivers' champion	Alan Kulwicki
Manufacturers' champion
Rookie of the Year	Jimmy Hensley
Most popular driver	Bill Elliott
Previous	1991
Next	1993

The 1992 Winston Cup Series was 44th season of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16 and ended with the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 15.

The season is considered one of the best NASCAR Cup Series seasons, due to several intersecting storylines and events that occurred throughout the season. Davey Allison led the point standings through much of the first half of the season, despite several crashes which led to injuries at Bristol, Charlotte, and Pocono. Bill Elliott also had a dominant first season driving for Junior Johnson, with 5 wins, and led the points standings through much of the second half of the season. However, after a error in strategy cost Elliott the win at Dover in September, Elliott lost his lead in the points, setting the stage for 6 drivers (Allison, Elliott, Alan Kulwicki, Kyle Petty, Harry Gant, and Mark Martin) to be eligible to claim the championship in the final race of the season. Ultimately, Kulwicki, who had a consistent season and went into the final race with a 10 point lead over Elliott, led the most laps in the final race and finished second to Elliott, maintaining his 10 point lead and claiming the Championship. It was the last time a sole owner-driver won the NASCAR Cup Series title.

It was also Richard Petty's final full time season, and saw the debut of Jeff Gordon in the final race. The season later became even more noteworthy in the following seasons, as Kulwicki and Allison were both killed in aviation crashes in 1993, and 1992 marked Elliott's and Junior Johnson's final serious championship efforts. Elliott, inspired by Kulwicki's success as an owner-driver, would leave Johnson's team after 1994 to own and drive for himself, while Junior Johnson would eventually sell his team after the 1995 season to then-driver Brett Bodine. It was also Oldsmobile's final NASCAR Season, as the brand left the sport and then was dissolved in 2004.

During the season, Bill France Sr, the founder of NASCAR, passed away on June 7, 1992.

Teams

Car No.	Driver	Sponsor	Make	Team
0	Delma Cowart (8)	Master's Economy Inn		H.L. Waters
1	Rick Mast	Skoal		Richard Jackson
2	Rusty Wallace	Miller Genuine Draft		Roger Penske
3	Dale Earnhardt	GM Goodwrench		Richard Childress
4	Ernie Irvan	Kodak		Morgan-McClure Motorsports
5	Ricky Rudd	Tide		Rick Hendrick
6	Mark Martin	Valvoline		Jack Roush
7	Alan Kulwicki	Hooters		Alan Kulwicki
8	Dick Trickle (28) Rick Wilson (1)	Snickers		Stavola Brothers
9	Chad Little (13) Dave Mader III # (6) Phil Parsons (2) Dorsey Schroeder (1) Bill Schmitt (1)	Melling		Melling Racing
10	Derrike Cope	Purolator		Bob Whitcomb
11	Bill Elliott	Budweiser		Junior Johnson
12	Hut Stricklin (21) Jeff Purvis (4) Jimmy Spencer (4)	Raybestos Brakes	/	Bobby Allison
15	Geoffrey Bodine	Motorcraft		Bud Moore
16	Wally Dallenbach Jr.	Keystone Beer		Jack Roush
17	Darrell Waltrip	Western Auto		Darrell Waltrip
18	Dale Jarrett	Interstate Batteries		Joe Gibbs
21	Morgan Shepherd	Citgo		Wood Brothers Racing
22	Sterling Marlin	Maxwell House		Junior Johnson
23	Eddie Bierschwale	SplitFire		Don Bierschwale
25	Ken Schrader	Kodiak		Rick Hendrick
26	Brett Bodine	Quaker State		Kenny Bernstein
28	Davey Allison	Texaco/Havoline		Robert Yates
30	Michael Waltrip	Pennzoil		Bahari Racing
31	Bobby Hillin Jr (12)	Team Ireland		Team Ireland
33	Harry Gant	Skoal		Leo Jackson
41	Greg Sacks (20) Dave Marcis (7) Hut Stricklin (2)	Kellogg's		Larry Hedrick
42	Kyle Petty	Mello Yello		Felix Sabates
43	Richard Petty	STP		Petty Enterprises
48	James Hylton	Rumple Furniture	/	James Hylton
49	Stanley Smith	Ameritron Batteries		Stanley Smith
52	Jimmy Means (25) Brad Teague (1) Tommy Kendall (1) Scott Sharp (1) Scott Gaylord (1)			Jimmy Means
53	John McFadden (5) Graham Taylor (2)			Jimmy Means
55	Ted Musgrave	Jasper Engines		RaDiUs Motorsports
59	Andy Belmont #	FDP Brakes		Pat Rissi
66	Jimmy Hensley # (22) Chad Little (6) Bobby Hillin Jr. (1)	TropArtic		Cale Yarborough
68	Bobby Hamilton	Country Time		Tri-Star Motorsports
71	Dave Marcis (22) Jim Sauter (7)	Big Apple Market		Dave Marcis
77	Mike Potter	Kenova Construction		Steve Balogh
83	Lake Speed (11)	Purex		Lake Speed
90	Charlie Glotzbach (7) Hut Stricklin (4) Dorsey Schroeder (1) Kerry Teague (1) Pancho Carter (1) Bobby Hillin Jr. (1)	SplitFire		Junie Donlavey
94	Terry Labonte	Sunoco		Billy Hagan
98	Jimmy Spencer (11)	Moly Black Gold		Travis Carter

Schedule

Round	Date	Race Name	Track	TV
	February 9, 1992	Busch Clash	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
	February 13, 1992	Gatorade Twin 125 Qualifiers	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
1	February 16, 1992	Daytona 500 By STP	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
2	March 1, 1992	GM Goodwrench 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway	TNN
3	March 8, 1992	Pontiac Excitement 400	Richmond International Raceway	TBS
4	March 15, 1992	Motorcraft Quality Parts 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ABC
5	March 29, 1992	TranSouth 500	Darlington Raceway	ESPN
6	April 5, 1992	Food City 500	Bristol International Raceway	ESPN
7	April 12, 1992	First Union 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway	ESPN
8	April 26, 1992	Hanes 500	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN
9	May 3, 1992	Winston 500	Talladega Superspeedway	ESPN
	May 16, 1992	The Winston	Charlotte Motor Speedway	TNN
10	May 24, 1992	Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway	TBS
11	May 31, 1992	Budweiser 500	Dover Downs International Speedway	TNN
12	June 7, 1992	Save Mart 300K	Sears Point Raceway	ESPN
13	June 14, 1992	Champion Spark Plug 500	Pocono International Raceway	ESPN
14	June 21, 1992	Miller Genuine Draft 400	Michigan International Speedway	CBS
15	July 4, 1992	Pepsi 400	Daytona International Speedway	ESPN
16	July 19, 1992	Miller Genuine Draft 500	Pocono International Raceway	ESPN
17	July 26, 1992	DieHard 500	Talladega Superspeedway	CBS
18	August 9, 1992	Budweiser at the Glen	Watkins Glen International	ESPN
19	August 16, 1992	Champion Spark Plug 400	Michigan International Speedway	ESPN
20	August 29, 1992	Bud 500	Bristol International Raceway	ESPN
21	September 6, 1992	Mountain Dew Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	ESPN
22	September 12, 1992	Miller Genuine Draft 400	Richmond International Raceway	TBS
23	September 20, 1992	Peak Antifreeze 500	Dover Downs International Speedway	TNN
24	September 28, 1992	Goody's 500	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN
25	October 5, 1992	Tyson Holly Farms 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway	ESPN
26	October 11, 1992	Mello Yello 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	TBS
27	October 25, 1992	AC Delco 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway	TNN
28	November 1, 1992	Pyroil 500K	Phoenix International Raceway	TNN
29	November 15, 1992	Hooters 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ESPN

Results

Round	Race	Pole Winner	Winner	Make	Cautions	Caution Laps	Average Speed	Number of Lead Changes
	1992 Busch Clash	Brett Bodine	Geoffrey Bodine		1	1	189.076	4
	1992 Gatorade Twin 125 (Race #1)	Sterling Marlin	Dale Earnhardt		3	20	116.430	4
	1992 Gatorade Twin 125 (Race #2)	Bill Elliott	Bill Elliott		1	4	169.811	2
1	1992 Daytona 500 By STP	Sterling Marlin	Davey Allison		4	22	160.256	15
2	1992 GM Goodwrench 500	Kyle Petty	Bill Elliott		7	28	126.125	11
3	1992 Pontiac Excitement 400	Bill Elliott	Bill Elliott		4	23	104.378	5
4	1992 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500	Mark Martin	Bill Elliott		7	29	147.746	10
5	1992 TranSouth 500	Sterling Marlin	Bill Elliott		4	21	139.364	21
6	1992 Food City 500	Alan Kulwicki	Alan Kulwicki		10	75	86.316	11
7	1992 First Union 400	Alan Kulwicki	Davey Allison		9	55	90.653	8
8	1992 Hanes 500	Darrell Waltrip	Mark Martin		11	59	78.086	11
9	1992 Winston 500	Ernie Irvan	Davey Allison		5	21	167.609	16
	1992 The Winston	Davey Allison	Davey Allison		1	5	132.678	4
10	1992 Coca-Cola 600	Bill Elliott	Dale Earnhardt		12	62	132.980	28
11	1992 Budweiser 500	Brett Bodine	Harry Gant		7	98	109.456	20
12	1992 Save Mart 300K	Ricky Rudd	Ernie Irvan		3	7	81.413	7
13	1992 Champion Spark Plug 500	Ken Schrader	Alan Kulwicki		3	13	144.023	26
14	1992 Miller Genuine Draft 400 (Michigan)	Davey Allison	Davey Allison		4	13	152.672	14
15	1992 Pepsi 400	Sterling Marlin	Ernie Irvan		2	8	170.457	17
16	1992 Miller Genuine Draft 500	Davey Allison	Darrell Waltrip		3	23	134.058	13
17	1992 DieHard 500	Sterling Marlin	Ernie Irvan		2	11	176.309	17
18	1992 Budweiser At The Glen	Dale Earnhardt	Kyle Petty		3	13	88.980	6
19	1992 Champion Spark Plug 400	Alan Kulwicki	Harry Gant		5	25	146.056	16
20	1992 Bud 500	Ernie Irvan	Darrell Waltrip		10	55	91.198	14
21	1992 Mountain Dew Southern 500	Sterling Marlin	Darrell Waltrip		5	28	129.114	23
22	1992 Miller Genuine Draft 400 (Richmond)	Ernie Irvan	Rusty Wallace		3	20	104.661	12
23	1992 Peak AntiFreeze 500	Alan Kulwicki	Ricky Rudd		9	48	115.289	13
24	1992 Goody's 500	Kyle Petty	Geoffrey Bodine		12	67	75.424	16
25	1992 Tyson Holly Farms 400	Alan Kulwicki	Geoffrey Bodine		0	0	107.360	12
26	1992 Mello Yello 500	Alan Kulwicki	Mark Martin		3	12	153.537	20
27	1992 AC Delco 500	Kyle Petty	Kyle Petty		2	12	130.748	9
28	1992 Pyroil 500K	Rusty Wallace	Davey Allison		7	34	103.885	8
29	1992 Hooters 500	Rick Mast	Bill Elliott		7	45	133.322	20

Final Points Standings

Pos.	Driver	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Points	Difference
1	Alan Kulwicki	29	2	11	17	6	4078
2	Bill Elliott	29	5	14	17	2	4068	-10
3	Davey Allison	29	5	15	17	2	4015	-63
4	Harry Gant	29	2	10	15	0	3955	-123
5	Kyle Petty	29	2	9	17	3	3945	-133
6	Mark Martin	29	2	10	17	1	3887	-191
7	Ricky Rudd	29	1	9	18	1	3735	-343
8	Terry Labonte	29	0	4	16	0	3674	-404
9	Darrell Waltrip	29	3	10	13	1	3659	-419
10	Sterling Marlin	29	0	6	13	5	3603	-475
11	Ernie Irvan	29	3	9	11	3	3580	-498
12	Dale Earnhardt	29	1	6	15	1	3574	-504
13	Rusty Wallace	29	1	5	12	1	3556	-522
14	Morgan Shepherd	29	0	3	11	0	3549	-529
15	Brett Bodine	29	0	2	13	1	3491	-587
16	Geoffrey Bodine	29	2	7	11	0	3437	-641
17	Ken Schrader	29	0	4	11	1	3404	-674
18	Ted Musgrave	29	0	1	7	0	3315	-763
19	Dale Jarrett	29	0	2	8	0	3251	-827
20	Dick Trickle	29	0	3	9	0	3097	-981
21	Derrike Cope	29	0	0	3	0	3033	-1,045
22	Rick Mast	29	0	0	1	1	2830	-1,248
23	Michael Waltrip	29	0	1	2	0	2825	-1,253
24	Wally Dallenbach, Jr.	29	0	1	1	0	2799	-1,279
25	Bobby Hamilton	29	0	0	2	0	2787	-1,291
26	Richard Petty	29	0	0	0	0	2731	-1,347
27	Hut Stricklin	28	0	0	4	0	2689	-1,389
28	Jimmy Hensley	22	0	0	4	0	2410	-1,668
29	Dave Marcis	29	0	0	0	0	2348	-1,730
30	Greg Sacks	20	0	0	0	0	1759	-2,319
31	Chad Little	19	0	0	1	0	1669	-2,409
32	Jimmy Means	22	0	0	0	0	1531	-2,547
33	Jimmy Spencer	12	0	3	3	0	1284	-2,794
34	Bobby Hillin, Jr.	13	0	0	0	0	1135	-2,943
35	Stanley Smith	14	0	0	0	0	959	-3,119
36	Mike Potter	11	0	0	0	0	806	-3,272
37	Jim Sauter	9	0	0	0	0	729	-3,349
38	Lake Speed	9	0	0	0	0	726	-3,352
39	Jimmy Horton	9	0	0	0	0	660	-3,418
40	Bob Schacht	9	0	0	0	0	611	-3,467
41	Charlie Glotzbach	7	0	0	0	0	592	-3,486
42	James Hylton	8	0	0	0	0	476	-3,602
43	Andy Belmont	8	0	0	0	0	467	-3,611
44	Jeff Purvis	6	0	0	0	0	453	-3,625
45	Dave Mader III	5	0	0	0	0	436	-3,642
46	Jerry O'Neil	6	0	0	0	0	429	-3,649
47	Eddie Bierschwale	4	0	0	0	0	277	-3,801
48	Buddy Baker	3	0	0	0	0	255	-3,823
49	Rich Bickle	3	0	0	0	0	252	-3,826
50	Mike Wallace	3	0	0	0	0	249	-3,829

Complete statistics can be found at Racing-Reference.info.

Rookie of the Year

Rookie of the Year Standings

Position	Driver	Points	Race Wins
1	Jimmy Hensley	240	0
2	Andy Belmont	198	0
3	Dave Mader, III	118	0

Manufacturer Championship

With 16 wins, Ford won the manufacturer's championship. It was Ford's first manufacturer's championship since 1969.

Position	Make	Points	Race Wins
1		207	16
2		173	8
3		135	3
4		114	2
5		8	0