QUALIFYING: Ernie Irvan won the Bud Pole with a speed of 93.608mph and a time of 00:20.229sec his third of the year. Rusty Wallace started 17th with a speed of 92.746mph and a time of 00:20.417sec. Top Ten Qualifiers: 1st-Ernie Irvan, 2nd-Ricky Rudd, 3rd-Jeff Gordon, 4th-Rich Bickle, 5th-Wally Dallenbach, 6th-Jeff Green, 7th-Sterling Marlin, 8th-John Andretti, 9th-Ted Musgrave, 10th-Dale Jarrett. Notables in field: 13th-Mark Martin, 16th-Jeff Burton, 17th-Rusty Wallace, 18th-Ken Schrader, 21st-Bobby Labonte, 27th-Michael Waltrip, 32nd-Jeremy Mayfield, 33rd-Dale Earnhardt. Starting Grid
RACE: He asked for standby relief with about 300 laps to go. He was doused with scalding water by a
well-meaning crew trying to cool him off. And his cooling system
wasn't working at all. But with a car he knew he could win in -- and a piece of NASCAR Winston Cup history as the prize -- Ricky Rudd wasn't giving up the car for anyone. The gutsy triumph extended Rudd's streak of seasons with a victory to 16, moving him past Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip and into sole possession of the consistency record. And it came despite conditions that were dangerous, with temperatures in the 90s outside and around 150 inside the cars. It got worse for Rudd before it got better. Rudd's helmet, designed to blow cool air onto his head and cool his seat, also malfunctioned, leaving him hotter still with blisters everywhere. After being helped from his Ford after the race, Rudd lay prone for several minutes before he was able to celebrate the hard-earned victory. Several drivers were relieved during the race, and most who finished immediately sought refuge in their air-conditioned trailers or the infield care center, where they were pumped with fluids and oxygen. It was his 20th career victory and 3rd on Winston Cup's oldest and shortest track. Jeff Gordon followed Rudd into turn one out of the 11th and final caution with 51 laps remaining, but never made a serious bid for the lead and wound up 2nd. **Rich Bickle finished fourth, the best showing of his career.** Top Ten Finishers: 1st-Ricky Rudd, 2nd-Jeff Gordon, 3rd-Mark Martin, 4th-Rich Bickle, 5th-Terry Labonte, 6th-Bill Elliott, 7th-Jeff Burton, 8th-Ernie Irvan, 9th-Johnny Benson, 10th-Bobby Labonte. Notables in the field: 12th-Ken Schrader, 20th-Michael Waltrip, 22nd-Dale Earnhardt, 23rd-Jeremy Mayfield, 28th-Rusty Wallace, 42nd-Dale Jarrett. Race Results
RACE RECAP:
After 500 Laps
Leaders: 5
Lead Changes: 11
11 Cautions for 82 Laps
Cars Out of Race: 5
Average Speed: 73.350mph
Winner: Ricky Rudd
Margin of Victory: 0.533
Time of Race: 3:35:08
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