Official name First Union 400 | ||
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Date April 18, 1993 (1993-April-18) Course Permanent racing facility0.625 mi (1.005 km) Distance 400 laps, 266.5 mi (402.3 km) Weather Temperatures reaching up to 79.9 °F (26.6 °C)Average wind speed: 7.02 miles per hour (11.30 km/h)Total precipitation: 0 inches (0 ft) with a visibility of 22.9 miles (36.9 km) | ||
The 1993 First Union 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on April 18, 1993, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The Grand Marshall of the event was former NASCAR Cup Series driver Jim Roper. Jim was the father of Dean Roper and grandfather of Tony Roper. Both were killed in racing accidents in the early 2000s.
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Rick Mast would serve his 100th NASCAR Cup Series start at this event. Sterling Marlin would suffer from bad luck; he would have won had he been able to use either Ernie Irvan's vehicle or Bobby Labonte's vehicle for the duration of the event. However, Marlin would gain better luck during the later years of his NASCAR Cup Series career.
Summary
Rusty Wallace managed to defeat Kyle Petty by a margin of 1.66 seconds with four cautions handed out for 38 laps. The race took two hours and forty-one minutes to reach its full conclusion with vehicles going an average of 92.602 miles per hour (149.028 km/h). Brett Bodine achieved the pole position with a speed of 117.017 miles per hour (188.321 km/h).
The winning driver drove a Pontiac machine to the finish line. Jeff Gordon would acquire a last-place finish during this racing event. Out of the 34-car grid, only three of them would fail to finish the race due to engine issues and a one-man crash by Jeff Gordon. Stanley Smith, Dave Marcis, Jimmy Horton, James Hylton, and Jay Hedgecok all failed to qualify for this race.
Rusty Wallace would retain the championship points lead after this race. The winner would win $43,535 in total winnings ($72,177.24 when adjusted for inflation) while the last place driver would walk away with a mere $4,180 ($6,930.08 when adjusted for inflation). Most of the entries were either Ford or Chevrolet; Pontiac only fielded six entries for the race.