Winston Select 500 (1994)
May 1, 1994 was a dark day in the history of auto racing with the tragic death of Ayrton Senna occurring. On that same day, NASCAR’s Winston Cup Series raced at the Talladega Superspeedway in the Winston Select 500. The race was action-packed with Dale Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan staging a fantastic fight for the lead throughout the 500-mile race.
There were two memorable incidents in the event. The first involved Mark Martin among others whose car nearly drove into the Talladega infield after his car was involved in a wreck which caused him to lose his brakes. Following Martin’s incident, Jimmy Spencer triggered the biggest wreck in the race which involved Rusty Wallace and Terry Labonte among others. Thankfully nobody was injured.
In the final few laps, Spencer, Michael Waltrip and Ken Schrader all took shots at Earnhardt. Irvan managed to make his way to second on the final lap but ran out of time as Earnhardt held on for the win. In victory lane, Earnhardt acknowledged Senna’s passing sending well wishes to his family and fans.