By: Jay W. Pennell
Sprint Cup Correspondent
HardcoreRaceFans.com

The 1992 Winston All-Star Race is one that lives on in the memory of many Hardcore Race Fans. The first All-Star event run under the lights at the then Charlotte Motor Speedway, the evening was dubbed ‘One Hot Night’ – and it lived up to that name for sure.

The night started out with the 30-lap dash Winston Open for those drivers not already qualified for the night’s main event. Michael Waltrip was the best in the field, driving his No. 30 Pontiac to the front and taking the win for the second year in a row.

As the Open came to a close, the lights came on and the atmosphere became electric. The cars shined as the lights reflected off their paint schemes and decals and there was a feeling in the air like nothing ever felt before. The field lined up two-by-two on their pace laps and stopped at the start/finish line for a ceremonial picture. As the field came to a stop, the grandstands exploded with flashbulbs.

Davey Allison led the field to the green as they sped off into the North Carolina night on the race’s first thirty lap segment. Once that thirty-lap segment was complete, Hardcore Race Fans at home watching on TNN (The Nashville Network) and those in the grandstands voted to invert the entire field for the next thirty-lap segment.

The race then came down to a 10-lap shootout for all the money and all the glory. Dale Earnhardt led the field to the white flag, with Kyle Petty and Davey Allison in tow. Petty got a great run off Turn 2 and dove underneath the Intimidator going down the backstretch. Earnhardt threw a block and drove Petty all the way down the race track before entering Turn 3. Petty pulled his No. 42 Mellow Yellow Pontiac right behind Earnhardt’s famous No. 3 and took the air off his car, sending the ‘Man in Black’ spinning out of the lead.

This allowed Davey Allison to pull underneath Petty coming off Turn 4 with the Checkered Flag in sight. The two drag raced through the dog-leg with Allison getting the advantage. As the two crossed the line with Allison taking the win, Petty caught Allison’s right rear and sent the No. 28 Texaco/Havoline Ford hard into the wall. Pan-caking the wall on the driver’s side, Allison’s car slid across the track in a shower of sparks and smoke.

The impact left Allison unconscious and the Alabama-native was taken to the local hospital for care. Lowe’s Motor Speedway president and general manager, H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler explained, “For the first time in motorsports, the winner of the race was not able to celebrate his win. We made the best of it and took a wrecked race car to Victory Lane.”

This ‘One Hot Night’ lived up to its hype in every way possible. A personal favorite of mine, this race has gone down in the books as one of NASCAR’s greatest races. The finish continued the tradition of great All-Star Race finishes and left a lasting mark on the sport. With the level of competition and intensity where it is this year, with any luck we might just see another great finish along the lines of the 1992 Winston All-Star Race.