1994 season recap

Defending champion Dale Earnhardt won his record-tying seventh NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship in grand fashion. Virtually unchallenged all season, Earnhardt successfully defended his 1993 championship and made a case to be recognized as the greatest NASCAR driver ever as he matched Richard Petty's seven championship seasons.

The Intimidator pulled away from his competition during the final stretch of the season and finished over 400 points ahead of the series runner-up.

FIVE RACES TO GO:

North Wilkesboro, NC - Dale Eanhardt came into North Wilkesboro massaging a 222-point lead in the championship chase. At the half-mile speedway, Geoff Bodine pulled off a rarity in NASCAR Winston Cup racing, grabbing his 17th career victory by a full lap over 1984 champion Terry Labonte. Points contender Rusty Wallace and leader Dale Earnhardt had quiet afternoons and they left the track separated by 208 points.

FOUR RACES TO GO:

Charlotte, NC - Dale Jarrett won his first race of the season, ending a 55-race drought, and Dale Earnhardt made a huge leap toward his seventh NASCAR Winston Cup title. Jarrett led only the final four laps, passing Morgan Shepherd on lap 331 and taking the checkered flag under caution. Earnhardt finished third and gained 113 points on Rusty Wallace, who finished 37th with motor problems. With three races remaining, The Intimidator led Wallace by 321 points.

THREE RACES TO GO:

Rockingham, NC - A Dale Earnhardt victory and a 35th-place finish by Rusty Wallace gave Earnhardt his seventh NASCAR Winston Cup championship, tying The King for most career titles. It was Earnhardt's fourth victory of the season and the 63rd of his career. He had won six of his seven titles with the Richard Childress-owned RCR Enterprises operation, which Earnhardt joined in 1984. He won his first championship in 1980 with team owner Rod Osterlund.

TWO RACES TO GO:

Phoenix, AZ - Terry Labonte dominated in the desert to win his third race of the season. It marked the first time in his career that Labonte had won more than two races in a single season. The victory helped Labonte secure a top 10 finish in the point standings. NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt lasted only 91 laps before he suffered engine failure. With a runner-up finish, Mark Martin closed to within 75 points of Rusty Wallace for second in the standings as Wallace finished 17th.

FINAL RACE:

Hampton, GA - Mark Martin led 119 of 328 laps to win his second race of the season and finish second in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series standings. Martin erased a 75-point deficit between him and Wallace, who finished 32nd with a broken oil tank. Champion Dale Earnhardt finished second behind Martin and ended the year with a 444-point margin over Martin.