ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 4, 1993                   TAG: 9312040150
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

NASCAR HONORS CHAMPIONS PAST AND PRESENT

NASCAR's Winston Cup series reached a high-water mark Friday night as more than $4.7 million in winnings was distributed during its awards banquet.

After a season in which two of its stars were killed in aviation accidents, NASCAR's best and brightest put on a smile and celebrated one of their most competitive seasons with a black-tie affair.

Bill France Jr., president of the sport's sanctioning body, paid tribute to 1992 champion Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison, saying their deaths "were losses to our future, but, more important, they were losses to our heart. We'll never forget them, but I'm proud of the way the people in our series picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and kept moving on."

Dale Earnhardt, who beat out Rusty Wallace in an exciting late-season battle for the points title, came away from the banquet with $1,745,049 in checks, including $1,423,049 from the points fund of series sponsor Winston and NASCAR's speedways.

Earnhardt, 42, one title shy of Richard Petty's record of seven series championships, also received the $100,000 Unocal Contingency Point Fund Award, a $50,000 McDonald's All-Star team award, the $25,000 True Value Hard Charger Award, the $25,000 Unocal Gasoline Award, the $20,000 Gatorade Circle of Champions Award and the $10,000 Champion's Award from Goodyear.

Andy Petree, Earnhardt's first-year crew chief, picked up the $25,000 Western Auto Mechanic of the Year Award, as well as the $20,000 Plasti-Kote Quality Finish Award. GM Goodwrench team engine-builder Eddie Lanier was given the $47,000 AE Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award.

Other awards included: the $25,000 Gillette Racing Challenge Award to Mark Martin; the Manufacturers' championship trophy to Chevrolet, which reclaimed it after a battle with Ford; the top STP Award of $20,000 to Kyle Petty; the $25,000 Maxx Race Cards Rookie of the Year Award to Jeff Gordon; the $50,000 Sears DieHard Racer Award to Bill Elliott; and the top DuPont Winning Finish Award of $25,000 to Daytona 500 winner Dale Jarrett.

Keywords:
AUTO RACING 


 by CNB