NASCAR in 1993: Story lines, key moments

The 1993 season was full of raw emotion - good and sad - to look back on for years to come. Let's go back and recap the season that was.

Dale Earnhardt continued his winning ways and claimed his sixth championship title in 1993, his fifth with Richard Childress Racing. He won his first title in 1980 and it wasn't until 1986 that he won another one. The others came in 1987, 1990 and 1991. Earnhardt had six wins, 17 top fives, 21 top 10s and two poles. Earnhardt led a total 1,475 laps during the season and had an average start of 9.2 and average finish of 8.7.

Team owner Richard Childress celebrated his fifth owners title with Earnhardt in 1993. Childress got his first win as a team owner in 1983 with Ricky Rudd. Earnhardt and Childress won the title again in 1994, marking the last Cup championship won by Childress to this day.

February 14, 1993: Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500. It began when Kyle Petty won the pole and also became the first North Carolina driver to win the pole for the Daytona 500 since Benny Parsons in 1982. His father, Richard Petty, waved the green flag in the first Winston Cup race held since his retirement. Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt were battling for the lead late in the race. Earnhardt led 107 laps but was passed by Jarrett as they took the white flag. It was Jarrett's second career win and first with Joe Gibbs Racing.

February 14, 1993: After winning the pole away for the Daytona 500, Petty, in the No. 42, was unhappy with Bobby Hillin, Jr. Both of them jumped from their cars after being part of a crash near the end of the race and showed their displeasure with one another. Petty finished the race 31st and Hillin finished 35th.

March 7, 1993: Bobby Allison (on the left) joined his son, Davey Allison, in Victory Lane at Richmond Raceway after Davey won the Pontiac Excitement 400. The victory marked the last of Davey's career, as he was killed in a helicopter crash on July 13, 1993 at 32 years old. Davey had 191 career starts, 19 wins, 66 top fives, 92 top 10s and 14 poles.

March 28, 1993: Earnhardt won the TranSouth 500 at Darlington Raceway, his first win in nearly a year. He led a dominating 212 laps after starting on the pole. Mark Martin finished right behind him in second place, leading 123 laps.

April 1, 1993: Alan Kulwicki competed in the Cup Series for nine years and was the 1992 champion. He had 207 starts, five wins, 38 top fives, 75 top 10s and 24 poles. Kulwicki only competed in five races in 1993, before his life was cut short in a plane crash at 38 years old.

May 2, 1993: Rusty Wallace is involved in a horrific crash after flipping at the finish of the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Wallace flipped across the finish line for the second time of the season. Earnhardt tapped his No. 2 Pontiac and sent him spinning. His car got airborne and he crossed the finish line on the nose of his car. It then landed and flipped six times on the grass. Wallace had sustained several injuries after the wreck but did not miss any races.

Speaking of Wallace, he had a dominating 1993 season. He had the most wins of any driver and a season-high for himself (10) but did not win the championship title. He also had 19 top fives and 21 top 10s with three pole awards. He led an impressive 2,860 laps.

September 5, 1993: Mark Martin won the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, leading a dominating 178 laps. It was the fourth straight victory for Martin who had won at Watkins Glen, Michigan and Bristol ahead of the Southern 500.

Jeff Gordon won Sunoco Rookie of the Year in 1993. He had seven top fives, 11 top 10s and one pole during the season. He finished second twice during the season (Charlotte and Michigan) and led 230 laps. His first career victory came the next season.

Bill Elliott won the Most Popular Driver Award for the eighth time. He would go on to be named the Most Popular Driver 16 times. Although it was a winless season for Elliott, he finished eighth in the standings.