|| *Comments on the 1994 Pepsi 400:* View the most recent comment <#44> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Josh posted: 05.02.2005 - 10:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Jimmy "Mr. Excitement" Spencer's first Cup victory in a side-by-side phot finish with Ernie Irvan. 2. je24go posted: 05.11.2005 - 6:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rusty Wallace came into Daytona trying to make it four years in a row that a driver won 4 races in a row. It wasn't to be, as his Restrictor Plate luck again ran dry. He got damage from a pit road incident and struggled to a 26th place finish. 3. HomeDepotKid posted: 05.15.2005 - 6:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And Jimmy led only one lap. Just goes to show ya:If you can only lead only one lap, make it the last one. :P 4. Joe C posted: 08.14.2005 - 6:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was one hell of a finish. Jimmy got around Ernie on the last lap. Damn good stuff here. 5. larry posted: 09.14.2005 - 10:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Jimmy is my cousin I never really saw the race but i seen high lights good job JIMMY 6. Evan posted: 04.06.2006 - 12:16 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was a little boy, but I was sure Spencer was going to win that day and get around Irvan. 7. Steve posted: 09.27.2006 - 3:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) A video of the finish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV6M68kCV4c 8. myself posted: 02.16.2007 - 7:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) I'm proud to say I was at this event & on the last lap I vocally cheered for Spencer to get by....HE DID! 9. myself posted: 05.17.2007 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Leave it to Daytona to stop a 3-race win streak for Rusty! Ole' boy couldn't handle them plate tracks! 10. Anonymous posted: 08.21.2007 - 9:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rusty just plain sucked at superspeedways. 11. Douche Bagolow posted: 01.06.2008 - 8:59 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Rusty was actually a pretty decent driver at superspeedways, but just didn't have much luck. 12. JCS posted: 08.26.2008 - 1:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was a great Daytona race, very exciting to the finish. 13. Anonymous posted: 09.20.2008 - 12:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) During the broadcast, ESPN had a feature about the new roof flaps. I caught a glimpse of a Target decal on Kyle Petty's decklid. Felix Sabates, Kyle's car owner, merged his SABCO team with Target Ghip Ganassi Racing after the 2000 season. Did Chip and Felix (whose teams started in 1990 and 1989 respectively) already have some kind of partnership back in 1994? 14. 18fan posted: 02.08.2009 - 3:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the second year in a row that Rusty had a three race win streak snapped at a restrictor plate race. He never won an RP race. 15. Autryvilleracefan posted: 05.21.2010 - 10:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Jimmy Spencer certainly lived up to his "Mr. Excitment" nickname in this race. 16. Schroeder51 posted: 03.24.2011 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Purvis had a top 10 run going when he spun and caused an accident on the backstretch. He was hit hard by Joe Nemechek. 17. Sebastien posted: 12.18.2011 - 9:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #53 Petty was sponsored by "Winston Cup Water/Le Bleu Water" 18. Unser1 posted: 03.08.2013 - 9:24 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Spencer followed up his victory to flying to Des Moines, Iowa to run an ARCA race on the city's streets. He finished third in that one to cap a great weekend. 19. 23andJoe posted: 03.17.2014 - 8:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #53 owner: Maurice Petty (same for all races/DNQs with Ritchie Petty this year) 20. TTF24 posted: 03.28.2014 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Jimmy Spencer and Ernie Irvin are close to the finish line they come to the line oh wow Jimmy Spencer wins wow Mr.Spencer take the win what a great photo finish 21. wrank fakefield posted: 05.27.2014 - 12:34 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) Rusty ran fairly well t all the restrictor plate races in 93 and the first 2 of 94. He just didn't get the results, usually due to accidents where he was pretty much along for the ride. But Penske South had switched to ford in 94, and crashes in the first 2 RP races of the year left them without a tested RP car. They rolled out this race in a car that had never even been in the wind-tunnel. This was the start of Penske South kinda being out to lunch at the RP tracks for a couple years. They would get their act together in the late 90s, and though Rusty never won a plate race, they would at least be competitive for the rest of his career. You can love or hate Jimmy Spencer, and he may not have ended up as one of the sports greats when it was all said and done, but that was a man's pass. 22. STP posted: 12.19.2016 - 9:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Mr. Excitement baby. Hell of a finish. 23. chevyfan98 posted: 12.20.2016 - 10:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Easy to win when you have a cheated up car but that's none of my business... 24. Mannoroth posted: 12.20.2016 - 1:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Really? This Jimmy Spencer thing again? That's the beauty of NASCAR racing - even if your car is illegal, you'll keep the win, because the second place finisher would be stripped of the celebration at Victory Lane and that's not fair not to be able to celebrate your win. And looks like some people can still get over it... 25. chevyfan98 posted: 12.20.2016 - 2:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Coming from the guy who was practically foaming at the mouth when Kevin Harvick won at Dover and backed his car into the wall during his celebration, your argument means nothing. Also... huh??? I think getting credit with winning a race is more important than a victory lane celebration. Bottom line is, regardless of how many wins NASCAR says Mr. Excrement has, the truth is out and anyone who has any integrity knows he didn't earn either of them. 26. 28DaveyAllison28 posted: 12.20.2016 - 2:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Will somebody please specify exactly how Jimmy Spencer's crew cheated or how NASCAR supposedly allowed them to win this race? I've read this a few times but never heard how or where people who say this get their source at 27. nascarman posted: 12.20.2016 - 3:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This article explains it. http://a.espncdn.com/rpm/wc/2003/0205/1504323.html 28. chevyfan98 posted: 12.20.2016 - 3:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) http://a.espncdn.com/rpm/wc/2003/0205/1504323.html Pretty much, NASCAR knew about it but let it slide because McDonald's was going to leave as a sponsor. 29. Scott B posted: 12.20.2016 - 4:34 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Please tell me I'm not the only one to laugh a little bit at John Bickford complaining about cheating in NASCAR. 30. Brandon posted: 12.20.2016 - 4:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) You and me both, Scott. 31. Roush Fenway Forever posted: 12.20.2016 - 4:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) @28 you believe that the 94 pepsi 400 was rigged but won't believe NASCAR let Jr win the 2001 Pepsi 400 and you guys know who claimed that race was rigged jimmy Spencer so I'm guessing he knows a few things about NASCAR rigging races. 32. chevyfan98 posted: 12.20.2016 - 4:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There's a difference between a race being rigged and a team cheating, which is what this was. And yes of course I know Jimmy Spencer was the one who whined about that race, he was by far and away the biggest whiner of his time and maybe ever, also "because the circumstances were too convenient" is not a legitimate reason to believe a race was fixed. That's flirting with Tinfoil Hat territory. 33. Kevin Colley posted: 12.20.2016 - 5:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I REALLY find it comical that ESPN can write a piece on that but couldn't, for some reason, write a piece about how the 2002 NBA Finals were rigged for Los Angeles. Gee, I wonder why? 34. Not Sure posted: 12.20.2016 - 8:46 pm Rate this comment: (1) (4) The restrictor plate tracks have always been the epicenter for shenanigans of this sort. Even in the past four years it is as if the Daytona 500 pole winner has been selected by NASCAR PR. (If that trend continues this coming year 88 & 48 are the favorites. A redo of the 10 is always possible.) @31 I'm a Jr. fan and even I think the 2001 Pepsi 400 was rigged. Always be skeptical of sporting events with "storybook" endings. "They couldn't have scripted it any better" is another alarm bell. People like to cite how strong DEI was on the RP tracks, but they weren't the strongest cars in the preceding RP races that year. The Dodges (40, 22) were much stronger. @32 It is rigging when NASCAR overlooks a rules violation that gives a particular car an advantage. 35. Mannoroth posted: 12.21.2016 - 7:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) 25. The difference between Spencer's and Harvick's win is that Spencer wasn't so sure the whole week before the race he will win... And when you are that much sure, there's something wrong - that much optimism isn't healthy and like Steve Borden aka The Sting said - "One thing is for sure and that is, that nothing is for sure." And especially in NASCAR, where anything can happen at any time. Do you remember that thing between Brett Bodine and Darrell Waltrip at North Wilkesboro in 1990? "That kid just won his first race, you've already won 79 races. Leave that kid alone, DW. You'll get another wins." So in Spencer's and Harvick's case, leave Jimmy alone as well. That guy has just 2 wins, Harvick has 35. So what he cheated? He DID win those 2 races and it counts. End of the story. 36. RaceFanX posted: 12.21.2016 - 9:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I REALLY find it comical that ESPN can write a piece on that but couldn't, for some reason, write a piece about how the 2002 NBA Finals were rigged for Los Angeles. Gee, I wonder why?" The controversy that year was really more toward Game 6 of the Western Conference finals with the accusation, with a lot of evidence,being that the referees were trying to steer that game to the LA Lakers over the series-leading Sacramento Kings so the series would go the full seven games. The Lakers won the resulting game 7 and advanced to the finals but to my knowledge there wasn't any skullduggery in the finals itself (The Lakers steamrolled the New Jersey Nets in four straight). 37. chevyfan98 posted: 12.21.2016 - 9:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "@31 I'm a Jr. fan and even I think the 2001 Pepsi 400 was rigged. Always be skeptical of sporting events with "storybook" endings." No, I'm sorry. You can't call a race rigged just because it had a storybook ending. And if that's the case, why does that particular race always get singled out? By that logic, here's some other rigged races: - Richard Petty's 200th win - Aric Almirola winning that same race in the Petty car 25 years to the day after Petty's 200th win - Kevin Harvick's first win - Jeff Gordon racing for a championship in his final full-time cup season - Kyle Busch coming back to win the championship after missing the beginning of the 2015 season - Michael Waltrip winning the Daytona truck race 10 years to the day after Earnhardt died - Every Daytona 500 pole since 2013 Obviously some of those are a bit suspicious (the Daytona 500 poles, Petty's 200th win) but without the smoking gun of evidence you can't prove anything. The only races that I think you can say are rigged are the ones where NASCAR blatantly interferes during the race. Races like Wendell Scott's only win, which they tried to take away from him. Races like the 2007 Aaron's 499, where they waited until Jeff Gordon had the lead to throw the caution for Reutimann blowing up. Races like the 2015 Auto Club 400, where a "debris" caution came out as Kurt Busch was leading with two to go, but no caution was thrown for Greg Biffle crashing coming to take the white flag because it would have ended the race with Busch in the lead. Really, any race where NASCAR tries to spice up the finish by throwing a late caution for either fake debris or a car getting out of the groove can be considered a rigged race, regardless of whether or not their intentions are to help certain drivers. So, TL;DR, maybe some of those races were rigged, maybe not, but until you can actually prove anything its just a conspiracy theory. There are plenty of other races NASCAR actually has rigged (any time a "debris" caution comes out) so focus on those instead. 38. Not Sure posted: 01.11.2017 - 1:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) @34 Addendum to my list of probable NASCAR PR favorites for 2017 Daytona 500 pole winner: Daniel Suarez. 88, 19, or 48 if the trend continues. 39. Jim4Bill posted: 02.09.2017 - 4:08 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) If I remember right when Junior was asked in the race why Spencer's car was faster than Bill Elliot's - he implied Jimmy was "willing to hold it wide open" when Bill was not. Which is complete bullshit - but that is the type of thing Junior would say to cover up cheating. 40. M posted: 07.27.2017 - 7:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Ernie Irvan almost won this race. Was his car cheated up too? He dominated the race and led the most laps, but Jimmy Spencer magically was the only car that was "illegal." This was more of a legit finish than NASCAR's golden boy winning the 2001 Pepsi 400 right after his father died, but hey, that's none of my business. 41. Greg9Fan posted: 05.20.2019 - 9:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Leave it to Daytona to thwart any Rusty momentum. These tracks absolutely killed him over his career. 42. Bryan posted: 07.02.2019 - 7:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Today marks 25 years ago since JIMMY SPENCER won his very 1st Winston Cup race The Pepsi 400 summer race at Daytona ------- #27 McDonald's Ford for car owner Junior Johnson ..... that was a great race ..... so yeah in 1994 Daytona had 2 new winners 500 and the 400 that is very cool ..... July 2nd 1994 ----- July 2nd 2019 === 25 years wow looking back where did the time go ? plus i have met jimmy a few times ..... well i thought i would share that so you all have a great day and enjoy the 4th of july weekend of 2019 and god bless!!!! 43. Joshua posted: 03.28.2020 - 12:53 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Ritchie Petty's final Cup start, although not his final attempt. Ritchie is the son of Maurice Petty, who is Richard Petty's brother. That makes Ritchie Richard Petty's nephew and Kyle Petty's cousin. 44. Rich posted: 09.25.2020 - 8:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons were the commentators. Dr. Jerry Punch and John Kernan were the pit road reporters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: