Nascar’s Infamous “One Hot Night” All-Star Race Courtesy of $1.7 Million Dollar Investment at Charlotte

Most of us who could not witness the 1992 Monster Energy All-Star Race would never really know how big of a deal it was back in the day. The race that occurred exactly 31 years ago at the Charlotte Motor Speedway was the first time NASCAR raced under the lights. Sure, there were circuits where cars used to race under dim lights, but this race, in particular, was revolutionary and in the grand scheme of things, a costly one as well.

Charlotte Motor Speedway was founded by Bruton Smith, and the very purpose of the Speedway was to host the grandest of events. It was only fitting that if NASCAR was hosting an all-nighter race under the lights, CMS would have been the preferred option. The track since opening its doors has hosted events like the Longest Race in NASCAR, the World 600 which is now known as Coco-Cola 600.

The highlight of the 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race

The race was famously known as “One Hot Night” and rightly so. The grandstands were packed with a crowd of about 130,000 and the view in front of them was like they never had seen before. The entire 1.5-mile speedway was installed with the state-of-the-art MUSCO lighting system. In doing so, this made Charlotte Speedway the first racetrack capable of hosting a night race.

It was due to the then-Charlotte Motor Speedway President Humpy Wheeler who was on a mission to keep the relevance of the non-points race. At the time, gathering in the crowd and putting on a show of a lifetime was an uphill challenge. Wheeler was ready to do anything under his power, so he chose to break the bank. Doing so, he provided a spectacle that is being talked about even to this date.

As if lighting up the entire 1.5-mile speedway with $1.7 million worth of new lights was not enough, the winner of this NASCAR All-Star race would receive a sweet $300,000 in winnings. This lucrative cash prize ended up in Davey Allison’s pocket in what was a hard-fought victory, the one which sent him to the hospital bed.

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While the bling-bling NASCAR All-Star Race was looking like a success, the race car drivers meant business despite it being a no-point race.

It was Davey Allison who took home to win against all odds

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The 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race lineup included legends like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace, and Darrel Waltrip to name a few. However, it was Davey Allison who went home rich after clutching the race in the last lap. Kyle Petty had surpassed Dale Earnhardt in taking the lead, and it looked like Petty was heading to a confirmed win, but only Allison played a spoiler to Petty’s dreams. Colliding with Petty, Allison wanted to take home the win at all costs, and so he did.

With both cars seemingly crossing the line at the same time, it was Ford’s No.28 that emerged victorious. However, in his tussle with Kyle Petty, he ended up in a crash that saw him being airlifted to the hospital. Well, $300,000 in winnings would certainly have given him comfort despite being in the hospital bed.

With the motorsport events getting bigger and grander day by day, it can be said that the 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race was something special.

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