1987 Busch 500
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Short description|20th race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}
{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Location=Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol International Speedway|Distance_mi=266.5|Pole_Time=16.576|Most_laps=415|Most_Driver=Dale Earnhardt|Pole_Driver=Terry Labonte|Car=3|First_Driver=Dale Earnhardt|Most_Team=Richard Childress Racing|First_Team=Richard Childress Racing|Pole_Team=Junior Johnson & Associates|Network=ESPN|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Announcers=Bob Jenkins, Larry Nuber|Scheduled_laps=500|Distance_laps=500|Scheduled_mi=266.5|Scheduled_km=428.89|Distance_km=428.89|Course_mi=0.533|Course_km=0.858|Year=1987|Race_No=20|Season_No=29|Caption=The 1987 Busch 500 program cover, featuring Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte.|Date=August 22|Avg={{convert|90.373|mph|km/h}}|Race_Name=Busch 500|Official_name=27th Annual Busch 500|Image=1987 Busch 500.jpeg|Attendance=48,477}}
The 1987 Busch 500 was the 20th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 27th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 22, 1987, before an audience of 48,477 in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol International Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete.
At race's end, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt managed to dominate a majority of the race, leading 415 laps to take his 29th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his ninth victory of the season. With the victory, Earnhardt was able to increase his driver's championship lead over Bill Elliott to 545 points. To fill out the top three, Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace and Bud Moore Engineering's Ricky Rudd finished second and third, respectively.{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=August 23, 1987 |title=Dale 5, Short Tracks 0 |pages=1B, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-dale-5-short-tra/134706152/ 7B] |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-dale-5-short-tra/134706125/ |access-date=November 6, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Bawden |first=Steve |date=August 23, 1987 |title=Earnhardt captures Busch 500 win |pages=1D, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/bristol-herald-courier-earnhardt-capture/134706305/ 2D] |work=Bristol Herald Courier |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bristol-herald-courier-earnhardt-capture/134706290/ |access-date=November 6, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}
Background
File:Bristol_Motor_Speedway_map.png, the venue where the race was held.]]
The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
= Entry list =
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!# !Driver !Team !Make !Sponsor |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 5 |
| 6 |
| 7
|Ford |
| 8 |
| 9
|Ford |
| 11 |
| 12 |
| 15
|Ford |
| 17
|Tide |
| 18
|Dale Jarrett (R) |
| 19
|Derrike Cope (R) |Ford |
| 21
|Ford |
| 22 |
| 26 |
| 27 |
| 30 |
| 33 |
| 35 |
| 41 |
| 43
|STP |
| 44 |
| 48 |
| 52 |
| 55 |
| 62
|Steve Christman (R) |
| 64
|Ford |
| 67
|Ford |
| 70 |
| 71 |
| 75 |
| 81 |
| 90
|Ford |
Qualifying
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 21, at 7:35 PM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 15 drivers in the round were guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, August 22, at 1:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 16-30 were decided on time,{{Cite news |date=August 21, 1987 |title=NASCAR Today |pages=4B |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-nascar-today/134706948/ |access-date=November 6, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals were given.
Terry Labonte, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 16.576 and an average speed of {{Convert|115.758|mph|km/h}} in the first round.{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=August 22, 1987 |title=Labonte Takes Bristol Pole In Record Time |pages=1C, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-labonte-takes-bri/134707014/ 4C] |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-labonte-takes-bri/134706999/ |access-date=November 6, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}
Four drivers failed to qualify.
= Full qualifying results =
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time !Speed |
| 1
|11 |16.576 |115.758 |
|---|
| 2
|5 |16.729 |114.699 |
| 3
|90 |Ford |16.736 |114.651 |
| 4
|7 |Ford |16.742 |114.610 |
| 5
|33 |16.742 |114.610 |
| 6
|3 |16.765 |114.453 |
| 7
|15 |Ford |16.777 |114.371 |
| 8
|27 |16.797 |114.235 |
| 9
|17 |16.811 |114.140 |
| 10
|71 |16.845 |113.909 |
| 11
|44 |16.904 |113.512 |
| 12
|30 |16.920 |113.404 |
| 13
|35 |16.943 |113.250 |
| 14
|22 |16.968 |113.083 |
| 15
|9 |Ford |16.979 |113.010 |
| colspan="7" |Failed to lock in Round 1 |
| 16
|4 |16.989 |112.944 |
| 17
|21 |Ford |17.011 |112.798 |
| 18
|8 |17.047 |112.559 |
| 19
|75 |17.069 |112.414 |
| 20
|43 |17.101 |112.204 |
| 21
|26 |17.104 |112.184 |
| 22
|55 |17.125 |112.047 |
| 23
|18 |Dale Jarrett (R) |17.172 |111.740 |
| 24
|12 |17.249 |111.241 |
| 25
|52 |17.260 |111.170 |
| 26
|62 |Steve Christman (R) |17.261 |111.164 |
| 27
|41 |17.355 |110.562 |
| 28
|19 |Derrike Cope (R) |Ford |17.442 |110.010 |
| 29
|67 |Ford |17.509 |109.589 |
| 30
|64 |Ford |17.574 |109.184 |
| colspan="7" |Failed to qualify |
| 31
|6 |17.679 |108.536 |
| 32
|70 |17.791 |107.852 |
| 33
|48 |18.207 |105.388 |
| 34
|81 |18.835 |101.874 |
| colspan="7" |[https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-nascar-busch-50/134706637/ Official first round qualifying results] |
| colspan="7" |[https://www.newspapers.com/article/york-daily-record-nascar-busch-500-lineu/134706584/ Official starting lineup] |
Race results
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Fin !St !# !Driver !Team !Make !Laps !Led !Status !Pts !Winnings |
| 1
|6 |3 |500 |415 |running |185 |$47,175 |
|---|
| 2
|8 |27 |500 |1 |running |175 |$26,300 |
| 3
|7 |15 |Ford |500 |0 |running |165 |$20,275 |
| 4
|1 |11 |500 |56 |running |165 |$17,500 |
| 5
|20 |43 |500 |2 |running |160 |$10,030 |
| 6
|2 |5 |497 |0 |running |150 |$9,725 |
| 7
|16 |4 |496 |0 |running |146 |$2,925 |
| 8
|5 |33 |495 |0 |running |142 |$6,255 |
| 9
|15 |9 |Ford |494 |0 |running |138 |$9,725 |
| 10
|19 |75 |494 |0 |running |134 |$6,910 |
| 11
|4 |7 |Ford |493 |5 |running |135 |$6,325 |
| 12
|23 |18 |Dale Jarrett (R) |491 |0 |running |127 |$5,810 |
| 13
|25 |52 |486 |0 |running |124 |$4,845 |
| 14
|12 |30 |484 |0 |running |121 |$4,635 |
| 15
|26 |62 |Steve Christman (R) |482 |0 |running |118 |$2,025 |
| 16
|28 |19 |Derrike Cope (R) |Ford |482 |0 |running |115 |$2,075 |
| 17
|29 |67 |Ford |468 |0 |running |112 |$4,275 |
| 18
|10 |71 |442 |0 |running |109 |$4,115 |
| 19
|22 |55 |415 |0 |running |106 |$1,425 |
| 20
|11 |44 |405 |0 |crash |103 |$4,155 |
| 21
|9 |17 |403 |1 |running |105 |$2,725 |
| 22
|14 |22 |344 |0 |engine |97 |$6,955 |
| 23
|30 |64 |Ford |315 |0 |engine |94 |$3,415 |
| 24
|21 |26 |242 |0 |crash |91 |$3,385 |
| 25
|24 |12 |216 |0 |oil pressure |0 |$3,455 |
| 26
|13 |35 |200 |0 |engine |85 |$9,075 |
| 27
|3 |90 |Ford |179 |20 |crash |87 |$3,455 |
| 28
|17 |21 |Ford |158 |0 |engine |79 |$6,835 |
| 29
|18 |8 |118 |0 |engine |76 |$6,815 |
| 30
|27 |41 |16 |0 |overheating |73 |$1,095 |
| colspan="11" |Failed to qualify |
| 31
! rowspan="4" | |6 ! colspan="5" rowspan="4" | |
| 32
|70 |
| 33
|48 |
| 34
|81 |
| colspan="11" |[https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-busch-500-results/134706916/ Official race results] |
Standings after the race
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Drivers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
| ! Pos
! Driver ! Points |
|---|
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 3,336 |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 2,791 (-545) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 2,717 (-619) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 4 | style="text-align:center;"| 2,655 (–681) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 5 | style="text-align:center;"| 2,641 (–695) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 6 | style="text-align:center;"| 2,584 (–752) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 7 | style="text-align:center;"| 2,567 (–769) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 8 | style="text-align:center;"| 2,542 (–794) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 9 | style="text-align:center;"| 2,483 (–853) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 10 | style="text-align:center;"| 2,428 (–908) |
| class="sortbottom"
!colspan="9"|[https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-winston-cup/134708862/ Official driver's standings] |
- Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{NASCAR next race|Previous_race=1987 Champion Spark Plug 400|Next_race=1987 Southern 500|Monsteryear=1987|Series=NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}
{{1987 Winston Cup}}
{{NASCAR on ESPN}}
Category:1987 in sports in Tennessee
Category:1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series