1987 Daytona 500
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Short description|First race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}
{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Official_name=29th Annual Daytona 500|Caption=The 1987 Daytona 500 program cover, featuring Geoff Bodine.|Date=February 15|Avg={{convert|137.531|mph|km/h}}|Season_No=29|Race_No=1|Scheduled_laps=200|Course_km=4.0|Distance_laps=200|Distance_km=804.672|Course_mi=2.5|Scheduled_km=804.672|Scheduled_mi=500|Race_Name=Daytona 500|Location=Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona International Speedway|Announcers=Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett, David Hobbs, Chris Economaki,|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Network=CBS|First_Team=Melling Racing|First_Driver=Bill Elliott|Pole_Team=Melling Racing|Most_Team=Melling Racing|Pole_Driver=Bill Elliott|Most_Driver=Bill Elliott|Most_laps=104|Car=9|Year=1987|Distance_mi=500|Pole_Time=42.783|Image=1987 Daytona 500 program cover and logo.jpg|Attendance=130,000}}
The 1987 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 15, 1987, before an audience of 130,000 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete.
Nearing the race's end, Hendrick Motorsports' Geoff Bodine tried to forego a final pitstop but ran out of fuel with three laps to go. Melling Racing's Bill Elliott took the lead and held off Bodine's teammate, Benny Parsons, and owner-driver Richard Petty to take his 18th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his first victory of the season, and his second and final Daytona 500 victory.{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=February 16, 1987 |title=Elliott Outlasts Daytona Field |pages=1B, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-elliott-outlasts/132137972/ 4B] |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-elliott-outlasts/132137959/ |access-date=September 20, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Coble |first=Don |date=February 16, 1987 |title=Elliott conquers Daytona 500 |pages=1C, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/florida-today-elliott-conquers-daytona-5/132138300/ 2C] |work=Florida Today |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/florida-today-elliott-conquers-daytona-5/132138285/ |access-date=September 20, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}
Background
File:Daytona_International_Speedway.svg, the venue where the race was held.]]
Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.
= Entry list =
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!# !Driver !Team !Make !Sponsor |
| 00 |
| 1 |
| 02 |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 5 |
| 6 |
| 7
|Ford |
| 8 |
| 9
|Ford |
| 09 |
| 10
|Rodney Combs (R) |
| 11 |
| 12 |
| 14 |
| 15
|Ford |
| 17
|Tide |
| 18 |
| 19
|Derrike Cope (R) |Ford |
| 21
|Ford |
| 22 |
| 24 |
| 26 |
| 27 |
| 28
|Davey Allison (R) |Ford |
| 29 |
| 30 |
| 32 |
| 33 |
| 35 |
| 39
|Ford |
| 41 |
| 43
|STP |
| 44 |
| 48 |
| 49 |
| 50 |
| 51 |
| 52 |
| 54 |
| 55 |
| 62
|Steve Christman (R) |
| 63
|Jocko Maggiacomo{{efn|Maggiacomo suffered a crash during a Wednesday, February 11 practice session. As the team had no backup car, the team withdrew.{{Cite news |last=Chuhran |first=John |date=February 13, 1987 |title=Mamaroneck team can only watch |pages=E10 |work=The Standard-Star |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-standard-star-mamaroneck-team-can-on/132142496/ |access-date=September 20, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}|name=alpha}} |
| 64
|Ford |
| 66 |
| 67
|Ford |
| 70 |
| 71 |
| 73 |
| 74 |
| 75 |
| 77
|Ford |
| 81
|Ford |
| 82
|Ford |
| 83 |
| 86
|Ford |
| 88 |
| 89 |
| 90
|Ford |
| 92
|Ford |
| 93 |
| 98 |
Qualifying
Qualifying was set by the 1987 7-Eleven Twin 125s. The top two positions were set by qualifying speeds held for the Twin 125 Qualifiers held on Monday, February 9, with the top two qualifiers in the session earning the top two positions for the Daytona 500. The rest of the starting was set in the Twin 125 Qualifiers, held on Thursday, February 12, during two races. The top 14 finishers in the first race, excluding the pole position winner, set the inside row from rows two to 15, and the top 14 finishers in the second race, excluding the outside pole position winner, set the outside row from rows two to 15. The remaining non-qualifiers set positions 31-40 based on qualifying speeds from the first qualifying session held on Saturday. If needed, up to two extra provisionals were given to teams high enough in the previous season's owner's standings that did not qualify for the race by either qualifying speed or from the Twin 125 Qualifiers.
Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 42.783 and an average speed of {{Convert|210.364|mph|km/h}} in Monday's session.{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=February 12, 1987 |title=Daytona 500 Pole Goes To Elliott |pages=1B, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-daytona-500-pole/132158921/ 5B] |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-daytona-500-pole/132158910/ |access-date=September 20, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}
19 drivers failed to qualify.
= Full qualifying results =
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Reason |
| 1
|9 |Ford |Qualified on pole |
|---|
| 2
|28 |Davey Allison (R) |Ford |Qualified on outside pole |
| 3
|90 |Ford |First in Twin 125 #1 |
| 4
|35 |First in Twin 125 #2 |
| 5
|17 |Third in Twin 125 #1 |
| 6
|22 |Second in Twin 125 #2 |
| 7
|88 |Fourth in Twin 125 #1 |
| 8
|5 |Third in Twin 125 #2 |
| 9
|4 |Fifth in Twin 125 #1 |
| 10
|44 |Fourth in Twin 125 #2 |
| 11
|43 |Sixth in Twin 125 #1 |
| 12
|33 |Fifth in Twin 125 #2 |
| 13
|3 |Seventh in Twin 125 #1 |
| 14
|11 |Seventh in Twin 125 #2 |
| 15
|75 |Eighth in Twin 125 #1 |
| 16
|71 |Eighth in Twin 125 #2 |
| 17
|1 |Ninth in Twin 125 #1 |
| 18
|30 |Ninth in Twin 125 #2 |
| 19
|55 |Tenth in Twin 125 #1 |
| 20
|21 |Ford |Tenth in Twin 125 #2 |
| 21
|8 |11th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 22
|29 |11th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 23
|19 |Derrike Cope (R) |Ford |12th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 24
|77 |Ford |12th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 25
|64 |Ford |13th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 26
|81 |Ford |13th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 27
|86 |Ford |14th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 28
|6 |14th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 29
|66 |15th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 30
|82 |Ford |15th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 31
|15 |Ford |Speed provisional (204.634) |
| 32
|27 |Speed provisional (204.448) |
| 33
|83 |Speed provisional (204.160) |
| 34
|67 |Ford |Speed provisional (203.087) |
| 35
|26 |Speed provisional (202.789) |
| 36
|10 |Rodney Combs (R) |Speed provisional (202.425) |
| 37
|7 |Ford |Speed provisional (201.771) |
| 38
|70 |Speed provisional (200.929) |
| 39
|12 |Owner's points provisional |
| 40
|52 |Owner's points provisional |
| colspan="6" |Forced to start at rear |
| 41
|14 |Speed provisional (203.832) |
| 42
|50 |Speed provisional (201.428) |
| colspan="6" |Failed to qualify or withdrew |
| 43
|74 |16th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 44
|51 |19th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 45
|02 |19th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 46
|92 |Ford |20th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 47
|93 |20th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 48
|39 |Ford |21st in Twin 125 #2 |
| 49
|24 |22nd in Twin 125 #1 |
| 50
|62 |Steve Christman (R) |23rd in Twin 125 #2 |
| 51
|32 |23rd in Twin 125 #1 |
| 52
|49 |24th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 53
|89 |25th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 54
|09 |25th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 55
|18 |27th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 56
|98 |27th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 57
|48 |28th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 58
|41 |29th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 59
|73 |30th in Twin 125 #1 |
| 60
|54 |30th in Twin 125 #2 |
| 61
|00 |31st in Twin 125 #2 |
| WD
|63 |Injuries sustained in a practice crash |
| colspan="6" |[https://www.newspapers.com/article/florence-morning-news-twin-125s/132138992/ Official Twin 125s results] |
| colspan="6" |[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-daytona-500-lineu/132142216/ Official starting lineup] |
Race results
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Fin !St !# !Driver !Team !Make !Laps !Led !Status !Pts !Winnings |
| 1
|1 |9 |Ford |200 |104 |running |185 |$204,150 |
|---|
| 2
|4 |35 |200 |2 |running |175 |$122,420 |
| 3
|11 |43 |200 |2 |running |170 |$76,040 |
| 4
|7 |88 |200 |45 |running |165 |$74,450 |
| 5
|13 |3 |200 |16 |running |160 |$64,925 |
| 6
|6 |22 |200 |0 |running |150 |$60,475 |
| 7
|3 |90 |Ford |200 |14 |running |151 |$68,545 |
| 8
|5 |17 |200 |1 |running |147 |$39,925 |
| 9
|31 |15 |Ford |200 |0 |running |138 |$38,425 |
| 10
|22 |29 |200 |0 |running |134 |$29,600 |
| 11
|19 |55 |200 |0 |running |130 |$26,200 |
| 12
|15 |75 |199 |5 |running |132 |$29,600 |
| 13
|21 |8 |199 |0 |running |124 |$29,005 |
| 14
|8 |5 |199 |10 |running |126 |$36,365 |
| 15
|37 |7 |Ford |198 |0 |running |118 |$22,740 |
| 16
|35 |26 |198 |0 |running |115 |$20,660 |
| 17
|24 |77 |Ford |197 |0 |running |112 |$17,085 |
| 18
|14 |11 |197 |0 |running |109 |$25,915 |
| 19
|36 |10 |Rodney Combs (R) |197 |0 |running |106 |$15,295 |
| 20
|42 |50 |196 |0 |running |103 |$14,335 |
| 21
|27 |86 |Ford |195 |0 |running |0 |$13,930 |
| 22
|18 |30 |193 |0 |running |97 |$18,110 |
| 23
|28 |6 |191 |0 |running |94 |$16,795 |
| 24
|40 |52 |191 |0 |running |91 |$14,480 |
| 25
|38 |70 |191 |0 |running |88 |$11,810 |
| 26
|33 |83 |188 |0 |engine |85 |$11,105 |
| 27
|2 |28 |Davey Allison (R) |Ford |184 |0 |running |82 |$14,045 |
| 28
|39 |12 |184 |0 |running |79 |$14,145 |
| 29
|29 |66 |182 |0 |engine |76 |$11,135 |
| 30
|10 |44 |167 |1 |clutch |78 |$16,875 |
| 31
|12 |33 |156 |0 |transmission |70 |$15,100 |
| 32
|17 |1 |125 |0 |engine |67 |$11,370 |
| 33
|23 |19 |Derrike Cope (R) |Ford |124 |0 |overheating |64 |$10,840 |
| 34
|16 |71 |115 |0 |oil leak |61 |$13,975 |
| 35
|20 |21 |Ford |72 |0 |valve |58 |$13,455 |
| 36
|34 |67 |Ford |44 |0 |engine |55 |$12,235 |
| 37
|9 |4 |37 |0 |clutch |52 |$11,420 |
| 38
|30 |82 |Ford |36 |0 |engine |49 |$9,540 |
| 39
|26 |81 |Ford |19 |0 |engine |46 |$9,705 |
| 40
|25 |64 |Ford |12 |0 |engine |43 |$11,470 |
| 41
|32 |27 |10 |0 |piston |40 |$15,720 |
| 42
|41 |14 |10 |0 |spark plug |37 |$7,870 |
| colspan="11" |Failed to qualify or withdrew |
| 43
! rowspan="20" | |74 ! colspan="5" rowspan="20" | |
| 44
|51 |
| 45
|02 |
| 46
|92 |Ford |
| 47
|93 |
| 48
|39 |Ford |
| 49
|24 |
| 50
|62 |Steve Christman (R) |
| 51
|32 |
| 52
|49 |
| 53
|89 |
| 54
|09 |
| 55
|18 |
| 56
|98 |
| 57
|48 |
| 58
|41 |
| 59
|73 |
| 60
|54 |
| 61
|00 |
| WD
|63 |
| colspan="11" |[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-daytona-500/132137858/ Official race results] |
Standings after the race
{{col-start}}
{{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;"| 185 |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 175 (-10) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 170 (-15) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 4 | style="text-align:center;"| 165 (–20) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 5 | style="text-align:center;"| 160 (–25) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 6 | style="text-align:center;"| 151 (–34) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 7 | style="text-align:center;"| 150 (–35) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 8 | style="text-align:center;"| 147 (–38) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 9 | style="text-align:center;"| 138 (–47) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 10 | style="text-align:center;"| 134 (–51) |
| class="sortbottom"
!colspan="9"|[https://www.newspapers.com/article/florence-morning-news-winston-cup-update/132141699/ Official driver's standings] |
- Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.
{{col-end}}
Notes
References
{{reflist}}
{{NASCAR next race|Previous_race=1986 Winston Western 500|Next_race=1987 Goodwrench 500|Monsteryear=1987|Series=NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}
{{1987 Winston Cup}}
{{Daytona 500}}
{{NASCAR on CBS}}
{{Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Special}}
Category:1987 in sports in Florida
Category:1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series