1990 Busch 500

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}{{Short description|20th race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Location=Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol International Speedway|Distance_mi=266.5|Pole_Time=16.598|Most_laps=350|Most_Driver=Dale Earnhardt|Pole_Driver=Dale Earnhardt|Car=4|First_Driver=Ernie Irvan|Most_Team=Richard Childress Racing|First_Team=Morgan-McClure Motorsports|Pole_Team=Richard Childress Racing|Network=ESPN|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Announcers=Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons|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=1990|Race_No=20|Season_No=29|Caption=The 1990 Busch 500 program cover, featuring Darrell Waltrip.|Date=August 25|Avg={{convert|91.782|mph|km/h}}|Race_Name=Busch 500|Official_name=30th Annual Busch 500|Image=1990 Busch 500.jpeg|Attendance=58,200}}

The 1990 Busch 500 was the 20th stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 25, 1990, before an audience of 58,200 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. In the final laps of the race, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Ernie Irvan would manage to hold off Blue Max Racing driver Rusty Wallace to the finish to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=August 26, 1990 |title=Irvan Edges Wallace To Take First Victory (Part 1) |pages=81 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122137321/irvan-edges-wallace-to-take-first/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=August 26, 1990 |title=Irvan Edges Wallace To Take First Victory (Part 2) |pages=91 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122137356/irvan-edges-wallace-to-take-first-victor/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Sharp |first=Tom |date=August 26, 1990 |title=Irvan accepts Wallace's gesture |pages=25 |work=Sun Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122141453/irvan-accepts-wallaces-gesture/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Rusty Wallace and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

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

1

|Terry Labonte

|Precision Products Racing

|Oldsmobile

|Skoal

3

|Dale Earnhardt

|Richard Childress Racing

|Chevrolet

|GM Goodwrench Service Plus

4

|Ernie Irvan

|Morgan–McClure Motorsports

|Oldsmobile

|Kodak

5

|Ricky Rudd

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|Levi Garrett

6

|Mark Martin

|Roush Racing

|Ford

|Folgers

7

|Alan Kulwicki

|AK Racing

|Ford

|Zerex

8

|Bobby Hillin Jr.

|Stavola Brothers Racing

|Buick

|Snickers

9

|Bill Elliott

|Melling Racing

|Ford

|Coors Light

10

|Derrike Cope

|Whitcomb Racing

|Chevrolet

|Purolator Filters

11

|Geoff Bodine

|Junior Johnson & Associates

|Ford

|Budweiser

12

|Hut Stricklin

|Bobby Allison Motorsports

|Buick

|Raybestos

15

|Morgan Shepherd

|Bud Moore Engineering

|Ford

|Motorcraft

17

|Greg Sacks

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|Tide

19

|Chad Little

|Little Racing

|Ford

|Pelco

20

|Rob Moroso (R)

|Moroso Racing

|Oldsmobile

|Crown Central Petroleum

21

|Dale Jarrett

|Wood Brothers Racing

|Ford

|Citgo

22

|Rick Mast

|U.S. Racing

|Pontiac

|Plasti-Kote

25

|Ken Schrader

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|Kodiak

26

|Brett Bodine

|King Racing

|Buick

|Quaker State

27

|Rusty Wallace

|Blue Max Racing

|Pontiac

|Miller Genuine Draft

28

|Davey Allison

|Robert Yates Racing

|Ford

|Texaco, Havoline

30

|Michael Waltrip

|Bahari Racing

|Pontiac

|Country Time

33

|Harry Gant

|Leo Jackson Motorsports

|Oldsmobile

|Skoal Bandit

41

|Larry Pearson

|Larry Hedrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|General Motors Auctions

42

|Kyle Petty

|SABCO Racing

|Pontiac

|Peak Antifreeze

43

|Richard Petty

|Petty Enterprises

|Pontiac

|STP

52

|Jimmy Means

|Jimmy Means Racing

|Pontiac

|Alka-Seltzer

57

|Jimmy Spencer

|Osterlund Racing

|Pontiac

|Heinz

66

|Dick Trickle

|Cale Yarborough Motorsports

|Pontiac

|Phillips 66 TropArtic

71

|Dave Marcis

|Marcis Auto Racing

|Chevrolet

|Big Apple Market

74

|Mike Potter

|Wawak Racing

|Pontiac

|Wawak Racing

75

|Rick Wilson

|RahMoc Enterprises

|Pontiac

|Dinner Bell Foods

94

|Sterling Marlin

|Hagan Racing

|Oldsmobile

|Sunoco

98

|Butch Miller

|Travis Carter Enterprises

|Chevrolet

|Food City

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 23, at 7:35 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 15 drivers in the round would be 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 24, at 1:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 15-30 would be decided on time,{{Cite news |date=August 24, 1990 |title=NASCAR today |pages=49 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122143837/nascar-today/ |access-date=April 2, 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 on time but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals were given.

Dale Earnhardt, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 16.598 and an average speed of {{Convert|115.604|mph|km/h}} in the first round.{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=August 25, 1990 |title=Suddenly Speedy Earnhardt Wins Another Pole (Part 1) |pages=79 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122144038/suddenly-speedy-earnhardt-wins-another/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=August 25, 1990 |title=Suddenly Speedy Earnhardt Wins Another Pole (Part 2) |pages=83 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122144068/suddenly-speedy-earnhardt-wins-another-p/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

Two drivers would fail to qualify.

= Full qualifying results =

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"

!Pos.

!#

!Driver

!Team

!Make

!Time

!Speed

1

|3

|Dale Earnhardt

|Richard Childress Racing

|Chevrolet

|16.598

|115.604

2

|6

|Mark Martin

|Roush Racing

|Ford

|16.641

|115.306

3

|66

|Dick Trickle

|Cale Yarborough Motorsports

|Pontiac

|16.764

|114.460

4

|27

|Rusty Wallace

|Blue Max Racing

|Pontiac

|16.771

|114.412

5

|42

|Kyle Petty

|SABCO Racing

|Pontiac

|16.775

|114.385

6

|4

|Ernie Irvan

|Morgan–McClure Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|16.782

|114.337

7

|5

|Ricky Rudd

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|16.796

|114.241

8

|9

|Bill Elliott

|Melling Racing

|Ford

|16.818

|114.092

9

|21

|Dale Jarrett

|Wood Brothers Racing

|Ford

|16.829

|114.017

10

|7

|Alan Kulwicki

|AK Racing

|Ford

|16.832

|113.997

11

|11

|Geoff Bodine

|Junior Johnson & Associates

|Ford

|16.847

|113.896

12

|28

|Davey Allison

|Robert Yates Racing

|Ford

|16.882

|113.660

13

|94

|Sterling Marlin

|Hagan Racing

|Oldsmobile

|16.883

|113.653

14

|26

|Brett Bodine

|King Racing

|Buick

|16.893

|113.586

15

|10

|Derrike Cope

|Whitcomb Racing

|Chevrolet

|16.916

|113.431

colspan="7" |Failed to lock in Round 1
16

|1

|Terry Labonte

|Precision Products Racing

|Oldsmobile

|16.918

|113.418

17

|20

|Rob Moroso (R)

|Moroso Racing

|Oldsmobile

|16.943

|113.250

18

|71

|Dave Marcis

|Marcis Auto Racing

|Chevrolet

|16.957

|113.157

19

|25

|Ken Schrader

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|16.969

|113.077

20

|43

|Richard Petty

|Petty Enterprises

|Pontiac

|16.995

|112.904

21

|33

|Harry Gant

|Leo Jackson Motorsports

|Oldsmobile

|17.031

|112.665

22

|12

|Hut Stricklin

|Bobby Allison Motorsports

|Buick

|17.050

|112.540

23

|75

|Rick Wilson

|RahMoc Enterprises

|Oldsmobile

|17.056

|112.500

24

|22

|Rick Mast

|U.S. Racing

|Pontiac

|17.056

|112.500

25

|17

|Greg Sacks

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|17.065

|112.441

26

|41

|Larry Pearson

|Larry Hedrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|17.082

|112.329

27

|30

|Michael Waltrip

|Bahari Racing

|Pontiac

|17.100

|112.211

28

|8

|Bobby Hillin Jr.

|Stavola Brothers Racing

|Buick

|17.117

|112.099

29

|15

|Morgan Shepherd

|Bud Moore Engineering

|Ford

|17.120

|112.079

30

|57

|Jimmy Spencer

|Osterlund Racing

|Pontiac

|17.148

|111.896

colspan="7" |Provisionals
31

|98

|Butch Miller

|Travis Carter Enterprises

|Chevrolet

| -*

| -*

32

|52

|Jimmy Means

|Jimmy Means Racing

|Pontiac

| -*

| -*

colspan="7" |Failed to qualify
33

|74

|Mike Potter

|Wawak Racing

|Pontiac

| -*

| -*

34

|19

|Chad Little

|Little Racing

|Ford

| -*

| -*

colspan="7" |[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122119938/busch-500/ Official first round qualifying results]

Race results

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"

!Fin

!St

!#

!Driver

!Team

!Make

!Laps

!Led

!Status

!Pts

!Winnings

1

|6

|4

|Ernie Irvan

|Morgan–McClure Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|500

|120

|running

|180

|$49,600

2

|4

|27

|Rusty Wallace

|Blue Max Racing

|Pontiac

|500

|0

|running

|170

|$32,850

3

|2

|6

|Mark Martin

|Roush Racing

|Ford

|500

|0

|running

|165

|$22,830

4

|16

|1

|Terry Labonte

|Precision Products Racing

|Oldsmobile

|500

|0

|running

|160

|$14,150

5

|13

|94

|Sterling Marlin

|Hagan Racing

|Oldsmobile

|500

|0

|running

|155

|$12,900

6

|10

|7

|Alan Kulwicki

|AK Racing

|Ford

|500

|0

|running

|150

|$10,325

7

|9

|21

|Dale Jarrett

|Wood Brothers Racing

|Ford

|499

|29

|running

|151

|$9,850

8

|1

|3

|Dale Earnhardt

|Richard Childress Racing

|Chevrolet

|499

|350

|running

|152

|$30,125

9

|27

|30

|Michael Waltrip

|Bahari Racing

|Pontiac

|499

|0

|running

|138

|$9,157

10

|7

|5

|Ricky Rudd

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|499

|0

|running

|134

|$10,100

11

|11

|11

|Geoff Bodine

|Junior Johnson & Associates

|Ford

|498

|1

|running

|135

|$11,750

12

|19

|25

|Ken Schrader

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|497

|0

|running

|127

|$9,825

13

|8

|9

|Bill Elliott

|Melling Racing

|Ford

|497

|0

|running

|124

|$11,550

14

|26

|41

|Larry Pearson

|Larry Hedrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|497

|0

|running

|121

|$4,100

15

|28

|8

|Bobby Hillin Jr.

|Stavola Brothers Racing

|Buick

|496

|0

|running

|118

|$7,325

16

|31

|98

|Butch Miller

|Travis Carter Enterprises

|Chevrolet

|495

|0

|running

|115

|$5,600

17

|3

|66

|Dick Trickle

|Cale Yarborough Motorsports

|Pontiac

|494

|0

|running

|112

|$7,650

18

|30

|57

|Jimmy Spencer

|Osterlund Racing

|Pontiac

|493

|0

|running

|109

|$6,200

19

|18

|71

|Dave Marcis

|Marcis Auto Racing

|Chevrolet

|490

|0

|running

|106

|$6,050

20

|25

|17

|Greg Sacks

|Hendrick Motorsports

|Chevrolet

|485

|0

|running

|103

|$12,175

21

|22

|12

|Hut Stricklin

|Bobby Allison Motorsports

|Buick

|483

|0

|running

|100

|$4,275

22

|32

|52

|Jimmy Means

|Jimmy Means Racing

|Pontiac

|479

|0

|running

|97

|$4,175

23

|12

|28

|Davey Allison

|Robert Yates Racing

|Ford

|474

|0

|running

|94

|$10,350

24

|24

|22

|Rick Mast

|U.S. Racing

|Pontiac

|463

|0

|running

|91

|$3,375

25

|14

|26

|Brett Bodine

|King Racing

|Buick

|396

|0

|brakes

|88

|$5,575

26

|21

|33

|Harry Gant

|Leo Jackson Motorsports

|Oldsmobile

|395

|0

|running

|85

|$8,800

27

|15

|10

|Derrike Cope

|Whitcomb Racing

|Chevrolet

|379

|0

|rear end

|82

|$8,775

28

|5

|42

|Kyle Petty

|SABCO Racing

|Pontiac

|331

|0

|fatigue

|79

|$8,750

29

|20

|43

|Richard Petty

|Petty Enterprises

|Pontiac

|215

|0

|fatigue

|76

|$3,800

30

|17

|20

|Rob Moroso (R)

|Moroso Racing

|Oldsmobile

|188

|0

|accident

|73

|$3,900

31

|29

|15

|Morgan Shepherd

|Bud Moore Engineering

|Ford

|123

|0

|accident

|70

|$4,650

32

|23

|75

|Rick Wilson

|RahMoc Enterprises

|Oldsmobile

|122

|0

|engine

|67

|$4,650

colspan="11" |Failed to qualify
33

! rowspan="2" |

|74

|Mike Potter

|Wawak Racing

|Pontiac

! colspan="5" rowspan="2" |

34

|19

|Chad Little

|Little Racing

|Ford

colspan="11" |[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122114485/saturdays-results/ 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

| Mark Martin

| style="text-align:center;"| 3,019

align="left"| 10px

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| Dale Earnhardt

| style="text-align:center;"| 2,958 (-61)

align="left"| 10px

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| Geoff Bodine

| style="text-align:center;"| 2,835 (-184)

align="left"| 10px

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| Rusty Wallace

| style="text-align:center;"| 2,749 (–270)

align="left"| 10px 1

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

| Bill Elliott

| style="text-align:center;"| 2,596 (–423)

align="left"| 10px 1

| style="text-align:center;"| 6

| Morgan Shepherd

| style="text-align:center;"| 2,561 (–458)

align="left"| 10px 1

| style="text-align:center;"| 7

| Ricky Rudd

| style="text-align:center;"| 2,544 (–475)

align="left"| 10px 1

| style="text-align:center;"| 8

| Kyle Petty

| style="text-align:center;"| 2,530 (–489)

align="left"| 10px

| style="text-align:center;"| 9

| Ken Schrader

| style="text-align:center;"| 2,488 (–531)

align="left"|10px 1

| style="text-align:center;"| 10

| Ernie Irvan

| style="text-align:center;"| 2,412 (–607)

class="sortbottom"

!colspan="9"|[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122119735/nascar-statistics/ Official driver's standings]

  • Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.

{{col-end}}

References