1990 Checker 500
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}{{Short description|28th race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}
{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Date=November 4|Caption=The 1990 Checker 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.|Pole_Team=Blue Max Racing|First_Team=Richard Childress Racing|First_Driver=Dale Earnhardt|Most_Team=Richard Childress Racing|Most_Driver=Dale Earnhardt|Most_laps=262|Pole_Driver=Rusty Wallace|Network=ESPN|Announcers=Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons, Ned Jarrett|Car=3|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Avg={{convert|96.786|mph|km/h}}|Season_No=29|Location=Avondale, Arizona, Phoenix International Raceway|Race_No=28|Scheduled_km=502.115|Distance_km=502.115|Scheduled_laps=312|Distance_laps=312|Course_km=1.6|Scheduled_mi=312|Course_mi=1|Official_name=3rd Annual Checker 500|Race_Name=Checker 500|Year=1990|Pole_Time=28.929|Distance_mi=312|Attendance=75,000|Image=1990 Checker 500.jpeg}}
The 1990 Checker 500 was the 28th and penultimate stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, the ninth and final race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston West Series season, and the third iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 4, 1990, before an audience of 75,000 in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete. At race's end, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to dominate the majority of the race, leading 262 laps of the race en route to his 48th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his ninth and final victory of the season.{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=November 5, 1990 |title=Phoenix Victory Gives Earnhardt Points Lead (Part 1) |pages=29 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122733570/phoenix-victory-gives-earnhardt-points/ |access-date=April 12, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=November 5, 1990 |title=Phoenix Victory Gives Earnhardt Points Lead (Part 2) |pages=34 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122733586/phoenix-victory-gives-earnhardt-points-l/ |access-date=April 12, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Armijo |first=Mark |date=November 5, 1990 |title=Earnhardt cruises (Part 1) |pages=39 |work=The Arizona Republic |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122734459/earnhardt-cruises-part-1/ |access-date=April 12, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Armijo |first=Mark |date=November 5, 1990 |title=Earnhardt cruises (Part 2) |pages=48 |work=The Arizona Republic |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122734474/earnhardt-cruises-part-2/ |access-date=April 12, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}
With the victory and a poor finish from championship contender in the driver's championship, Mark Martin, Earnhardt would manage to take the driver's championship lead, leading Martin by six points heading into the final race of the season, the 1990 Atlanta Journal 500.{{Cite news |last=Ward |first=Larry |date=November 5, 1990 |title=Martin fades in heavy traffic, loses points lead |pages=48 |work=The Arizona Republic |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122734654/martin-fades-in-heavy-traffic-loses/ |access-date=April 12, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=November 5, 1990 |title=Duel Goes Down To Final Race |pages=34 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122734718/duel-goes-down-to-final-race/ |access-date=April 12, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}
Background
File:Phoenix-international-raceway-2011-new.svg, the venue where the race was held.]]
Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.
= Entry list =
Qualifying
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, November 2, at 5:30 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 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, November 3, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-40 would be decided on time,{{Cite news |date=November 2, 1990 |title=NASCAR today |pages=38 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122734971/nascar-today/ |access-date=April 12, 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; which was up to two for cars in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and up to two extra provisionals for the cars in the NASCAR Winston West Series.
Rusty Wallace, driving for Blue Max Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 28.929 and an average speed of {{Convert|124.443|mph|km/h}} in the first round.{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=November 3, 1990 |title=Wallace Tops Schrader For Pole At Phoenix (Part 1) |pages=73 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122735136/wallace-tops-schrader-for-pole-at/ |access-date=April 12, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=November 3, 1990 |title=Wallace Tops Schrader For Pole At Phoenix (Part 2) |pages=75 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122735154/wallace-tops-schrader-for-pole-at-phoeni/ |access-date=April 12, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}
Six drivers would fail to qualify.
= Full qualifying results =
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time !Speed |
| 1
|27 |28.929 |124.443 |
|---|
| 2
|25 |28.958 |124.318 |
| 3
|3 |28.990 |124.181 |
| 4
|28 |Ford |29.035 |123.988 |
| 5
|66 |29.088 |123.762 |
| 6
|18 |29.169 |123.419 |
| 7
|98 |29.188 |123.338 |
| 8
|6 |Ford |29.190 |123.330 |
| 9
|5 |29.197 |123.300 |
| 10
|17 |29.234 |123.144 |
| 11
|7 |Ford |29.243 |123.106 |
| 12
|9 |Ford |29.258 |123.043 |
| 13
|11 |Ford |29.297 |122.879 |
| 14
|8 |29.356 |122.633 |
| 15
|94 |29.408 |122.416 |
| 16
|26 |29.412 |122.399 |
| 17
|4 |29.424 |122.349 |
| 18
|12 |29.466 |122.175 |
| 19
|71 |29.477 |122.129 |
| 20
|10 |29.497 |122.046 |
| colspan="7" |Failed to lock in Round 1 |
| 21
|21 |Ford |29.416 |122.382 |
| 22
|20 |29.504 |122.017 |
| 23
|1 |29.508 |122.001 |
| 24
|75 |29.513 |121.980 |
| 25
|2 |29.520 |121.951 |
| 26
|33 |29.533 |121.898 |
| 27
|42 |29.574 |121.729 |
| 28
|97 |29.588 |121.671 |
| 29
|30 |29.592 |121.655 |
| 30
|15 |Ford |29.618 |121.548 |
| 31
|89 |29.618 |121.548 |
| 32
|76 |29.631 |121.494 |
| 33
|72 |29.749 |121.012 |
| 34
|51 |29.760 |120.968 |
| 35
|23 |29.799 |120.809 |
| 36
|43 |29.834 |120.668 |
| 37
|93 |29.884 |120.466 |
| 38
|69 |29.968 |120.128 |
| 39
|29 |30.029 |119.884 |
| 40
|73 |30.046 |119.816 |
| colspan="7" |Winston Cup provisionals |
| 41
|57 | -* | -* |
| 42
|52 | -* | -* |
| colspan="7" |Winston West provisional |
| 43
|99 | -* | -* |
| colspan="7" |Failed to qualify |
| 44
|04 | -* | -* |
| 45
|34 | -* | -* |
| 46
|24 | -* | -* |
| 47
|61 | -* | -* |
| 48
|44 | -* | -* |
| 49
|22 | -* | -* |
| colspan="7" |[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122691714/checker-500/ Official first round qualifying results] |
| colspan="7" |[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122692032/todays-lineup/ Official starting lineup] |
Race results
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Fin !St !# !Driver !Team !Make !Laps !Led !Status !Pts !Winnings |
| 1
|3 |3 |312 |262 |running |185 |$72,100 |
|---|
| 2
|2 |25 |312 |0 |running |170 |$32,900 |
| 3
|30 |15 |Ford |312 |0 |running |165 |$23,357 |
| 4
|10 |17 |312 |0 |running |160 |$21,500 |
| 5
|12 |9 |Ford |312 |0 |running |155 |$19,775 |
| 6
|11 |7 |Ford |312 |0 |running |150 |$12,225 |
| 7
|7 |98 |312 |0 |running |146 |$10,250 |
| 8
|13 |11 |Ford |312 |0 |running |142 |$14,950 |
| 9
|17 |4 |312 |0 |running |138 |$10,150 |
| 10
|8 |6 |Ford |312 |0 |running |134 |$14,875 |
| 11
|4 |28 |Ford |312 |0 |running |130 |$13,350 |
| 12
|6 |18 |312 |0 |running |127 |$4,850 |
| 13
|23 |1 |312 |0 |running |124 |$8,650 |
| 14
|20 |10 |311 |0 |running |121 |$9,450 |
| 15
|16 |26 |311 |0 |running |118 |$8,625 |
| 16
|15 |94 |310 |0 |running |115 |$7,525 |
| 17
|19 |71 |310 |0 |running |112 |$7,200 |
| 18
|40 |73 |310 |0 |running |109 |$4,875 |
| 19
|24 |75 |310 |0 |running |106 |$6,650 |
| 20
|32 |76 |310 |0 |running |103 |$5,300 |
| 21
|22 |20 |309 |0 |running |100 |$4,450 |
| 22
|25 |2 |309 |0 |running |97 |$5,375 |
| 23
|36 |43 |308 |0 |running |94 |$4,300 |
| 24
|28 |97 |307 |0 |running |91 |$3,300 |
| 25
|42 |52 |307 |0 |running |88 |$4,275 |
| 26
|18 |12 |306 |0 |running |85 |$4,175 |
| 27
|31 |89 |305 |0 |running |82 |$3,300 |
| 28
|41 |57 |304 |0 |running |79 |$3,950 |
| 29
|38 |69 |304 |0 |running |76 |$3,230 |
| 30
|21 |21 |Ford |299 |0 |accident |73 |$6,395 |
| 31
|43 |99 |293 |0 |running |70 |$3,835 |
| 32
|9 |5 |293 |0 |running |67 |$5,780 |
| 33
|39 |29 |280 |0 |running |64 |$3,125 |
| 34
|33 |72 |269 |0 |ignition |61 |$3,100 |
| 35
|37 |93 |263 |0 |accident |58 |$3,085 |
| 36
|34 |51 |256 |0 |brakes |55 |$3,055 |
| 37
|26 |33 |152 |0 |tires |52 |$10,045 |
| 38
|1 |27 |77 |50 |engine |54 |$15,975 |
| 39
|35 |23 |70 |0 |accident |46 |$3,000 |
| 40
|5 |66 |68 |0 |engine |43 |$6,575 |
| 41
|27 |42 |48 |0 |accident |40 |$9,975 |
| 42
|14 |8 |47 |0 |accident |37 |$4,975 |
| 43
|29 |30 |47 |0 |accident |34 |$4,975 |
| colspan="11" |Failed to qualify |
| 44
! rowspan="6" | |04 ! colspan="5" rowspan="6" | |
| 45
|34 |
| 46
|24 |
| 47
|61 |
| 48
|44 |
| 49
|22 |
| colspan="11" |[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122678224/sundays-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 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 4,260 |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 4,254 (-6) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 3,871 (-389) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 4 | style="text-align:center;"| 3,842 (–418) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 5 | style="text-align:center;"| 3,533 (–727) |
| align="left"| 10px 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 6 | style="text-align:center;"| 3,509 (–751) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 7 | style="text-align:center;"| 3,486 (–774) |
| align="left"| 10px 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 8 | style="text-align:center;"| 3,461 (–799) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 9 | style="text-align:center;"| 3,452 (–808) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 10 | style="text-align:center;"| 3,447 (–813) |
| class="sortbottom"
!colspan="9"|[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122690902/winston-cup-points/ 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=1990 AC Delco 500|Next_race=1990 Atlanta Journal 500|Monsteryear=1990|Series=NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}{{NASCAR next race|Previous_race=1990 Spears Manufacturing 400|Series=NASCAR Winston West Series|Monsteryear=1990|Next_race=1991 Winston 300}}{{1990 Winston Cup}}{{NASCAR on ESPN}}
Category:November 1990 sports events in the United States