# 1987 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500

The 1987 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 28th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 15, 1987, before an audience of 60,000 in Hampton, Georgia, at Atlanta International Raceway, a 1.522 miles (2.449 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway.
After the dominant car of the day, Dale Earnhardt, suffered mechanical problems that put him out of contention for the race, a restart with eight laps left in the race left a four car battle for the victory. By race's end, Bud Moore Engineering's Ricky Rudd managed to pull away to take his seventh career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports' Benny Parsons and Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace finished second and third, respectively.

## Background

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.522-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.
The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of 1.54-mile (2.48 km) where before it was 1.522-mile (2.449 km). The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.

### Entry list

* (R) - denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Ron Bouchard | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Wrangler |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | D. K. Ulrich | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | U.S. Racing |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller American |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 12 | David Sosebee | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | Hamby Racing |
| 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft Quality Parts |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | Freedlander Financial |
| 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | Stoke Racing |
| 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller American |
| 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | Kodiak |
| 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | Ranier-Lundy Racing |
| 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | Domino's |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Turtle Wax, Car and Driver |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | AC Spark Plug |
| 64 | Connie Saylor | Langley Racing | Ford | Sunny King Ford |
| 67 | Eddie Bierschwale | Arrington Racing | Ford | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 68 | Jerry Holden | Holden Racing | Chevrolet | Altra-Dry |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Winkle Pontiac |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | Wawak Racing |
| 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | Southlake Ford |
| 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | Auto Bell Car Wash |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Wynn's, Kmart |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Crisco |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | Salmon Racing |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 13, at 2:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 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, March 14, at 10:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 would be decided on time, 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 were given.
Dale Earnhardt, driving for Richard Childress Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 31.221 and an average speed of 175.497 miles per hour (282.435 km/h) in the first round.
Two drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.221 | 175.497 |
| 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 31.445 | 174.247 |
| 3 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.481 | 174.048 |
| 4 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 31.505 | 173.915 |
| 5 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.538 | 173.733 |
| 6 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 31.569 | 173.563 |
| 7 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 31.619 | 173.288 |
| 8 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 31.657 | 173.080 |
| 9 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 31.714 | 172.769 |
| 10 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.736 | 172.649 |
| 11 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 31.748 | 172.584 |
| 12 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.784 | 172.389 |
| 13 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.784 | 172.389 |
| 14 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.786 | 172.378 |
| 15 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.877 | 171.886 |
| 16 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 31.880 | 171.870 |
| 17 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.948 | 171.504 |
| 18 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 31.949 | 171.498 |
| 19 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.973 | 171.370 |
| 20 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 31.984 | 171.311 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.936 | 171.568 |
| 22 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.999 | 171.230 |
| 23 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 32.041 | 171.006 |
| 24 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.041 | 171.006 |
| 25 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 32.056 | 170.926 |
| 26 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 32.112 | 170.628 |
| 27 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 32.118 | 170.596 |
| 28 | 67 | Eddie Bierschwale | Arrington Racing | Ford | 32.123 | 170.569 |
| 29 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 32.126 | 170.553 |
| 30 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.136 | 170.500 |
| 31 | 12 | David Sosebee | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.266 | 169.813 |
| 32 | 1 | Ron Bouchard | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 32.284 | 169.719 |
| 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 32.289 | 169.692 |
| 34 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 32.417 | 169.022 |
| 35 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 32.421 | 169.002 |
| 36 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 32.440 | 168.903 |
| 37 | 64 | Connie Saylor | Langley Racing | Ford | 32.520 | 168.487 |
| 38 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | 32.535 | 168.409 |
| 39 | 93 | Mike Potter | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | 32.546 | 168.352 |
| 40 | 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | 32.551 | 168.327 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 6 | D. K. Ulrich | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 44 | 68 | Jerry Holden | Holden Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 6 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 328 | 7 | running | 180 | $62,400 |
| 2 | 10 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 328 | 43 | running | 175 | $36,125 |
| 3 | 7 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 328 | 26 | running | 170 | $25,950 |
| 4 | 9 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 328 | 2 | running | 165 | $20,825 |
| 5 | 8 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 327 | 0 | running | 155 | $18,550 |
| 6 | 21 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 327 | 0 | running | 150 | $9,900 |
| 7 | 26 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 327 | 0 | running | 146 | $11,205 |
| 8 | 3 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 327 | 7 | running | 147 | $5,650 |
| 9 | 25 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 327 | 0 | running | 138 | $9,320 |
| 10 | 29 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 326 | 0 | running | 134 | $9,750 |
| 11 | 27 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 326 | 0 | running | 130 | $8,470 |
| 12 | 32 | 1 | Ron Bouchard | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 325 | 0 | running | 127 | $3,500 |
| 13 | 22 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 325 | 0 | running | 124 | $9,945 |
| 14 | 17 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 325 | 1 | running | 126 | $7,215 |
| 15 | 14 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 323 | 0 | running | 118 | $1,480 |
| 16 | 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 322 | 196 | running | 125 | $19,520 |
| 17 | 30 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 322 | 0 | running | 112 | $8,745 |
| 18 | 34 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 321 | 0 | running | 109 | $4,550 |
| 19 | 15 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 320 | 2 | running | 111 | $9,690 |
| 20 | 24 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 319 | 0 | running | 103 | $3,070 |
| 21 | 31 | 12 | David Sosebee | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 317 | 0 | running | 100 | $7,610 |
| 22 | 35 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 314 | 0 | running | 97 | $3,600 |
| 23 | 42 | 6 | D. K. Ulrich | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 303 | 0 | ball joint | 94 | $6,680 |
| 24 | 13 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 302 | 0 | running | 91 | $9,180 |
| 25 | 39 | 93 | Mike Potter | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | 291 | 0 | running | 88 | $2,945 |
| 26 | 18 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 281 | 0 | ignition | 85 | $2,555 |
| 27 | 19 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 261 | 0 | engine | 82 | $1,995 |
| 28 | 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 255 | 22 | engine | 84 | $10,560 |
| 29 | 4 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 220 | 22 | engine | 81 | $5,130 |
| 30 | 38 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | 208 | 0 | running | 73 | $1,840 |
| 31 | 36 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 169 | 0 | handling | 70 | $4,855 |
| 32 | 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 157 | 0 | crash | 67 | $4,555 |
| 33 | 23 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 86 | 0 | crash | 64 | $5,490 |
| 34 | 11 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | crash | 61 | $4,455 |
| 35 | 12 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 73 | 0 | fuel pump | 58 | $1,680 |
| 36 | 40 | 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | 61 | 0 | crash | 55 | $1,655 |
| 37 | 20 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 53 | 0 | engine | 52 | $1,635 |
| 38 | 5 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 36 | 0 | engine | 49 | $1,615 |
| 39 | 16 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 33 | 0 | transmission | 46 | $4,325 |
| 40 | 41 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 16 | 0 | engine | 43 | $1,510 |
| 41 | 37 | 64 | Connie Saylor | Langley Racing | Ford | 3 | 0 | engine | 40 | $3,510 |
| 42 | 28 | 67 | Eddie Bierschwale | Arrington Racing | Ford | 0 | 0 | did not start | 0 | $0 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 44 | | 68 | Jerry Holden | Holden Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 655 |
| | 2 | Bill Elliott | 594 (-61) |
| 2 | 3 | Terry Labonte | 576 (-79) |
| 4 | 4 | Ricky Rudd | 572 (–83) |
| 1 | 5 | Darrell Waltrip | 551 (–104) |
| 6 | 6 | Benny Parsons | 550 (–105) |
| | 7 | Neil Bonnett | 545 (–110) |
| 5 | 8 | Bobby Allison | 528 (–127) |
| 6 | 9 | Rusty Wallace | 525 (–130) |
| 1 | 10 | Richard Petty | 508 (–147) |
| Official driver's standings ||||