# 1990 Mello Yello 500

The 1990 Mello Yello 500 was the 26th stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 7, 1990, before an audience of 158,400 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. Taking advantage of a misfortunate Bill Elliott, Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison would manage to dominate the final 76 laps of the race to take his eighth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Bud Moore Engineering driver Morgan Shepherd and Bahari Racing driver Michael Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.
With a poor finish from championship contender Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin managed to increase his driver championship points lead by 33 points, to a total of 49 points.

## Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | Masters Inn Economy |
| 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | Special Days Inn |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 04 | Bill Meacham | Meacham Racing | Oldsmobile | Meacham Racing |
| 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 |
| 13 | Mike Skinner | Mansion Motorsports | Chevrolet | Glidden |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 20 | Jimmy Hensley | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Crown Central Petroleum |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | Auto Finders |
| 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 |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 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 |
| 44 | Jimmy Horton | Group 44 | Pontiac | Group 44 |
| 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | Sandoz Chemicals |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 64 | Gary Wright | White Racing | Chevrolet | Action Rent-to-Own |
| 65 | Dave Mader III | Bahre Racing | Pontiac | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 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 |
| 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | Hooters |
| 83 | Phil Parsons | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Baja Boats |
| 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Harris Teeter |
| 91 | Ed Cooper | Ed Cooper Racing | Oldsmobile | Ed Cooper Racing |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 97 | Chuck Bown | Tex Racing | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Corn Flakes |
| 98 | Rick Mast | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Banquet Foods |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, October 3, at 2:00 PM EST. Originally, the first 20 positions were going to be determined by first round qualifying, with positions 21-40 meant to be determined the following day on Thursday, October 4. However, due to rain, the second round was cancelled. As a result, the rest of the starting lineup was set using the results from the first round. 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.
Brett Bodine, driving for King Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.966 and an average speed of 174.385 miles per hour (280.645 km/h) in the first round.
Nine drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 30.966 | 174.385 |
| 2 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.114 | 173.555 |
| 3 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.232 | 172.900 |
| 4 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.240 | 172.855 |
| 5 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 31.254 | 172.778 |
| 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.280 | 172.634 |
| 7 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 31.282 | 172.623 |
| 8 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.405 | 171.947 |
| 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 31.424 | 171.843 |
| 10 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 31.429 | 171.816 |
| 11 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.459 | 171.652 |
| 12 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 31.515 | 171.347 |
| 13 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 31.550 | 171.157 |
| 14 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.557 | 171.119 |
| 15 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.587 | 170.956 |
| 16 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.590 | 170.940 |
| 17 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.597 | 170.902 |
| 18 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.615 | 170.805 |
| 19 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.619 | 170.783 |
| 20 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 31.625 | 170.751 |
| 21 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.687 | 170.417 |
| 22 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.704 | 170.326 |
| 23 | 20 | Jimmy Hensley | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.787 | 169.881 |
| 24 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 31.787 | 169.881 |
| 25 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.791 | 169.859 |
| 26 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 31.823 | 169.689 |
| 27 | 98 | Rick Mast | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 31.826 | 169.673 |
| 28 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.841 | 169.593 |
| 29 | 83 | Phil Parsons | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.931 | 169.115 |
| 30 | 44 | Jimmy Horton | Group 44 | Pontiac | 31.939 | 169.072 |
| 31 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 31.975 | 168.882 |
| 32 | 97 | Chuck Bown | Tex Racing | Chevrolet | 31.995 | 168.776 |
| 33 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 32.004 | 168.729 |
| 34 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 32.015 | 168.671 |
| 35 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 32.025 | 168.618 |
| 36 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 32.035 | 168.566 |
| 37 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.062 | 168.424 |
| 38 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 32.092 | 168.266 |
| 39 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 32.219 | 167.603 |
| 40 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | 32.530 | 166.001 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 41 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | - | - |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 42 | 65 | Dave Mader III | Bahre Racing | Pontiac | 32.536 | 165.970 |
| 43 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 32.582 | 165.736 |
| 44 | 13 | Mike Skinner | Mansion Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.587 | 165.710 |
| 45 | 64 | Gary Wright | White Racing | Chevrolet | 32.660 | 165.340 |
| 46 | 74 | Mike Potter | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | - | - |
| 47 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | - | - |
| 48 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | - | - |
| 49 | 04 | Bill Meacham | Meacham Racing | Oldsmobile | - | - |
| 50 | 91 | Ed Cooper | Ed Cooper Racing | Oldsmobile | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 5 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 334 | 57 | running | 180 | $90,650 |
| 2 | 33 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 334 | 2 | running | 175 | $51,800 |
| 3 | 36 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 334 | 13 | running | 170 | $38,100 |
| 4 | 20 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 334 | 3 | running | 165 | $30,450 |
| 5 | 41 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 334 | 0 | running | 155 | $24,757 |
| 6 | 16 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 | running | 150 | $18,425 |
| 7 | 13 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 | running | 146 | $17,400 |
| 8 | 1 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 334 | 4 | running | 147 | $35,600 |
| 9 | 25 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 1 | running | 143 | $18,900 |
| 10 | 11 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 333 | 0 | running | 134 | $14,625 |
| 11 | 14 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 333 | 0 | running | 130 | $11,350 |
| 12 | 17 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 333 | 0 | running | 127 | $7,650 |
| 13 | 39 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 331 | 0 | running | 124 | $10,800 |
| 14 | 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 331 | 0 | running | 121 | $13,600 |
| 15 | 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 331 | 243 | running | 128 | $59,150 |
| 16 | 21 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 330 | 0 | running | 115 | $7,925 |
| 17 | 19 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 330 | 0 | running | 112 | $7,475 |
| 18 | 29 | 83 | Phil Parsons | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 330 | 0 | running | 0 | $4,225 |
| 19 | 22 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 329 | 0 | running | 106 | $4,075 |
| 20 | 18 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 329 | 0 | running | 103 | $5,425 |
| 21 | 24 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 324 | 0 | running | 100 | $3,775 |
| 22 | 37 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 323 | 0 | running | 97 | $3,650 |
| 23 | 30 | 44 | Jimmy Horton | Group 44 | Pontiac | 323 | 0 | running | 94 | $3,525 |
| 24 | 32 | 97 | Chuck Bown | Tex Racing | Chevrolet | 322 | 0 | running | 91 | $3,450 |
| 25 | 15 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 320 | 0 | running | 88 | $12,275 |
| 26 | 2 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 303 | 1 | engine | 90 | $15,500 |
| 27 | 3 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 286 | 7 | running | 87 | $11,200 |
| 28 | 28 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 277 | 0 | running | 79 | $3,200 |
| 29 | 10 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 251 | 0 | engine | 76 | $4,300 |
| 30 | 8 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 245 | 0 | accident | 73 | $7,100 |
| 31 | 38 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 244 | 0 | accident | 70 | $5,750 |
| 32 | 40 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | 244 | 0 | running | 67 | $3,000 |
| 33 | 23 | 20 | Jimmy Hensley | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 240 | 0 | carburetor | 0 | $3,625 |
| 34 | 27 | 98 | Rick Mast | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 235 | 0 | valve | 61 | $3,550 |
| 35 | 4 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 205 | 0 | running | 58 | $12,365 |
| 36 | 7 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 183 | 3 | camshaft | 60 | $12,285 |
| 37 | 26 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 169 | 0 | rear end | 52 | $2,810 |
| 38 | 12 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 133 | 0 | engine | 49 | $11,995 |
| 39 | 35 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 126 | 0 | overheating | 46 | $3,410 |
| 40 | 31 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 98 | 0 | accident | 43 | $2,775 |
| 41 | 34 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 97 | 0 | accident | 40 | $3,375 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 65 | Dave Mader III | Bahre Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 43 | | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 44 | | 13 | Mike Skinner | Mansion Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 64 | Gary Wright | White Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 74 | Mike Potter | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 48 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 49 | | 04 | Bill Meacham | Meacham Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 50 | | 91 | Ed Cooper | Ed Cooper Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Mark Martin | 3,990 |
| | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,941 (-49) |
| 1 | 3 | Bill Elliott | 3,541 (-449) |
| 1 | 4 | Geoff Bodine | 3,535 (–455) |
| | 5 | Rusty Wallace | 3,412 (–578) |
| | 6 | Kyle Petty | 3,308 (–682) |
| | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 3,273 (–717) |
| 2 | 8 | Morgan Shepherd | 3,217 (–773) |
| 1 | 9 | Ernie Irvan | 3,171 (–819) |
| 1 | 10 | Alan Kulwicki | 3,122 (–868) |
| Official driver's standings ||||