# 1989 Atlanta Journal 500

The 1989 Atlanta Journal 500 was the 29th and final stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 19, 1989, before an audience of 83,000 in Hampton, Georgia, at Atlanta International Raceway, a 1.522 miles (2.449 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 328 laps to complete. At race's end, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to dominate a majority of the race, leading 294 laps to take his 39th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth victory of the season.
In the NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver's championship battle, Rusty Wallace, needing an 18th place finish or better to clinch the championship, would manage to overcome late-race issues and maintain the 15th position, finishing three laps behind Earnhardt to clinch his first and only Winston Cup Series championship.
The race was marred by the death of independent driver Grant Adcox. On lap 203 of the race, Adcox would crash in the first turn, with the front of the car accelerating into the outside wall, destroying the front of the car and the car being set on fire. After being sent to the Georgia Baptist Hospital, Adcox was pronounced dead at 4:15 PM EST due to massive head and chest injuries.
Differing accounts on how the crash first occurred exist. According to Adcox's crew chief, Pete Card, Jim Sauter, who was ahead of Adcox, drifted down the turn and hit the right rear of Adcox's car. However, according to Sauter, Sauter stated that he was both was hit by Adcox and was behind Adcox at the time of the accident. A reporter for The Anniston Star who was at the track, Mark McCarter, reported that Adcox's car blew a tire. In a press statement given out by Goodyear spokesman Bill King, he disputed this, saying that the crash was caused by a mechanical failure.

## Background

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 |
| 01 | Mickey Gibbs (R) | Gibbs Racing | Ford | Gibbs–West Tractor |
| 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Kroger |
| 02 | Rich Bickle | Bickle Racing | Buick | Alka-Seltzer |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Stroh's Light |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors Light |
| 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | Purolator |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | Chattanooga Chew |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 20 | Rob Moroso | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Swisher Sweets |
| 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Grant Adcox | Adcox Racing | Oldsmobile | Herb Adcox Chevrolet |
| 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | B&B Racing |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers |
| 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | Kodiak |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Jim Sauter | Group 44 | Pontiac | Group 44 |
| 45 | Patty Moise | Moise Racing | Buick | Amway Fuel Additive |
| 47 | Jack Pennington | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | Springsteen Properties |
| 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | Aroneck Racing |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal, Crown Central Petroleum |
| 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Winn-Dixie |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | Crisco |
| 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Tracy Leslie | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Donlavey Racing |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, November 16, 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, November 17, 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.
Alan Kulwicki, driving for his own AK Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.591 and an average speed of 179.112 miles per hour (288.253 km/h) in the first round.
Five drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 30.591 | 179.112 |
| 2 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.690 | 178.534 |
| 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.818 | 177.792 |
| 4 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 30.864 | 177.527 |
| 5 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 30.889 | 177.384 |
| 6 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 30.962 | 176.965 |
| 7 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.976 | 176.885 |
| 8 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.034 | 176.555 |
| 9 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.061 | 176.401 |
| 10 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 31.069 | 176.356 |
| 11 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 31.085 | 176.265 |
| 12 | 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.089 | 176.242 |
| 13 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 31.095 | 176.208 |
| 14 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 31.110 | 176.123 |
| 15 | 20 | Rob Moroso | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.162 | 175.830 |
| 16 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 31.180 | 175.728 |
| 17 | 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 31.223 | 175.486 |
| 18 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 31.251 | 175.329 |
| 19 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 31.278 | 175.177 |
| 20 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.300 | 175.054 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.039 | 176.526 |
| 22 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.083 | 176.276 |
| 23 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 31.090 | 176.237 |
| 24 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.186 | 175.694 |
| 25 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs (R) | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 31.228 | 175.458 |
| 26 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.258 | 175.290 |
| 27 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 31.279 | 175.172 |
| 28 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.395 | 174.525 |
| 29 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.403 | 174.480 |
| 30 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 31.428 | 174.341 |
| 31 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.434 | 174.308 |
| 32 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 31.454 | 174.197 |
| 33 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 31.459 | 174.170 |
| 34 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 31.474 | 174.087 |
| 35 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.483 | 174.037 |
| 36 | 44 | Jim Sauter | Group 44 | Pontiac | 31.484 | 174.031 |
| 37 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.516 | 173.855 |
| 38 | 22 | Grant Adcox | Adcox Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.566 | 173.579 |
| 39 | 47 | Jack Pennington | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.597 | 173.409 |
| 40 | 02 | Rich Bickle | Bickle Racing | Buick | 31.605 | 173.365 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | - | - |
| 42 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | - | - |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 44 | 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 45 | 90 | Tracy Leslie | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 46 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 47 | 45 | Patty Moise | Moise Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 328 | 249 | running | 185 | $81,700 |
| 2 | 7 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 328 | 0 | running | 170 | $33,625 |
| 3 | 6 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 328 | 5 | running | 170 | $25,275 |
| 4 | 2 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 328 | 38 | running | 165 | $18,875 |
| 5 | 8 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 327 | 1 | running | 160 | $18,800 |
| 6 | 16 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 326 | 0 | running | 150 | $6,775 |
| 7 | 29 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 326 | 0 | running | 146 | $13,117 |
| 8 | 24 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 326 | 0 | running | 142 | $13,350 |
| 9 | 26 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 326 | 0 | running | 138 | $8,950 |
| 10 | 22 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 326 | 0 | running | 134 | $10,925 |
| 11 | 23 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 325 | 0 | running | 130 | $5,750 |
| 12 | 10 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 325 | 0 | running | 127 | $5,450 |
| 13 | 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 325 | 0 | running | 124 | $11,250 |
| 14 | 33 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 325 | 1 | running | 126 | $10,350 |
| 15 | 4 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 325 | 0 | running | 118 | $12,875 |
| 16 | 37 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 324 | 0 | running | 115 | $6,850 |
| 17 | 21 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 324 | 0 | running | 112 | $12,050 |
| 18 | 28 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 324 | 0 | running | 109 | $6,250 |
| 19 | 34 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 323 | 0 | running | 106 | $4,700 |
| 20 | 11 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 322 | 0 | running | 103 | $4,875 |
| 21 | 36 | 44 | Jim Sauter | Group 44 | Pontiac | 321 | 0 | running | 100 | $2,550 |
| 22 | 40 | 02 | Rich Bickle | Bickle Racing | Buick | 319 | 0 | running | 97 | $2,475 |
| 23 | 14 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 310 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,350 |
| 24 | 39 | 47 | Jack Pennington | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 303 | 0 | running | 91 | $2,325 |
| 25 | 18 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 293 | 3 | running | 93 | $11,350 |
| 26 | 30 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 279 | 0 | running | 85 | $5,075 |
| 27 | 13 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 278 | 0 | running | 82 | $13,150 |
| 28 | 35 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 268 | 0 | a frame | 79 | $2,925 |
| 29 | 12 | 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 257 | 0 | engine | 76 | $2,150 |
| 30 | 20 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 224 | 0 | engine | 73 | $5,625 |
| 31 | 17 | 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | engine | 70 | $2,050 |
| 32 | 38 | 22 | Grant Adcox | Adcox Racing | Oldsmobile | 198 | 0 | fatal crash | 67 | $2,040 |
| 33 | 42 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 181 | 0 | valve | 64 | $4,705 |
| 34 | 15 | 20 | Rob Moroso | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 169 | 0 | crash | 61 | $2,025 |
| 35 | 9 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 138 | 29 | engine | 63 | $4,750 |
| 36 | 31 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 94 | 2 | engine | 60 | $1,965 |
| 37 | 19 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 66 | 0 | crash | 52 | $4,575 |
| 38 | 25 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs (R) | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 37 | 0 | engine | 49 | $1,935 |
| 39 | 27 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 35 | 0 | brakes | 46 | $1,930 |
| 40 | 5 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 29 | 0 | engine | 43 | $8,925 |
| 41 | 32 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 10 | 0 | oil line | 40 | $1,925 |
| 42 | 41 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 8 | 0 | engine | 37 | $4,525 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 44 | | 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 45 | | 90 | Tracy Leslie | Donlavey Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 45 | Patty Moise | Moise Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Rusty Wallace | 4,176 |
| 1 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 4,164 (-12) |
| 1 | 3 | Mark Martin | 4,053 (-123) |
| | 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 3,971 (–205) |
| 1 | 5 | Ken Schrader | 3,786 (–390) |
| 1 | 6 | Bill Elliott | 3,774 (–402) |
| 1 | 7 | Harry Gant | 3,610 (–566) |
| 1 | 8 | Ricky Rudd | 3,608 (–568) |
| 1 | 9 | Geoff Bodine | 3,600 (–576) |
| 3 | 10 | Terry Labonte | 3,554 (–612) |
| Official driver's standings ||||