# 1990 Checker 500

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.
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.

## Background

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

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 2 | Ted Musgrave | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | Wide World of Maps |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 04 | Hershel McGriff | Lipseia Racing | Pontiac | U.S. Bank |
| 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 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 18 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | SlimFast |
| 20 | Chad Little | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Crown Central Petroleum |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | St. James Davis | St. James Racing | Chevrolet | St. James Racing |
| 23 | Mike Chase | Freymiller Racing | Buick | Freymiller Trucking |
| 24 | Butch Gilliland | Gilliland Racing | Chevrolet | Gear Engineering |
| 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 |
| 29 | Gary Collins | Collins Motorsports | Oldsmobile | |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 34 | Ted Kennedy | Emerson Racing | Oldsmobile | Power Burst |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Jack Sellers | Emerson Racing | Buick | Coca-Cola |
| 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Plasti-Kote |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 57 | Jim Bown | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 61 | Rick Scribner | Scribner Racing | Chevrolet | All-Pro Auto Parts |
| 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 69 | Brent Kaeding | Smith Racing | Chevrolet | Los Gatos Ferrari |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 72 | Mark Reed | Reed Racing | Chevrolet | AM Plumbing |
| 73 | Bill Schmitt | Schmitt Racing | Chevrolet | Bank of California |
| 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 76 | Bill Sedgwick | Spears Motorsports | Chevrolet | Spears Manufacturing |
| 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 93 | Troy Beebe | Beebe Racing | Buick | Taco Bell |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 97 | Chuck Bown | Tex Racing | Oldsmobile | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 98 | Rick Mast | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Banquet Foods |
| 99 | John Krebs | Krebs Racing | Pontiac | Skoal |

## 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, 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 124.443 miles per hour (200.272 km/h) in the first round.
Six drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 28.929 | 124.443 |
| 2 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.958 | 124.318 |
| 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.990 | 124.181 |
| 4 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.035 | 123.988 |
| 5 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.088 | 123.762 |
| 6 | 18 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.169 | 123.419 |
| 7 | 98 | Rick Mast | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 29.188 | 123.338 |
| 8 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.190 | 123.330 |
| 9 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.197 | 123.300 |
| 10 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.234 | 123.144 |
| 11 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 29.243 | 123.106 |
| 12 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 29.258 | 123.043 |
| 13 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 29.297 | 122.879 |
| 14 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 29.356 | 122.633 |
| 15 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 29.408 | 122.416 |
| 16 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 29.412 | 122.399 |
| 17 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.424 | 122.349 |
| 18 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 29.466 | 122.175 |
| 19 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 29.477 | 122.129 |
| 20 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 29.497 | 122.046 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.416 | 122.382 |
| 22 | 20 | Chad Little | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 29.504 | 122.017 |
| 23 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 29.508 | 122.001 |
| 24 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 29.513 | 121.980 |
| 25 | 2 | Ted Musgrave | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 29.520 | 121.951 |
| 26 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 29.533 | 121.898 |
| 27 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 29.574 | 121.729 |
| 28 | 97 | Chuck Bown | Tex Racing | Oldsmobile | 29.588 | 121.671 |
| 29 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 29.592 | 121.655 |
| 30 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 29.618 | 121.548 |
| 31 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 29.618 | 121.548 |
| 32 | 76 | Bill Sedgwick | Spears Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.631 | 121.494 |
| 33 | 72 | Mark Reed | Reed Racing | Chevrolet | 29.749 | 121.012 |
| 34 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 29.760 | 120.968 |
| 35 | 23 | Mike Chase | Freymiller Racing | Buick | 29.799 | 120.809 |
| 36 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.834 | 120.668 |
| 37 | 93 | Troy Beebe | Beebe Racing | Buick | 29.884 | 120.466 |
| 38 | 69 | Brent Kaeding | Smith Racing | Chevrolet | 29.968 | 120.128 |
| 39 | 29 | Gary Collins | Collins Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 30.029 | 119.884 |
| 40 | 73 | Bill Schmitt | Schmitt Racing | Chevrolet | 30.046 | 119.816 |
| Winston Cup provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 57 | Jim Bown | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Winston West provisional |||||||
| 43 | 99 | John Krebs | Krebs Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 04 | Hershel McGriff | Lipseia Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 45 | 34 | Ted Kennedy | Emerson Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 46 | 24 | Butch Gilliland | Gilliland Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 47 | 61 | Rick Scribner | Scribner Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 48 | 44 | Jack Sellers | Emerson Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| 49 | 22 | St. James Davis | St. James Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 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 | 312 | 262 | running | 185 | $72,100 |
| 2 | 2 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | running | 170 | $32,900 |
| 3 | 30 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 312 | 0 | running | 165 | $23,357 |
| 4 | 10 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | running | 160 | $21,500 |
| 5 | 12 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 312 | 0 | running | 155 | $19,775 |
| 6 | 11 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 312 | 0 | running | 150 | $12,225 |
| 7 | 7 | 98 | Rick Mast | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | running | 146 | $10,250 |
| 8 | 13 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 312 | 0 | running | 142 | $14,950 |
| 9 | 17 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | running | 138 | $10,150 |
| 10 | 8 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 312 | 0 | running | 134 | $14,875 |
| 11 | 4 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 312 | 0 | running | 130 | $13,350 |
| 12 | 6 | 18 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | running | 127 | $4,850 |
| 13 | 23 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 312 | 0 | running | 124 | $8,650 |
| 14 | 20 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | running | 121 | $9,450 |
| 15 | 16 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 311 | 0 | running | 118 | $8,625 |
| 16 | 15 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 310 | 0 | running | 115 | $7,525 |
| 17 | 19 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | running | 112 | $7,200 |
| 18 | 40 | 73 | Bill Schmitt | Schmitt Racing | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | running | 109 | $4,875 |
| 19 | 24 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 310 | 0 | running | 106 | $6,650 |
| 20 | 32 | 76 | Bill Sedgwick | Spears Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | running | 103 | $5,300 |
| 21 | 22 | 20 | Chad Little | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 309 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,450 |
| 22 | 25 | 2 | Ted Musgrave | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 309 | 0 | running | 97 | $5,375 |
| 23 | 36 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 308 | 0 | running | 94 | $4,300 |
| 24 | 28 | 97 | Chuck Bown | Tex Racing | Oldsmobile | 307 | 0 | running | 91 | $3,300 |
| 25 | 42 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 307 | 0 | running | 88 | $4,275 |
| 26 | 18 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 306 | 0 | running | 85 | $4,175 |
| 27 | 31 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 305 | 0 | running | 82 | $3,300 |
| 28 | 41 | 57 | Jim Bown | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 304 | 0 | running | 79 | $3,950 |
| 29 | 38 | 69 | Brent Kaeding | Smith Racing | Chevrolet | 304 | 0 | running | 76 | $3,230 |
| 30 | 21 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | accident | 73 | $6,395 |
| 31 | 43 | 99 | John Krebs | Krebs Racing | Pontiac | 293 | 0 | running | 70 | $3,835 |
| 32 | 9 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 293 | 0 | running | 67 | $5,780 |
| 33 | 39 | 29 | Gary Collins | Collins Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 280 | 0 | running | 64 | $3,125 |
| 34 | 33 | 72 | Mark Reed | Reed Racing | Chevrolet | 269 | 0 | ignition | 61 | $3,100 |
| 35 | 37 | 93 | Troy Beebe | Beebe Racing | Buick | 263 | 0 | accident | 58 | $3,085 |
| 36 | 34 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | brakes | 55 | $3,055 |
| 37 | 26 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 152 | 0 | tires | 52 | $10,045 |
| 38 | 1 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 77 | 50 | engine | 54 | $15,975 |
| 39 | 35 | 23 | Mike Chase | Freymiller Racing | Buick | 70 | 0 | accident | 46 | $3,000 |
| 40 | 5 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 68 | 0 | engine | 43 | $6,575 |
| 41 | 27 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 48 | 0 | accident | 40 | $9,975 |
| 42 | 14 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 47 | 0 | accident | 37 | $4,975 |
| 43 | 29 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 47 | 0 | accident | 34 | $4,975 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 04 | Hershel McGriff | Lipseia Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 45 | | 34 | Ted Kennedy | Emerson Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 46 | | 24 | Butch Gilliland | Gilliland Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 61 | Rick Scribner | Scribner Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 44 | Jack Sellers | Emerson Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 49 | | 22 | St. James Davis | St. James Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 4,260 |
| 1 | 2 | Mark Martin | 4,254 (-6) |
| | 3 | Bill Elliott | 3,871 (-389) |
| | 4 | Geoff Bodine | 3,842 (–418) |
| | 5 | Rusty Wallace | 3,533 (–727) |
| 2 | 6 | Morgan Shepherd | 3,509 (–751) |
| | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 3,486 (–774) |
| 2 | 8 | Kyle Petty | 3,461 (–799) |
| 1 | 9 | Alan Kulwicki | 3,452 (–808) |
| 1 | 10 | Ernie Irvan | 3,447 (–813) |
| Official driver's standings ||||