# 1989 Heinz Southern 500

The 1989 Heinz Southern 500 was the 21st stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 40th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 3, 1989, before an audience of 80,000 in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 367 laps to complete. At race's end, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would dominate the late stages of the race, leading the final 63 laps of the race to take his 37th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and King Racing driver Ricky Rudd would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Kroger |
| 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 |
| 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | Chattanooga Chew |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 24 | John McFadden | McFadden Racing | Chevrolet | Alliance Training Centers |
| 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 |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 49 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | Hylton Motorsports |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal, Crown Central Petroleum |
| 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 62 | Joe Ruttman | Douglas Smith Racing | Oldsmobile | Baja Boats |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 81 | Mike Potter | Welch Racing | Ford | O. C. Welch Ford |
| 83 | Rodney Combs | 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 |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, August 31, at 3:00 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 Friday, September 1, 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 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 on time but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals were given.
Alan Kulwicki, driving for his own AK Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.705 and an average speed of 160.156 miles per hour (257.746 km/h) in the first round.
No drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 30.705 | 160.156 |
| 2 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.731 | 160.021 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.781 | 159.761 |
| 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 30.797 | 159.678 |
| 5 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 30.799 | 159.668 |
| 6 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 30.870 | 159.300 |
| 7 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.874 | 159.280 |
| 8 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 31.005 | 158.607 |
| 9 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.030 | 158.479 |
| 10 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.109 | 158.076 |
| 11 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 31.128 | 157.980 |
| 12 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 31.266 | 157.283 |
| 13 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.272 | 157.252 |
| 14 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.291 | 157.157 |
| 15 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 31.299 | 157.117 |
| 16 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.300 | 157.112 |
| 17 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 31.310 | 157.062 |
| 18 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.332 | 156.951 |
| 19 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.374 | 156.741 |
| 20 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 31.394 | 156.640 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 83 | Rodney Combs | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.374 | 156.741 |
| 22 | 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.408 | 156.572 |
| 23 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 31.438 | 156.422 |
| 24 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.452 | 156.353 |
| 25 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 31.462 | 156.303 |
| 26 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.486 | 156.184 |
| 27 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 31.497 | 156.129 |
| 28 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 31.518 | 156.025 |
| 29 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 31.654 | 155.355 |
| 30 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 31.798 | 154.651 |
| 31 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.835 | 154.471 |
| 32 | 62 | Joe Ruttman | Douglas Smith Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.067 | 153.354 |
| 33 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 32.108 | 153.158 |
| 34 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 32.275 | 152.366 |
| 35 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 32.514 | 151.246 |
| 36 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 32.932 | 149.326 |
| 37 | 24 | John McFadden | McFadden Racing | Chevrolet | 32.934 | 149.317 |
| 38 | 81 | Mike Potter | Welch Racing | Ford | 34.029 | 144.512 |
| 39 | 49 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | 34.688 | 141.767 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 10 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 153 | running | 185 | $71,150 |
| 2 | 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 367 | 0 | running | 170 | $37,550 |
| 3 | 8 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 367 | 0 | running | 165 | $26,865 |
| 4 | 5 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 367 | 94 | running | 165 | $24,330 |
| 5 | 2 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 5 | running | 160 | $20,390 |
| 6 | 6 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 367 | 83 | running | 155 | $17,000 |
| 7 | 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 367 | 4 | running | 151 | $18,430 |
| 8 | 18 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 367 | 0 | running | 142 | $11,195 |
| 9 | 24 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 366 | 0 | running | 138 | $16,287 |
| 10 | 16 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 365 | 1 | running | 139 | $12,430 |
| 11 | 13 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 365 | 0 | running | 130 | $9,385 |
| 12 | 7 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 365 | 0 | running | 127 | $12,120 |
| 13 | 15 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 364 | 0 | running | 124 | $8,960 |
| 14 | 23 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 364 | 0 | running | 121 | $4,840 |
| 15 | 19 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 363 | 1 | running | 123 | $9,140 |
| 16 | 11 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 363 | 0 | running | 115 | $8,300 |
| 17 | 14 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 363 | 0 | running | 112 | $8,690 |
| 18 | 25 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 362 | 0 | running | 109 | $12,595 |
| 19 | 29 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 362 | 0 | running | 106 | $6,095 |
| 20 | 26 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 361 | 0 | running | 103 | $7,810 |
| 21 | 31 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 360 | 0 | running | 100 | $6,645 |
| 22 | 9 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 359 | 3 | running | 102 | $112,890 |
| 23 | 21 | 83 | Rodney Combs | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 351 | 0 | running | 0 | $6,895 |
| 24 | 20 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 325 | 0 | running | 91 | $4,175 |
| 25 | 12 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 320 | 0 | running | 88 | $4,105 |
| 26 | 34 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 309 | 0 | engine | 85 | $3,090 |
| 27 | 35 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 295 | 0 | running | 82 | $3,000 |
| 28 | 30 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 286 | 6 | crash | 84 | $5,605 |
| 29 | 17 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 225 | 0 | engine | 76 | $3,490 |
| 30 | 32 | 62 | Joe Ruttman | Douglas Smith Racing | Oldsmobile | 224 | 0 | water pump | 73 | $2,810 |
| 31 | 37 | 24 | John McFadden | McFadden Racing | Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | vibration | 70 | $2,615 |
| 32 | 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 184 | 17 | engine | 72 | $8,005 |
| 33 | 28 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 167 | 0 | engine | 64 | $9,500 |
| 34 | 38 | 81 | Mike Potter | Welch Racing | Ford | 137 | 0 | header | 61 | $2,455 |
| 35 | 33 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 91 | 0 | engine | 58 | $2,995 |
| 36 | 36 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 90 | 0 | engine | 55 | $2,350 |
| 37 | 27 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 80 | 0 | crash | 52 | $4,870 |
| 38 | 22 | 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 21 | 0 | crash | 49 | $2,215 |
| 39 | 39 | 49 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | 13 | 0 | engine | 46 | $2,100 |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,037 |
| | 2 | Rusty Wallace | 2,964 (-73) |
| | 3 | Mark Martin | 2,904 (-133) |
| | 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,813 (–224) |
| 1 | 5 | Bill Elliott | 2,682 (–355) |
| 1 | 6 | Davey Allison | 2,662 (–375) |
| 1 | 7 | Ken Schrader | 2,633 (–404) |
| 1 | 8 | Ricky Rudd | 2,622 (–415) |
| 2 | 9 | Harry Gant | 2,566 (–471) |
| | 10 | Geoff Bodine | 2,561 (–476) |
| Official driver's standings ||||