# 1989 Budweiser 500

The 1989 Budweiser 500 was the 11th stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 21st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 4, 1989, before an audience of 66,000 in Dover, Delaware at Dover Downs International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. On the final restart with seven laps left in the race, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to pull away from the field, completing a dominant performance where Earnhardt led 456 laps of the race. The victory was Earnhardt's 36th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Dover Downs International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.
The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

### 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 Filters |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 49 | Bill Flowers | 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 |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Pontiac | S&H Racing |
| 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 |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 99 | Norm Benning | O'Neil Racing | Chevrolet | O'Neil Racing |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 2, 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 Saturday, June 3, at 11:30 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 provisionals were given.
Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 24.933 and an average speed of 144.387 miles per hour (232.368 km/h) in the first round.
No drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.933 | 144.387 |
| 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 25.011 | 143.937 |
| 3 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 25.059 | 143.661 |
| 4 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 25.072 | 143.586 |
| 5 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25.074 | 143.575 |
| 6 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 25.081 | 143.535 |
| 7 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 25.095 | 143.455 |
| 8 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 25.120 | 143.312 |
| 9 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 25.135 | 143.227 |
| 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25.163 | 143.067 |
| 11 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 25.200 | 142.857 |
| 12 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25.253 | 142.557 |
| 13 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 25.299 | 142.298 |
| 14 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 25.305 | 142.264 |
| 15 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 25.335 | 142.096 |
| 16 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 25.337 | 142.085 |
| 17 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 25.344 | 142.045 |
| 18 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 25.357 | 141.973 |
| 19 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 25.389 | 141.794 |
| 20 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 25.467 | 141.359 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 25.137 | 143.215 |
| 22 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 25.146 | 143.164 |
| 23 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 25.218 | 142.755 |
| 24 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 25.398 | 141.743 |
| 25 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 25.490 | 141.232 |
| 26 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 25.543 | 140.939 |
| 27 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 25.556 | 140.867 |
| 28 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 25.573 | 140.773 |
| 29 | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Pontiac | 25.637 | 140.422 |
| 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 25.644 | 140.384 |
| 31 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 25.703 | 140.061 |
| 32 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 25.787 | 139.605 |
| 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 26.166 | 137.583 |
| 34 | 49 | Bill Flowers | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | 27.384 | 131.464 |
| 35 | 99 | Norm Benning | O'Neil Racing | Chevrolet | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 456 | running | 185 | $59,350 |
| 2 | 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 2 | running | 175 | $38,950 |
| 3 | 5 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 22 | running | 170 | $36,525 |
| 4 | 15 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 500 | 6 | running | 165 | $18,425 |
| 5 | 3 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 500 | 9 | running | 160 | $20,975 |
| 6 | 7 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 500 | 0 | running | 150 | $11,675 |
| 7 | 21 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 499 | 3 | running | 151 | $10,925 |
| 8 | 8 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 142 | $16,625 |
| 9 | 12 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 498 | 0 | running | 138 | $13,675 |
| 10 | 25 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 497 | 0 | running | 134 | $11,275 |
| 11 | 14 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 494 | 0 | running | 130 | $8,025 |
| 12 | 31 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 493 | 0 | running | 127 | $6,732 |
| 13 | 26 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 493 | 0 | running | 124 | $7,400 |
| 14 | 6 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 492 | 0 | running | 121 | $6,825 |
| 15 | 9 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 492 | 0 | running | 118 | $7,175 |
| 16 | 32 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 491 | 0 | running | 115 | $6,100 |
| 17 | 23 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 491 | 0 | running | 112 | $3,850 |
| 18 | 19 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 490 | 0 | running | 109 | $5,700 |
| 19 | 11 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 490 | 0 | running | 106 | $3,850 |
| 20 | 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 489 | 0 | running | 103 | $4,375 |
| 21 | 18 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 487 | 0 | running | 100 | $6,050 |
| 22 | 16 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 483 | 0 | accident | 97 | $5,200 |
| 23 | 13 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 482 | 2 | running | 99 | $9,450 |
| 24 | 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 477 | 0 | running | 91 | $2,400 |
| 25 | 17 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 444 | 0 | running | 88 | $5,150 |
| 26 | 24 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 434 | 0 | running | 85 | $4,950 |
| 27 | 27 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 355 | 0 | running | 82 | $2,875 |
| 28 | 28 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 304 | 0 | engine | 79 | $2,200 |
| 29 | 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 294 | 0 | piston | 76 | $9,150 |
| 30 | 35 | 99 | Norm Benning | O'Neil Racing | Chevrolet | 226 | 0 | steering | 73 | $2,150 |
| 31 | 29 | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Pontiac | 211 | 0 | engine | 70 | $2,050 |
| 32 | 22 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 171 | 0 | engine | 67 | $10,400 |
| 33 | 4 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 140 | 0 | accident | 64 | $9,950 |
| 34 | 20 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 75 | 0 | engine | 0 | $4,500 |
| 35 | 34 | 49 | Bill Flowers | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | 2 | 0 | engine | 58 | $1,800 |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,617 |
| 1 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,615 (-2) |
| 3 | 3 | Mark Martin | 1,543 (-74) |
| 2 | 4 | Geoff Bodine | 1,534 (–83) |
| 2 | 5 | Rusty Wallace | 1,473 (–144) |
| 2 | 6 | Alan Kulwicki | 1,463 (–154) |
| 2 | 7 | Sterling Marlin | 1,459 (–158) |
| 1 | 8 | Ken Schrader | 1,408 (–209) |
| 1 | 9 | Davey Allison | 1,358 (–259) |
| | 10 | Bill Elliott | 1,353 (–264) |
| Official driver's standings ||||