# 1987 Coca-Cola 600

The 1987 Coca-Cola 600 was the tenth stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 28th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 24, 1987, before an audience of 165,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete.
In a race of attrition that saw numerous crashes and engine failures due to high heat, Wood Brothers Racing's Kyle Petty managed to take advantage of several incidences of drivers dropping out of the race, taking the lead by lap 383 when Rusty Wallace's engine malfunctioned. On the final restart with 12 laps left, Petty was able to pull away to take his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, King Racing's Morgan Shepherd and owner-driver Lake Speed finished second and third, respectively.

## 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 |
| 1 | Brett Bodine | Ellington Racing | Buick | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Wrangler |
| 03 | Allan Grice | Jane Racing | Oldsmobile | Foster's Lager |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 04 | Graeme Crosby | Jane Racing | Oldsmobile | Foster's Lager |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Connie Saylor | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | U.S. Racing |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller American |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 12 | Slick Johnson | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | Hamby Racing |
| 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft Quality Parts |
| 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Chevrolet | Chattanooga Chew |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | Freedlander Financial |
| 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | Alugard |
| 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller American |
| 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | Kodiak |
| 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | All Pro Auto Parts |
| 32 | Jonathan Lee Edwards | Edwards Racing | Chevrolet | Edwards Racing |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 34 | Jesse Samples Jr. | AAG Racing | Chevrolet | Allen's Glass |
| 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 40 | Robbie Faggart | Faggart Racing | Oldsmobile | All Pro Auto Parts |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hylton Motorsports |
| 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | In-Fisherman |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | AC Spark Plug |
| 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | Sunny King Ford |
| 66 | Donnie Allison | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Chevrolet | Helen Rae Special |
| 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | Wawak Racing |
| 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 77 | Eddie Bierschwale | Ragan Racing | Ford | All Pro Auto Parts |
| 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Ford | S&H Racing |
| 81 | Chet Fillip | Fillip Racing | Ford | Warr Valves |
| 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | Auto Bell Car Wash |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Wynn's, Kmart |
| 87 | Randy Baker | Buck Baker Racing | Chevrolet | Sony |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Crisco |
| 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | Salmon Racing |
| 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ball Motorsports |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, May 20, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round were 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 Thursday, May 21, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 were 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.
Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 31.597 and an average speed of 170.901 miles per hour (275.038 km/h) in the first round.
14 drivers failed to quallify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 31.597 | 170.901 |
| 2 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.735 | 170.160 |
| 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.815 | 169.732 |
| 4 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 31.833 | 169.634 |
| 5 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 32.036 | 168.561 |
| 6 | 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Chevrolet | 32.044 | 168.521 |
| 7 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 32.054 | 168.466 |
| 8 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 32.112 | 168.161 |
| 9 | 1 | Brett Bodine | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 32.126 | 168.088 |
| 10 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 32.130 | 168.067 |
| 11 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.150 | 167.963 |
| 12 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 32.168 | 167.871 |
| 13 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.191 | 167.749 |
| 14 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.197 | 167.717 |
| 15 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 32.240 | 167.493 |
| 16 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 32.247 | 167.456 |
| 17 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 32.248 | 167.452 |
| 18 | 77 | Eddie Bierschwale | Ragan Racing | Ford | 32.259 | 167.394 |
| 19 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 32.316 | 167.099 |
| 20 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 32.324 | 167.061 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.887 | 169.348 |
| 22 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 32.051 | 168.481 |
| 23 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 32.062 | 168.424 |
| 24 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.065 | 168.408 |
| 25 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 32.258 | 167.400 |
| 26 | 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | 32.273 | 167.323 |
| 27 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 32.276 | 167.307 |
| 28 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 32.329 | 167.033 |
| 29 | 6 | Connie Saylor | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 32.372 | 166.811 |
| 30 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 32.412 | 166.605 |
| 31 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.421 | 166.559 |
| 32 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 32.426 | 166.533 |
| 33 | 87 | Randy Baker | Buck Baker Racing | Chevrolet | 32.436 | 166.482 |
| 34 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 32.440 | 166.461 |
| 35 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.445 | 166.436 |
| 36 | 03 | Allan Grice | Jane Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.475 | 166.282 |
| 37 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 32.483 | 166.241 |
| 38 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 32.490 | 166.205 |
| 39 | 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.494 | 166.185 |
| 40 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | 32.509 | 166.108 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 12 | Slick Johnson | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.681 | 165.234 |
| 42 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 32.705 | 165.112 |
| Failed to qualify (results unknown) |||||||
| 43 | 04 | Graeme Crosby | Jane Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 44 | 32 | Jonathan Lee Edwards | Edwards Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 45 | 34 | Jesse Samples Jr. | AAG Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 46 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 47 | 40 | Robbie Faggart | Faggart Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 48 | 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 49 | 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 50 | 66 | Donnie Allison | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 51 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 52 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 53 | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 54 | 81 | Chet Fillip | Fillip Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 55 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 56 | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 7 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 400 | 35 | running | 180 | $89,405 |
| 2 | 20 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 399 | 0 | running | 170 | $49,070 |
| 3 | 14 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 399 | 0 | running | 165 | $27,625 |
| 4 | 28 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 398 | 0 | running | 160 | $24,925 |
| 5 | 31 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 155 | $16,900 |
| 6 | 19 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 150 | $22,180 |
| 7 | 11 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 398 | 0 | running | 146 | $12,000 |
| 8 | 8 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 398 | 0 | running | 142 | $13,400 |
| 9 | 37 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 396 | 0 | running | 138 | $9,400 |
| 10 | 23 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 396 | 62 | running | 139 | $28,375 |
| 11 | 38 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 130 | $13,390 |
| 12 | 30 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 384 | 0 | running | 127 | $11,770 |
| 13 | 22 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 379 | 1 | accident | 129 | $11,140 |
| 14 | 27 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 363 | 2 | running | 126 | $10,470 |
| 15 | 42 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 358 | 0 | running | 118 | $11,150 |
| 16 | 16 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 351 | 88 | engine | 120 | $6,550 |
| 17 | 33 | 87 | Randy Baker | Buck Baker Racing | Chevrolet | 338 | 0 | running | 112 | $5,500 |
| 18 | 21 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 322 | 7 | running | 114 | $12,700 |
| 19 | 40 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | 308 | 0 | engine | 106 | $4,950 |
| 20 | 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 305 | 0 | running | 103 | $19,600 |
| 21 | 9 | 1 | Brett Bodine | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 17 | engine | 105 | $4,850 |
| 22 | 2 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 298 | 1 | engine | 102 | $16,200 |
| 23 | 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 267 | 186 | engine | 104 | $82,050 |
| 24 | 5 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 258 | 0 | engine | 91 | $8,405 |
| 25 | 25 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 254 | 0 | accident | 88 | $11,950 |
| 26 | 13 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 247 | 0 | engine | 85 | $12,100 |
| 27 | 10 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 229 | 1 | accident | 87 | $6,945 |
| 28 | 18 | 77 | Eddie Bierschwale | Ragan Racing | Ford | 221 | 0 | accident | 79 | $2,300 |
| 29 | 4 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 215 | 0 | engine | 76 | $7,375 |
| 30 | 32 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 207 | 0 | accident | 73 | $2,000 |
| 31 | 6 | 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Chevrolet | 202 | 0 | accident | 70 | $2,600 |
| 32 | 24 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 179 | 0 | camshaft | 67 | $4,615 |
| 33 | 29 | 6 | Connie Saylor | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 177 | 0 | engine | 64 | $4,555 |
| 34 | 15 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 162 | 0 | overheating | 61 | $8,750 |
| 35 | 36 | 03 | Allan Grice | Jane Racing | Oldsmobile | 161 | 0 | rear end | 0 | $1,700 |
| 36 | 17 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 114 | 0 | a frame | 55 | $1,650 |
| 37 | 26 | 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | 93 | 0 | water pump | 52 | $1,600 |
| 38 | 35 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 84 | 0 | engine | 49 | $4,310 |
| 39 | 41 | 12 | Mark Martin | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 68 | 0 | engine | 46 | $3,550 |
| 40 | 39 | 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46 | 0 | electrical | 43 | $1,525 |
| 41 | 34 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 28 | 0 | engine | 40 | $1,525 |
| 42 | 12 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 19 | 0 | oil line | 37 | $1,525 |
| Failed to qualify (results unknown) |||||||||||
| 43 | | 04 | Graeme Crosby | Jane Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 44 | | 32 | Jonathan Lee Edwards | Edwards Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 34 | Jesse Samples Jr. | AAG Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 40 | Robbie Faggart | Faggart Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 48 | | 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 49 | | 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 50 | | 66 | Donnie Allison | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 51 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 52 | | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 53 | | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 54 | | 81 | Chet Fillip | Fillip Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 55 | | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 56 | | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,658 |
| | 2 | Bill Elliott | 1,439 (-219) |
| | 3 | Neil Bonnett | 1,418 (-240) |
| | 4 | Terry Labonte | 1,403 (–255) |
| | 5 | Richard Petty | 1,380 (–278) |
| 1 | 6 | Kyle Petty | 1,374 (–284) |
| 1 | 7 | Rusty Wallace | 1,355 (–303) |
| 2 | 8 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,307 (–351) |
| 1 | 9 | Ken Schrader | 1,251 (–407) |
| 1 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | 1,246 (–412) |
| Official driver's standings ||||