# 1991 Mello Yello 500

The 1991 Mello Yello 500 was the 26th stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 6, 1991, before an audience of 159,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. Running on fumes, Junior Johnson & Associates driver Geoff Bodine would manage to run the final 76 laps of the race on one tank of fuel to take his 11th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison and owner-driver Alan Kulwicki would finish second and third, respectively.
With a poor finish from Dale Earnhardt's nearest competitor in the driver's championship standings, Ricky Rudd, Earnhardt was considered the favorite to win the driver's championship, having a 138-point lead over Rudd.

## 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 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Folgers |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Hooters |
| 8 | Rick Wilson | 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 |
| 13 | Mike Skinner | Mansion Motorsports | Chevrolet | Glidden |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 20 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Valvoline, NAPA Auto Parts |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Maxwell House |
| 24 | Jimmy Hensley | Team III Racing | Pontiac | Team III Racing |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Gary Balough | Linro Motorsports | Pontiac | Terminal Trucking |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 47 | Greg Sacks | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | Kanawha Insurance |
| 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | Interstate Batteries |
| 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Phoenix Construction |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 53 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Team Ireland | Chevrolet | Longhorn Steaks |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 66 | Dorsey Schroeder | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Country Time |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 74 | Mike Potter | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | Wawak Racing |
| 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 87 | Randy Baker | Buck Baker Racing | Chevrolet | Armour Classics |
| 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Ford Motorsports Sportswear |
| 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 95 | Kerry Teague | Sadler Brothers Racing | Oldsmobile | Texaco |
| 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Banquet Foods |
| 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was originally scheduled to be held on Wednesday, October 2, at 5:00 PM EST, but was delayed to Thursday, October 3, at 8:30 AM EST due to rain. 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 Thursday, October 3, at 1:30 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 but were high enough in owner's points; up to two were given. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.
Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.595 and an average speed of 176.499 miles per hour (284.048 km/h) in the first round.
Six drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.595 | 176.499 |
| 2 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 30.767 | 175.513 |
| 3 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 30.850 | 175.041 |
| 4 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.887 | 174.831 |
| 5 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.925 | 174.616 |
| 6 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 30.981 | 174.300 |
| 7 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 30.984 | 174.284 |
| 8 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 31.024 | 174.059 |
| 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 31.081 | 173.740 |
| 10 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.135 | 173.438 |
| 11 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 31.148 | 173.366 |
| 12 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.149 | 173.360 |
| 13 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 31.201 | 173.071 |
| 14 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.222 | 172.955 |
| 15 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.224 | 172.944 |
| 16 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 31.230 | 172.911 |
| 17 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.243 | 172.839 |
| 18 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.293 | 172.563 |
| 19 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 31.297 | 172.540 |
| 20 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 31.375 | 172.112 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 47 | Greg Sacks | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.396 | 171.996 |
| 22 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.447 | 171.717 |
| 23 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.447 | 171.717 |
| 24 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.487 | 171.499 |
| 25 | 24 | Jimmy Hensley | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 31.517 | 171.336 |
| 26 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 31.612 | 170.821 |
| 27 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 31.632 | 170.713 |
| 28 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 31.732 | 170.175 |
| 29 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 31.781 | 169.913 |
| 30 | 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | 31.806 | 169.779 |
| 31 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 31.816 | 169.726 |
| 32 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 31.863 | 169.476 |
| 33 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 32.037 | 168.555 |
| 34 | 27 | Gary Balough | Linro Motorsports | Pontiac | 32.048 | 168.497 |
| 35 | 53 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Team Ireland | Chevrolet | 32.051 | 168.481 |
| 36 | 66 | Dorsey Schroeder | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 32.309 | 167.136 |
| 37 | 95 | Kerry Teague | Sadler Brothers Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.349 | 166.929 |
| 38 | 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.369 | 166.826 |
| 39 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 32.406 | 166.636 |
| 40 | 13 | Mike Skinner | Mansion Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.526 | 166.021 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 41 | 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 42 | 20 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 43 | 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 44 | 74 | Mike Potter | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 45 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 46 | 87 | Randy Baker | Buck Baker Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 47 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 6 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 334 | 23 | running | 180 | $92,200 |
| 2 | 2 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 334 | 57 | running | 175 | $69,350 |
| 3 | 3 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 333 | 0 | running | 165 | $47,250 |
| 4 | 17 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 333 | 0 | running | 160 | $31,350 |
| 5 | 13 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 331 | 0 | running | 155 | $25,100 |
| 6 | 24 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 330 | 0 | running | 150 | $20,300 |
| 7 | 11 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 330 | 0 | running | 146 | $17,700 |
| 8 | 19 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 330 | 0 | running | 142 | $16,000 |
| 9 | 12 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 329 | 0 | running | 138 | $12,500 |
| 10 | 27 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 329 | 0 | running | 134 | $12,300 |
| 11 | 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 329 | 0 | running | 130 | $16,700 |
| 12 | 39 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 329 | 0 | running | 127 | $11,400 |
| 13 | 18 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 329 | 0 | running | 124 | $10,600 |
| 14 | 31 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 328 | 0 | running | 121 | $9,050 |
| 15 | 7 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 327 | 0 | running | 118 | $13,625 |
| 16 | 32 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 326 | 0 | running | 115 | $8,200 |
| 17 | 23 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 325 | 0 | running | 112 | $7,800 |
| 18 | 35 | 53 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Team Ireland | Chevrolet | 324 | 0 | running | 109 | $4,600 |
| 19 | 41 | 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 323 | 0 | running | 106 | $4,700 |
| 20 | 25 | 24 | Jimmy Hensley | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 323 | 0 | running | 103 | $6,150 |
| 21 | 38 | 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | 322 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,175 |
| 22 | 30 | 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | 321 | 0 | running | 97 | $4,050 |
| 23 | 33 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 319 | 0 | ignition | 94 | $6,700 |
| 24 | 29 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 313 | 0 | ignition | 91 | $3,850 |
| 25 | 15 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 302 | 56 | valve | 93 | $22,460 |
| 26 | 22 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 302 | 0 | valve | 85 | $6,380 |
| 27 | 8 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 296 | 0 | running | 82 | $4,775 |
| 28 | 20 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 292 | 0 | accident | 79 | $10,525 |
| 29 | 14 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 283 | 0 | engine | 76 | $4,100 |
| 30 | 4 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 263 | 0 | accident | 73 | $12,875 |
| 31 | 21 | 47 | Greg Sacks | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 252 | 0 | engine | 70 | $3,300 |
| 32 | 10 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 232 | 0 | accident | 67 | $10,550 |
| 33 | 26 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 225 | 0 | accident | 64 | $5,825 |
| 34 | 28 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 225 | 0 | accident | 61 | $11,575 |
| 35 | 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 212 | 198 | engine | 68 | $70,955 |
| 36 | 16 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 135 | 0 | piston | 55 | $5,740 |
| 37 | 37 | 95 | Kerry Teague | Sadler Brothers Racing | Oldsmobile | 124 | 0 | accident | 52 | $3,125 |
| 38 | 5 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 59 | 0 | piston | 49 | $6,615 |
| 39 | 34 | 27 | Gary Balough | Linro Motorsports | Pontiac | 42 | 0 | camshaft | 46 | $3,110 |
| 40 | 40 | 13 | Mike Skinner | Mansion Motorsports | Chevrolet | 12 | 0 | oil line | 43 | $3,105 |
| 41 | 36 | 66 | Dorsey Schroeder | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 2 | 0 | head gasket | 40 | $5,105 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 43 | | 20 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 44 | | 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 74 | Mike Potter | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 46 | | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 87 | Randy Baker | Buck Baker Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,843 |
| | 2 | Ricky Rudd | 3,705 (-138) |
| 1 | 3 | Davey Allison | 3,606 (-237) |
| 1 | 4 | Harry Gant | 3,546 (–297) |
| 2 | 5 | Ernie Irvan | 3,525 (–318) |
| | 6 | Mark Martin | 3,448 (–395) |
| 1 | 7 | Sterling Marlin | 3,381 (–462) |
| 1 | 8 | Ken Schrader | 3,366 (–477) |
| | 9 | Darrell Waltrip | 3,330 (–513) |
| | 10 | Rusty Wallace | 3,236 (–607) |
| Official driver's standings ||||