# 1990 Champion Spark Plug 400

The 1990 Champion Spark Plug 400 was the 19th stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 21st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 19, 1990, before an audience of 60,000 in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Greg Sacks and Blue Max Racing driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 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 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Pelco |
| 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Crown Central Petroleum |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Plasti-Kote |
| 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 |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 34 | Charlie Glotzbach | AAG Racing | Pontiac | Allen's Glass |
| 35 | Bill Venturini | Venturini Motorsports | Chevrolet | Amoco |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | Kanawha Insurance |
| 48 | Ben Hess | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | ACDelco |
| 50 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Chevrolet | Auto Value |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 68 | Mike Chase | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | Freymiller Trucking |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 72 | Tracy Leslie | Parker Racing | Oldsmobile | Detroit Gasket |
| 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Donlavey Racing |
| 91 | Ed Cooper | Ed Cooper Racing | Oldsmobile | Refrigeration Sales |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Kroger |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Saturday, August 18, at 11:00 AM 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, August 18, 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.
Alan Kulwicki, driving for his own AK Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 41.147 and an average speed of 174.982 miles per hour (281.606 km/h) in the first round.
Two drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 41.147 | 174.982 |
| 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 41.265 | 174.482 |
| 3 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.304 | 174.317 |
| 4 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 41.402 | 173.905 |
| 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 41.484 | 173.561 |
| 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 41.503 | 173.481 |
| 7 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 41.515 | 173.431 |
| 8 | 17 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.539 | 173.331 |
| 9 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 41.556 | 173.260 |
| 10 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 41.572 | 173.193 |
| 11 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 41.573 | 173.189 |
| 12 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 41.649 | 172.873 |
| 13 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 41.674 | 172.770 |
| 14 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 41.732 | 172.529 |
| 15 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 41.740 | 172.496 |
| 16 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 41.814 | 172.191 |
| 17 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 41.821 | 172.162 |
| 18 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 41.838 | 172.092 |
| 19 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 41.839 | 172.088 |
| 20 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 41.856 | 172.018 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 41.887 | 171.891 |
| 22 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 41.888 | 171.887 |
| 23 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 41.892 | 171.871 |
| 24 | 50 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.892 | 171.871 |
| 25 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 41.909 | 171.801 |
| 26 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 41.921 | 171.752 |
| 27 | 68 | Mike Chase | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 41.940 | 171.674 |
| 28 | 48 | Ben Hess | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 41.943 | 171.662 |
| 29 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 41.958 | 171.600 |
| 30 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 41.984 | 171.494 |
| 31 | 35 | Bill Venturini | Venturini Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.014 | 171.371 |
| 32 | 22 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 42.045 | 171.245 |
| 33 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 42.069 | 171.147 |
| 34 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 42.074 | 171.127 |
| 35 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.122 | 170.932 |
| 36 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.182 | 170.689 |
| 37 | 91 | Ed Cooper | Ed Cooper Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.190 | 170.657 |
| 38 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 42.247 | 170.426 |
| 39 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.284 | 170.277 |
| 40 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 42.378 | 169.899 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 41 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 42.629 | 168.899 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 42 | 72 | Tracy Leslie | Parker Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.472 | 169.523 |
| 43 | 34 | Charlie Glotzbach | AAG Racing | Pontiac | 43.675 | 164.854 |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 72 | running | 185 | $71,200 |
| 2 | 8 | 17 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 4 | running | 175 | $41,600 |
| 3 | 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 32 | running | 170 | $33,900 |
| 4 | 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 200 | 22 | running | 165 | $27,000 |
| 5 | 39 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 155 | $20,607 |
| 6 | 10 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 150 | $19,325 |
| 7 | 9 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 200 | 3 | running | 151 | $18,750 |
| 8 | 7 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 50 | running | 147 | $19,400 |
| 9 | 21 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 143 | $13,550 |
| 10 | 16 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $14,825 |
| 11 | 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 130 | $13,000 |
| 12 | 38 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 127 | $9,600 |
| 13 | 11 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 124 | $14,300 |
| 14 | 36 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 121 | $10,900 |
| 15 | 20 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 200 | 0 | running | 118 | $9,075 |
| 16 | 18 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 1 | running | 120 | $13,250 |
| 17 | 12 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 200 | 9 | running | 117 | $11,900 |
| 18 | 41 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 1 | running | 114 | $9,150 |
| 19 | 13 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 106 | $10,650 |
| 20 | 4 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 103 | $9,450 |
| 21 | 17 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 198 | 0 | running | 100 | $8,225 |
| 22 | 14 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 97 | $5,125 |
| 23 | 30 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,025 |
| 24 | 27 | 68 | Mike Chase | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 91 | $4,925 |
| 25 | 40 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 197 | 0 | running | 88 | $7,875 |
| 26 | 26 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 197 | 0 | running | 85 | $5,425 |
| 27 | 25 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 195 | 0 | running | 82 | $5,475 |
| 28 | 31 | 35 | Bill Venturini | Venturini Motorsports | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | running | 79 | $4,575 |
| 29 | 19 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 186 | 0 | steering | 76 | $7,225 |
| 30 | 34 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 181 | 0 | engine | 73 | $7,125 |
| 31 | 28 | 48 | Ben Hess | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 169 | 0 | accident | 70 | $4,275 |
| 32 | 15 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 162 | 0 | accident | 67 | $7,900 |
| 33 | 22 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 128 | 5 | engine | 69 | $4,725 |
| 34 | 23 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 127 | 0 | oil line | 61 | $4,025 |
| 35 | 3 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 113 | 0 | engine | 58 | $6,775 |
| 36 | 32 | 22 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 103 | 0 | engine | 55 | $3,950 |
| 37 | 33 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 102 | 0 | accident | 52 | $3,925 |
| 38 | 29 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 73 | 0 | oil pan | 49 | $4,150 |
| 39 | 24 | 50 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | valve | 46 | $3,890 |
| 40 | 35 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19 | 0 | engine | 43 | $10,875 |
| 41 | 37 | 91 | Ed Cooper | Ed Cooper Racing | Oldsmobile | 17 | 0 | rocker arm | 40 | $3,875 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 72 | Tracy Leslie | Parker Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 43 | | 34 | Charlie Glotzbach | AAG Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Mark Martin | 2,854 |
| | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,806 (-48) |
| | 3 | Geoff Bodine | 2,700 (-154) |
| | 4 | Rusty Wallace | 2,579 (–275) |
| 1 | 5 | Morgan Shepherd | 2,491 (–363) |
| 1 | 6 | Bill Elliott | 2,472 (–382) |
| 2 | 7 | Kyle Petty | 2,451 (–403) |
| 1 | 8 | Ricky Rudd | 2,410 (–444) |
| 1 | 9 | Ken Schrader | 2,361 (–493) |
| 3 | 10 | Davey Allison | 2,243 (–611) |
| Official driver's standings ||||