# 1987 Goody's 500

The 1987 Goody's 500 was the 24th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 39th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 27, 1987, before an audience of 41,000 in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete.
Heading into the final lap of the race, the three cars of Hendrick Motorsports' Darrell Waltrip, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt, and Junior Johnson & Associates' Terry Labonte engaged in a battle for the victory. Heading into the final two turns of the race, Waltrip bumped into the bumper of Labonte's car, sending Labonte out of control. Labonte hit Earnhardt's car, letting Waltrip pass the two of them to take his 71st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Earnhardt and Labonte finished second and third, respectively.

## Background

Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Wrangler |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Ernie Irvan | 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 | Oldsmobile | Hamby Racing |
| 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft Quality Parts |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | Freedlander Financial |
| 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 |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | All Pro Auto Parts |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers Decaf |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Eureka |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Classic |
| 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | AC Spark Plug |
| 64 | Trevor Boys | Langley Racing | Ford | Sunny King Ford |
| 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 |
| 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 88 | Bryan Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Crisco |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, September 24, at 2:00 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 Friday, September 25, at 1:30 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-30 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.
Geoff Bodine, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 20.759 and an average speed of 91.218 miles per hour (146.801 km/h) in the first round.
No drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.759 | 91.218 |
| 2 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 20.837 | 90.877 |
| 3 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 20.854 | 90.803 |
| 4 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.860 | 90.777 |
| 5 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 20.880 | 90.690 |
| 6 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 20.885 | 90.668 |
| 7 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 20.892 | 90.638 |
| 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.902 | 90.594 |
| 9 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 20.917 | 90.529 |
| 10 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.929 | 90.477 |
| 11 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 20.938 | 90.438 |
| 12 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 20.942 | 90.421 |
| 13 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 20.945 | 90.408 |
| 14 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.954 | 90.369 |
| 15 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 20.961 | 90.339 |
| 16 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.991 | 90.210 |
| 17 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 21.024 | 90.068 |
| 18 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.068 | 89.880 |
| 19 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 21.075 | 89.851 |
| 20 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 21.076 | 89.846 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 21.099 | 89.748 |
| 22 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 21.121 | 89.655 |
| 23 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 21.137 | 89.587 |
| 24 | 6 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 21.197 | 89.333 |
| 25 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 21.215 | 89.258 |
| 26 | 64 | Curtis Markham | Langley Racing | Ford | 21.225 | 89.216 |
| 27 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 21.297 | 88.914 |
| 28 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.362 | 88.643 |
| 29 | 12 | Slick Johnson | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 21.404 | 88.469 |
| 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 21.416 | 88.420 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 31 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 14 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 138 | running | 180 | $43,830 |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 170 | running | 180 | $29,875 |
| 3 | 3 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 500 | 119 | running | 170 | $23,950 |
| 4 | 4 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 498 | 0 | running | 160 | $13,005 |
| 5 | 2 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 497 | 0 | running | 155 | $12,335 |
| 6 | 22 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 497 | 0 | running | 150 | $10,500 |
| 7 | 23 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 496 | 0 | running | 146 | $7,280 |
| 8 | 17 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 495 | 1 | running | 147 | $8,550 |
| 9 | 6 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 492 | 0 | running | 138 | $9,000 |
| 10 | 10 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 492 | 0 | running | 134 | $8,345 |
| 11 | 13 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 491 | 0 | running | 130 | $9,770 |
| 12 | 11 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 491 | 0 | running | 127 | $5,230 |
| 13 | 16 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 484 | 0 | running | 124 | $4,720 |
| 14 | 7 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 478 | 0 | oil pressure | 121 | $5,210 |
| 15 | 24 | 6 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 471 | 0 | running | 0 | $4,600 |
| 16 | 21 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 469 | 0 | running | 115 | $1,650 |
| 17 | 27 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 458 | 0 | running | 112 | $1,580 |
| 18 | 20 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 443 | 0 | running | 109 | $3,745 |
| 19 | 28 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 426 | 0 | running | 106 | $1,525 |
| 20 | 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 392 | 71 | running | 108 | $13,500 |
| 21 | 15 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 387 | 1 | overheating | 105 | $8,800 |
| 22 | 5 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 368 | 0 | crash | 97 | $8,055 |
| 23 | 18 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 242 | 0 | differential | 94 | $9,220 |
| 24 | 19 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 238 | 0 | differential | 91 | $1,295 |
| 25 | 29 | 12 | Slick Johnson | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 219 | 0 | engine | 0 | $3,555 |
| 26 | 26 | 64 | Curtis Markham | Langley Racing | Ford | 203 | 0 | overheating | 0 | $3,420 |
| 27 | 9 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | engine | 82 | $3,885 |
| 28 | 12 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 162 | 0 | engine | 79 | $8,200 |
| 29 | 25 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 87 | 0 | overheating | 76 | $2,675 |
| 30 | 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 70 | 0 | crash | 73 | $2,660 |
| 31 | 31 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 39 | 0 | brakes | 70 | $1,160 |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,961 |
| | 2 | Bill Elliott | 3,393 (-568) |
| | 3 | Terry Labonte | 3,261 (-700) |
| 2 | 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 3,212 (–749) |
| | 5 | Ricky Rudd | 3,168 (–793) |
| 1 | 6 | Neil Bonnett | 3,167 (–794) |
| 3 | 7 | Rusty Wallace | 3,148 (–813) |
| | 8 | Richard Petty | 3,070 (–891) |
| | 9 | Kyle Petty | 3,004 (–957) |
| | 10 | Ken Schrader | 2,915 (–1,046) |
| Official driver's standings ||||