# 1991 Bud 500

The 1991 Bud 500 was the 20th stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 24, 1991, before an audience of 60,500 in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, owner-driver Alan Kulwicki, after suffering a flat tire early into the race, would manage to mount a comeback and dominate the late stages of the race to take his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Junior Johnson & Associates driver Sterling Marlin and Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.

### 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 |
| 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 |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Maxwell House |
| 24 | Dick Trickle | Team III Racing | Pontiac | Team III Racing |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 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 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 66 | Lake Speed | 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 |
| 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Banquet Foods |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 23, at 7:35 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 15 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 24, at 1:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 15-30 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 on time but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals 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.
Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 16.406 and an average speed of 116.957 miles per hour (188.224 km/h) in the first round.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 16.406 | 116.957 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 16.490 | 116.361 |
| 3 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.521 | 116.143 |
| 4 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 16.525 | 116.115 |
| 5 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 16.530 | 116.080 |
| 6 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 16.580 | 115.730 |
| 7 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 16.587 | 115.681 |
| 8 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 16.588 | 115.674 |
| 9 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 16.590 | 115.660 |
| 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 16.607 | 115.542 |
| 11 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 16.612 | 115.507 |
| 12 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 16.614 | 115.493 |
| 13 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 16.620 | 115.451 |
| 14 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 16.622 | 115.437 |
| 15 | 42 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 16.637 | 115.333 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 16 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 16.641 | 115.306 |
| 17 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.644 | 115.285 |
| 18 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 16.644 | 115.285 |
| 19 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 16.646 | 115.271 |
| 20 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 16.656 | 115.202 |
| 21 | 24 | Dick Trickle | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 16.668 | 115.119 |
| 22 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 16.687 | 114.988 |
| 23 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 16.705 | 114.864 |
| 24 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 16.709 | 114.836 |
| 25 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 16.721 | 114.754 |
| 26 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.748 | 114.569 |
| 27 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.771 | 114.412 |
| 28 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 16.834 | 113.984 |
| 29 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 16.850 | 113.875 |
| 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 16.852 | 113.862 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 31 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 32 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 33 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 34 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 5 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 500 | 137 | running | 180 | $61,400 |
| 2 | 14 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 500 | 42 | running | 175 | $30,275 |
| 3 | 27 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 165 | $22,950 |
| 4 | 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 160 | $19,700 |
| 5 | 17 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 499 | 0 | running | 155 | $16,450 |
| 6 | 18 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 150 | $13,125 |
| 7 | 13 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 498 | 0 | running | 146 | $16,025 |
| 8 | 3 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 498 | 41 | running | 147 | $9,275 |
| 9 | 28 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 493 | 33 | running | 143 | $9,225 |
| 10 | 32 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 493 | 0 | running | 134 | $11,875 |
| 11 | 23 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 492 | 0 | running | 130 | $8,425 |
| 12 | 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 491 | 0 | running | 127 | $8,125 |
| 13 | 6 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 490 | 0 | running | 124 | $7,125 |
| 14 | 4 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 489 | 0 | running | 121 | $5,025 |
| 15 | 11 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 489 | 206 | running | 128 | $20,375 |
| 16 | 19 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 488 | 0 | running | 115 | $5,925 |
| 17 | 24 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 483 | 0 | running | 112 | $6,975 |
| 18 | 26 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 449 | 0 | running | 109 | $10,775 |
| 19 | 25 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 436 | 0 | running | 106 | $6,865 |
| 20 | 12 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 409 | 0 | suspension | 103 | $7,750 |
| 21 | 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 404 | 0 | running | 100 | $13,575 |
| 22 | 9 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 403 | 0 | running | 97 | $6,450 |
| 23 | 22 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running | 94 | $6,375 |
| 24 | 7 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 377 | 11 | engine | 96 | $11,550 |
| 25 | 31 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 350 | 14 | running | 93 | $6,205 |
| 26 | 8 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 344 | 0 | crash | 85 | $5,575 |
| 27 | 21 | 24 | Dick Trickle | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 313 | 0 | ignition | 82 | $4,050 |
| 28 | 16 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 253 | 0 | crash | 79 | $5,500 |
| 29 | 20 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 239 | 0 | engine | 76 | $11,075 |
| 30 | 15 | 42 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 220 | 0 | running | 73 | $9,625 |
| 31 | 29 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 183 | 0 | crash | 70 | $11,425 |
| 32 | 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 88 | 16 | crash | 72 | $4,425 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 33 | | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 34 | | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,995 |
| | 2 | Ricky Rudd | 2,935 (-60) |
| 2 | 3 | Mark Martin | 2,820 (-175) |
| 1 | 4 | Davey Allison | 2,808 (–187) |
| 1 | 5 | Ernie Irvan | 2,804 (–191) |
| | 6 | Ken Schrader | 2,661 (–334) |
| | 7 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,623 (–372) |
| 1 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | 2,585 (–410) |
| 1 | 9 | Rusty Wallace | 2,523 (–472) |
| | 10 | Harry Gant | 2,471 (–524) |
| Official driver's standings ||||