# 1987 Busch 500

The 1987 Busch 500 was the 20th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 27th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 22, 1987, before an audience of 48,477 in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol International 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, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt managed to dominate a majority of the race, leading 415 laps to take his 29th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his ninth victory of the season. With the victory, Earnhardt was able to increase his driver's championship lead over Bill Elliott to 545 points. To fill out the top three, Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace and Bud Moore Engineering's Ricky Rudd finished 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 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Wrangler |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Troy Beebe | 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 | Brad Teague | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | Slender You Figure Salons |
| 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 |
| 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | Stoke Racing |
| 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 |
| 41 | Ronnie Thomas | Ronnie Thomas Racing | Chevrolet | Busch Enterprises |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hylton Motorsports |
| 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 | Rodney Combs | 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 |
| 81 | Mike Potter | Fillip Racing | Chevrolet | Fillip Racing |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 21, at 7:35 PM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 15 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 Saturday, August 22, at 1:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 16-30 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 provisionals were given.
Terry Labonte, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 16.576 and an average speed of 115.758 miles per hour (186.294 km/h) in the first round.
Four drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 16.576 | 115.758 |
| 2 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.729 | 114.699 |
| 3 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 16.736 | 114.651 |
| 4 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 16.742 | 114.610 |
| 5 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 16.742 | 114.610 |
| 6 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 16.765 | 114.453 |
| 7 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 16.777 | 114.371 |
| 8 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 16.797 | 114.235 |
| 9 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.811 | 114.140 |
| 10 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 16.845 | 113.909 |
| 11 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 16.904 | 113.512 |
| 12 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 16.920 | 113.404 |
| 13 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.943 | 113.250 |
| 14 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 16.968 | 113.083 |
| 15 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 16.979 | 113.010 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 16 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 16.989 | 112.944 |
| 17 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 17.011 | 112.798 |
| 18 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 17.047 | 112.559 |
| 19 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 17.069 | 112.414 |
| 20 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 17.101 | 112.204 |
| 21 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 17.104 | 112.184 |
| 22 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 17.125 | 112.047 |
| 23 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 17.172 | 111.740 |
| 24 | 12 | Brad Teague | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 17.249 | 111.241 |
| 25 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 17.260 | 111.170 |
| 26 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 17.261 | 111.164 |
| 27 | 41 | Ronnie Thomas | Ronnie Thomas Racing | Chevrolet | 17.355 | 110.562 |
| 28 | 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | 17.442 | 110.010 |
| 29 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 17.509 | 109.589 |
| 30 | 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | 17.574 | 109.184 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 31 | 6 | Troy Beebe | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 17.679 | 108.536 |
| 32 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 17.791 | 107.852 |
| 33 | 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 18.207 | 105.388 |
| 34 | 81 | Mike Potter | Fillip Racing | Chevrolet | 18.835 | 101.874 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 6 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 415 | running | 185 | $47,175 |
| 2 | 8 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 500 | 1 | running | 175 | $26,300 |
| 3 | 7 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 165 | $20,275 |
| 4 | 1 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 500 | 56 | running | 165 | $17,500 |
| 5 | 20 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 500 | 2 | running | 160 | $10,030 |
| 6 | 2 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 497 | 0 | running | 150 | $9,725 |
| 7 | 16 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 496 | 0 | running | 146 | $2,925 |
| 8 | 5 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 495 | 0 | running | 142 | $6,255 |
| 9 | 15 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 494 | 0 | running | 138 | $9,725 |
| 10 | 19 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 494 | 0 | running | 134 | $6,910 |
| 11 | 4 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 493 | 5 | running | 135 | $6,325 |
| 12 | 23 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 491 | 0 | running | 127 | $5,810 |
| 13 | 25 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 486 | 0 | running | 124 | $4,845 |
| 14 | 12 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 484 | 0 | running | 121 | $4,635 |
| 15 | 26 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 482 | 0 | running | 118 | $2,025 |
| 16 | 28 | 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | 482 | 0 | running | 115 | $2,075 |
| 17 | 29 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 468 | 0 | running | 112 | $4,275 |
| 18 | 10 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 442 | 0 | running | 109 | $4,115 |
| 19 | 22 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 415 | 0 | running | 106 | $1,425 |
| 20 | 11 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 405 | 0 | crash | 103 | $4,155 |
| 21 | 9 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 403 | 1 | running | 105 | $2,725 |
| 22 | 14 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 344 | 0 | engine | 97 | $6,955 |
| 23 | 30 | 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | 315 | 0 | engine | 94 | $3,415 |
| 24 | 21 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 242 | 0 | crash | 91 | $3,385 |
| 25 | 24 | 12 | Brad Teague | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 216 | 0 | oil pressure | 0 | $3,455 |
| 26 | 13 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | engine | 85 | $9,075 |
| 27 | 3 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 179 | 20 | crash | 87 | $3,455 |
| 28 | 17 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 158 | 0 | engine | 79 | $6,835 |
| 29 | 18 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 118 | 0 | engine | 76 | $6,815 |
| 30 | 27 | 41 | Ronnie Thomas | Ronnie Thomas Racing | Chevrolet | 16 | 0 | overheating | 73 | $1,095 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 31 | | 6 | Troy Beebe | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 32 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 33 | | 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 34 | | 81 | Mike Potter | Fillip Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,336 |
| | 2 | Bill Elliott | 2,791 (-545) |
| | 3 | Terry Labonte | 2,717 (-619) |
| 1 | 4 | Rusty Wallace | 2,655 (–681) |
| 1 | 5 | Neil Bonnett | 2,641 (–695) |
| | 6 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,584 (–752) |
| 1 | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 2,567 (–769) |
| 1 | 8 | Kyle Petty | 2,542 (–794) |
| 1 | 9 | Richard Petty | 2,483 (–853) |
| 1 | 10 | Ken Schrader | 2,428 (–908) |
| Official driver's standings ||||