# 1990 First Union 400

The 1990 First Union 400 was the seventh stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 40th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 22, 1990, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At the race's end, King Racing driver Brett Bodine would benefit from a late race caution and pull away in the late stages of the race to take his first and only career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Hendrick Motorsports driver Darrell Waltrip and Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.
The race would become controversial after a late race caution came out for Kenny Wallace during the last round of green flag pit stops. Many had thought that when the pace car had come out, and the leaders had raced to the caution, that Dale Earnhardt was in the lead. However, after NASCAR officials had spent more than 20 laps sorting out the restart order, they determined that Brett Bodine was in the lead. Bodine would then cruise to his only victory of his career. Despite numerous protests from competitors, the victory still remains official to this day.

## Background

North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about five miles east of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures 0.625 mi (1.006 km) and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch. It has previously held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's original closure in 1996. The speedway briefly reopened in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races before closing again in the spring of 2011. It was reopened in August 2022 for grassroots racing.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal Classic |
| 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | U.S. Racing |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service |
| 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 |
| 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | Purolator Filters |
| 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 12 | Mike Alexander | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | Raybestos |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Crown Petroleum |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 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 | Havoline, Texaco |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 36 | Kenny Wallace | Randy Hope Motorsports | Pontiac | Cox Treated Lumber |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 48 | Freddie Crawford | James Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | James Hylton Motorsports |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz Tomato Ketchup |
| 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66, TropArtic |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 76 | Bill Sedgwick | Spears Motorsports | Chevrolet | Spears Manufacturing |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco Ultra |
| 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Lowes Foods |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 20, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 10 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, April 21, at 12:15 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.
Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 19.153 and an average speed of 117.475 miles per hour (189.058 km/h).
Three drivers would fail to qualify: J. D. McDuffie, Bill Sedgwick, and Freddie Crawford.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 19.153 | 117.475 |
| 2 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 19.181 | 117.304 |
| 3 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 19.192 | 117.236 |
| 4 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 19.207 | 117.145 |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 19.232 | 116.993 |
| 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.248 | 116.895 |
| 7 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.257 | 116.841 |
| 8 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.270 | 116.762 |
| 9 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 19.291 | 116.635 |
| 10 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 19.298 | 116.592 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 11 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 19.351 | 116.273 |
| 12 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.361 | 116.213 |
| 13 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 19.374 | 116.135 |
| 14 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.385 | 116.069 |
| 15 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 19.393 | 116.021 |
| 16 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 19.398 | 115.991 |
| 17 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 19.406 | 115.944 |
| 18 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 19.408 | 115.932 |
| 19 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 19.422 | 115.848 |
| 20 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 19.440 | 115.741 |
| 21 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 19.444 | 115.717 |
| 22 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 19.445 | 115.711 |
| 23 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 19.450 | 115.681 |
| 24 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.465 | 115.592 |
| 25 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 19.491 | 115.438 |
| 26 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 19.499 | 115.391 |
| 27 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.523 | 115.249 |
| 28 | 36 | Kenny Wallace | Randy Hope Motorsports | Pontiac | 19.570 | 114.972 |
| 29 | 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 19.591 | 114.849 |
| 30 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 19.603 | 114.778 |
| 31 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 19.678 | 114.341 |
| 32 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 19.775 | 113.780 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 33 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 34 | 76 | Bill Sedgwick | Spears Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 35 | 48 | Freddie Crawford | James Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official qualifying results |||||||
*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 20 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 400 | 146 | running | 185 | $50,682 |
| 2 | 7 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 79 | running | 175 | $31,625 |
| 3 | 4 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 72 | running | 170 | $21,775 |
| 4 | 8 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $12,775 |
| 5 | 21 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 155 | $12,100 |
| 6 | 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 103 | running | 155 | $18,975 |
| 7 | 22 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 146 | $12,825 |
| 8 | 2 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 142 | $10,075 |
| 9 | 17 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 138 | $8,600 |
| 10 | 5 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 399 | 0 | running | 134 | $10,850 |
| 11 | 10 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 130 | $6,675 |
| 12 | 18 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 127 | $6,350 |
| 13 | 27 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Oldsmobile | 399 | 0 | running | 124 | $8,050 |
| 14 | 16 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 121 | $5,975 |
| 15 | 12 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 398 | 0 | running | 118 | $6,325 |
| 16 | 9 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 398 | 0 | running | 115 | $5,675 |
| 17 | 32 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 397 | 0 | running | 112 | $4,125 |
| 18 | 13 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 109 | $9,100 |
| 19 | 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 106 | $7,800 |
| 20 | 15 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 396 | 0 | running | 103 | $6,025 |
| 21 | 26 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 100 | $7,675 |
| 22 | 11 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 384 | 0 | running | 97 | $5,000 |
| 23 | 29 | 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 384 | 0 | running | 94 | $6,925 |
| 24 | 3 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 372 | 0 | engine | 91 | $8,600 |
| 25 | 30 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | running | 88 | $3,350 |
| 26 | 28 | 36 | Kenny Wallace | Randy Hope Motorsports | Pontiac | 315 | 0 | crash | 85 | $2,550 |
| 27 | 19 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 309 | 0 | transmission | 82 | $4,675 |
| 28 | 25 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 306 | 0 | oil cooler | 79 | $3,100 |
| 29 | 23 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 201 | 0 | crash | 76 | $2,475 |
| 30 | 31 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 183 | 0 | crash | 73 | $3,925 |
| 31 | 14 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 150 | 0 | crash | 70 | $3,925 |
| 32 | 24 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 9 | 0 | crash | 67 | $3,175 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 33 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 34 | | 76 | Bill Sedgwick | Spears Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 35 | | 48 | Freddie Crawford | James Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,115 |
| | 2 | Morgan Shepherd | 1,058 (-57) |
| 1 | 3 | Mark Martin | 979 (-136) |
| 1 | 4 | Kyle Petty | 958 (–157) |
| | 5 | Geoff Bodine | 946 (–169) |
| 2 | 6 | Darrell Waltrip | 941 (–174) |
| 4 | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 908 (–207) |
| 2 | 8 | Ken Schrader | 902 (–213) |
| 6 | 9 | Brett Bodine | 901 (–214) |
| 3 | 10 | Bill Elliott | 898 (–217) |
| Official driver's standings ||||