# 1987 Winston Western 500

The 1987 Winston Western 500 was the 28th and penultimate stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, the eighth and the final race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston West Series, and the 27th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 8, 1987, before an audience of 64,500 in Riverside, California, at the short layout of Riverside International Raceway, a 2.62 miles (4.22 km) permanent road course layout at the track. The race took the scheduled 119 laps to complete.
Taking advantage of misfortune caused by an aggressive battle for the lead in the closing laps between Dale Earnhardt and Geoff Bodine, Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace was able to pull ahead when Bodine blew a tire and Earnhardt blew his engine. Wallace was able to score his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports' Benny Parsons and Wood Brothers Racing's Kyle Petty finished second and third, respectively.

## Background

Riverside International Raceway (sometimes known as Riverside, RIR, or Riverside Raceway) was a motorsports race track and road course established in the Edgemont area of Riverside County, California, just east of the city limits of Riverside and 50 mi (80 km) east of Los Angeles, in 1957. In 1984, the raceway became part of the newly incorporated city of Moreno Valley. Riverside was noted for its hot, dusty environment and for being somewhat of a complicated and dangerous track for drivers. It was also considered one of the finest tracks in the United States.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 2 | St. James Davis | St. James Racing | Buick | St. James Racing |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Wrangler |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 04 | Hershel McGriff | Gary Smith Racing | Pontiac | Wershow–Ash–Lewis Auctioneers |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet |
| 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 | Trevor Boys | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | Hamby Racing |
| 14 | Harry Goularte | Goularte Racing | Chevrolet | Goularte 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 | Coats & Clark |
| 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller American |
| 25 | Rick Hendrick | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers |
| 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | Kodiak |
| 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | Texaco. Havoline |
| 29 | George Follmer | Midgley Racing | Chevrolet | Budget Rent a Car |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | Bahari Racing |
| 32 | Ruben Garcia | Stoke Racing | Chevrolet | Suncrest Motorhomes |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers Decaf |
| 41 | Jack Sellers | Vincent Racing | Chevrolet | Coca-Cola |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Eureka |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Classic |
| 63 | Jocko Maggiacomo | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | Linro Motorsports |
| 64 | Rick McCray | Langley Racing | Chevrolet | Fluro-Cote |
| 66 | John Krebs | Krebs Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal Classic |
| 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 73 | Bill Schmitt | Schmitt Racing | Chevrolet | Tom Bell Chevrolet |
| 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 76 | Tommy Kendall | Spears Motorsports | Buick | Spears Manufacturing |
| 78 | Jim Robinson | Lois Williams Racing | Oldsmobile | Lois Williams Racing |
| 79 | Roy Smith | Razore Racing | Ford | Western Peterbilt |
| 81 | Glen Steurer | Steurer Racing | Chevrolet | Steurer Racing |
| 88 | Irv Hoerr | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Bull Frog Knits |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 93 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Chevrolet | Wholesale Truck Parts |
| 95 | Chad Little | George Jefferson Racing | Ford | Coors |
| 98 | Brad Noffsinger | Curb Racing | Pontiac | Curb Records |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, November 6, at 4:30 PM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 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, November 7, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-40 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.
Geoff Bodine, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 1:19.977 and an average speed of 117.934 miles per hour (189.796 km/h) in the first round.
Five drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:19.977 | 117.934 |
| 2 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 1:20.139 | 117.696 |
| 3 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 1:20.296 | 117.465 |
| 4 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 1:20.466 | 117.217 |
| 5 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 1:20.611 | 117.006 |
| 6 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 1:20.719 | 116.850 |
| 7 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 1:21.009 | 116.432 |
| 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:21.383 | 115.896 |
| 9 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 1:21.407 | 115.862 |
| 10 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:21.577 | 115.621 |
| 11 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 1:21.634 | 115.540 |
| 12 | 93 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Chevrolet | 1:21.656 | 115.509 |
| 13 | 78 | Jim Robinson | Lois Williams Racing | Oldsmobile | 1:21.708 | 115.435 |
| 14 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 1:21.711 | 115.431 |
| 15 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 1:21.765 | 115.355 |
| 16 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 1:21.778 | 115.337 |
| 17 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 1:21.799 | 115.307 |
| 18 | 88 | Irv Hoerr | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 1:21.825 | 115.270 |
| 19 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 1:22.185 | 114.766 |
| 20 | 79 | Roy Smith | Razore Racing | Ford | 1:22.255 | 114.668 |
| 21 | 25 | Rick Hendrick | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:22.258 | 114.664 |
| 22 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 1:22.513 | 114.309 |
| 23 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 1:22.693 | 114.060 |
| 24 | 29 | George Follmer | Midgley Racing | Chevrolet | 1:22.908 | 113.765 |
| 25 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 1:22.992 | 113.650 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 26 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 1:20.641 | 116.963 |
| 27 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:21.250 | 116.086 |
| 28 | 81 | Glen Steurer | Steurer Racing | Chevrolet | 1:22.176 | 114.778 |
| 29 | 64 | Rick McCray | Langley Racing | Chevrolet | 1:22.580 | 114.217 |
| 30 | 63 | Jocko Maggiacomo | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:22.812 | 113.897 |
| 31 | 76 | Tommy Kendall | Spears Motorsports | Buick | 1:22.883 | 113.799 |
| 32 | 04 | Hershel McGriff | Smith Racing | Pontiac | 1:23.046 | 113.576 |
| 33 | 14 | Harry Goularte | Goularte Racing | Chevrolet | 1:23.063 | 113.552 |
| 34 | 6 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 1:23.107 | 113.492 |
| 35 | 73 | Bill Schmitt | Schmitt Racing | Chevrolet | 1:23.128 | 113.464 |
| 36 | 95 | Chad Little | George Jefferson Racing | Ford | 1:23.152 | 113.431 |
| 37 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 1:23.269 | 113.271 |
| 38 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 1:23.299 | 113.231 |
| 39 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:23.304 | 113.224 |
| 40 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 1:23.323 | 113.198 |
| Winston Cup provisional |||||||
| 41 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 1:23.845 | 112.493 |
| Winston West provisional |||||||
| 42 | 32 | Ruben Garcia | Stoke Racing | Chevrolet | 1:23.391 | 113.106 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 12 | Trevor Boys | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 1:23.352 | 113.159 |
| 44 | 66 | John Krebs | Krebs Racing | Oldsmobile | 1:23.879 | 112.448 |
| 45 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 1:26.247 | 109.360 |
| 46 | 2 | St. James Davis | St. James Racing | Buick | 1:29.126 | 105.828 |
| 47 | 41 | Jack Sellers | Vincent Racing | Chevrolet | 1:31.808 | 102.736 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 3 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 119 | 11 | running | 180 | $47,725 |
| 2 | 10 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 119 | 0 | running | 170 | $28,700 |
| 3 | 5 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 119 | 0 | running | 165 | $21,125 |
| 4 | 16 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 119 | 0 | running | 160 | $13,780 |
| 5 | 11 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 119 | 0 | running | 155 | $14,575 |
| 6 | 27 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 119 | 1 | running | 155 | $6,745 |
| 7 | 23 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 119 | 0 | running | 0 | $8,025 |
| 8 | 4 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 119 | 1 | running | 147 | $12,400 |
| 9 | 22 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 119 | 0 | running | 138 | $9,415 |
| 10 | 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 119 | 92 | running | 144 | $18,275 |
| 11 | 7 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 119 | 0 | running | 130 | $8,655 |
| 12 | 13 | 78 | Jim Robinson | Lois Williams Racing | Oldsmobile | 118 | 0 | running | 127 | $4,785 |
| 13 | 37 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 118 | 0 | running | 124 | $2,350 |
| 14 | 25 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 118 | 0 | running | 121 | $3,000 |
| 15 | 36 | 95 | Chad Little | George Jefferson Racing | Ford | 117 | 0 | running | 118 | $4,775 |
| 16 | 24 | 29 | George Follmer | Midgley Racing | Chevrolet | 117 | 8 | running | 120 | $2,005 |
| 17 | 39 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | running | 112 | $5,370 |
| 18 | 19 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 116 | 0 | running | 109 | $1,905 |
| 19 | 34 | 6 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | running | 106 | $5,060 |
| 20 | 12 | 93 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Chevrolet | 114 | 0 | running | 103 | $2,355 |
| 21 | 41 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 114 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,800 |
| 22 | 18 | 88 | Irv Hoerr | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 114 | 0 | running | 0 | $1,705 |
| 23 | 6 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 114 | 0 | running | 94 | $10,255 |
| 24 | 17 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 112 | 0 | running | 91 | $4,380 |
| 25 | 26 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 110 | 0 | running | 88 | $4,920 |
| 26 | 9 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 109 | 0 | running | 85 | $4,180 |
| 27 | 40 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 108 | 0 | running | 82 | $4,110 |
| 28 | 14 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 106 | 0 | engine | 79 | $3,325 |
| 29 | 38 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 102 | 0 | clutch | 76 | $3,275 |
| 30 | 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 93 | 1 | engine | 78 | $11,975 |
| 31 | 2 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 90 | 5 | engine | 75 | $9,600 |
| 32 | 33 | 14 | Harry Goularte | Goularte Racing | Chevrolet | 79 | 0 | suspension | 67 | $1,675 |
| 33 | 21 | 25 | Rick Hendrick | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 75 | 0 | transmission | 0 | $1,150 |
| 34 | 15 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 63 | 0 | engine | 61 | $8,125 |
| 35 | 29 | 64 | Rick McCray | Langley Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 | suspension | 58 | $3,100 |
| 36 | 35 | 73 | Bill Schmitt | Schmitt Racing | Chevrolet | 36 | 0 | clutch | 55 | $1,500 |
| 37 | 30 | 63 | Jocko Maggiacomo | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26 | 0 | transmission | 52 | $975 |
| 38 | 31 | 76 | Tommy Kendall | Spears Motorsports | Buick | 26 | 0 | oil pressure | 0 | $950 |
| 39 | 42 | 32 | Ruben Garcia | Stoke Racing | Chevrolet | 24 | 0 | engine | 46 | $1,425 |
| 40 | 20 | 79 | Roy Smith | Razore Racing | Ford | 23 | 0 | overheating | 43 | $1,425 |
| 41 | 28 | 81 | Glen Steurer | Steurer Racing | Chevrolet | 19 | 0 | suspension | 0 | $925 |
| 42 | 32 | 04 | Hershel McGriff | Smith Racing | Pontiac | 7 | 0 | engine | 37 | $2,525 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 12 | Trevor Boys | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 44 | | 66 | John Krebs | Krebs Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 45 | | 98 | Brad Noffsinger | Curb Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 46 | | 2 | St. James Davis | St. James Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 47 | | 41 | Jack Sellers | Vincent Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 4,521 |
| | 2 | Bill Elliott | 4,022 (-499) |
| | 3 | Terry Labonte | 3,923 (-598) |
| | 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 3,802 (–719) |
| | 5 | Rusty Wallace | 3,691 (–830) |
| 1 | 6 | Richard Petty | 3,635 (–886) |
| 1 | 7 | Kyle Petty | 3,613 (–908) |
| 2 | 8 | Ricky Rudd | 3,572 (–949) |
| 2 | 9 | Bobby Allison | 3,365 (–1,156) |
| 1 | 10 | Neil Bonnett | 3,352 (–1,169) |
| Official driver's standings ||||