# 1990 Pepsi 400

The 1990 Pepsi 400 was the 15th stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 7, 1990, in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 160 laps to complete. In a three-lap shootout to the finish, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to defend the field to complete a dominant performance throughout the race, leading 127 laps. The victory was Earnhardt's 44th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth victory of the season. To fill out the top three, owner-driver Alan Kulwicki and Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader would finish second and third, respectively.
Heading into lap two of the race, a 23-car crash would occur on the track's front-stretch after Derrike Cope's car would accidentally scuff into the right side of Greg Sacks's car, sending Sacks loose into Richard Petty's car, sending Petty's car directly crashing in front of the oncoming field, triggering a major pileup, commonly referred to in NASCAR as a big one.

## Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | Special Days Inn |
| 2 | Charlie Glotzbach | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Taco Bell |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Folgers |
| 06 | Terry Byers | Byers Racing | Pontiac | Byers Racing |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 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 |
| 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 18 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | SlimFast |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Crown Central 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 | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | Kanawha Insurance |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | McDuffie Racing |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 72 | Tracy Leslie | Parker Racing | Oldsmobile | Detroit Gasket |
| 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | SlimFast |
| 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | Auto Bell Car Wash |
| 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Publix |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 96 | Philip Duffie | Duffie Racing | Buick | Duffie Racing |
| 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Banquet Foods |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, July 5, at 10:00 AM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 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 Friday, July 6, at 11:00 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 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 but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals were given.
Greg Sacks, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 46.028 and an average speed of 195.533 miles per hour (314.680 km/h) in the first round.
Three drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 18 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.028 | 195.533 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 46.069 | 195.359 |
| 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 46.133 | 195.088 |
| 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 46.168 | 194.940 |
| 5 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.393 | 193.995 |
| 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.395 | 193.986 |
| 7 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 46.474 | 193.657 |
| 8 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 46.479 | 193.636 |
| 9 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.497 | 193.561 |
| 10 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 46.537 | 193.395 |
| 11 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 46.662 | 192.876 |
| 12 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 46.714 | 192.662 |
| 13 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 46.735 | 192.575 |
| 14 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 46.781 | 192.386 |
| 15 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 46.795 | 192.328 |
| 16 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 46.818 | 192.234 |
| 17 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 46.856 | 192.078 |
| 18 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 46.972 | 191.604 |
| 19 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 47.008 | 191.457 |
| 20 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 47.020 | 191.408 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 47.072 | 191.196 |
| 22 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 47.087 | 191.136 |
| 23 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 47.102 | 191.075 |
| 24 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 47.156 | 190.856 |
| 25 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 47.196 | 190.694 |
| 26 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | 47.222 | 190.589 |
| 27 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 47.246 | 190.492 |
| 28 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 47.252 | 190.468 |
| 29 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 47.308 | 190.243 |
| 30 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 47.335 | 190.134 |
| 31 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 47.347 | 190.086 |
| 32 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 47.399 | 189.877 |
| 33 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 47.420 | 189.793 |
| 34 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 47.426 | 189.769 |
| 35 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 47.502 | 189.466 |
| 36 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 47.582 | 189.147 |
| 37 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 47.739 | 188.525 |
| 38 | 2 | Charlie Glotzbach | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 48.237 | 186.579 |
| 39 | 06 | Terry Byers | Byers Racing | Pontiac | 48.799 | 184.430 |
| 40 | 96 | Philip Duffie | Duffie Racing | Buick | 48.933 | 183.925 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 41 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | 49.361 | 182.331 |
| 42 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 49.781 | 180.792 |
| 43 | 72 | Tracy Leslie | Parker Racing | Oldsmobile | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 127 | running | 185 | $72,850 |
| 2 | 12 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 160 | 1 | running | 175 | $38,700 |
| 3 | 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 2 | running | 170 | $31,400 |
| 4 | 8 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 160 | 0 | running | 160 | $23,450 |
| 5 | 13 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 160 | 15 | running | 160 | $21,250 |
| 6 | 28 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 160 | 7 | running | 155 | $16,832 |
| 7 | 16 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 160 | 1 | running | 151 | $17,400 |
| 8 | 24 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 142 | $13,500 |
| 9 | 11 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 160 | 4 | running | 143 | $11,000 |
| 10 | 10 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 159 | 0 | running | 134 | $16,875 |
| 11 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 158 | 0 | running | 130 | $14,490 |
| 12 | 22 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 158 | 0 | running | 127 | $7,300 |
| 13 | 9 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | running | 124 | $10,135 |
| 14 | 25 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 158 | 0 | running | 121 | $17,020 |
| 15 | 33 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 157 | 3 | running | 123 | $10,030 |
| 16 | 27 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 155 | 0 | running | 115 | $8,950 |
| 17 | 5 | 17 | Jimmy Horton | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 155 | 0 | running | 112 | $14,495 |
| 18 | 36 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 152 | 0 | running | 109 | $5,495 |
| 19 | 30 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 151 | 0 | running | 106 | $9,125 |
| 20 | 34 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 140 | 0 | engine | 103 | $8,570 |
| 21 | 40 | 96 | Philip Duffie | Duffie Racing | Buick | 139 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,710 |
| 22 | 20 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 138 | 0 | running | 97 | $7,515 |
| 23 | 37 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,270 |
| 24 | 17 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 133 | 0 | running | 91 | $12,325 |
| 25 | 15 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 119 | 0 | running | 88 | $12,730 |
| 26 | 21 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 118 | 0 | running | 85 | $4,860 |
| 27 | 32 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 114 | 0 | running | 82 | $4,140 |
| 28 | 18 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 79 | $8,920 |
| 29 | 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 95 | 0 | running | 76 | $12,525 |
| 30 | 35 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 71 | 0 | accident | 73 | $3,730 |
| 31 | 26 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | 17 | 0 | accident | 70 | $3,675 |
| 32 | 29 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 13 | 0 | accident | 67 | $3,645 |
| 33 | 14 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 6 | 0 | accident | 64 | $6,310 |
| 34 | 31 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 2 | 0 | accident | 61 | $6,260 |
| 35 | 38 | 2 | Charlie Glotzbach | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 2 | 0 | accident | 58 | $6,205 |
| 36 | 7 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 1 | 0 | accident | 55 | $4,900 |
| 37 | 1 | 18 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 | 0 | accident | 52 | $6,995 |
| 38 | 19 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 1 | 0 | accident | 49 | $3,480 |
| 39 | 23 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 1 | 0 | accident | 46 | $6,060 |
| 40 | 39 | 06 | Terry Byers | Byers Racing | Pontiac | 1 | 0 | accident | 43 | $3,505 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 42 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 43 | | 72 | Tracy Leslie | Parker Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Mark Martin | 2,221 |
| 3 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,158 (-63) |
| 1 | 3 | Rusty Wallace | 2,096 (-125) |
| 1 | 4 | Geoff Bodine | 2,072 (–149) |
| 3 | 5 | Morgan Shepherd | 2,058 (–163) |
| | 6 | Kyle Petty | 2,009 (–212) |
| 2 | 7 | Ken Schrader | 1,990 (–291) |
| 1 | 8 | Ernie Irvan | 1,860 (–361) |
| 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | 1,835 (–386) |
| 2 | 10 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,777 (–444) |
| Official driver's standings ||||