# 1989 Miller High Life 400 (Richmond)

The 1989 Miller High Life 400 was the 22nd stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 10, 1989, before an audience of 60,000 in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. Gambling on fuel strategy, Blue Max Racing driver Rusty Wallace would manage to run the last 129 laps of the race on one tank of fuel to take his 16th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his sixth and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Hendrick Motorsports driver Geoff Bodine would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Kroger |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Stroh's Light |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors Light |
| 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | Purolator |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | Chattanooga Chew |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers |
| 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | Kodiak |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 40 | Darin Brassfield | Brassfield Racing | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 51 | Butch Miller (R) | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | Miller Racing |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal, Crown Central Petroleum |
| 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | Crisco |
| 90 | Lennie Pond | Donlavey Racing | Ford | V8 |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, September 8, at 3:00 PM 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, September 9, 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 21-34 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 were given.
Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 22.289 and an average speed of 121.136 miles per hour (194.949 km/h) in the first round.
Greg Sacks was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 22.289 | 121.136 |
| 2 | 51 | Butch Miller (R) | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | 22.293 | 121.114 |
| 3 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.332 | 120.903 |
| 4 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 22.462 | 120.203 |
| 5 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 22.474 | 120.139 |
| 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 22.478 | 120.117 |
| 7 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 22.478 | 120.117 |
| 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.516 | 119.915 |
| 9 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 22.518 | 119.904 |
| 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.544 | 119.766 |
| 11 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 22.659 | 119.158 |
| 12 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.690 | 118.995 |
| 13 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 22.703 | 118.927 |
| 14 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 22.719 | 118.843 |
| 15 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 22.736 | 118.754 |
| 16 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 22.740 | 118.734 |
| 17 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 22.740 | 118.734 |
| 18 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 22.777 | 118.541 |
| 19 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.806 | 118.390 |
| 20 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 22.858 | 118.121 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 22.485 | 120.080 |
| 22 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 22.734 | 118.765 |
| 23 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 22.827 | 118.281 |
| 24 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 22.866 | 118.079 |
| 25 | 90 | Lennie Pond | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 22.875 | 118.033 |
| 26 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 22.891 | 117.950 |
| 27 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 22.913 | 117.837 |
| 28 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 22.931 | 117.745 |
| 29 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 22.975 | 117.519 |
| 30 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 22.981 | 117.488 |
| 31 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 23.026 | 117.259 |
| 32 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 23.050 | 117.137 |
| 33 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 23.062 | 117.076 |
| 34 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.084 | 116.964 |
| 35 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.148 | 116.641 |
| 36 | 40 | Darin Brassfield | Brassfield Racing | Chevrolet | 23.299 | 115.885 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 37 | 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 211 | running | 185 | $55,650 |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 135 | running | 175 | $31,475 |
| 3 | 19 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running | 165 | $21,750 |
| 4 | 7 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 399 | 0 | running | 160 | $16,450 |
| 5 | 18 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 399 | 0 | running | 155 | $15,175 |
| 6 | 12 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 150 | $13,150 |
| 7 | 24 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 146 | $9,475 |
| 8 | 21 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 398 | 0 | running | 142 | $9,425 |
| 9 | 22 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 398 | 0 | running | 138 | $6,100 |
| 10 | 5 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 394 | 0 | running | 134 | $13,450 |
| 11 | 25 | 90 | Lennie Pond | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 394 | 0 | running | 130 | $3,475 |
| 12 | 4 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 391 | 7 | running | 132 | $8,425 |
| 13 | 31 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 383 | 0 | running | 124 | $9,132 |
| 14 | 23 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 374 | 0 | running | 121 | $6,425 |
| 15 | 14 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 372 | 0 | running | 118 | $6,925 |
| 16 | 30 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 365 | 3 | running | 120 | $7,975 |
| 17 | 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 353 | 0 | running | 112 | $5,675 |
| 18 | 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 334 | 41 | drivetrain | 114 | $16,075 |
| 19 | 29 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 324 | 0 | fuel line | 106 | $2,775 |
| 20 | 16 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 285 | 0 | crash | 103 | $4,900 |
| 21 | 2 | 51 | Butch Miller (R) | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | 268 | 0 | crash | 100 | $3,650 |
| 22 | 13 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 268 | 1 | crash | 102 | $5,205 |
| 23 | 9 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 265 | 0 | engine | 94 | $5,000 |
| 24 | 3 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 226 | 0 | crash | 91 | $7,675 |
| 25 | 15 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 202 | 0 | engine | 88 | $3,600 |
| 26 | 17 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 182 | 2 | engine | 90 | $3,275 |
| 27 | 34 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 165 | 0 | crash | 82 | $9,225 |
| 28 | 11 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 156 | 0 | engine | 79 | $4,670 |
| 29 | 27 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 139 | 0 | crash | 76 | $4,615 |
| 30 | 36 | 40 | Darin Brassfield | Brassfield Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | rear end | 73 | $2,495 |
| 31 | 32 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 110 | 0 | overheating | 70 | $2,365 |
| 32 | 20 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 76 | 0 | crash | 67 | $2,335 |
| 33 | 35 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 76 | 0 | clutch | 64 | $2,925 |
| 34 | 33 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 35 | 0 | water pump | 61 | $3,675 |
| 35 | 26 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 17 | 0 | crash | 58 | $3,675 |
| 36 | 28 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 8 | 0 | crash | 55 | $3,675 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 37 | | 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,212 |
| | 2 | Rusty Wallace | 3,149 (-63) |
| | 3 | Mark Martin | 3,016 (-196) |
| | 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,963 (–249) |
| 1 | 5 | Davey Allison | 2,796 (–416) |
| 1 | 6 | Bill Elliott | 2,796 (–416) |
| 1 | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 2,782 (–430) |
| 2 | 8 | Geoff Bodine | 2,726 (–486) |
| 2 | 9 | Ken Schrader | 2,724 (–488) |
| 1 | 10 | Harry Gant | 2,721 (–491) |
| Official driver's standings ||||