# 1991 Champion Spark Plug 500

The 1991 Champion Spark Plug 500 was the 13th stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the tenth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 16, 1991, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, owner-driver Darrell Waltrip would mount a late-race charge for the lead, passing with 18 laps to go in the race to take his 81st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Pocono International Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.
Pocono International Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Folgers |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Hooters |
| 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Snickers |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors Light |
| 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | Purolator Filters |
| 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | Raybestos |
| 13 | Randy LaJoie | Golden Annie Racing | Buick | Golden Annie Racing |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Labatt's |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Maxwell House |
| 24 | Mickey Gibbs | Team III Racing | Pontiac | Team III Racing |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 42 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hylton Motorsports |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Overton's |
| 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Country Time |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 97 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Banquet Foods |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 14, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 15 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, June 15, at 10:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 16-40 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. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.
Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 55.557 and an average speed of 161.996 miles per hour (260.707 km/h) in the first round.
No drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 55.557 | 161.996 |
| 2 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 55.585 | 161.914 |
| 3 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55.911 | 160.970 |
| 4 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55.946 | 160.869 |
| 5 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 56.100 | 160.428 |
| 6 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 56.111 | 160.396 |
| 7 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 56.170 | 160.228 |
| 8 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 56.173 | 160.219 |
| 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 56.203 | 160.134 |
| 10 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 56.291 | 159.883 |
| 11 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 56.314 | 159.818 |
| 12 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 56.383 | 159.623 |
| 13 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 56.460 | 159.405 |
| 14 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 56.463 | 159.396 |
| 15 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 56.483 | 159.340 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 16 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 56.586 | 159.050 |
| 17 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 56.632 | 158.921 |
| 18 | 97 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 56.680 | 158.786 |
| 19 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 56.682 | 158.781 |
| 20 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 56.718 | 158.680 |
| 21 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 56.745 | 158.604 |
| 22 | 42 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 56.759 | 158.565 |
| 23 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 56.811 | 158.420 |
| 24 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 57.033 | 157.803 |
| 25 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 57.073 | 157.693 |
| 26 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 57.253 | 157.197 |
| 27 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 57.268 | 157.156 |
| 28 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 57.275 | 157.137 |
| 29 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 57.626 | 156.180 |
| 30 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 57.642 | 156.136 |
| 31 | 24 | Mickey Gibbs | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 57.848 | 155.580 |
| 32 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 57.859 | 155.551 |
| 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 58.133 | 154.817 |
| 34 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 58.996 | 152.553 |
| 35 | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:00.526 | 148.696 |
| 36 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 1:00.715 | 148.234 |
| 37 | 13 | Randy LaJoie | Golden Annie Racing | Buick | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 13 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 34 | running | 180 | $60,650 |
| 2 | 21 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 28 | running | 175 | $43,775 |
| 3 | 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 6 | running | 170 | $38,875 |
| 4 | 8 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 200 | 16 | running | 165 | $22,600 |
| 5 | 18 | 97 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 160 | $15,125 |
| 6 | 3 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 38 | running | 160 | $17,900 |
| 7 | 7 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 16 | running | 151 | $13,200 |
| 8 | 16 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 200 | 27 | running | 147 | $9,900 |
| 9 | 12 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $14,300 |
| 10 | 6 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $19,200 |
| 11 | 23 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 130 | $10,450 |
| 12 | 10 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 132 | $14,800 |
| 13 | 11 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 200 | 0 | running | 124 | $9,900 |
| 14 | 27 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 200 | 12 | running | 126 | $10,600 |
| 15 | 22 | 42 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 118 | $13,250 |
| 16 | 2 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 115 | $12,500 |
| 17 | 19 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 112 | $9,000 |
| 18 | 5 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 3 | running | 114 | $8,600 |
| 19 | 25 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 106 | $8,250 |
| 20 | 4 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 16 | running | 108 | $13,025 |
| 21 | 14 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 100 | $7,750 |
| 22 | 26 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 197 | 0 | running | 97 | $7,600 |
| 23 | 30 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 197 | 0 | running | 94 | $4,550 |
| 24 | 29 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 91 | $7,350 |
| 25 | 24 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 196 | 0 | running | 88 | $7,800 |
| 26 | 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 176 | 1 | running | 90 | $4,400 |
| 27 | 32 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 174 | 1 | engine | 87 | $5,800 |
| 28 | 17 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 163 | 0 | engine | 79 | $6,975 |
| 29 | 37 | 13 | Randy LaJoie | Golden Annie Racing | Buick | 154 | 0 | sway bar | 76 | $4,250 |
| 30 | 31 | 24 | Mickey Gibbs | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 145 | 0 | crash | 73 | $4,850 |
| 31 | 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 115 | 0 | engine | 70 | $4,775 |
| 32 | 28 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 72 | 0 | camshaft | 67 | $4,100 |
| 33 | 20 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 57 | 0 | oil pan | 64 | $6,600 |
| 34 | 36 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 49 | 0 | handling | 61 | $3,925 |
| 35 | 34 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 47 | 0 | crash | 58 | $4,100 |
| 36 | 15 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 44 | 0 | valve | 55 | $11,775 |
| 37 | 35 | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 14 | 0 | engine | 52 | $3,700 |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,037 |
| | 2 | Ricky Rudd | 1,917 (-120) |
| 1 | 3 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,842 (-195) |
| 1 | 4 | Ken Schrader | 1,817 (–220) |
| | 5 | Ernie Irvan | 1,814 (–223) |
| | 6 | Davey Allison | 1,769 (–268) |
| | 7 | Harry Gant | 1,767 (–270) |
| 1 | 8 | Mark Martin | 1,685 (–352) |
| 1 | 9 | Michael Waltrip | 1,631 (–406) |
| 1 | 10 | Morgan Shepherd | 1,575 (–462) |
| Official driver's standings ||||