# 1991 Winston 500

The 1991 Winston 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 22nd iteration of the event. The race was originally scheduled to be held on Sunday, May 5, 1991, but was delayed to Monday, May 6, due to rain. The race was held before an audience of 105,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. Running on a fuel strategy, Leo Jackson Motorsports driver Harry Gant would manage to drive the last 56 laps of the race on one tank of fuel to take his 12th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his only won on a restrictor plate race and his first victory of the season.
On lap 72 of the race, a 20-car crash would occur when Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Ernie Irvan's car hit both Kyle Petty and Mark Martin's cars, causing a chain reaction crash in the field. In the crash, Kyle Petty would suffer a broken left femur, causing Petty to miss the next several races due to his injury. Irvan would take most of the blame for causing the crash by drivers, with many of the drivers involved in the crash claiming that Irvan had been "out of control" for the entire race leading up to that point.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval, a 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) tri-oval.

### 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 |
| 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | Raybestos |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Rob Moroso Memorial |
| 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 | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 47 | Greg Sacks | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | Kanawha Insurance |
| 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | Interstate Batteries |
| 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Oldsmobile | Phoenix Construction |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 53 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Chevrolet | Paul Racing |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | U.S. Racing |
| 59 | Mark Gibson | Gibson Racing | Pontiac | Gibson Racing |
| 65 | Dave Mader III | Bahre Racing | Pontiac | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 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 |
| 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | Barkdoll Racing |
| 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Branch-Ragan Racing | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Dipetane |
| 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Ford Motorsport Sportswear |
| 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Banquet Foods |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, May 2, at 4:30 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 Saturday, May 3, at 4:30 PM 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 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.
Ernie Irvan, driving for Morgan–McClure Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.061 and an average speed of 195.186 miles per hour (314.121 km/h) in the first round.
Five drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.061 | 195.186 |
| 2 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 49.117 | 194.963 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 49.145 | 194.852 |
| 4 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 49.423 | 193.756 |
| 5 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.441 | 193.685 |
| 6 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.538 | 193.306 |
| 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 49.555 | 193.240 |
| 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.576 | 193.158 |
| 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 49.650 | 192.870 |
| 10 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 49.652 | 192.862 |
| 11 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 49.662 | 192.823 |
| 12 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 49.674 | 192.777 |
| 13 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 49.687 | 192.726 |
| 14 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 49.699 | 192.680 |
| 15 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 49.703 | 192.664 |
| 16 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 49.734 | 192.544 |
| 17 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 49.753 | 192.471 |
| 18 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.765 | 192.424 |
| 19 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 49.778 | 192.374 |
| 20 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 49.786 | 192.343 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 24 | Mickey Gibbs | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 49.793 | 192.316 |
| 22 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 49.842 | 192.127 |
| 23 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 49.898 | 191.911 |
| 24 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 49.922 | 191.819 |
| 25 | 47 | Greg Sacks | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 49.931 | 191.785 |
| 26 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 49.950 | 191.712 |
| 27 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | 49.996 | 191.535 |
| 28 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 50.050 | 191.329 |
| 29 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 50.102 | 191.130 |
| 30 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 50.126 | 191.039 |
| 31 | 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | 50.151 | 190.943 |
| 32 | 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 50.212 | 190.711 |
| 33 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 50.230 | 190.643 |
| 34 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 50.310 | 190.340 |
| 35 | 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 50.492 | 189.654 |
| 36 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 50.519 | 189.552 |
| 37 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 50.626 | 189.152 |
| 38 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 50.772 | 188.608 |
| 39 | 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Oldsmobile | 50.901 | 188.130 |
| 40 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.982 | 187.831 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 41 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 51.445 | 186.141 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 42 | 59 | Mark Gibson | Gibson Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 43 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 44 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Branch-Ragan Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 65 | Dave Mader III | Bahre Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 46 | 53 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 188 | 18 | running | 180 | $81,950 |
| 2 | 5 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 6 | running | 175 | $47,400 |
| 3 | 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 112 | running | 175 | $56,100 |
| 4 | 19 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 188 | 4 | running | 165 | $25,450 |
| 5 | 20 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 3 | running | 160 | $25,800 |
| 6 | 11 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 150 | $25,350 |
| 7 | 18 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 13 | running | 151 | $19,150 |
| 8 | 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 142 | $21,500 |
| 9 | 29 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 138 | $17,300 |
| 10 | 13 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 187 | 0 | running | 134 | $17,650 |
| 11 | 16 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 187 | 0 | running | 130 | $13,670 |
| 12 | 14 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 186 | 0 | running | 127 | $10,040 |
| 13 | 6 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 186 | 2 | running | 129 | $15,860 |
| 14 | 33 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 186 | 0 | running | 121 | $15,480 |
| 15 | 21 | 24 | Mickey Gibbs | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 186 | 0 | running | 118 | $8,700 |
| 16 | 38 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 186 | 1 | running | 120 | $9,860 |
| 17 | 35 | 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 184 | 0 | running | 112 | $8,965 |
| 18 | 41 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 184 | 0 | running | 109 | $10,155 |
| 19 | 27 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | 183 | 0 | running | 106 | $6,665 |
| 20 | 36 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 180 | 0 | running | 103 | $8,555 |
| 21 | 31 | 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | 168 | 0 | running | 100 | $6,140 |
| 22 | 4 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 164 | 2 | running | 102 | $14,720 |
| 23 | 12 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 157 | 0 | running | 94 | $8,910 |
| 24 | 28 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 151 | 0 | running | 91 | $15,305 |
| 25 | 30 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 149 | 0 | running | 88 | $8,775 |
| 26 | 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 146 | 0 | running | 85 | $5,645 |
| 27 | 15 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 136 | 0 | running | 82 | $12,590 |
| 28 | 23 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 118 | 0 | engine | 79 | $13,935 |
| 29 | 34 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 116 | 0 | running | 76 | $8,330 |
| 30 | 39 | 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Oldsmobile | 94 | 0 | hub | 73 | $5,425 |
| 31 | 10 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 79 | 0 | crash | 70 | $8,045 |
| 32 | 1 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 71 | 18 | crash | 72 | $15,740 |
| 33 | 3 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 70 | 9 | crash | 69 | $14,410 |
| 34 | 32 | 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 70 | 0 | crash | 61 | $5,180 |
| 35 | 22 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 70 | 0 | crash | 58 | $7,850 |
| 36 | 37 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 70 | 0 | crash | 55 | $5,120 |
| 37 | 24 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 70 | 0 | crash | 52 | $7,715 |
| 38 | 17 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 70 | 0 | crash | 49 | $5,635 |
| 39 | 25 | 47 | Greg Sacks | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 39 | 0 | piston | 46 | $5,555 |
| 40 | 26 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 2 | 0 | crash | 43 | $5,500 |
| 41 | 40 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 | 0 | crash | 40 | $4,900 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 59 | Mark Gibson | Gibson Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 43 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 44 | | 77 | Ken Ragan | Branch-Ragan Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 65 | Dave Mader III | Bahre Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 46 | | 53 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,366 |
| 1 | 2 | Ricky Rudd | 1,362 (-4) |
| 1 | 3 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,281 (-85) |
| 2 | 4 | Michael Waltrip | 1,188 (–178) |
| 5 | 5 | Harry Gant | 1,185 (–181) |
| 3 | 6 | Ernie Irvan | 1,183 (–183) |
| 2 | 7 | Davey Allison | 1,157 (–209) |
| 1 | 8 | Ken Schrader | 1,156 (–210) |
| 1 | 9 | Morgan Shepherd | 1,132 (–234) |
| 3 | 10 | Mark Martin | 1,118 (–248) |
| Official driver's standings ||||