# 1991 Champion Spark Plug 400

The 1991 Champion Spark Plug 400 was the 19th stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 18, 1991, before an audience of 90,000 in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Wood Brothers Racing driver Dale Jarrett would mount a late-race charge against Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison, passing Allison in the final lap of the race and besting Allison by 8 inches (20 cm) at the finish to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would finish third.

## Background

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

### 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 |
| 14 | Mike Chase | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Tyson Foods |
| 20 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Rob Moroso Memorial |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Maxwell House |
| 24 | Dick Trickle | 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 |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 42 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Bobby Labonte | Labonte Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Slim Jim |
| 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | Interstate Batteries |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Country Time |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 79 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Oldsmobile | Paul Racing |
| 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Donlavey Racing |
| 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 Friday, August 16, at 3:30 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, August 17, 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 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.
Alan Kulwicki, driving for his own AK Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 41.515 and an average speed of 173.431 miles per hour (279.110 km/h) in the first round.
Donny Paul was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 41.515 | 173.431 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 41.543 | 173.314 |
| 3 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 41.624 | 172.977 |
| 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 41.677 | 172.757 |
| 5 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.683 | 172.732 |
| 6 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 41.749 | 172.459 |
| 7 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.909 | 171.801 |
| 8 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 42.008 | 171.396 |
| 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 42.053 | 171.213 |
| 10 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 42.069 | 171.147 |
| 11 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 42.080 | 171.103 |
| 12 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.115 | 170.960 |
| 13 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 42.132 | 170.891 |
| 14 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.189 | 170.661 |
| 15 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 42.261 | 170.370 |
| 16 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 42.263 | 170.362 |
| 17 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 42.288 | 170.261 |
| 18 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 43.300 | 170.213 |
| 19 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 42.306 | 170.189 |
| 20 | 42 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 42.307 | 170.185 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 41.692 | 172.695 |
| 22 | 20 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.069 | 171.147 |
| 23 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 42.070 | 171.143 |
| 24 | 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | 42.121 | 170.936 |
| 25 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.134 | 170.883 |
| 26 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 42.137 | 170.871 |
| 27 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 42.142 | 170.851 |
| 28 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 42.178 | 170.705 |
| 29 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 42.298 | 170.221 |
| 30 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.313 | 170.160 |
| 31 | 24 | Dick Trickle | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 42.373 | 169.920 |
| 32 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Chevrolet | 42.412 | 169.763 |
| 33 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 42.427 | 169.703 |
| 34 | 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 42.487 | 169.464 |
| 35 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 42.533 | 169.280 |
| 36 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.643 | 168.844 |
| 37 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 42.695 | 168.638 |
| 38 | 14 | Mike Chase | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.718 | 168.547 |
| 39 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 42.758 | 168.390 |
| 40 | 44 | Bobby Labonte | Labonte Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.789 | 168.268 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 41 | 79 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 11 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 12 | running | 180 | $74,150 |
| 2 | 3 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 61 | running | 180 | $47,700 |
| 3 | 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 165 | $23,600 |
| 4 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 13 | running | 165 | $30,050 |
| 5 | 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 200 | 48 | running | 160 | $26,600 |
| 6 | 14 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 200 | 14 | running | 155 | $17,200 |
| 7 | 5 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 1 | running | 151 | $18,850 |
| 8 | 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 147 | $21,000 |
| 9 | 21 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 1 | running | 143 | $14,850 |
| 10 | 18 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 7 | running | 139 | $16,500 |
| 11 | 12 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 130 | $15,850 |
| 12 | 8 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 127 | $10,450 |
| 13 | 22 | 20 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 124 | $9,850 |
| 14 | 17 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 198 | 0 | running | 121 | $11,350 |
| 15 | 27 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 118 | $11,350 |
| 16 | 25 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 198 | 0 | running | 115 | $10,050 |
| 17 | 15 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 112 | $8,450 |
| 18 | 30 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 198 | 0 | running | 109 | $9,450 |
| 19 | 36 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 198 | 0 | running | 106 | $7,400 |
| 20 | 33 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | ignition | 103 | $9,750 |
| 21 | 31 | 24 | Dick Trickle | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 196 | 0 | running | 100 | $6,575 |
| 22 | 34 | 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 196 | 0 | running | 97 | $5,775 |
| 23 | 23 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 195 | 0 | running | 94 | $8,350 |
| 24 | 26 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 | running | 91 | $16,425 |
| 25 | 16 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 194 | 0 | running | 88 | $5,525 |
| 26 | 10 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 193 | 15 | running | 90 | $12,975 |
| 27 | 35 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 193 | 1 | running | 87 | $5,175 |
| 28 | 39 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 186 | 0 | running | 79 | $5,125 |
| 29 | 38 | 14 | Mike Chase | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 156 | 0 | overheating | 76 | $5,025 |
| 30 | 32 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 73 | $7,625 |
| 31 | 37 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 140 | 0 | crash | 70 | $4,825 |
| 32 | 7 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | valve | 67 | $5,400 |
| 33 | 20 | 42 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 134 | 0 | engine | 64 | $11,725 |
| 34 | 19 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | engine | 61 | $13,075 |
| 35 | 6 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 123 | 26 | engine | 63 | $13,925 |
| 36 | 13 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | engine | 55 | $7,200 |
| 37 | 28 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 57 | 0 | engine | 52 | $6,575 |
| 38 | 40 | 44 | Bobby Labonte | Labonte Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 40 | 0 | engine | 49 | $4,550 |
| 39 | 29 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 39 | 0 | fuel pump | 46 | $6,525 |
| 40 | 24 | 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | 30 | 0 | ignition | 43 | $4,475 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | | 79 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,849 |
| | 2 | Ricky Rudd | 2,780 (-69) |
| 1 | 3 | Davey Allison | 2,712 (-137) |
| 1 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | 2,695 (–154) |
| | 5 | Mark Martin | 2,660 (–189) |
| 1 | 6 | Ken Schrader | 2,496 (–353) |
| 1 | 7 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,476 (–373) |
| | 8 | Rusty Wallace | 2,451 (–398) |
| | 9 | Sterling Marlin | 2,410 (–439) |
| | 10 | Harry Gant | 2,365 (–484) |
| Official driver's standings ||||