# 1987 Miller American 400

The 1987 Miller American 400 was the 14th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 19th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 28, 1987, before an audience of 78,000 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.
By race's end, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt dominated a majority of the race, leading 154 laps en route to his 27th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his seventh victory of the season. With the victory, Earnhardt was able to increase his driver's championship lead over Bill Elliott by 304 points. To fill out the top three, Ranier-Lundy Racing's Davey Allison and Wood Brothers Racing's Kyle Petty finished second and third, respectively.

## 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 | Brett Bodine | Ellington Racing | Buick | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Wrangler |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 04 | Charlie Rudolph | Rudolph Racing | Chevrolet | Sunoco |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Connie Saylor | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | Kroger |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller American |
| 08 | Butch Miller | Throop Racing | Chevrolet | Throop Racing |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft Quality Parts |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | Freedlander Financial |
| 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Chevrolet | Alugard |
| 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller American |
| 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers |
| 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | Kodiak |
| 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | All Pro Auto Parts |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 38 | Rickey Hood | Hood Racing | Ford | Hood Racing |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 49 | Bob Keselowski | Keselowski Racing | Chevrolet | Arnold Jerome Enterprises |
| 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 51 | David Simko | Simko Racing | Chevrolet | Mound Steel & Supply |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | AC Spark Plug |
| 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | Sunny King Ford |
| 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 68 | Jerry Holden | Holden Racing | Chevrolet | Altra-Dry |
| 69 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Chevrolet | Cyclo Automotive |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Helen Rae Special |
| 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | Wawak Racing |
| 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 77 | Eddie Bierschwale | Ragan Racing | Ford | Ragan Racing |
| 80 | Gary Fedewa | Burke Racing | Chevrolet | Burke Racing |
| 81 | Mike Potter | Fillip Racing | Ford | Fillip Racing |
| 82 | Rick Jeffrey | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | Jeffrey Racing |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Wynn's, Kmart |
| 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | James Chevrolet |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Crisco |
| 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 91 | Ken Bouchard | Sullivan Racing | Chevrolet | Sullivan Racing |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Saturday, June 27, at 11:30 AM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round were 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, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 were 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.
Rusty Wallace, driving for Blue Max Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 42.168 and an average speed of 170.746 miles per hour (274.789 km/h) in the first round.
12 drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 42.168 | 170.746 |
| 2 | 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | 42.275 | 170.313 |
| 3 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 42.289 | 170.257 |
| 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 42.330 | 170.092 |
| 5 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 42.368 | 169.940 |
| 6 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 42.374 | 169.916 |
| 7 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 42.394 | 169.835 |
| 8 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 42.404 | 169.795 |
| 9 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.493 | 169.440 |
| 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.510 | 169.372 |
| 11 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 42.531 | 169.288 |
| 12 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.562 | 169.165 |
| 13 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.565 | 169.153 |
| 14 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.614 | 168.959 |
| 15 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 42.723 | 168.527 |
| 16 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 42.726 | 168.516 |
| 17 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.731 | 168.496 |
| 18 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 42.758 | 168.390 |
| 19 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 42.760 | 168.382 |
| 20 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 42.840 | 168.067 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 42.395 | 169.831 |
| 22 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.704 | 168.602 |
| 23 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 42.869 | 167.954 |
| 24 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 42.902 | 167.824 |
| 25 | 1 | Brett Bodine | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 42.910 | 167.793 |
| 26 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.967 | 167.570 |
| 27 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 43.001 | 167.438 |
| 28 | 6 | Connie Saylor | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 43.033 | 167.313 |
| 29 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 43.065 | 167.189 |
| 30 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 43.192 | 166.698 |
| 31 | 69 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Chevrolet | 43.222 | 166.582 |
| 32 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 43.249 | 166.478 |
| 33 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 43.314 | 166.228 |
| 34 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 43.343 | 166.117 |
| 35 | 77 | Eddie Bierschwale | Ragan Racing | Ford | 43.398 | 165.906 |
| 36 | 91 | Ken Bouchard | Sullivan Racing | Chevrolet | 43.454 | 165.692 |
| 37 | 08 | Butch Miller | Throop Racing | Chevrolet | 43.468 | 165.639 |
| 38 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 43.600 | 165.138 |
| 39 | 51 | David Simko | Simko Racing | Chevrolet | 43.643 | 164.975 |
| 40 | 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | 43.801 | 164.380 |
| 41 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | - | - |
| Failed to qualify (results unknown) |||||||
| 42 | 04 | Charlie Rudolph | Rudolph Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 43 | 38 | Rickey Hood | Hood Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 44 | 49 | Bob Keselowski | Keselowski Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 45 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 46 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 47 | 68 | Jerry Holden | Holden Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 48 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 49 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 50 | 80 | Gary Fedewa | Burke Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 51 | 81 | Mike Potter | Fillip Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 52 | 82 | Rick Jeffrey | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 53 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 6 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 152 | running | 185 | $60,250 |
| 2 | 8 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 170 | $27,575 |
| 3 | 23 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 165 | $26,025 |
| 4 | 17 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 7 | running | 165 | $13,175 |
| 5 | 1 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 15 | running | 160 | $25,150 |
| 6 | 11 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 200 | 0 | running | 150 | $16,100 |
| 7 | 14 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 146 | $10,655 |
| 8 | 3 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 199 | 3 | running | 147 | $14,245 |
| 9 | 22 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 138 | $16,500 |
| 10 | 30 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 134 | $7,475 |
| 11 | 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 130 | $12,625 |
| 12 | 15 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 127 | $9,425 |
| 13 | 20 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 124 | $8,965 |
| 14 | 18 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 121 | $12,950 |
| 15 | 29 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 118 | $8,505 |
| 16 | 9 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 115 | $3,975 |
| 17 | 34 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 198 | 1 | running | 117 | $7,585 |
| 18 | 41 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 198 | 0 | running | 109 | $7,200 |
| 19 | 35 | 77 | Eddie Bierschwale | Ragan Racing | Ford | 197 | 0 | running | 0 | $3,310 |
| 20 | 38 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 103 | $7,060 |
| 21 | 13 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 196 | 0 | running | 100 | $3,450 |
| 22 | 25 | 1 | Brett Bodine | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 97 | $2,835 |
| 23 | 40 | 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | 196 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,930 |
| 24 | 27 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 195 | 0 | running | 91 | $2,615 |
| 25 | 21 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 194 | 3 | running | 93 | $5,650 |
| 26 | 39 | 51 | David Simko | Simko Racing | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 | running | 85 | $2,420 |
| 27 | 7 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 193 | 0 | running | 82 | $9,360 |
| 28 | 5 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | running | 79 | $11,100 |
| 29 | 24 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 189 | 0 | running | 76 | $2,230 |
| 30 | 12 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 169 | 0 | engine | 73 | $2,180 |
| 31 | 19 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 163 | 0 | engine | 70 | $5,900 |
| 32 | 36 | 91 | Ken Bouchard | Sullivan Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | oil pressure | 67 | $2,075 |
| 33 | 26 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 130 | 0 | brakes | 64 | $2,025 |
| 34 | 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 126 | 19 | engine | 66 | $12,050 |
| 35 | 31 | 69 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Chevrolet | 104 | 0 | engine | 58 | $1,915 |
| 36 | 37 | 08 | Butch Miller | Throop Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | engine | 0 | $1,885 |
| 37 | 33 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 83 | 0 | engine | 52 | $4,650 |
| 38 | 28 | 6 | Connie Saylor | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 | engine | 0 | $4,640 |
| 39 | 16 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 62 | 0 | engine | 46 | $4,620 |
| 40 | 32 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 32 | 0 | crash | 43 | $1,875 |
| 41 | 2 | 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | 0 | 0 | did not start | 0 | $0 |
| Failed to qualify (results unknown) |||||||||||
| 42 | | 04 | Charlie Rudolph | Rudolph Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 43 | | 38 | Rickey Hood | Hood Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 49 | Bob Keselowski | Keselowski Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 46 | | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 68 | Jerry Holden | Holden Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 49 | | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 50 | | 80 | Gary Fedewa | Burke Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 51 | | 81 | Mike Potter | Fillip Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 52 | | 82 | Rick Jeffrey | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 53 | | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,314 |
| | 2 | Bill Elliott | 2,010 (-304) |
| | 3 | Neil Bonnett | 1,985 (-329) |
| 1 | 4 | Kyle Petty | 1,891 (–423) |
| 1 | 5 | Terry Labonte | 1,869 (–445) |
| | 6 | Ricky Rudd | 1,825 (–489) |
| 1 | 7 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,801 (–513) |
| 1 | 8 | Ken Schrader | 1,799 (–515) |
| 2 | 9 | Richard Petty | 1,788 (–526) |
| 1 | 10 | Rusty Wallace | 1,710 (–604) |
| Official driver's standings ||||