# 1990 Valleydale Meats 500

The 1990 Valleydale Meats 500 was the sixth stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 8, 1990, before an audience of 57,800 in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison would manage to best out Roush Racing driver Mark Martin by a margin of 8 inches (20 cm) at the finish of the race to take his seventh career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ricky Rudd would finish third.

## Background

The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Raven Boats |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Folgers |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 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 | Mike Alexander | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | Raybestos |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Buick | Pearson Racing |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Crown Central Petroleum |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time, Maxwell House |
| 33 | Phil Parsons | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Food City |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Friday, April 6, at 4:00 PM EST. However, due to rain, the first round was cancelled, and qualifying was condensed into one round, which was held on Saturday, April 7, at 1:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 1–30 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.
Ernie Irvan, driving for Morgan–McClure Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 16.519 and an average speed of 116.157 miles per hour (186.937 km/h).
Two drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 16.519 | 116.157 |
| 2 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 16.555 | 115.905 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 16.633 | 115.361 |
| 4 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 16.650 | 115.243 |
| 5 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 16.662 | 115.160 |
| 6 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 16.692 | 114.953 |
| 7 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 16.704 | 114.871 |
| 8 | 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 16.717 | 114.781 |
| 9 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 16.724 | 114.733 |
| 10 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.742 | 114.610 |
| 11 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 16.747 | 114.576 |
| 12 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 16.749 | 114.562 |
| 13 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.810 | 114.146 |
| 14 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 16.813 | 114.126 |
| 15 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 16.824 | 114.051 |
| 16 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 16.835 | 113.977 |
| 17 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.848 | 113.889 |
| 18 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 16.851 | 113.869 |
| 19 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 16.856 | 113.835 |
| 20 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 16.874 | 113.713 |
| 21 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 16.876 | 113.700 |
| 22 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 16.923 | 113.384 |
| 23 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 16.933 | 113.317 |
| 24 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 16.933 | 113.317 |
| 25 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 16.937 | 113.290 |
| 26 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 16.982 | 112.990 |
| 27 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 17.036 | 112.632 |
| 28 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 17.057 | 112.493 |
| 29 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 17.103 | 112.191 |
| 30 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 17.119 | 112.086 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 31 | 33 | Phil Parsons | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 32 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 33 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 34 | 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 19 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 500 | 109 | running | 180 | $50,100 |
| 2 | 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 170 | $31,300 |
| 3 | 13 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 165 | $19,775 |
| 4 | 14 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 500 | 0 | running | 160 | $13,500 |
| 5 | 25 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 500 | 0 | running | 155 | $13,857 |
| 6 | 17 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 150 | $11,675 |
| 7 | 5 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 500 | 31 | running | 151 | $8,850 |
| 8 | 7 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 142 | $8,475 |
| 9 | 10 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 499 | 167 | running | 148 | $25,500 |
| 10 | 4 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 499 | 55 | running | 139 | $11,900 |
| 11 | 12 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 493 | 39 | running | 135 | $8,300 |
| 12 | 8 | 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 489 | 0 | running | 127 | $8,225 |
| 13 | 6 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 488 | 0 | running | 124 | $7,950 |
| 14 | 32 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 486 | 0 | running | 121 | $4,000 |
| 15 | 16 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 471 | 2 | running | 123 | $7,025 |
| 16 | 1 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 471 | 16 | running | 120 | $8,800 |
| 17 | 11 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 465 | 0 | running | 112 | $10,850 |
| 18 | 26 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 456 | 0 | running | 109 | $6,050 |
| 19 | 9 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 451 | 0 | running | 106 | $10,990 |
| 20 | 20 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 442 | 0 | running | 103 | $6,725 |
| 21 | 15 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 433 | 41 | running | 105 | $5,725 |
| 22 | 18 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 421 | 0 | running | 97 | $5,620 |
| 23 | 29 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 399 | 0 | running | 94 | $3,400 |
| 24 | 2 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 383 | 40 | running | 96 | $11,225 |
| 25 | 31 | 33 | Phil Parsons | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 342 | 0 | running | 88 | $9,080 |
| 26 | 28 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 328 | 0 | engine | 85 | $3,900 |
| 27 | 30 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 290 | 0 | engine | 82 | $3,210 |
| 28 | 23 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 220 | 0 | accident | 79 | $12,375 |
| 29 | 27 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 202 | 0 | camshaft | 76 | $3,745 |
| 30 | 24 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 169 | 0 | accident | 73 | $3,850 |
| 31 | 21 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 126 | 0 | oil pan | 70 | $4,600 |
| 32 | 22 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 56 | 0 | accident | 67 | $7,300 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 33 | | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 34 | | 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 945 |
| | 2 | Morgan Shepherd | 903 (-42) |
| 1 | 3 | Kyle Petty | 824 (-121) |
| 3 | 4 | Mark Martin | 824 (–121) |
| 2 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | 804 (–141) |
| 2 | 6 | Ken Schrader | 796 (–149) |
| 2 | 7 | Bill Elliott | 789 (–156) |
| 2 | 8 | Darrell Waltrip | 766 (–179) |
| 3 | 9 | Sterling Marlin | 764 (–181) |
| 4 | 10 | Rusty Wallace | 750 (–195) |
| Official driver's standings ||||