# 1987 Champion Spark Plug 400

The 1987 Champion Spark Plug 400 was the 19th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 16, 1987, before an audience of 72,000 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, Melling Racing's Bill Elliott was able to hold off a late-race charges by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, holding off the field on the final restart with eight laps left to take his 20th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Dale Earnhardt and King Racing's Morgan Shepherd 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 | Chevrolet | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 01 | Dave Pletcher Sr. | Weaver Racing | Ford | Ernie Haire Ford |
| 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 | U.S. Racing |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller American |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 12 | Trevor Boys | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | Gorman's Esso Sales |
| 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 | Ford | Stoke Racing |
| 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 Decaf |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 38 | Rickey Hood | Hood Racing | Ford | Solar Sources |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 51 | David Simko | Simko Racing | Chevrolet | Metro 25 Car Care Center |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Eureka |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Classic |
| 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | AC Spark Plug |
| 63 | Jocko Maggiacomo | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | Linro Motorsports |
| 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | Sunny King Ford |
| 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 69 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Chevrolet | Cyclo Automotive Chemicals |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | Wawak Racing |
| 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | Southlake Ford |
| 80 | Eddie Bierschwale | S&H Racing | Chevrolet | TRW Automotive |
| 82 | Rick Jeffrey | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | Jeffrey Racing |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Wynn's, Kmart |
| 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 |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Saturday, August 15, 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 provisionals were given.
Davey Allison, driving for Ranier-Lundy Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 42.178 and an average speed of 170.705 miles per hour (274.723 km/h) in the first round.
Ten drivers failed to qualify. Two drivers who failed to qualify, Jocko Maggiacomo and Donny Paul, were both involved in qualifying crashes.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 42.178 | 170.705 |
| 2 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 42.236 | 170.471 |
| 3 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 42.370 | 169.932 |
| 4 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 42.488 | 169.460 |
| 5 | 1 | Brett Bodine | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 42.494 | 169.436 |
| 6 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.606 | 168.990 |
| 7 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.618 | 168.943 |
| 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 42.684 | 168.681 |
| 9 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 42.694 | 168.642 |
| 10 | 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | 42.696 | 168.634 |
| 11 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 42.746 | 168.437 |
| 12 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 42.754 | 168.405 |
| 13 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.796 | 168.240 |
| 14 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.826 | 168.122 |
| 15 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 42.878 | 167.918 |
| 16 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 42.887 | 167.883 |
| 17 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 42.903 | 167.820 |
| 18 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 42.903 | 167.820 |
| 19 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 42.913 | 167.781 |
| 20 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 42.921 | 167.750 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.878 | 167.918 |
| 22 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.929 | 167.719 |
| 23 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.940 | 167.676 |
| 24 | 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | 42.942 | 167.668 |
| 25 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.948 | 167.645 |
| 26 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 42.963 | 167.586 |
| 27 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 43.062 | 167.201 |
| 28 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 43.073 | 167.158 |
| 29 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 43.085 | 167.112 |
| 30 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 43.106 | 167.030 |
| 31 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 43.188 | 166.713 |
| 32 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 43.221 | 166.586 |
| 33 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 43.354 | 166.075 |
| 34 | 51 | David Simko | Simko Racing | Chevrolet | 43.410 | 165.850 |
| 35 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 43.427 | 165.795 |
| 36 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 43.510 | 165.479 |
| 37 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 43.512 | 165.472 |
| 38 | 04 | Charlie Rudolph | Rudolph Racing | Chevrolet | 43.547 | 165.339 |
| 39 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | 43.645 | 164.967 |
| 40 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 43.676 | 164.850 |
| Failed to qualify (results unknown) |||||||
| 41 | 01 | Dave Pletcher Sr. | Weaver Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 6 | Connie Saylor | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 43 | 12 | Trevor Boys | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 44 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 45 | 38 | Rickey Hood | Hood Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 46 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 47 | 80 | Eddie Bierschwale | S&H Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 48 | 82 | Rick Jeffrey | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 49 | 63 | Jocko Maggiacomo | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | - | - |
| 50 | 69 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Chevrolet | - | - |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 3 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 200 | 16 | running | 180 | $52,875 |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 63 | running | 180 | $34,325 |
| 3 | 15 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 200 | 1 | running | 170 | $20,505 |
| 4 | 20 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 58 | running | 165 | $20,650 |
| 5 | 1 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 200 | 21 | running | 160 | $13,500 |
| 6 | 2 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 150 | $15,795 |
| 7 | 19 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 200 | 11 | running | 151 | $14,290 |
| 8 | 31 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 142 | $8,295 |
| 9 | 30 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $10,310 |
| 10 | 22 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 1 | running | 139 | $13,955 |
| 11 | 11 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 199 | 28 | crash | 135 | $9,990 |
| 12 | 13 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 127 | $4,845 |
| 13 | 16 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 199 | 0 | running | 124 | $11,515 |
| 14 | 23 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 121 | $4,185 |
| 15 | 21 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 118 | $8,665 |
| 16 | 14 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 115 | $3,645 |
| 17 | 7 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 1 | running | 117 | $5,270 |
| 18 | 6 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 109 | $12,425 |
| 19 | 40 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 106 | $3,015 |
| 20 | 28 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 103 | $7,030 |
| 21 | 5 | 1 | Brett Bodine | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 100 | $3,420 |
| 22 | 35 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 195 | 0 | running | 97 | $2,560 |
| 23 | 33 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 194 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,865 |
| 24 | 17 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 190 | 0 | engine | 91 | $2,840 |
| 25 | 27 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 180 | 0 | running | 88 | $11,485 |
| 26 | 12 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 179 | 0 | engine | 85 | $5,360 |
| 27 | 18 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 165 | 0 | engine | 82 | $9,100 |
| 28 | 34 | 51 | David Simko | Simko Racing | Chevrolet | 164 | 0 | engine | 79 | $2,045 |
| 29 | 25 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 149 | 0 | engine | 76 | $1,990 |
| 30 | 26 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 146 | 0 | crash | 73 | $1,930 |
| 31 | 24 | 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | 146 | 0 | engine | 70 | $4,935 |
| 32 | 39 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | oil leak | 67 | $1,845 |
| 33 | 9 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 129 | 0 | water pump | 64 | $10,600 |
| 34 | 4 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 89 | 0 | engine | 61 | $4,630 |
| 35 | 29 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | 0 | engine | 58 | $4,465 |
| 36 | 38 | 04 | Charlie Rudolph | Rudolph Racing | Chevrolet | 68 | 0 | transmission | 55 | $1,680 |
| 37 | 36 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | engine | 52 | $4,430 |
| 38 | 10 | 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Ford | 43 | 0 | engine | 49 | $1,670 |
| 39 | 37 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25 | 0 | engine | 46 | $4,400 |
| 40 | 32 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 22 | 0 | engine | 43 | $1,660 |
| Failed to qualify (results unknown) |||||||||||
| 41 | | 01 | Dave Pletcher Sr. | Weaver Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 42 | | 6 | Connie Saylor | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 43 | | 12 | Trevor Boys | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 44 | | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 45 | | 38 | Rickey Hood | Hood Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 80 | Eddie Bierschwale | S&H Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 82 | Rick Jeffrey | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 49 | | 63 | Jocko Maggiacomo | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 50 | | 69 | Donny Paul | Paul Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,151 |
| 1 | 2 | Bill Elliott | 2,653 (-498) |
| 1 | 3 | Terry Labonte | 2,552 (-599) |
| 1 | 4 | Neil Bonnett | 2,507 (–644) |
| 2 | 5 | Rusty Wallace | 2,480 (–671) |
| | 6 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,479 (–672) |
| 3 | 7 | Kyle Petty | 2,463 (–688) |
| | 8 | Ricky Rudd | 2,402 (–749) |
| | 9 | Ken Schrader | 2,341 (–810) |
| | 10 | Richard Petty | 2,323 (–828) |
| Official driver's standings ||||