# 1990 Busch 500

The 1990 Busch 500 was the 20th stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 25, 1990, before an audience of 58,200 in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol International 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, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Ernie Irvan would manage to hold off Blue Max Racing driver Rusty Wallace to 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, the aforementioned Rusty Wallace and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

## 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 |
| 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 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | Raybestos |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Pelco |
| 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Crown Central Petroleum |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Plasti-Kote |
| 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 |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | General Motors Auctions |
| 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 |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 74 | Mike Potter | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | Wawak Racing |
| 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Food City |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 23, at 7:35 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 15 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 24, at 1:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 15-30 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 on time but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals were given.
Dale Earnhardt, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 16.598 and an average speed of 115.604 miles per hour (186.047 km/h) in the first round.
Two drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 16.598 | 115.604 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 16.641 | 115.306 |
| 3 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 16.764 | 114.460 |
| 4 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 16.771 | 114.412 |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 16.775 | 114.385 |
| 6 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.782 | 114.337 |
| 7 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.796 | 114.241 |
| 8 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 16.818 | 114.092 |
| 9 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 16.829 | 114.017 |
| 10 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 16.832 | 113.997 |
| 11 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 16.847 | 113.896 |
| 12 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 16.882 | 113.660 |
| 13 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 16.883 | 113.653 |
| 14 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 16.893 | 113.586 |
| 15 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 16.916 | 113.431 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 16 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 16.918 | 113.418 |
| 17 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 16.943 | 113.250 |
| 18 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 16.957 | 113.157 |
| 19 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16.969 | 113.077 |
| 20 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 16.995 | 112.904 |
| 21 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 17.031 | 112.665 |
| 22 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 17.050 | 112.540 |
| 23 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 17.056 | 112.500 |
| 24 | 22 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 17.056 | 112.500 |
| 25 | 17 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 17.065 | 112.441 |
| 26 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 17.082 | 112.329 |
| 27 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 17.100 | 112.211 |
| 28 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 17.117 | 112.099 |
| 29 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 17.120 | 112.079 |
| 30 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 17.148 | 111.896 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 31 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 32 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 33 | 74 | Mike Potter | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 34 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 6 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 120 | running | 180 | $49,600 |
| 2 | 4 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 500 | 0 | running | 170 | $32,850 |
| 3 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 165 | $22,830 |
| 4 | 16 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 500 | 0 | running | 160 | $14,150 |
| 5 | 13 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 500 | 0 | running | 155 | $12,900 |
| 6 | 10 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 150 | $10,325 |
| 7 | 9 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 499 | 29 | running | 151 | $9,850 |
| 8 | 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 499 | 350 | running | 152 | $30,125 |
| 9 | 27 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 499 | 0 | running | 138 | $9,157 |
| 10 | 7 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 499 | 0 | running | 134 | $10,100 |
| 11 | 11 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 498 | 1 | running | 135 | $11,750 |
| 12 | 19 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 497 | 0 | running | 127 | $9,825 |
| 13 | 8 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 497 | 0 | running | 124 | $11,550 |
| 14 | 26 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 497 | 0 | running | 121 | $4,100 |
| 15 | 28 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 496 | 0 | running | 118 | $7,325 |
| 16 | 31 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 495 | 0 | running | 115 | $5,600 |
| 17 | 3 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 494 | 0 | running | 112 | $7,650 |
| 18 | 30 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 493 | 0 | running | 109 | $6,200 |
| 19 | 18 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 490 | 0 | running | 106 | $6,050 |
| 20 | 25 | 17 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 485 | 0 | running | 103 | $12,175 |
| 21 | 22 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 483 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,275 |
| 22 | 32 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 479 | 0 | running | 97 | $4,175 |
| 23 | 12 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 474 | 0 | running | 94 | $10,350 |
| 24 | 24 | 22 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 463 | 0 | running | 91 | $3,375 |
| 25 | 14 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 396 | 0 | brakes | 88 | $5,575 |
| 26 | 21 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 395 | 0 | running | 85 | $8,800 |
| 27 | 15 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 379 | 0 | rear end | 82 | $8,775 |
| 28 | 5 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 331 | 0 | fatigue | 79 | $8,750 |
| 29 | 20 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 215 | 0 | fatigue | 76 | $3,800 |
| 30 | 17 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | accident | 73 | $3,900 |
| 31 | 29 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 123 | 0 | accident | 70 | $4,650 |
| 32 | 23 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 122 | 0 | engine | 67 | $4,650 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 33 | | 74 | Mike Potter | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 34 | | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Mark Martin | 3,019 |
| | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,958 (-61) |
| | 3 | Geoff Bodine | 2,835 (-184) |
| | 4 | Rusty Wallace | 2,749 (–270) |
| 1 | 5 | Bill Elliott | 2,596 (–423) |
| 1 | 6 | Morgan Shepherd | 2,561 (–458) |
| 1 | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 2,544 (–475) |
| 1 | 8 | Kyle Petty | 2,530 (–489) |
| | 9 | Ken Schrader | 2,488 (–531) |
| 1 | 10 | Ernie Irvan | 2,412 (–607) |
| Official driver's standings ||||