# 1989 All Pro Auto Parts 500

The 1989 All Pro Auto Parts 500 was the 25th stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 8, 1989, before an audience of 151,600 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. In the closing laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader would mount a late-race charge to the lead, passing for the lead with 15 laps left in the race to take his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Jackson Bros. Motorsports driver Harry Gant and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.
With an eighth-place finish from driver's championship contender Rusty Wallace and a last place finish from Dale Earnhardt, who finished the race 42nd after retiring from the race due to a broken camshaft, Wallace would manage to take over the driver's championship lead from Earnhardt with a 35-point lead.

## Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Kroger |
| 02 | Rich Bickle | Bickle Racing | Buick | Bickle Racing |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Stroh's Light |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors Light |
| 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | Purolator |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | Chattanooga Chew |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 18 | Brad Teague | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 21 | Tommy Ellis | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | Americraft |
| 24 | Robert Pressley | McFadden Racing | Chevrolet | Alliance Training Centers |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers |
| 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | Kodiak |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Jim Sauter | Group 44 | Pontiac | Group 44 |
| 47 | Jack Pennington | Close Racing | Chevrolet | Sandlapper Fabrics |
| 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 49 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | Hylton Motorsports |
| 50 | Mickey Gibbs (R) | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | Aroneck Racing |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal, Crown Central Petroleum |
| 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Winn-Dixie |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | Crisco |
| 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Tracy Leslie | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Hawaiian Tropic |
| 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Buick | Salmon Racing |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, October 4, at 2:00 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 Thursday, October 5, at 2:00 PM 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.
Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 31.020 and an average speed of 174.081 miles per hour (280.156 km/h) in the first round.
Seven drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 31.020 | 174.081 |
| 2 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.202 | 173.066 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.257 | 172.761 |
| 4 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.270 | 172.689 |
| 5 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 31.297 | 172.540 |
| 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 31.301 | 172.518 |
| 7 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 31.301 | 172.518 |
| 8 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.313 | 172.452 |
| 9 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 31.378 | 172.095 |
| 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.430 | 171.810 |
| 11 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.442 | 171.745 |
| 12 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.447 | 171.717 |
| 13 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 31.475 | 171.565 |
| 14 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 31.516 | 171.342 |
| 15 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.519 | 171.325 |
| 16 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 31.555 | 171.130 |
| 17 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.563 | 171.086 |
| 18 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 31.582 | 170.983 |
| 19 | 21 | Tommy Ellis | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.639 | 170.675 |
| 20 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.640 | 170.670 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 18 | Brad Teague | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.548 | 171.168 |
| 22 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.562 | 171.092 |
| 23 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 31.674 | 170.487 |
| 24 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 31.732 | 170.175 |
| 25 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 31.736 | 170.154 |
| 26 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.750 | 170.079 |
| 27 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.758 | 170.036 |
| 28 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 31.797 | 169.827 |
| 29 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.811 | 169.753 |
| 30 | 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 31.849 | 169.550 |
| 31 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 31.852 | 169.534 |
| 32 | 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.879 | 169.391 |
| 33 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 31.890 | 169.332 |
| 34 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 31.897 | 169.295 |
| 35 | 50 | Mickey Gibbs (R) | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 31.905 | 169.252 |
| 36 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.916 | 169.194 |
| 37 | 44 | Jim Sauter | Group 44 | Pontiac | 31.919 | 169.178 |
| 38 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 31.929 | 169.125 |
| 39 | 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.020 | 168.645 |
| 40 | 02 | Rich Bickle | Bickle Racing | Buick | 32.098 | 168.235 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 32.125 | 168.093 |
| 42 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 32.315 | 167.105 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| 44 | 90 | Tracy Leslie | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 47 | Jack Pennington | Close Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 46 | 24 | Robert Pressley | McFadden Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 47 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 48 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 49 | 49 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | -* | -* |
| WD | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 40 | running | 180 | $91,700 |
| 2 | 15 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 334 | 4 | running | 175 | $50,375 |
| 3 | 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 334 | 107 | running | 170 | $55,075 |
| 4 | 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 334 | 126 | running | 170 | $75,650 |
| 5 | 5 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 334 | 1 | running | 160 | $27,990 |
| 6 | 9 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 334 | 2 | running | 155 | $16,775 |
| 7 | 11 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 334 | 7 | running | 151 | $15,750 |
| 8 | 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 333 | 45 | running | 147 | $23,900 |
| 9 | 22 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 332 | 0 | running | 138 | $12,300 |
| 10 | 17 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 332 | 0 | running | 134 | $17,825 |
| 11 | 18 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 332 | 0 | running | 130 | $13,450 |
| 12 | 13 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 332 | 0 | running | 127 | $9,770 |
| 13 | 30 | 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 332 | 0 | running | 124 | $6,070 |
| 14 | 4 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 331 | 0 | out of gas | 121 | $16,000 |
| 15 | 28 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 331 | 0 | running | 118 | $7,350 |
| 16 | 34 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 331 | 0 | running | 115 | $8,160 |
| 17 | 14 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 331 | 0 | running | 112 | $7,760 |
| 18 | 19 | 21 | Tommy Ellis | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 331 | 0 | running | 0 | $7,360 |
| 19 | 42 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 331 | 0 | running | 106 | $9,617 |
| 20 | 41 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 331 | 0 | running | 103 | $7,735 |
| 21 | 16 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 331 | 0 | running | 100 | $10,480 |
| 22 | 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 330 | 0 | running | 97 | $10,480 |
| 23 | 23 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 329 | 0 | running | 94 | $3,830 |
| 24 | 29 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 328 | 0 | running | 91 | $5,450 |
| 25 | 36 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 324 | 0 | running | 88 | $2,580 |
| 26 | 35 | 50 | Mickey Gibbs (R) | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 323 | 0 | running | 85 | $2,360 |
| 27 | 38 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 322 | 0 | running | 82 | $2,240 |
| 28 | 7 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 278 | 0 | engine | 79 | $5,970 |
| 29 | 33 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 269 | 0 | engine | 76 | $2,000 |
| 30 | 26 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 247 | 0 | a frame | 73 | $4,610 |
| 31 | 21 | 18 | Brad Teague | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 245 | 0 | engine | 0 | $2,350 |
| 32 | 31 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 221 | 0 | engine | 67 | $1,810 |
| 33 | 25 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 184 | 0 | crash | 64 | $2,455 |
| 34 | 27 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 142 | 0 | engine | 61 | $2,410 |
| 35 | 32 | 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 128 | 2 | transmission | 63 | $1,950 |
| 36 | 39 | 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | 85 | 0 | crash | 55 | $1,740 |
| 37 | 24 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 58 | 0 | engine | 52 | $1,730 |
| 38 | 20 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 41 | 0 | engine | 49 | $4,345 |
| 39 | 40 | 02 | Rich Bickle | Bickle Racing | Buick | 36 | 0 | engine | 46 | $1,710 |
| 40 | 37 | 44 | Jim Sauter | Group 44 | Pontiac | 32 | 0 | engine | 43 | $1,700 |
| 41 | 8 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 25 | 0 | engine | 40 | $4,800 |
| 42 | 12 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 13 | 0 | camshaft | 37 | $11,250 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 44 | | 90 | Tracy Leslie | Donlavey Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 47 | Jack Pennington | Close Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 24 | Robert Pressley | McFadden Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 48 | | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 49 | | 49 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | | | | | |
| WD | | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Rusty Wallace | 3,612 |
| 1 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,577 (-35) |
| | 3 | Mark Martin | 3,455 (-157) |
| | 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 3,373 (–239) |
| 1 | 5 | Bill Elliott | 3,244 (–368) |
| 1 | 6 | Ken Schrader | 3,208 (–404) |
| 2 | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 3,179 (–433) |
| | 8 | Davey Allison | 3,152 (–460) |
| | 9 | Harry Gant | 3,115 (–497) |
| | 10 | Terry Labonte | 3,065 (–547) |
| Official driver's standings ||||