# 1987 Pepsi Firecracker 400

The 1987 Pepsi Firecracker 400 was the 15th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 4, 1987, before an audience of 85,000 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 160 laps to complete.
In what is considered to be one of the most confusing finishes in NASCAR history, Stavola Brothers Racing's Bobby Allison managed to pass 12 cars in the span of five laps heading into the final lap of the race. Mistakenly, Allison was scored a lap down by the time the final lap started both on the track and by commentators; as a result, drivers behind Allison at the time, which included owner-drivers Buddy Baker and Dave Marcis, let Allison increase his gap between them as most thought Allison was a lap down. By the time the error was realized, Allison had a four second lead over Baker, taking the victory while drivers behind them wrecked for what they thought was the presumed battle for the lead. The victory was Allison's 83rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Baker and Marcis finished second and third, respectively.

## Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | Heyward Grooms Construction |
| 1 | Brett Bodine | Ellington Racing | Buick | 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 |
| 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 |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 12 | Larry Pollard | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | Hamby Racing |
| 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 39 | Blackie Wangerin | Wangerin Racing | Ford | Wangerin Racing |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hylton Motorsports |
| 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 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 |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll 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 |
| 81 | Chet Fillip | Fillip Racing | Ford | Warr Valves |
| 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | Auto Bell Car Wash |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Wynn's, Kmart |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Crisco |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 98 | Ed Pimm | Curb Racing | Buick | Sunoco |
| 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | Slender You Figure Salons |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, July 2, at 10:00 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 Friday, July 3, at 11:00 AM 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 45.435 and an average speed of 198.085 miles per hour (318.787 km/h) in the first round.
Four drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 45.435 | 198.085 |
| 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 45.443 | 198.050 |
| 3 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 45.545 | 197.607 |
| 4 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 45.661 | 197.105 |
| 5 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 45.762 | 196.670 |
| 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 45.849 | 196.297 |
| 7 | 1 | Brett Bodine | Ellington Racing | Buick | 45.932 | 195.942 |
| 8 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 45.973 | 195.767 |
| 9 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 45.973 | 195.767 |
| 10 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 46.013 | 195.597 |
| 11 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 46.025 | 195.546 |
| 12 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 46.035 | 195.503 |
| 13 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 46.070 | 195.355 |
| 14 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 46.093 | 195.257 |
| 15 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 46.094 | 195.253 |
| 16 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 46.144 | 195.042 |
| 17 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 46.181 | 194.885 |
| 18 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 46.210 | 194.763 |
| 19 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.294 | 194.410 |
| 20 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 46.309 | 194.347 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 46.407 | 193.936 |
| 22 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 46.434 | 193.823 |
| 23 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.462 | 193.707 |
| 24 | 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.467 | 193.686 |
| 25 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 46.504 | 193.532 |
| 26 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.537 | 193.395 |
| 27 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 46.537 | 193.395 |
| 28 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 46.570 | 193.257 |
| 29 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 46.604 | 193.116 |
| 30 | 77 | Eddie Bierschwale | Ragan Racing | Ford | 46.613 | 193.079 |
| 31 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | 46.658 | 192.893 |
| 32 | 12 | Larry Pollard | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 46.678 | 192.810 |
| 33 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.682 | 192.794 |
| 34 | 98 | Ed Pimm | Curb Racing | Buick | 46.712 | 192.670 |
| 35 | 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | 46.728 | 192.604 |
| 36 | 01 | Dave Pletcher Sr. | Weaver Racing | Ford | 46.777 | 192.402 |
| 37 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 46.873 | 192.008 |
| 38 | 81 | Chet Fillip | Fillip Racing | Ford | 46.947 | 191.706 |
| 39 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 46.959 | 191.657 |
| 40 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 47.024 | 191.392 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 41 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.472 | 189.585 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 42 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | 47.049 | 191.290 |
| 43 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 47.576 | 189.171 |
| 44 | 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.967 | 187.629 |
| 45 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 48.182 | 186.792 |
| 46 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | 48.290 | 186.374 |
| 47 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Chevrolet | 48.301 | 186.332 |
| 48 | 39 | Blackie Wangerin | Wangerin Racing | Ford | 48.909 | 184.015 |
| 49 | 6 | Connie Saylor | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 11 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 160 | 2 | running | 180 | $57,375 |
| 2 | 9 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 160 | 1 | running | 175 | $30,800 |
| 3 | 28 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 23 | running | 170 | $27,805 |
| 4 | 26 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 6 | running | 165 | $17,470 |
| 5 | 4 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 160 | 0 | running | 155 | $17,130 |
| 6 | 13 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 22 | running | 155 | $22,160 |
| 7 | 3 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 160 | 32 | running | 156 | $15,850 |
| 8 | 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 160 | 5 | running | 147 | $15,760 |
| 9 | 16 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 138 | $10,315 |
| 10 | 5 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 160 | 3 | running | 139 | $16,135 |
| 11 | 7 | 1 | Brett Bodine | Ellington Racing | Buick | 160 | 1 | running | 135 | $6,025 |
| 12 | 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 160 | 30 | running | 132 | $16,990 |
| 13 | 14 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 159 | 0 | running | 124 | $11,670 |
| 14 | 17 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 159 | 0 | running | 121 | $12,855 |
| 15 | 40 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 159 | 0 | running | 118 | $4,490 |
| 16 | 18 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 159 | 0 | running | 115 | $7,870 |
| 17 | 12 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 158 | 0 | running | 112 | $10,830 |
| 18 | 10 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 158 | 0 | running | 109 | $7,305 |
| 19 | 20 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | running | 106 | $6,845 |
| 20 | 1 | 28 | Davey Allison (R) | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 157 | 32 | running | 113 | $10,480 |
| 21 | 38 | 81 | Chet Fillip | Fillip Racing | Ford | 157 | 0 | running | 100 | $3,130 |
| 22 | 23 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 157 | 3 | running | 102 | $3,330 |
| 23 | 41 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 156 | 0 | running | 94 | $6,110 |
| 24 | 27 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 155 | 0 | engine | 91 | $2,805 |
| 25 | 37 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 155 | 0 | running | 88 | $2,805 |
| 26 | 21 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 155 | 0 | running | 85 | $5,650 |
| 27 | 32 | 12 | Larry Pollard | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 155 | 0 | running | 0 | $5,280 |
| 28 | 25 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 154 | 0 | running | 79 | $5,870 |
| 29 | 39 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 154 | 0 | running | 76 | $5,060 |
| 30 | 29 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 152 | 0 | crash | 73 | $3,955 |
| 31 | 35 | 64 | Rodney Combs | Langley Racing | Ford | 126 | 0 | engine | 70 | $4,890 |
| 32 | 15 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 120 | 0 | engine | 67 | $5,130 |
| 33 | 30 | 77 | Eddie Bierschwale | Ragan Racing | Ford | 117 | 0 | running | 64 | $2,105 |
| 34 | 34 | 98 | Ed Pimm | Curb Racing | Buick | 110 | 0 | engine | 61 | $2,080 |
| 35 | 33 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 109 | 0 | fatigue | 58 | $11,255 |
| 36 | 36 | 01 | Dave Pletcher Sr. | Weaver Racing | Ford | 65 | 0 | engine | 55 | $2,030 |
| 37 | 31 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | 59 | 0 | wheel bearing | 52 | $2,005 |
| 38 | 8 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 28 | 0 | transmission | 49 | $1,980 |
| 39 | 19 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 17 | 0 | overheating | 46 | $8,955 |
| 40 | 22 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 10 | 0 | fuel pump | 43 | $1,930 |
| 41 | 24 | 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 | 0 | crash | 40 | $1,930 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 43 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 44 | | 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 46 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 39 | Blackie Wangerin | Wangerin Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 49 | | 6 | Connie Saylor | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,469 |
| | 2 | Bill Elliott | 2,142 (-327) |
| | 3 | Neil Bonnett | 2,094 (-375) |
| 1 | 4 | Terry Labonte | 2,008 (–461) |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Petty | 2,003 (–466) |
| 1 | 6 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,966 (–503) |
| 1 | 7 | Ken Schrader | 1,955 (–514) |
| 2 | 8 | Ricky Rudd | 1,946 (–523) |
| | 9 | Richard Petty | 1,873 (–596) |
| | 10 | Rusty Wallace | 1,857 (–612) |
| Official driver's standings ||||