# 1990 Coca-Cola 600

The 1990 Coca-Cola 600 was the tenth stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 27, 1990, before an audience of 160,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. In a one-lap shootout to the finish, Blue Max Racing driver Rusty Wallace would manage to fend off the field to complete a dominant run throughout the race, leading 306 of the 400 laps in the race. The victory was Wallace's 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Melling Racing driver Bill Elliott and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

## 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 |
| 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | Special Days Inn |
| 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 04 | Bill Meacham | Meacham Racing | Oldsmobile | Meacham Racing |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Folgers |
| 06 | Terry Byers | Byers Racing | Pontiac | Special Days Inn |
| 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 |
| 13 | Mike Potter | Mansion Motorsports | Pontiac | Mansion Motorsports |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 18 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | SlimFast |
| 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 |
| 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | Auto Finders |
| 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 |
| 29 | Phil Parsons | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Pontiac | Diamond Ridge Motorsports |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 35 | Bill Venturini | Venturini Motorsports | Chevrolet | Amoco |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 38 | Dick Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford | Redkote Steel Tubing |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | Kanawha Insurance |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 53 | Jerry O'Neil (R) | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | Aroneck Racing |
| 56 | Ron Esau | Reno Enterprises | Chevrolet | Gear Vendor |
| 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 60 | Robin Best | Best Racing | Chevrolet | Best Racing |
| 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | McDuffie Racing |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 72 | Tracy Leslie | Leslie Racing | Oldsmobile | Leslie Racing |
| 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Ford | S&H Racing |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Prestone |
| 88 | Larry Pearson | Edwards Racing | Pontiac | Edwards Racing |
| 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Alka-Seltzer |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Harris Teeter |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, May 23, at 3:00 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, May 24, 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.
Ken Schrader, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 31.041 and an average speed of 173.963 miles per hour (279.966 km/h) in the first round.
13 drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.041 | 173.963 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.174 | 173.221 |
| 3 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 31.193 | 173.116 |
| 4 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.222 | 172.955 |
| 5 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 31.281 | 172.629 |
| 6 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 31.368 | 172.150 |
| 7 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 31.407 | 171.936 |
| 8 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.423 | 171.849 |
| 9 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 31.430 | 171.810 |
| 10 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.458 | 171.657 |
| 11 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 31.464 | 171.625 |
| 12 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.502 | 171.418 |
| 13 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 31.513 | 171.358 |
| 14 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.543 | 171.195 |
| 15 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.559 | 171.108 |
| 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.617 | 170.794 |
| 17 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.622 | 170.767 |
| 18 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 31.652 | 170.605 |
| 19 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.653 | 170.600 |
| 20 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 31.673 | 170.492 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 31.676 | 170.476 |
| 22 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.700 | 170.347 |
| 23 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 31.709 | 170.299 |
| 24 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 31.752 | 170.068 |
| 25 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 31.771 | 169.966 |
| 26 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 31.795 | 169.838 |
| 27 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 31.797 | 169.827 |
| 28 | 18 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.803 | 169.795 |
| 29 | 88 | Larry Pearson | Edwards Racing | Pontiac | 31.812 | 169.747 |
| 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.819 | 169.710 |
| 31 | 06 | Terry Byers | Byers Racing | Pontiac | 31.854 | 169.523 |
| 32 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 31.893 | 169.316 |
| 33 | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Ford | 31.895 | 169.306 |
| 34 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.904 | 169.258 |
| 35 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 31.921 | 169.168 |
| 36 | 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 31.926 | 169.141 |
| 37 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.929 | 169.125 |
| 38 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.940 | 169.067 |
| 39 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 31.962 | 168.951 |
| 40 | 72 | Tracy Leslie | Leslie Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.979 | 168.861 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 32.286 | 167.255 |
| 42 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.286 | 167.255 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 44 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 45 | 38 | Dick Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 46 | 13 | Mike Potter | Mansion Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 47 | 53 | Jerry O'Neil (R) | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 48 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 49 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 50 | 04 | Bill Meacham | Meacham Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 51 | 56 | Ron Esau | Reno Enterprises | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 52 | 35 | Bill Venturini | Venturini Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 53 | 60 | Robin Best | Best Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 54 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 55 | 29 | Phil Parsons | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 9 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 306 | running | 185 | $151,000 |
| 2 | 7 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 170 | $67,450 |
| 3 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 12 | running | 170 | $51,700 |
| 4 | 20 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $32,600 |
| 5 | 4 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 400 | 0 | running | 155 | $28,350 |
| 6 | 3 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 150 | $23,775 |
| 7 | 6 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 400 | 1 | running | 151 | $24,400 |
| 8 | 24 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 142 | $18,100 |
| 9 | 11 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 2 | running | 143 | $18,750 |
| 10 | 13 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 400 | 5 | running | 139 | $23,125 |
| 11 | 1 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 63 | running | 135 | $63,100 |
| 12 | 14 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 399 | 0 | running | 127 | $15,000 |
| 13 | 42 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 399 | 0 | running | 124 | $14,257 |
| 14 | 28 | 18 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 121 | $8,668 |
| 15 | 27 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 118 | $10,465 |
| 16 | 35 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 115 | $10,850 |
| 17 | 41 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 112 | $13,900 |
| 18 | 18 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 109 | $7,890 |
| 19 | 21 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 395 | 0 | engine | 106 | $9,370 |
| 20 | 37 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 395 | 0 | running | 103 | $7,775 |
| 21 | 26 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 394 | 0 | running | 100 | $8,800 |
| 22 | 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 2 | running | 102 | $14,800 |
| 23 | 33 | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Ford | 389 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,400 |
| 24 | 25 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 385 | 0 | running | 91 | $5,200 |
| 25 | 15 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 383 | 1 | running | 93 | $12,100 |
| 26 | 10 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 356 | 0 | engine | 85 | $5,600 |
| 27 | 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 352 | 0 | oil leak | 82 | $5,650 |
| 28 | 34 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 320 | 0 | camshaft | 79 | $7,450 |
| 29 | 5 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 317 | 4 | engine | 81 | $8,950 |
| 30 | 12 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 262 | 0 | running | 73 | $13,950 |
| 31 | 36 | 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 251 | 0 | engine | 70 | $7,000 |
| 32 | 19 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 241 | 4 | engine | 72 | $7,120 |
| 33 | 39 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 226 | 0 | engine | 64 | $4,190 |
| 34 | 17 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 208 | 0 | accident | 61 | $6,800 |
| 35 | 22 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 201 | 0 | engine | 58 | $6,750 |
| 36 | 40 | 72 | Tracy Leslie | Leslie Racing | Oldsmobile | 195 | 0 | engine | 55 | $4,100 |
| 37 | 23 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 173 | 0 | oil line | 52 | $4,680 |
| 38 | 38 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 113 | 0 | accident | 49 | $4,060 |
| 39 | 8 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Pontiac | 102 | 0 | accident | 46 | $4,540 |
| 40 | 31 | 06 | Terry Byers | Byers Racing | Pontiac | 40 | 0 | engine | 0 | $4,020 |
| 41 | 32 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 5 | 0 | engine | 40 | $4,520 |
| 42 | 29 | 88 | Larry Pearson | Edwards Racing | Pontiac | 2 | 0 | engine | 37 | $4,520 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 44 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 45 | | 38 | Dick Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 13 | Mike Potter | Mansion Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 53 | Jerry O'Neil (R) | Aroneck Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 48 | | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 49 | | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 50 | | 04 | Bill Meacham | Meacham Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 51 | | 56 | Ron Esau | Reno Enterprises | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 52 | | 35 | Bill Venturini | Venturini Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 53 | | 60 | Robin Best | Best Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 54 | | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 55 | | 29 | Phil Parsons | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,533 |
| | 2 | Morgan Shepherd | 1,512 (-21) |
| | 3 | Mark Martin | 1,465 (-68) |
| 1 | 4 | Geoff Bodine | 1,366 (–167) |
| 2 | 5 | Rusty Wallace | 1,359 (–174) |
| 1 | 6 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,347 (–186) |
| 1 | 7 | Kyle Petty | 1,336 (–197) |
| 2 | 8 | Bill Elliott | 1,299 (–234) |
| | 9 | Ken Schrader | 1,271 (–262) |
| 2 | 10 | Brett Bodine | 1,236 (–297) |
| Official driver's standings ||||