# 1989 Coca-Cola 600

The 1989 Coca-Cola 600 was the 10th stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 28, 1989, before an audience of 161,000 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. With the help of a fast final pit stop, Hendrick Motorsports driver Darrell Waltrip would manage control the final laps of the race, leading the final 80 laps to take his 77th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hagan Racing driver Sterling Marlin and Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader 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 |
| 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | H. L. Waters Racing |
| 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Kroger |
| 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 |
| 06 | Terry Byers | Byers Racing | Chevrolet | Byers Racing |
| 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 | Tracy Leslie | 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 | Jim Bown | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | TriStar Motorsports |
| 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | B&B Racing |
| 24 | John McFadden | McFadden Racing | Pontiac | 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, Ghostbusters II |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Pontiac | Slender You Figure Salons |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 34 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Frank Cicci Racing | Buick | Frank Cicci Racing |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | Hess Racing |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 47 | Allan Grice | Allan Grice Racing | Pontiac | Foster's Lager |
| 51 | Butch Miller (R) | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | Fruit of the Loom |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Chevrolet | 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 | Banquet Foods |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 73 | Don Hume | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | Barkdoll Racing |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | Crisco |
| 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Donlavey Racing |
| 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Buick | Salmon Racing |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 95 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Sadler Brothers Racing |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, May 24, 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 25, 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.
Alan Kulwicki, driving for his own AK Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 31.210 and an average speed of 173.021 miles per hour (278.450 km/h) in the first round.
Nine drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 31.210 | 173.021 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.277 | 172.651 |
| 3 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.390 | 172.029 |
| 4 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.480 | 171.537 |
| 5 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.540 | 171.211 |
| 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 31.570 | 171.048 |
| 7 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 31.586 | 170.962 |
| 8 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.620 | 170.778 |
| 9 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 31.656 | 170.584 |
| 10 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 31.726 | 170.207 |
| 11 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.785 | 169.891 |
| 12 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 31.803 | 169.795 |
| 13 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.823 | 169.689 |
| 14 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.836 | 169.619 |
| 15 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 31.838 | 169.609 |
| 16 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.840 | 169.603 |
| 17 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 31.845 | 169.571 |
| 18 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.884 | 169.364 |
| 19 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 31.885 | 169.359 |
| 20 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.887 | 169.348 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 31.960 | 168.961 |
| 22 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 31.972 | 168.898 |
| 23 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.988 | 168.813 |
| 24 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 32.010 | 168.697 |
| 25 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 32.018 | 168.655 |
| 26 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 32.023 | 168.629 |
| 27 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 32.051 | 168.481 |
| 28 | 51 | Butch Miller (R) | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | 32.065 | 168.408 |
| 29 | 14 | Tracy Leslie | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.075 | 168.355 |
| 30 | 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.098 | 168.235 |
| 31 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 32.110 | 168.172 |
| 32 | 47 | Allan Grice | Allan Grice Racing | Pontiac | 32.134 | 168.046 |
| 33 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Chevrolet | 32.135 | 168.041 |
| 34 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 32.166 | 167.879 |
| 35 | 06 | Terry Byers | Byers Racing | Chevrolet | 32.176 | 167.827 |
| 36 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 32.178 | 167.817 |
| 37 | 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Chevrolet | 32.195 | 167.728 |
| 38 | 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Pontiac | 32.201 | 167.697 |
| 39 | 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 32.212 | 167.639 |
| 40 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.255 | 167.416 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 32.290 | 167.234 |
| 42 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 32.646 | 165.411 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 44 | 18 | Jim Bown | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 45 | 34 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Frank Cicci Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| 46 | 95 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 47 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 48 | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 49 | 24 | John McFadden | McFadden Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 50 | 73 | Don Hume | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 51 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 4 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 87 | running | 180 | $126,400 |
| 2 | 18 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 400 | 17 | running | 175 | $61,675 |
| 3 | 3 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 1 | running | 170 | $44,275 |
| 4 | 13 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 160 | $30,950 |
| 5 | 15 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 399 | 12 | running | 160 | $32,305 |
| 6 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 399 | 53 | running | 155 | $29,675 |
| 7 | 25 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 146 | $17,800 |
| 8 | 10 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 142 | $16,900 |
| 9 | 27 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 397 | 0 | running | 138 | $15,200 |
| 10 | 9 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 397 | 0 | running | 134 | $16,925 |
| 11 | 41 | 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 130 | $13,107 |
| 12 | 22 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 396 | 0 | running | 127 | $8,500 |
| 13 | 31 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 395 | 0 | running | 124 | $11,725 |
| 14 | 26 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 395 | 0 | running | 121 | $7,625 |
| 15 | 36 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 394 | 0 | running | 118 | $9,175 |
| 16 | 42 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 394 | 0 | running | 115 | $9,650 |
| 17 | 33 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Chevrolet | 392 | 0 | running | 112 | $6,000 |
| 18 | 39 | 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 109 | $5,650 |
| 19 | 11 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | running | 106 | $6,400 |
| 20 | 30 | 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | 388 | 0 | running | 103 | $5,775 |
| 21 | 35 | 06 | Terry Byers | Byers Racing | Chevrolet | 379 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,700 |
| 22 | 21 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 377 | 0 | running | 97 | $5,450 |
| 23 | 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 371 | 138 | engine | 104 | $58,500 |
| 24 | 20 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 364 | 0 | running | 91 | $6,800 |
| 25 | 29 | 14 | Tracy Leslie | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 360 | 0 | crank | 88 | $3,925 |
| 26 | 37 | 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Chevrolet | 353 | 0 | running | 85 | $3,100 |
| 27 | 7 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 333 | 0 | engine | 82 | $6,150 |
| 28 | 24 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 331 | 0 | engine | 79 | $5,200 |
| 29 | 16 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 330 | 0 | oil line | 76 | $4,975 |
| 30 | 19 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 320 | 2 | accident | 78 | $4,800 |
| 31 | 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 306 | 22 | engine | 75 | $13,950 |
| 32 | 23 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 303 | 0 | engine | 67 | $10,000 |
| 33 | 17 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 298 | 1 | engine | 69 | $10,550 |
| 34 | 32 | 47 | Allan Grice | Allan Grice Racing | Pontiac | 294 | 0 | engine | 61 | $1,900 |
| 35 | 5 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 292 | 15 | running | 63 | $6,975 |
| 36 | 40 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 242 | 0 | accident | 55 | $2,400 |
| 37 | 38 | 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Pontiac | 236 | 0 | engine | 52 | $1,775 |
| 38 | 14 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 223 | 2 | engine | 54 | $10,750 |
| 39 | 12 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 186 | 0 | engine | 46 | $8,725 |
| 40 | 8 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 148 | 50 | engine | 48 | $10,600 |
| 41 | 34 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 113 | 0 | engine | 40 | $1,700 |
| 42 | 28 | 51 | Butch Miller (R) | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | 24 | 0 | wheel bearing | 37 | $2,200 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 44 | | 18 | Jim Bown | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 45 | | 34 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Frank Cicci Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 46 | | 95 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 48 | | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 49 | | 24 | John McFadden | McFadden Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 50 | | 73 | Don Hume | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 51 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,479 |
| 1 | 2 | Geoff Bodine | 1,458 (-21) |
| 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,430 (-49) |
| | 4 | Alan Kulwicki | 1,375 (–104) |
| 3 | 5 | Sterling Marlin | 1,374 (–105) |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | 1,368 (–111) |
| 2 | 7 | Rusty Wallace | 1,313 (–166) |
| 2 | 8 | Davey Allison | 1,291 (–188) |
| 4 | 9 | Ken Schrader | 1,238 (–241) |
| 4 | 10 | Bill Elliott | 1,211 (–268) |
| Official driver's standings ||||