# 1990 TranSouth 500

The 1990 TranSouth 500 was the fifth stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 34th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 1, 1990, before an audience of 55,000 in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 367 laps to complete. On the final restart with three laps to go in the race, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to fend off the field to take his 41st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison would finish second and third, respectively.
On lap 212 of the race, a 13-car pileup would occur on the track's front-stretch. One of the 13 drivers involved, Neil Bonnett, would suffer brain injuries that would lead towards amnesia and dizziness that would ultimately lead to the effective end of his racing career, only racing in two more races in 1993 before dying in an practice session accident in 1994.

## Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

### 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 | U.S. Racing |
| 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 | Mike Alexander | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | Raybestos |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Crown Central Petroleum |
| 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 46 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | City Chevrolet |
| 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | Kanawha Insurance |
| 48 | Norm Benning | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hylton Motorsports |
| 51 | Hut Stricklin | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Exxon |
| 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 |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | McDuffie Racing |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 74 | Mike Potter | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | Wawak Racing |
| 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | Auto Bell Car Wash |
| 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Donlavey Racing |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Piggly Wiggly |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Thursday, March 29, at 3:00 PM EST. However, due to rain, the first round was cancelled, and qualifying was condensed into one round, which was held on Friday, March 30, at 2:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 1–40 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 provisionals were given.
Geoff Bodine, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.170 and an average speed of 162.996 miles per hour (262.317 km/h).
Three drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 30.170 | 162.996 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.281 | 162.399 |
| 3 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 30.460 | 161.445 |
| 4 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 30.495 | 161.259 |
| 5 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 30.582 | 160.800 |
| 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.686 | 160.255 |
| 7 | 46 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.703 | 160.167 |
| 8 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 30.789 | 159.719 |
| 9 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 30.816 | 159.579 |
| 10 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.834 | 159.486 |
| 11 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 30.838 | 159.466 |
| 12 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 30.844 | 159.435 |
| 13 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 30.875 | 159.274 |
| 14 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 30.907 | 159.110 |
| 15 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.920 | 159.043 |
| 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.929 | 158.996 |
| 17 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 30.935 | 158.966 |
| 18 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 30.951 | 158.883 |
| 19 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 31.011 | 158.576 |
| 20 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.012 | 158.571 |
| 21 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.020 | 158.530 |
| 22 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.061 | 158.321 |
| 23 | 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 31.063 | 158.311 |
| 24 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 31.123 | 158.005 |
| 25 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.172 | 157.757 |
| 26 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 31.254 | 157.343 |
| 27 | 51 | Hut Stricklin | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.336 | 156.931 |
| 28 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.409 | 156.567 |
| 29 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.448 | 156.372 |
| 30 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 31.581 | 155.714 |
| 31 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 31.624 | 155.502 |
| 32 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 31.700 | 155.129 |
| 33 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 31.739 | 154.939 |
| 34 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 31.818 | 154.554 |
| 35 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 31.871 | 154.297 |
| 36 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 32.031 | 153.526 |
| 37 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 32.034 | 153.512 |
| 38 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 32.105 | 153.172 |
| 39 | 38 | Dick Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford | 32.150 | 152.958 |
| 40 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 32.653 | 150.602 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 41 | 48 | Norm Benning | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.676 | 150.496 |
| 42 | 74 | Mike Potter | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | 32.940 | 149.290 |
| 43 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | 33.066 | 148.721 |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 15 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 129 | running | 180 | $61,985 |
| 2 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 367 | 0 | running | 170 | $34,460 |
| 3 | 13 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 367 | 0 | running | 165 | $25,795 |
| 4 | 1 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 367 | 154 | running | 170 | $28,110 |
| 5 | 19 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 367 | 65 | running | 160 | $17,610 |
| 6 | 20 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 367 | 0 | running | 150 | $14,880 |
| 7 | 17 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 367 | 3 | running | 151 | $15,070 |
| 8 | 4 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 367 | 1 | running | 147 | $11,675 |
| 9 | 9 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 367 | 0 | running | 138 | $11,140 |
| 10 | 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 366 | 6 | running | 139 | $14,585 |
| 11 | 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 366 | 0 | running | 130 | $14,155 |
| 12 | 22 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 365 | 0 | running | 127 | $7,050 |
| 13 | 8 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 363 | 0 | running | 124 | $9,780 |
| 14 | 28 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 361 | 0 | running | 121 | $8,590 |
| 15 | 34 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 360 | 0 | running | 118 | $9,892 |
| 16 | 32 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 360 | 0 | running | 115 | $4,215 |
| 17 | 31 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 360 | 0 | running | 112 | $4,085 |
| 18 | 11 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 359 | 0 | running | 109 | $14,900 |
| 19 | 35 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 356 | 0 | accident | 106 | $3,790 |
| 20 | 29 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 354 | 0 | running | 103 | $5,635 |
| 21 | 25 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 349 | 0 | engine | 100 | $5,390 |
| 22 | 21 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 298 | 5 | engine | 102 | $8,120 |
| 23 | 14 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 295 | 2 | accident | 99 | $6,750 |
| 24 | 10 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 294 | 0 | running | 91 | $6,480 |
| 25 | 33 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 280 | 1 | running | 93 | $6,385 |
| 26 | 12 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 234 | 0 | handling | 85 | $3,470 |
| 27 | 24 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 224 | 0 | engine | 82 | $8,170 |
| 28 | 5 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 211 | 0 | accident | 79 | $6,570 |
| 29 | 26 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 211 | 0 | accident | 76 | $5,910 |
| 30 | 18 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 209 | 0 | accident | 73 | $5,775 |
| 31 | 38 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 208 | 0 | accident | 70 | $3,665 |
| 32 | 3 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 201 | 0 | accident | 67 | $6,680 |
| 33 | 40 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 168 | 0 | flagged | 64 | $2,870 |
| 34 | 39 | 38 | Dick Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford | 95 | 0 | handling | 61 | $2,835 |
| 35 | 37 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 82 | 0 | head gasket | 58 | $2,800 |
| 36 | 27 | 51 | Hut Stricklin | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 82 | 0 | flagged | 55 | $2,765 |
| 37 | 7 | 46 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 61 | 0 | crankshaft | 52 | $2,730 |
| 38 | 36 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 53 | 1 | engine | 54 | $2,715 |
| 39 | 23 | 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 42 | 0 | engine | 46 | $5,350 |
| 40 | 30 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 9 | 0 | engine | 43 | $2,650 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | | 48 | Norm Benning | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 42 | | 74 | Mike Potter | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 43 | | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 839 |
| | 2 | Morgan Shepherd | 761 (-78) |
| 2 | 3 | Geoff Bodine | 708 (-131) |
| | 4 | Kyle Petty | 685 (–154) |
| 2 | 5 | Bill Elliott | 677 (–162) |
| 3 | 6 | Rusty Wallace | 671 (–168) |
| 6 | 7 | Mark Martin | 654 (–185) |
| 1 | 8 | Ken Schrader | 646 (–193) |
| 5 | 9 | Brett Bodine | 619 (–220) |
| 2 | 10 | Darrell Waltrip | 618 (–221) |
| Official driver's standings ||||