# 1991 First Union 400

The 1991 First Union 400 was the seventh stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 21, 1991, before an audience of 41,500 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, owner-driver Darrell Waltrip would manage to get his car away from the chaotic nature of the race, leading the final 52 laps to take his 80th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Travis Carter Enterprises driver Jimmy Spencer would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about five miles east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures 0.625 mi (1.006 km) and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch. It has previously held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's original closure in 1996. The speedway briefly reopened in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races before closing again in the spring of 2011. It was re-opened in August 2022 for grassroots racing.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Folgers |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Hooters |
| 8 | Rick Wilson | 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 |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Tyson Foods |
| 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Rob Moroso Memorial |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Sterling Marlin* | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Maxwell House |
| 24 | Mickey Gibbs | Team III Racing | Pontiac | Team III Racing |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 34 | Dick Trickle | AAG Racing | Buick | Allen's Glass |
| 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Irv Hoerr | Labonte Motorsports | Oldsmobile | High Point Bedding |
| 47 | Rich Bickle | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | Kanawha Insurance |
| 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Oldsmobile | PlastiKote |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | U.S. Racing |
| 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Country Time |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 76 | Bill Sedgwick | Spears Motorsports | Chevrolet | Spears Manufacturing |
| 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Banquet Foods |
*After sustaining burns in a crash at the 1991 Valleydale Meats 500, Sterling Marlin would be replaced by relief driver Charlie Glotzbach for qualifying. During the race, Marlin would manage to start the race, before being replaced by Glotzbach one lap into the race. As a result of starting the race, Marlin is credited with the finish.

## Qualifying

Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Friday, April 19, at 3:00 PM EST. However, due to fog, the first round was cancelled, and qualifying was condensed into one round, which was held on Saturday, April 20, at 12:15 AM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 1–30 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. 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.
Brett Bodine, driving for King Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 19.357 and an average speed of 116.237 miles per hour (187.065 km/h).
Eight drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 19.357 | 116.237 |
| 2 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 19.368 | 116.171 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 19.403 | 115.961 |
| 4 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 19.433 | 115.782 |
| 5 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 19.434 | 115.776 |
| 6 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 19.457 | 115.640 |
| 7 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.485 | 115.473 |
| 8 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 19.490 | 115.444 |
| 9 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.503 | 115.367 |
| 10 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 19.525 | 115.237 |
| 11 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.529 | 115.213 |
| 12 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 19.544 | 115.125 |
| 13 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.548 | 115.101 |
| 14 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 19.559 | 115.037 |
| 15 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 19.564 | 115.007 |
| 16 | 34 | Dick Trickle | AAG Racing | Buick | 19.566 | 114.995 |
| 17 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 19.581 | 114.907 |
| 18 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 19.581 | 114.907 |
| 19 | 24 | Mickey Gibbs | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 19.584 | 114.890 |
| 20 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 19.585 | 114.884 |
| 21 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 19.591 | 114.849 |
| 22 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.611 | 114.732 |
| 23 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 19.640 | 114.562 |
| 24 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 19.652 | 114.492 |
| 25 | 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.664 | 114.422 |
| 26 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 19.690 | 114.271 |
| 27 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 19.695 | 114.242 |
| 28 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 19.707 | 114.173 |
| 29 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 19.710 | 114.155 |
| 30 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.716 | 114.121 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 31 | 22 | Charlie Glotzbach | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 20.005 | 112.472 |
| 32 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 19.738 | 113.993 |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 33 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 19.761 | 113.861 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 34 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 35 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 36 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 37 | 47 | Rich Bickle | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 38 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 39 | 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 40 | 76 | Bill Sedgwick | Spears Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 41 | 44 | Irv Hoerr | Labonte Motorsports | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 13 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 52 | running | 180 | $53,800 |
| 2 | 17 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 19 | running | 175 | $35,225 |
| 3 | 14 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 400 | 70 | running | 170 | $20,350 |
| 4 | 29 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $16,450 |
| 5 | 9 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 37 | running | 160 | $14,725 |
| 6 | 26 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 150 | $13,875 |
| 7 | 21 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 146 | $9,280 |
| 8 | 32 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 142 | $11,800 |
| 9 | 20 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 138 | $12,450 |
| 10 | 22 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 23 | running | 139 | $13,830 |
| 11 | 11 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 130 | $10,175 |
| 12 | 7 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 399 | 0 | running | 127 | $7,575 |
| 13 | 12 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 399 | 0 | running | 124 | $7,300 |
| 14 | 15 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 398 | 0 | running | 121 | $6,950 |
| 15 | 18 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 118 | $11,500 |
| 16 | 33 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 115 | $6,550 |
| 17 | 28 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 112 | $5,625 |
| 18 | 3 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 396 | 0 | running | 109 | $9,250 |
| 19 | 23 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 395 | 0 | running | 106 | $6,200 |
| 20 | 25 | 20 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 394 | 0 | running | 103 | $5,450 |
| 21 | 27 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 392 | 0 | running | 100 | $3,600 |
| 22 | 31 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 388 | 0 | running | 97 | $3,300 |
| 23 | 4 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 388 | 66 | running | 99 | $7,125 |
| 24 | 10 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 378 | 0 | running | 91 | $5,525 |
| 25 | 6 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 369 | 0 | crash | 88 | $5,500 |
| 26 | 16 | 34 | Dick Trickle | AAG Racing | Buick | 369 | 0 | crash | 85 | $3,100 |
| 27 | 24 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 339 | 0 | crash | 82 | $5,200 |
| 28 | 8 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 333 | 0 | flagged | 79 | $10,485 |
| 29 | 2 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 323 | 0 | crash | 76 | $8,675 |
| 30 | 1 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 218 | 103 | crash | 83 | $15,300 |
| 31 | 30 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 207 | 0 | engine | 70 | $5,000 |
| 32 | 5 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 192 | 30 | crash | 72 | $2,925 |
| 33 | 19 | 24 | Mickey Gibbs | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 110 | 0 | header | 64 | $2,500 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 34 | | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 35 | | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 36 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 37 | | 47 | Rich Bickle | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 38 | | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 39 | | 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 40 | | 76 | Bill Sedgwick | Spears Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 41 | | 44 | Irv Hoerr | Labonte Motorsports | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Ricky Rudd | 1,103 |
| 1 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,006 (-97) |
| 1 | 3 | Ernie Irvan | 993 (-110) |
| | 4 | Mark Martin | 951 (–152) |
| 2 | 5 | Darrell Waltrip | 941 (–162) |
| | 6 | Morgan Shepherd | 938 (–165) |
| 2 | 7 | Ken Schrader | 911 (–192) |
| | 8 | Davey Allison | 908 (–195) |
| 3 | 9 | Michael Waltrip | 882 (–221) |
| 5 | 10 | Rusty Wallace | 877 (–226) |
| Official driver's standings ||||