# 1989 Winston 500

The 1989 Winston 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 20th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 7, 1989, before an audience of 140,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Alabama International Motor Speedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison would make a late-race charge to the lead, passing for the lead with nine laps left in the race to take his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Junior Johnson & Associates driver Terry Labonte and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval, a 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) tri-oval.

### 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 |
| 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 | A. J. Foyt | 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 | Ron Esau | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | TriStar Motorsports |
| 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Grant Adcox | Adcox Racing | Chevrolet | Herb Adcox Chevrolet |
| 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | B&B Racing |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | Hess Racing |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 49 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | Hylton Motorsports |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal, Crown Central Petroleum |
| 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | Barkdoll Racing |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Pontiac | Miles Concrete |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 86 | Walter Surma | Surma Racing | Chevrolet | Surma Racing |
| 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | Crisco |
| 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Donlavey Racing |
| 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Buick | Salmon Racing |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was originally scheduled to be held on Thursday, May 4, at 2:00 PM EST. However, after only nine drivers had made first-round attempts, rain would postpone the first round until the following day on Friday, May 5. 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 Friday, May 5, 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.
Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.601 and an average speed of 193.061 miles per hour (310.702 km/h) in the first round.
Five drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 49.601 | 193.061 |
| 2 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 49.655 | 192.851 |
| 3 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 49.826 | 192.189 |
| 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 50.144 | 190.970 |
| 5 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.411 | 189.959 |
| 6 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 50.428 | 189.895 |
| 7 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 50.453 | 189.800 |
| 8 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 50.532 | 189.504 |
| 9 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 50.617 | 189.185 |
| 10 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 50.628 | 189.144 |
| 11 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 50.694 | 188.898 |
| 12 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.696 | 188.891 |
| 13 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 50.783 | 188.567 |
| 14 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 50.835 | 188.374 |
| 15 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 50.866 | 188.259 |
| 16 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 50.937 | 187.997 |
| 17 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 51.099 | 187.401 |
| 18 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 51.123 | 187.313 |
| 19 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | 51.355 | 186.467 |
| 20 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 51.481 | 186.010 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.525 | 189.530 |
| 22 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 51.498 | 185.949 |
| 23 | 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | 51.544 | 185.783 |
| 24 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 51.553 | 185.751 |
| 25 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 51.563 | 185.715 |
| 26 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 51.695 | 185.240 |
| 27 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 51.733 | 185.104 |
| 28 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 51.764 | 184.993 |
| 29 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 51.820 | 184.794 |
| 30 | 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 51.864 | 184.637 |
| 31 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 51.927 | 184.413 |
| 32 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 51.929 | 184.406 |
| 33 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 52.015 | 184.101 |
| 34 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 52.034 | 184.034 |
| 35 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 52.101 | 183.797 |
| 36 | 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Pontiac | 52.428 | 182.650 |
| 37 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 52.499 | 182.403 |
| 38 | 18 | Ron Esau | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 52.527 | 182.306 |
| 39 | 22 | Grant Adcox | Adcox Racing | Chevrolet | 52.764 | 181.487 |
| 40 | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Buick | 52.802 | 181.357 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 41 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 53.207 | 179.976 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 42 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 43 | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 44 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 86 | Walter Surma | Surma Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 46 | 49 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 188 | 94 | running | 185 | $98,675 |
| 2 | 9 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 188 | 4 | running | 175 | $51,275 |
| 3 | 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 1 | running | 170 | $39,850 |
| 4 | 6 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 188 | 32 | running | 165 | $34,250 |
| 5 | 5 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 3 | running | 160 | $28,900 |
| 6 | 21 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 35 | running | 155 | $24,625 |
| 7 | 7 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | running | 146 | $17,800 |
| 8 | 17 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 2 | running | 147 | $20,450 |
| 9 | 3 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 188 | 6 | running | 143 | $15,475 |
| 10 | 26 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 11 | running | 139 | $21,225 |
| 11 | 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 130 | $19,147 |
| 12 | 12 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 127 | $14,615 |
| 13 | 29 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 124 | $11,785 |
| 14 | 16 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | running | 121 | $10,980 |
| 15 | 10 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | running | 118 | $11,175 |
| 16 | 11 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | running | 115 | $6,185 |
| 17 | 8 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | running | 112 | $9,445 |
| 18 | 18 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | running | 109 | $9,130 |
| 19 | 22 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 106 | $8,815 |
| 20 | 37 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 103 | $11,807 |
| 21 | 25 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 186 | 0 | running | 100 | $7,865 |
| 22 | 23 | 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | 186 | 0 | running | 97 | $6,320 |
| 23 | 15 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 186 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,360 |
| 24 | 39 | 22 | Grant Adcox | Adcox Racing | Chevrolet | 183 | 0 | running | 91 | $4,255 |
| 25 | 34 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 181 | 0 | running | 88 | $5,275 |
| 26 | 40 | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Buick | 179 | 0 | running | 85 | $4,095 |
| 27 | 13 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 177 | 0 | crash | 82 | $7,640 |
| 28 | 14 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 170 | 0 | crash | 79 | $3,985 |
| 29 | 20 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 169 | 0 | crash | 76 | $6,930 |
| 30 | 31 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 169 | 0 | crash | 73 | $3,925 |
| 31 | 32 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 169 | 0 | crash | 70 | $6,445 |
| 32 | 19 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | 169 | 0 | engine | 67 | $3,690 |
| 33 | 41 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 168 | 0 | crash | 64 | $3,660 |
| 34 | 30 | 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 168 | 0 | crash | 61 | $3,630 |
| 35 | 33 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 165 | 0 | running | 58 | $6,275 |
| 36 | 36 | 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Pontiac | 164 | 0 | crash | 55 | $4,220 |
| 37 | 27 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 147 | 0 | crash | 52 | $6,140 |
| 38 | 38 | 18 | Ron Esau | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 117 | 0 | crash | 0 | $3,460 |
| 39 | 35 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 52 | 0 | engine | 46 | $4,005 |
| 40 | 28 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 37 | 0 | crash | 43 | $5,375 |
| 41 | 24 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 5 | 0 | engine | 40 | $3,375 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 43 | | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 44 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 86 | Walter Surma | Surma Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 49 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,376 |
| 2 | 2 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,299 (-77) |
| 1 | 3 | Geoff Bodine | 1,298 (-78) |
| 1 | 4 | Alan Kulwicki | 1,271 (–105) |
| | 5 | Rusty Wallace | 1,238 (–138) |
| 2 | 6 | Davey Allison | 1,222 (–154) |
| | 7 | Mark Martin | 1,213 (–163) |
| 2 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | 1,199 (–177) |
| 1 | 9 | Rick Wilson | 1,107 (–269) |
| 2 | 10 | Harry Gant | 1,090 (–286) |
| Official driver's standings ||||