# 1987 Wrangler Jeans Indigo 400

The 1987 Wrangler Jeans Indigo 400 was the 22nd stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 13, 1987, before an audience of 30,000 in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, a 0.542 miles (0.872 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete.
Coming back from a penalty and avoiding several wrecks, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt managed to dominate the late stages of the race, leading 156 of the final 219 laps to take his 31st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his 11th and final victory of the season. With the victory, Earnhardt was able to increase his driver's championship lead over Bill Elliott to 608 points, a lead that was seen as virtually insurmountable with seven races left in the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports' Darrell Waltrip and Bud Moore Engineering's Ricky Rudd finished second and third, respectively.

## Background

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Wrangler |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | D. K. Ulrich | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | U.S. Racing |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller American |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors |
| 09 | Doug French | Caragias Racing | Buick | Caragias Racing |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 12 | Larry Pollard | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | Hamby Racing |
| 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft Quality Parts |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | Freedlander Financial |
| 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller American |
| 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | Kodiak |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | All Pro Auto Parts |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers Decaf |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Eureka |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Classic |
| 56 | Ernie Irvan | Reno Enterprises | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet |
| 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | AC Spark Plug |
| 64 | Trevor Boys | Langley Racing | Ford | Sunny King Ford |
| 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 72 | Eddie Drury | Drury Racing | Chevrolet | Drury Racing |
| 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 76 | Phil Good | Good Racing | Ford | Good Racing |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 97 | D. Wayne Strout | Strout Racing | Oldsmobile | Strout Racing |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 11, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round were 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 Saturday, September 12, at 11:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-30 were 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, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 20.746 and an average speed of 94.052 miles per hour (151.362 km/h) in the first round.
Four drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 20.746 | 94.052 |
| 2 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.761 | 93.984 |
| 3 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 20.796 | 93.826 |
| 4 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 20.813 | 93.749 |
| 5 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 20.835 | 93.650 |
| 6 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 20.864 | 93.520 |
| 7 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 20.901 | 93.354 |
| 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.907 | 93.328 |
| 9 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 20.944 | 93.163 |
| 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.947 | 93.149 |
| 11 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 20.953 | 93.123 |
| 12 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.022 | 92.817 |
| 13 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 21.033 | 92.769 |
| 14 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 21.048 | 92.702 |
| 15 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 21.053 | 92.680 |
| 16 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 21.056 | 92.667 |
| 17 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 21.061 | 92.645 |
| 18 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.150 | 92.255 |
| 19 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 21.151 | 92.251 |
| 20 | 56 | Ernie Irvan | Reno Enterprises | Chevrolet | 21.183 | 92.112 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 21.195 | 92.059 |
| 22 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 21.201 | 92.033 |
| 23 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 21.247 | 91.834 |
| 24 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 21.287 | 91.662 |
| 25 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 21.359 | 91.353 |
| 26 | 6 | D. K. Ulrich | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 21.367 | 91.318 |
| 27 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 21.387 | 91.233 |
| 28 | 12 | Larry Pollard | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 21.443 | 90.995 |
| 29 | 64 | Trevor Boys | Langley Racing | Ford | 21.462 | 90.914 |
| 30 | 09 | Doug French | Caragias Racing | Buick | 21.573 | 90.446 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 31 | 76 | Phil Good | Good Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 32 | 97 | D. Wayne Strout | Strout Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 33 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 34 | 72 | Eddie Drury | Drury Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 220 | running | 185 | $44,950 |
| 2 | 2 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 86 | running | 175 | $22,680 |
| 3 | 6 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 165 | $20,050 |
| 4 | 16 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $14,675 |
| 5 | 17 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 399 | 0 | running | 155 | $10,180 |
| 6 | 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 150 | $9,170 |
| 7 | 21 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 146 | $8,280 |
| 8 | 3 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 398 | 1 | running | 147 | $10,230 |
| 9 | 25 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 397 | 21 | running | 143 | $7,300 |
| 10 | 13 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 134 | $6,930 |
| 11 | 24 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | running | 130 | $2,850 |
| 12 | 15 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 391 | 0 | running | 127 | $7,575 |
| 13 | 28 | 12 | Larry Pollard | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 391 | 0 | running | 0 | $4,755 |
| 14 | 27 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 386 | 0 | running | 121 | $4,615 |
| 15 | 23 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 386 | 0 | running | 118 | $7,675 |
| 16 | 12 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 382 | 0 | running | 115 | $9,430 |
| 17 | 9 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 373 | 56 | crash | 117 | $8,155 |
| 18 | 5 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 346 | 0 | axle | 109 | $7,130 |
| 19 | 7 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 0 | running | 106 | $4,090 |
| 20 | 22 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 294 | 15 | crash | 108 | $2,565 |
| 21 | 19 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 294 | 0 | running | 100 | $3,790 |
| 22 | 14 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 289 | 0 | crash | 97 | $3,585 |
| 23 | 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 241 | 1 | crash | 99 | $8,810 |
| 24 | 29 | 64 | Trevor Boys | Langley Racing | Ford | 222 | 0 | engine | 0 | $3,215 |
| 25 | 4 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 140 | 0 | crash | 88 | $3,320 |
| 26 | 26 | 6 | D. K. Ulrich | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | engine | 85 | $3,175 |
| 27 | 18 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 109 | 0 | crash | 82 | $2,430 |
| 28 | 30 | 09 | Doug French | Caragias Racing | Buick | 75 | 0 | crash | 79 | $895 |
| 29 | 20 | 56 | Ernie Irvan | Reno Enterprises | Chevrolet | 35 | 0 | overheating | 76 | $860 |
| 30 | 11 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 12 | 0 | crash | 73 | $2,325 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 31 | | 76 | Phil Good | Good Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 32 | | 97 | D. Wayne Strout | Strout Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 33 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 34 | | 72 | Eddie Drury | Drury Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,706 |
| | 2 | Bill Elliott | 3,098 (-608) |
| | 3 | Terry Labonte | 3,019 (-687) |
| | 4 | Rusty Wallace | 2,942 (–764) |
| | 5 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,898 (–808) |
| | 6 | Ricky Rudd | 2,878 (–828) |
| | 7 | Neil Bonnett | 2,842 (–864) |
| 1 | 8 | Richard Petty | 2,808 (–898) |
| 1 | 9 | Kyle Petty | 2,772 (–934) |
| | 10 | Ken Schrader | 2,658 (–1,048) |
| Official driver's standings ||||