1987 Winston 500

The 1987 Winston 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 3, 1987, before an audience of 135,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Alabama International Motor Speedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race was shortened from its scheduled 188 laps to 178 due to impending darkness that was caused by a lengthy red flag for debris cleanup and catch fence repairs for an earlier accident.[1]

1987 Winston 500
Race details
Race 9 of 29 in the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1987 Winston 500 program cover, featuring Bobby Allison.
The 1987 Winston 500 program cover, featuring Bobby Allison.
Date May 3, 1987
Official name 18th Annual Winston 500
Location Lincoln, Alabama, Alabama International Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Distance 178 laps, 473.48 mi (761.992 km)
Scheduled Distance 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km)
Average speed 154.228 miles per hour (248.206 km/h)
Attendance 135,000
Pole position
Driver
Melling Racing
Time 44.998
Most laps led
Driver Davey Allison Ranier-Lundy Racing
Laps 101
Winner
No. 28 Davey Allison Ranier-Lundy Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Larry Nuber
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

By race's end, Ranier-Lundy Racing's Davey Allison had managed to dominate a majority of the race, leading 101 laps when the race was called to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[2][3] To fill out the top three, Junior Johnson & Associates' Terry Labonte and Wood Brothers Racing's Kyle Petty finished second and third, respectively.

The race is considered to be one of the most influential races in terms of the advancement of auto racing safety. On the 21st lap of the race, Stavola Brothers Racing's Bobby Allison lost his engine, with pieces of his engine cutting his right rear tire at speeds of around 210 miles per hour (340 km/h). The car turned backwards and went airborne, hitting the wall and tearing down a wide stretch of protective fencing to protect fans from accidents. After the car hit the fence, the car was described to have spun "round-and-round like an insane top" per The Atlanta Constitution writer Bill Robinson,[4] collecting other cars in the accident and the accident itself injuring four spectators; none of them serious.[5]

The nature of the crash became a source of controversy for NASCAR. In response, NASCAR implemented the mandatory restrictor plate by the start of the 1988 season, which restricted air intake to the engine, made cars considerably slower, and unintentionally ushered in the era of pack racing.[6]

Background
The layout of Alabama International Motor Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

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
1 Ron Bouchard Ellington Racing Buick Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Wrangler
4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile Kodak
5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Levi Garrett
6 Rick Knoop 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
11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet Budweiser
12 Slick Johnson Hamby Racing Chevrolet 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
28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile Hardee's
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet Bahari Racing
33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Folgers
39 Blackie Wangerin Wangerin Racing Ford Wangerin Racing
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Piedmont Airlines
50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac Valvoline
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac In-Fisherman
55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile Copenhagen
62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac AC Spark Plug
64 Connie Saylor Langley Racing Ford Sunny King Ford
67 Eddie Bierschwale Arrington Racing Ford Pannill Sweatshirts
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Lifebuoy
73 Phil Barkdoll Barkdoll Racing Chevrolet Helen Rae Special
75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac Valvoline
77 Ken Ragan Ragan Racing Ford Southlake Ford
81 Chet Fillip Fillip Racing Ford Warr Valves
82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford Auto Bell Car Wash
83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile Wynn's, Kmart
86 Ronnie Sanders Moss Racing Ford Moss Racing
88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile Crisco
90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford Red Baron Frozen Pizza
98 Ed Pimm Curb Racing Buick CP-1 Oil Booster
99 Joe Ruttman Ball Motorsports Chevrolet Ball Motorsports

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, April 30, at 2:00 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 Friday, May 1, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 were decided on time,[7] 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.

Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 44.998 and an average speed of 212.809 miles per hour (342.483 km/h) in the first round.[8] The lap set a new all-time record for the fastest recorded qualifying lap based on average speed; the record still stands as of April 2023.[9]

Two drivers failed to qualify. One of the drivers who failed to qualify, Blackie Wangerin, crashed during his second-round qualifying run, crashing his only car in the process.[10] The other driver, Ronnie Sanders, elected to stand on his time; the time was the slowest out of all drivers who ran a lap in both sessions and he did not have enough owner's points for a provisional.[11]

Full qualifying results
Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 44.998 212.809
2 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 45.213 211.797
3 28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 45.468 210.610
4 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 45.498 210.471
5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 45.522 210.360
6 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 45.525 210.346
7 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 45.558 210.194
8 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 45.578 210.101
9 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 45.608 209.963
10 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 45.608 209.963
11 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 45.663 209.710
12 88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 45.665 209.701
13 1 Ron Bouchard Ellington Racing Buick 45.838 208.910
14 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 45.983 208.251
15 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 46.003 208.160
16 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 46.007 208.142
17 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 46.008 208.138
18 29 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 46.018 208.092
19 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 46.076 207.831
20 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 46.114 207.659
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 46.171 207.403
22 50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac 46.206 207.246
23 99 Joe Ruttman Ball Motorsports Chevrolet 46.280 206.914
24 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 46.300 206.825
25 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 46.323 206.722
26 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 46.353 206.589
27 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 46.446 206.175
28 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 46.489 205.984
29 77 Ken Ragan Ragan Racing Ford 46.527 205.816
30 98 Ed Pimm Curb Racing Buick 46.635 205.339
31 81 Chet Fillip Fillip Racing Ford 46.645 205.295
32 64 Connie Saylor Langley Racing Ford 46.823 204.515
33 82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford 46.919 204.096
34 67 Eddie Bierschwale Arrington Racing Ford 46.939 204.009
35 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 47.224 202.778
36 12 Slick Johnson Hamby Racing Chevrolet 47.346 202.256
37 73 Phil Barkdoll Barkdoll Racing Chevrolet 47.480 201.685
38 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 47.542 201.422
39 6 Rick Knoop U.S. Racing Chevrolet 47.561 201.341
40 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 48.276 198.359
Provisional
41 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac - -
Failed to qualify
42 86 Ronnie Sanders Moss Racing Ford 49.142 194.864
43 39 Blackie Wangerin Wangerin Racing Ford - -
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results
Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 3 28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 178 101 running 185 $71,250
2 8 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 178 7 running 175 $47,060
3 6 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 178 0 running 165 $30,915
4 5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 178 10 running 165 $31,350
5 16 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 178 0 running 155 $25,055
6 14 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 178 1 running 155 $21,325
7 21 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 178 2 running 151 $16,520
8 15 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 178 4 running 147 $17,050
9 10 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 177 0 running 138 $9,575
10 19 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 177 0 running 134 $13,965
11 4 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 177 0 running 130 $7,565
12 20 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 177 2 running 132 $16,315
13 35 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 177 0 running 124 $11,570
14 7 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 176 0 running 121 $10,050
15 36 12 Slick Johnson Hamby Racing Chevrolet 175 2 running 123 $9,940
16 25 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 173 0 running 115 $9,030
17 33 82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford 173 0 running 112 $5,395
18 34 67 Eddie Bierschwale Arrington Racing Ford 172 0 running 109 $7,900
19 40 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 167 0 running 106 $4,495
20 27 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 165 0 overheating 103 $4,845
21 29 77 Ken Ragan Ragan Racing Ford 158 0 crash 100 $4,035
22 1 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 150 48 engine 102 $16,685
23 32 64 Connie Saylor Langley Racing Ford 134 0 engine 94 $6,840
24 39 6 Rick Knoop U.S. Racing Chevrolet 130 0 wheel bearing 91 $6,470
25 24 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 125 0 clutch 88 $6,460
26 22 50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac 109 0 crash 0 $3,545
27 30 98 Ed Pimm Curb Racing Buick 103 1 engine 87 $3,495
28 38 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 96 0 engine 79 $6,200
29 26 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 90 0 crash 76 $6,130
30 17 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 89 0 crash 73 $11,745
31 9 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 84 0 running 70 $3,250
32 12 88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 69 0 engine 67 $3,225
33 41 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 61 0 wheel bearing 64 $5,200
34 28 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 30 0 engine 61 $6,175
35 37 73 Phil Barkdoll Barkdoll Racing Chevrolet 27 0 transmission 58 3,150
36 23 99 Joe Ruttman Ball Motorsports Chevrolet 27 0 transmission 0 $3,125
37 18 29 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 22 0 crash 52 $3,100
38 13 1 Ron Bouchard Ellington Racing Buick 22 0 crash 49 $3,075
39 2 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 21 0 crash 46 $11,275
40 11 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 11 0 engine 43 $10,000
41 31 81 Chet Fillip Fillip Racing Ford 3 0 engine 40 $3,000
Failed to qualify
42 86 Ronnie Sanders Moss Racing Ford
43 39 Blackie Wangerin Wangerin Racing Ford
Official race results

Standings after the race

References
  1. Ingram, Jonathan (January 19, 2023). "How Bobby Allison's 1987 Horrific Talladega Crash Led to Birth of Restrictor Plate Races". Autoweek. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  2. Higgins, Tom (May 4, 1987). "Davey Allison Takes Wreck-Delayed Race". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 4D. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. Webb, Donnie (May 4, 1987). "Davey wins family affair". The Anniston Star. pp. 1B, 4B. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. Robinson, Bill (May 4, 1987). "Allison walks away a survivor". The Atlanta Constitution. pp. D11. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. Love, Brian (May 4, 1987). "4 Spectators Injured In Bobby Allison's Crash". The Montgomery Advertiser. pp. 1B. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. King, Alanis (February 21, 2016). "The Days When Even NASCAR Got Too Fast, And How They Changed The Sport". Jalopnik. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  7. "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. April 30, 1987. pp. 3B. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. Higgins, Tom (May 1, 1987). "Elliott On Pole At Talladega". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1C, 3C. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. Hembree, Mike (April 19, 2023). "Fast times at Talladega: The year everyone reached 200 mph". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  10. Wickham, Pete (May 2, 1987). "Trials show little". The Commercial Appeal. pp. D1, D2. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. Hardesty, Abe (May 2, 1987). "Yarborough: Hot streak won't last". The Greenville News. pp. 1C, 4C. Retrieved October 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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