1991 GM Goodwrench 500
Race details
Race 3 of 29 in the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1991 GM Goodwrench 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.
The 1991 GM Goodwrench 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.
Date March 3, 1991
Official name 26th Annual GM Goodwrench 500
Location Rockingham, North Carolina, North Carolina Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.017 mi (1.637 km)
Distance 492 laps, 500.364 mi (805.257 km)
Scheduled Distance 492 laps, 500.364 mi (805.257 km)
Average speed 124.083 miles per hour (199.692 km/h)
Pole position
Driver SABCO Racing
Time 24.538
Most laps led
Driver Kyle Petty SABCO Racing
Laps 380
Winner
No. 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing
Television in the United States
Network TNN
Announcers Mike Joy, Buddy Baker, Neil Bonnett
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1991 GM Goodwrench 500 was the third stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 3, 1991, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. With the assist of a late caution with 14 laps to go in the race, SABCO Racing driver Kyle Petty would manage to catch up and pass for the lead on the ensuing restart with 11 laps to go to take his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader and Leo Jackson Motorsports driver Harry Gant would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

The layout of North Carolina Motor Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

North Carolina Motor Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.

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
04 Bill Meacham Meacham Racing Oldsmobile Meacham Racing
5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Tide
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Folgers
7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford AK Racing
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
13 Mike Skinner Mansion Motorsports Chevrolet Glidden
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
29 Andy Hillenburg Andy Hillenburg Racing Buick Max Xorb
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac Pennzoil
33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Oldsmobile Skoal Bandit
42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac Mello Yello
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
47 Rich Bickle Close Racing Oldsmobile Kanawha Insurance
49 Stanley Smith (R) BS&S Motorsports Buick Interstate Batteries
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
64 Gary Wright White Racing Chevrolet Action Rent-to-Own
66 Dick Trickle 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
82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford Hooters
94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Sunoco
98 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Chevrolet Banquet Foods

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, February 28, at 2:30 PM EST. 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, March 1, 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,[3] 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. 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.

Kyle Petty, driving for SABCO Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 24.538 and an average speed of 149.205 miles per hour (240.122 km/h) in the first round.[4]

Full qualifying results

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 24.538 149.205
2 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 24.540 149.193
3 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 24.621 148.702
4 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Oldsmobile 24.631 148.642
5 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 24.664 148.443
6 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 24.696 148.251
7 11 Geoff Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 24.724 148.083
8 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 24.727 148.065
9 8 Rick Wilson Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 24.807 147.587
10 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Pontiac 24.807 147.587
11 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Oldsmobile 24.811 147.563
12 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 24.844 147.368
13 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 24.849 147.338
14 10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Chevrolet 24.854 147.308
15 4 Ernie Irvan Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 24.857 147.291
16 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Buick 24.866 147.237
17 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 24.885 147.125
18 21 Dale Jarrett Wood Brothers Racing Ford 24.895 147.066
19 68 Bobby Hamilton (R) TriStar Motorsports Oldsmobile 24.917 146.936
20 15 Morgan Shepherd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 24.964 146.659
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 22 Sterling Marlin Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 24.967 146.642
22 66 Dick Trickle Cale Yarborough Motorsports Pontiac 24.969 146.630
23 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 24.985 146.536
24 94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 24.990 146.507
25 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 24.993 146.489
26 20 Bobby Hillin Jr. Moroso Racing Oldsmobile 25.009 146.395
27 19 Chad Little Little Racing Ford 25.026 146.296
28 24 Mickey Gibbs Team III Racing Pontiac 25.033 146.255
29 98 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Chevrolet 25.049 146.162
30 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 25.123 145.731
31 12 Hut Stricklin Bobby Allison Motorsports Buick 25.282 144.814
32 29 Andy Hillenburg Andy Hillenburg Racing Buick 25.317 144.614
33 51 Jeff Purvis (R) Phoenix Racing Oldsmobile 25.420 144.028
34 49 Stanley Smith (R) BS&S Motorsports Buick 25.488 143.644
35 75 Joe Ruttman RahMoc Enterprises Oldsmobile 25.497 143.593
36 47 Rich Bickle Close Racing Oldsmobile 25.531 143.402
37 13 Mike Skinner Mansion Motorsports Chevrolet 25.818 141.808
38 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 26.021 140.702
39 04 Bill Meacham Meacham Racing Oldsmobile 26.057 140.507
40 55 Ted Musgrave (R) U.S. Racing Pontiac 26.146 140.029
Failed to qualify
41 82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford 26.197 139.756
42 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 26.409 138.635
43 64 Gary Wright White Racing Chevrolet 27.620 132.556
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 492 380 running 185 $131,450
2 2 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 492 40 running 175 $34,575
3 4 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Oldsmobile 491 0 running 165 $23,950
4 5 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 491 0 running 160 $20,250
5 12 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 491 10 running 160 $21,275
6 15 4 Ernie Irvan Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 490 0 running 150 $15,900
7 6 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 490 0 running 146 $12,400
8 13 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 489 0 running 142 $18,850
9 17 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 488 0 running 138 $7,700
10 20 15 Morgan Shepherd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 488 0 running 134 $17,500
11 18 21 Dale Jarrett Wood Brothers Racing Ford 488 0 running 130 $11,100
12 7 11 Geoff Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 488 0 running 127 $15,600
13 16 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Buick 487 0 running 124 $10,500
14 23 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 486 0 running 121 $15,400
15 25 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 486 0 running 118 $9,900
16 3 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 486 0 running 115 $14,700
17 8 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 485 0 running 112 $12,800
18 26 20 Bobby Hillin Jr. Moroso Racing Oldsmobile 485 0 running 109 $7,200
19 9 8 Rick Wilson Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 485 0 running 106 $8,650
20 28 24 Mickey Gibbs Team III Racing Pontiac 484 0 running 103 $6,300
21 19 68 Bobby Hamilton (R) TriStar Motorsports Oldsmobile 484 0 running 100 $5,700
22 27 19 Chad Little Little Racing Ford 483 0 running 97 $5,950
23 30 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 482 1 running 99 $7,700
24 35 75 Joe Ruttman RahMoc Enterprises Oldsmobile 481 0 running 91 $7,550
25 40 55 Ted Musgrave (R) U.S. Racing Pontiac 481 0 running 88 $5,700
26 36 47 Rich Bickle Close Racing Oldsmobile 480 0 running 85 $5,150
27 38 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 472 0 running 82 $5,000
28 10 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Pontiac 467 61 engine 84 $15,500
29 22 66 Dick Trickle Cale Yarborough Motorsports Pontiac 448 0 running 76 $6,875
30 11 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Oldsmobile 421 0 engine 73 $6,800
31 31 12 Hut Stricklin Bobby Allison Motorsports Buick 400 0 running 70 $7,150
32 37 13 Mike Skinner Mansion Motorsports Chevrolet 338 0 running 67 $3,900
33 21 22 Sterling Marlin Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 287 0 engine 64 $3,750
34 14 10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Chevrolet 287 0 engine 61 $12,100
35 33 51 Jeff Purvis (R) Phoenix Racing Oldsmobile 165 0 camshaft 58 $3,600
36 39 04 Bill Meacham Meacham Racing Oldsmobile 115 0 ignition 55 $3,525
37 34 49 Stanley Smith (R) BS&S Motorsports Buick 25 0 overheating 52 $3,475
38 29 98 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Chevrolet 19 0 crash 49 $6,060
39 24 94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 14 0 crash 46 $5,425
40 32 29 Andy Hillenburg Andy Hillenburg Racing Buick 6 0 engine 43 $3,400
Failed to qualify
41 82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford
42 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac
43 64 Gary Wright White Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

Standings after the race

References

  1. Higgins, Tom (March 4, 1991). "Caution Hurts, Then Helps K. Petty". The Charlotte Observer. p. 23. Retrieved February 11, 2023 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. Harris, Mike (March 4, 1991). "Good fortune near end gives NASCAR victory to Kyle Petty". Muncie Evening Press. p. 15. Retrieved February 11, 2023 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. February 28, 1991. p. 45. Retrieved February 11, 2023 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. Higgins, Tom (March 1, 1991). "K. Petty Breaks Rockingham Record". The Charlotte Observer. p. 37. Retrieved February 11, 2023 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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