Jump to content

1991 TranSouth 500

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1991 TranSouth 500
Race details
Race 5 of 29 in the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1991 TranSouth 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.
The 1991 TranSouth 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.
Date April 7, 1991
Official name 35th Annual TranSouth 500
Location Darlington, South Carolina, Darlington Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Distance 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.799 km)
Scheduled Distance 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.799 km)
Average speed 135.594 miles per hour (218.217 km/h)
Attendance 50,000
Pole position
Driver Junior Johnson & Associates
Time 30.367
Most laps led
Driver Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing
Laps 208
Winner
No. 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1991 TranSouth 500 was the fifth stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 7, 1991, before an audience of 50,000 in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 367 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ricky Rudd would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 12th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison and Bahari Racing driver Michael Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

[edit]
The layout of Darlington Raceway, the venue where the race was held.

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

Entry list

[edit]
  • (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
05 Bill Meacham Meacham Racing Oldsmobile Meacham Racing
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 Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce
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
36 H. B. Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac Almeda Auto Parts
42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac Mello Yello
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
47 Rich Bickle Close Racing Oldsmobile Kanawha Insurance
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Alka-Seltzer
55 Ted Musgrave (R) U.S. Racing Pontiac U.S. Racing
65 Dave Mader III Bahre Racing Pontiac Jasper Engines & Transmissions
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
82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford Autobell Car Wash
87 Randy Baker Buck Baker Racing Chevrolet Armour Classics
94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Sunoco
98 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Chevrolet Banquet Foods

Qualifying

[edit]

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, April 4, at 3:00 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, April 5, at 11:30 AM 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; which was usually two. 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.

Geoff Bodine, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.367 and an average speed of 161.939 miles per hour (260.616 km/h) in the first round.[4]

Mark Stahl was the only driver to fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

[edit]
Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 11 Geoff Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 30.367 161.939
2 22 Sterling Marlin Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 30.528 161.085
3 4 Ernie Irvan Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 30.539 161.027
4 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 30.558 160.927
5 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Oldsmobile 30.609 160.659
6 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 30.650 160.444
7 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 30.688 160.245
8 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Buick 30.730 160.026
9 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 30.731 160.021
10 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 30.801 159.657
11 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 30.802 159.652
12 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 30.821 159.554
13 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 30.949 158.894
14 21 Dale Jarrett Wood Brothers Racing Ford 30.962 158.827
15 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 31.002 158.622
16 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Oldsmobile 31.006 158.602
17 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 31.030 158.479
18 8 Rick Wilson Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 31.031 158.474
19 12 Hut Stricklin Bobby Allison Motorsports Buick 31.073 158.260
20 10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Chevrolet 31.101 158.117
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Pontiac 30.862 159.342
22 66 Lake Speed Cale Yarborough Motorsports Pontiac 30.866 159.321
23 15 Morgan Shepherd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 31.102 158.112
24 24 Mickey Gibbs Team III Racing Pontiac 31.107 158.087
25 98 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Chevrolet 31.156 157.838
26 65 Dave Mader III Bahre Racing Pontiac 31.193 157.651
27 94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 31.198 157.625
28 20 Bobby Hillin Jr. Moroso Racing Oldsmobile 31.278 157.222
29 55 Ted Musgrave (R) RaDiUs Motorsports Pontiac 31.359 156.816
30 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 31.421 156.507
31 19 Chad Little Little Racing Ford 31.470 156.263
32 75 Joe Ruttman RahMoc Enterprises Oldsmobile 31.515 156.040
33 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 31.581 155.714
34 68 Bobby Hamilton (R) TriStar Motorsports Oldsmobile 31.747 154.900
35 47 Rich Bickle Close Racing Oldsmobile 31.747 154.900
36 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 31.910 154.108
37 87 Randy Baker Buck Baker Racing Chevrolet 31.932 154.002
38 05 Bill Meacham Meacham Racing Oldsmobile 32.021 153.574
39 36 H. B. Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac 32.528 151.181
40 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 32.782 150.009
Failed to qualify
41 82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford 32.839 149.749
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

[edit]
Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 13 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 367 69 running 180 $62,185
2 11 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 367 31 running 175 $38,860
3 10 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 367 208 running 175 $20,320
4 12 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 366 0 running 160 $22,710
5 21 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Pontiac 365 0 running 155 $10,260
6 15 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 365 0 running 150 $16,330
7 3 4 Ernie Irvan Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 365 0 running 146 $15,025
8 23 15 Morgan Shepherd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 365 1 running 147 $14,320
9 1 11 Geoff Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 365 0 running 138 $18,400
10 2 22 Sterling Marlin Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 365 45 running 139 $12,060
11 25 98 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Chevrolet 365 0 running 130 $10,505
12 17 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 365 0 running 127 $13,675
13 16 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Oldsmobile 364 0 running 124 $9,695
14 18 8 Rick Wilson Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 364 0 running 121 $9,390
15 27 94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 364 0 running 118 $9,735
16 8 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Buick 363 0 running 115 $8,815
17 28 20 Bobby Hillin Jr. Moroso Racing Oldsmobile 361 0 running 112 $6,560
18 33 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 361 0 running 109 $8,225
19 4 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 361 5 running 111 $7,790
20 34 68 Bobby Hamilton (R) TriStar Motorsports Oldsmobile 360 0 running 103 $6,560
21 29 55 Ted Musgrave (R) RaDiUs Motorsports Pontiac 359 0 running 100 $5,540
22 24 24 Mickey Gibbs Team III Racing Pontiac 359 0 running 97 $4,070
23 36 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 358 0 running 94 $4,950
24 35 47 Rich Bickle Close Racing Oldsmobile 356 0 running 91 $3,830
25 9 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 356 0 running 88 $3,810
26 32 75 Joe Ruttman RahMoc Enterprises Oldsmobile 355 0 running 85 $6,545
27 5 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Oldsmobile 347 0 running 82 $6,380
28 37 87 Randy Baker Buck Baker Racing Chevrolet 346 0 running 79 $3,470
29 7 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 332 0 engine 76 $14,310
30 40 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 282 0 running 73 $3,325
31 20 10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Chevrolet 279 0 oil leak 70 $11,665
32 19 12 Hut Stricklin Bobby Allison Motorsports Buick 259 8 vibration 72 $5,980
33 26 65 Dave Mader III Bahre Racing Pontiac 197 0 fatigue 64 $3,170
34 6 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 186 0 crash 61 $11,135
35 39 36 H. B. Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac 172 0 handling 58 $3,100
36 31 19 Chad Little Little Racing Ford 70 0 crash 55 $3,065
37 30 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 52 0 engine 52 $5,750
38 38 05 Bill Meacham Meacham Racing Oldsmobile 31 0 flagged 49 $3,010
39 14 21 Dale Jarrett Wood Brothers Racing Ford 30 0 crash 46 $5,670
40 22 66 Lake Speed Cale Yarborough Motorsports Pontiac 10 0 engine 43 $5,650
Failed to qualify
41 82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford
Official race results

Standings after the race

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (April 8, 1991). "Fickle Darlington fortunes smile on Rudd". The Charlotte Observer. p. 23. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ Scoppe, Rick (April 8, 1991). "Rudd quickly learns to enjoy first victory at Darlington". The Scranton Times-Tribune. p. 11. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. April 4, 1991. p. 29. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ Higgins, Tom (April 5, 1991). "Bodine shakes off rumors, takes pole". The Charlotte Observer. p. 39. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
Previous race:
1991 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1991 season
Next race:
1991 Valleydale Meats 500