1987 Sovran Bank 500
The 1987 Sovran Bank 500 was the eighth stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 26, 1987, before an audience of 40,000 in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 29 in the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1987 Sovran Bank 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | April 26, 1987 | ||
| Official name | 38th Annual Sovran Bank 500 | ||
| Location | Martinsville, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.526 mi (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km) | ||
| Average speed | 72.808 miles per hour (117.173 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 40,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | King Racing | ||
| Time | 20.728 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 156 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | SETN | ||
| Announcers | Eli Gold, Jerry Punch | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Taking advantage of a misfortunate Geoff Bodine, who spun from a large lead over the field with 17 laps in the race, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt managed to hold the lead after Bodine's spin to take his 26th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his sixth victory of the season, and his fourth straight victory, increasing his driver's championship points lead to 157 points.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace and the aforementioned Geoff Bodine finished second and third, respectively.
Background
Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, April 23, at 2:00 pm EST. Originally, the first 20 positions were going to be determined by first round qualifying, with positions 21–30 meant to be determined the following day on Friday, April 24.[3] However, due to rain, the second round was cancelled. As a result, the rest of the starting lineup was set using the results from the first round. 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.[4]
Morgan Shepherd, driving for King Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 20.728 and an average speed of 91.355 miles per hour (147.022 km/h).[5]
No drivers failed to qualify.
Full qualifying results
Race results
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 156 | running | 185 | $50,850 |
| 2 | 5 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 500 | 63 | running | 175 | $27,325 |
| 3 | 7 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 116 | running | 170 | $20,750 |
| 4 | 19 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 500 | 0 | running | 160 | $10,275 |
| 5 | 2 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 498 | 0 | running | 155 | $16,425 |
| 6 | 31 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 498 | 66 | running | 155 | $12,950 |
| 7 | 20 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 146 | $8,280 |
| 8 | 13 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 497 | 0 | running | 142 | $8,850 |
| 9 | 9 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 496 | 0 | running | 138 | $6,630 |
| 10 | 18 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Chevrolet | 495 | 0 | running | 134 | $7,285 |
| 11 | 16 | 81 | Buddy Arrington | Fillip Racing | Ford | 494 | 0 | running | 130 | $2,370 |
| 12 | 6 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 493 | 0 | running | 127 | $6,020 |
| 13 | 29 | 19 | Derrike Cope (R) | Stoke Racing | Chevrolet | 490 | 0 | running | 124 | $2,720 |
| 14 | 26 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 488 | 0 | running | 121 | $5,450 |
| 15 | 22 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 452 | 0 | rear end | 118 | $7,820 |
| 16 | 15 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 440 | 0 | rear end | 115 | $9,050 |
| 17 | 1 | 26 | Morgan Shepherd | King Racing | Buick | 396 | 34 | engine | 117 | $9,550 |
| 18 | 30 | 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 386 | 0 | running | 0 | $1,555 |
| 19 | 21 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 378 | 0 | running | 106 | $4,385 |
| 20 | 23 | 64 | Jerry Cranmer | Langley Racing | Ford | 369 | 0 | clutch | 103 | $4,850 |
| 21 | 11 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 360 | 45 | engine | 105 | $2,200 |
| 22 | 10 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 347 | 0 | timing chain | 97 | $4,375 |
| 23 | 12 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 333 | 0 | rear end | 94 | $4,100 |
| 24 | 25 | 67 | Eddie Bierschwale | Arrington Racing | Ford | 269 | 0 | engine | 91 | $3,485 |
| 25 | 24 | 62 | Steve Christman (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 264 | 0 | running | 88 | $1,375 |
| 26 | 17 | 35 | Benny Parsons | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 223 | 0 | valve | 85 | $9,350 |
| 27 | 3 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 186 | 20 | rear end | 87 | $5,405 |
| 28 | 8 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 185 | 0 | oil line | 79 | $4,970 |
| 29 | 14 | 18 | Dale Jarrett (R) | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 113 | 0 | engine | 0 | $4,135 |
| 30 | 28 | 12 | Slick Johnson | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 87 | 0 | timing chain | 73 | $2,660 |
| 31 | 27 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 21 | 0 | engine | 70 | $1,160 |
| Official race results | ||||||||||
Standings after the race
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References
- Higgins, Tom (April 27, 1987). "Hot Streak Gets Hotter As Earnhardt Takes Martinsville". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1C, 4C. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- King, Randy (April 27, 1987). "Wheels of fortune keep spinning as Earnhardt wins fourth straight". The Roanoke Times. pp. C1, C5. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. April 23, 1987. pp. 6B. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (April 24, 1987). "Rain at Martinsville Puts Elliott In Back". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 14C. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (April 24, 1987). "Driver Shepherd Awakens In Time To Take Pole". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 10B. Retrieved October 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.