1990 Champion Spark Plug 400
The 1990 Champion Spark Plug 400 was the 19th stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 21st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 19, 1990, before an audience of 60,000 in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season.[1][2][3][4] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Greg Sacks and Blue Max Racing driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 29 in the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1990 Champion Spark Plug 400 program cover, featuring Michael Waltrip, Geoff Bodine, and Mark Martin. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass. | |||
| Date | August 19, 1990 | ||
| Official name | 21st Annual Champion Spark Plug 400 | ||
| Location | Brooklyn, Michigan, Michigan International Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2 mi (3.2 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Average speed | 138.822 miles per hour (223.412 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 60,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | AK Racing | ||
| Time | 41.147 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 72 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Saturday, August 18, at 11:00 AM 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 Saturday, August 18, at 1:30 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,[5] 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, would win the pole, setting a time of 41.147 and an average speed of 174.982 miles per hour (281.606 km/h) in the first round.[6][7]
Two drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
Race results
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 72 | running | 185 | $71,200 |
| 2 | 8 | 17 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 4 | running | 175 | $41,600 |
| 3 | 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 32 | running | 170 | $33,900 |
| 4 | 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 200 | 22 | running | 165 | $27,000 |
| 5 | 39 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 155 | $20,607 |
| 6 | 10 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 150 | $19,325 |
| 7 | 9 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 200 | 3 | running | 151 | $18,750 |
| 8 | 7 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 50 | running | 147 | $19,400 |
| 9 | 21 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 143 | $13,550 |
| 10 | 16 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $14,825 |
| 11 | 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 130 | $13,000 |
| 12 | 38 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 127 | $9,600 |
| 13 | 11 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 124 | $14,300 |
| 14 | 36 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 121 | $10,900 |
| 15 | 20 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 200 | 0 | running | 118 | $9,075 |
| 16 | 18 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 1 | running | 120 | $13,250 |
| 17 | 12 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 200 | 9 | running | 117 | $11,900 |
| 18 | 41 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 1 | running | 114 | $9,150 |
| 19 | 13 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 106 | $10,650 |
| 20 | 4 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 103 | $9,450 |
| 21 | 17 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 198 | 0 | running | 100 | $8,225 |
| 22 | 14 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 97 | $5,125 |
| 23 | 30 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,025 |
| 24 | 27 | 68 | Mike Chase | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 91 | $4,925 |
| 25 | 40 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 197 | 0 | running | 88 | $7,875 |
| 26 | 26 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 197 | 0 | running | 85 | $5,425 |
| 27 | 25 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 195 | 0 | running | 82 | $5,475 |
| 28 | 31 | 35 | Bill Venturini | Venturini Motorsports | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | running | 79 | $4,575 |
| 29 | 19 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 186 | 0 | steering | 76 | $7,225 |
| 30 | 34 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 181 | 0 | engine | 73 | $7,125 |
| 31 | 28 | 48 | Ben Hess | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 169 | 0 | accident | 70 | $4,275 |
| 32 | 15 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 162 | 0 | accident | 67 | $7,900 |
| 33 | 22 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 128 | 5 | engine | 69 | $4,725 |
| 34 | 23 | 89 | Rodney Combs | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 127 | 0 | oil line | 61 | $4,025 |
| 35 | 3 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 113 | 0 | engine | 58 | $6,775 |
| 36 | 32 | 22 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 103 | 0 | engine | 55 | $3,950 |
| 37 | 33 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 102 | 0 | accident | 52 | $3,925 |
| 38 | 29 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 73 | 0 | oil pan | 49 | $4,150 |
| 39 | 24 | 50 | Ted Musgrave | RaDiUs Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | valve | 46 | $3,890 |
| 40 | 35 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19 | 0 | engine | 43 | $10,875 |
| 41 | 37 | 91 | Ed Cooper | Ed Cooper Racing | Oldsmobile | 17 | 0 | rocker arm | 40 | $3,875 |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 42 | 72 | Tracy Leslie | Parker Racing | Oldsmobile | ||||||
| 43 | 34 | Charlie Glotzbach | AAG Racing | Pontiac | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
Standings after the race
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References
- Higgins, Tom (August 20, 1990). "Martin Seizes Command (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 9. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (August 20, 1990). "Martin Seizes Command (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 13. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Crowe, Steve (August 20, 1990). "Martin tunes in, tunes out field (Part 1)". Detroit Free Press. p. 23. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Crowe, Steve (August 20, 1990). "Martin tunes in, tunes out field (Part 2)". Detroit Free Press. p. 25. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. August 18, 1990. p. 78. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (August 19, 1990). "Pole Start A Boost (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 77. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (August 19, 1990). "Pole Start A Boost (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 78. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.