1990 DieHard 500
The 1990 DieHard 500 was the 17th stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 22nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 29, 1990, before an audience of 70,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. At race's end, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to dominate a majority of the race, leading 134 laps in the race to take his 45th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his sixth victory of the season.[1][2][3][4] To fill out the top three, Melling Racing driver Bill Elliott and Hagan Racing driver Sterling Marlin would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 17 of 29 in the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1990 DieHard 500 program cover, featuring Terry Labonte. | |||
| Date | July 29, 1990 | ||
| Official name | 22nd Annual DieHard 500 | ||
| Location | Lincoln, Alabama, Talladega Superspeedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 174.43 miles per hour (280.72 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 70,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Childress Racing | ||
| Time | 49.742 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 134 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett, David Hobbs | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
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.
Qualifying
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, July 26, 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, July 27, at 4:30 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.
Dale Earnhardt, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.742 and an average speed of 192.513 miles per hour (309.820 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 | 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 134 | running | 185 | $152,975 |
| 2 | 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 188 | 21 | running | 175 | $48,390 |
| 3 | 14 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 188 | 10 | running | 170 | $34,050 |
| 4 | 5 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 160 | $24,750 |
| 5 | 25 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 155 | $22,050 |
| 6 | 16 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 150 | $16,325 |
| 7 | 21 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 146 | $16,350 |
| 8 | 3 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 3 | running | 147 | $16,350 |
| 9 | 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 138 | $18,570 |
| 10 | 17 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 187 | 4 | running | 139 | $14,075 |
| 11 | 39 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 187 | 0 | running | 130 | $8,537 |
| 12 | 6 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 187 | 1 | running | 132 | $7,950 |
| 13 | 15 | 17 | Jimmy Horton | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 124 | $15,980 |
| 14 | 41 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 187 | 0 | running | 121 | $8,710 |
| 15 | 7 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 187 | 1 | running | 123 | $14,185 |
| 16 | 24 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 186 | 0 | accident | 115 | $13,500 |
| 17 | 13 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 186 | 3 | running | 117 | $14,735 |
| 18 | 38 | 18 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 186 | 0 | running | 109 | $6,230 |
| 19 | 33 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 186 | 0 | running | 106 | $6,050 |
| 20 | 2 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 186 | 4 | running | 108 | $15,075 |
| 21 | 32 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 186 | 1 | running | 105 | $9,480 |
| 22 | 30 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 186 | 0 | running | 97 | $5,550 |
| 23 | 27 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 186 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,695 |
| 24 | 31 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 186 | 0 | running | 91 | $8,790 |
| 25 | 28 | 35 | Bill Venturini | Venturini Motorsports | Chevrolet | 185 | 0 | running | 88 | $5,135 |
| 26 | 10 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 185 | 0 | running | 85 | $8,235 |
| 27 | 29 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 185 | 4 | running | 87 | $4,865 |
| 28 | 35 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 183 | 0 | running | 79 | $7,895 |
| 29 | 42 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 183 | 0 | running | 76 | $5,725 |
| 30 | 23 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 180 | 0 | out of gas | 73 | $5,605 |
| 31 | 40 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | 178 | 0 | running | 70 | $4,585 |
| 32 | 26 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 149 | 1 | engine | 72 | $15,465 |
| 33 | 18 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 148 | 0 | engine | 64 | $7,295 |
| 34 | 19 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 144 | 1 | engine | 66 | $5,150 |
| 35 | 37 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 133 | 0 | engine | 58 | $7,055 |
| 36 | 20 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 132 | 0 | running | 55 | $7,985 |
| 37 | 12 | 68 | Stanley Smith | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 54 | 0 | pit accident | 52 | $4,285 |
| 38 | 34 | 72 | Tracy Leslie | Parker Racing | Oldsmobile | 54 | 0 | pit accident | 49 | $4,990 |
| 39 | 22 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 51 | 0 | engine | 46 | $7,005 |
| 40 | 36 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 47 | 0 | ignition | 43 | $4,150 |
| 41 | 8 | 29 | Phil Parsons | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Pontiac | 25 | 0 | accident | 40 | $4,150 |
| 42 | 11 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 6 | 0 | engine | 37 | $6,775 |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 43 | 73 | Rodney Combs | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | ||||||
| 44 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
Standings after the race
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References
- Higgins, Tom (July 30, 1990). "Earnhardt A 3-Time Winner (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 9. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (July 30, 1990). "Earnhardt A 3-Time Winner (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 11. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Martin, Gerald (July 30, 1990). "Earnhardt wins Talladega race (Part 1)". The News and Observer. p. 23. Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Martin, Gerald (July 30, 1990). "Earnhardt wins Talladega race (Part 2)". The News and Observer. p. 26. Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. July 26, 1990. p. 24. Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (July 27, 1990). "It's True – Earnhardt Wins Pole At Talladega (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 33. Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (July 27, 1990). "It's True – Earnhardt Wins Pole At Talladega (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 35. Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.