1990 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500
The 1990 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 18, 1990, before an audience of 45,000 in Hampton, Georgia, at Atlanta International Raceway, a 1.522 miles (2.449 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 328 laps to complete. On the final restart with two laps in the race, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to make a late-race charge to the lead, coming back from a poor final pit stop to take his 40th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2][3][4] To fill out the top three, Bud Moore Engineering driver Morgan Shepherd and Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Ernie Irvan would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 4 of 29 in the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1990 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 program cover, featuring Morgan Shepherd. | |||
| Date | March 18, 1990 | ||
| Official name | 31st Annual Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 | ||
| Location | Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta International Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.522 mi (2.449 km) | ||
| Distance | 328 laps, 499.216 mi (803.41 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 328 laps, 499.216 mi (803.41 km) | ||
| Average speed | 156.849 miles per hour (252.424 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 45,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Childress Racing | ||
| Time | Set by 1990 owner's points | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 216 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers | Paul Page, Benny Parsons, Bobby Unser | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.522-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.
The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of 1.54-mile (2.48 km) where before it was 1.522-mile (2.449 km). The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.
Entry list
- (R) - denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
Two rounds of qualifying were scheduled to be held on Friday, March 16, and Saturday, March 17.[5] However, Friday's sessions were cancelled due to rain, with both rounds then scheduled to commence on Saturday.[6] However, Saturday's sessions would also be cancelled due to rain, leaving qualifying to be determined by a system of owner's points and postmarks on entry list blanks. The top 30 positions would be determined by the current 1990 owner's points, while the final nine spots would be determined by a system of provisionals that included past winners, and finally postmarks. As a result, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would win the pole.[7]
Three 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 | 328 | 216 | running | 185 | $85,000 |
| 2 | 3 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 328 | 14 | running | 175 | $36,000 |
| 3 | 30 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 328 | 1 | running | 170 | $31,957 |
| 4 | 14 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 328 | 10 | running | 165 | $22,900 |
| 5 | 17 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 328 | 0 | running | 155 | $20,850 |
| 6 | 5 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 328 | 3 | running | 155 | $15,075 |
| 7 | 10 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 328 | 80 | running | 151 | $19,250 |
| 8 | 31 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 327 | 0 | running | 142 | $11,625 |
| 9 | 21 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 327 | 0 | running | 138 | $13,600 |
| 10 | 9 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 326 | 2 | running | 139 | $12,300 |
| 11 | 15 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 326 | 0 | running | 130 | $9,495 |
| 12 | 7 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 326 | 0 | running | 127 | $13,875 |
| 13 | 28 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 326 | 0 | running | 124 | $12,155 |
| 14 | 11 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 326 | 0 | running | 121 | $9,935 |
| 15 | 6 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 325 | 0 | running | 118 | $8,680 |
| 16 | 16 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 325 | 0 | running | 115 | $8,545 |
| 17 | 29 | 75 | Rick Wilson | Hendrick Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 324 | 0 | running | 112 | $8,235 |
| 18 | 27 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 322 | 0 | running | 109 | $7,625 |
| 19 | 34 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 322 | 0 | running | 106 | $4,415 |
| 20 | 18 | 98 | Butch Miller | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 321 | 0 | running | 103 | $4,970 |
| 21 | 22 | 90 | Buddy Baker | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 319 | 0 | running | 0 | $4,135 |
| 22 | 20 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 317 | 0 | running | 97 | $7,050 |
| 23 | 25 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 317 | 0 | running | 94 | $3,965 |
| 24 | 2 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 316 | 1 | engine | 96 | $14,930 |
| 25 | 32 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 315 | 0 | running | 88 | $4,845 |
| 26 | 8 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 1 | running | 90 | $12,755 |
| 27 | 4 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 307 | 0 | running | 82 | $6,545 |
| 28 | 39 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 79 | $3,660 |
| 29 | 13 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 255 | 0 | engine | 76 | $8,625 |
| 30 | 40 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 253 | 0 | engine | 73 | $4,290 |
| 31 | 23 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 251 | 0 | engine | 70 | $4,230 |
| 32 | 35 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 214 | 0 | engine | 67 | $3,480 |
| 33 | 36 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 149 | 0 | engine | 64 | $3,670 |
| 34 | 24 | 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Buick | 135 | 0 | engine | 61 | $6,095 |
| 35 | 26 | 2 | Rick Mast | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 113 | 0 | engine | 58 | $6,050 |
| 36 | 33 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 101 | 0 | valve | 55 | $3,350 |
| 37 | 38 | 18 | Hut Stricklin | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 84 | 0 | valve | 52 | $3,330 |
| 38 | 19 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 53 | 0 | timing chain | 49 | $5,960 |
| 39 | 37 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 40 | 0 | valve | 46 | $3,285 |
| 40 | 12 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 4 | 0 | engine | 43 | $6,580 |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 41 | 46 | Greg Sacks | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | ||||||
| 42 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | ||||||
| 43 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
Standings after the race
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- Higgins, Tom (March 19, 1990). "Earnhardt's Charge To Finish Gives Him Victory At Atlanta (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 9. Retrieved March 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (March 19, 1990). "Earnhardt's Charge To Finish Gives Him Victory At Atlanta (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 11. Retrieved March 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Robinson, Bill (March 19, 1990). "Earnhardt wins at AIR on late pass (Part 1)". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 51. Retrieved March 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Robinson, Bill (March 19, 1990). "Earnhardt wins at AIR on late pass (Part 2)". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 57. Retrieved March 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. March 16, 1990. p. 63. Retrieved March 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (March 17, 1990). "Earnhardt, Wallace Could Start At Front". The Charlotte Observer. p. 81. Retrieved March 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (March 18, 1990). "Rain Makes Practice A Pain For Hard-To-Handle Atlanta". The Charlotte Observer. p. 45. Retrieved March 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.