1991 Mello Yello 500

The 1991 Mello Yello 500 was the 26th stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 6, 1991, before an audience of 159,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. Running on fumes, Junior Johnson & Associates driver Geoff Bodine would manage to run the final 76 laps of the race on one tank of fuel to take his 11th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2][3] To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison and owner-driver Alan Kulwicki would finish second and third, respectively.

1991 Mello Yello 500
Race details
Race 26 of 29 in the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1991 Mello Yello 500 program cover, featuring Kyle Petty. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
The 1991 Mello Yello 500 program cover, featuring Kyle Petty. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
Date October 6, 1991
Official name 32nd Annual Mello Yello 500
Location Concord, North Carolina, Charlotte Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.41 km)
Distance 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km)
Scheduled Distance 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km)
Average speed 138.984 miles per hour (223.673 km/h)
Attendance 159,000
Pole position
Driver Roush Racing
Time 30.595
Most laps led
Driver Mark Martin Roush Racing
Laps 198
Winner
No. 11 Geoff Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates
Television in the United States
Network TBS
Announcers Ken Squier, Neil Bonnett
Radio in the United States
Radio Performance Racing Network

With a poor finish from Dale Earnhardt's nearest competitor in the driver's championship standings, Ricky Rudd, Earnhardt was considered the favorite to win the driver's championship, having a 138-point lead over Rudd.[4]

Background

The layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

Entry list

  • (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
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
13 Mike Skinner Mansion Motorsports Chevrolet Glidden
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 Buddy Baker Moroso Racing Oldsmobile Valvoline, NAPA Auto Parts
21 Dale Jarrett Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Sterling Marlin Junior Johnson & Associates Ford Maxwell House
24 Jimmy Hensley Team III Racing Pontiac Team III Racing
25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kodiak
26 Brett Bodine King Racing Buick Quaker State
27 Gary Balough Linro Motorsports Pontiac Terminal Trucking
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
41 Larry Pearson Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac Mello Yello
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
47 Greg Sacks Close Racing Oldsmobile Kanawha Insurance
49 Stanley Smith (R) BS&S Motorsports Buick Interstate Batteries
51 Jeff Purvis (R) Phoenix Racing Chevrolet Phoenix Construction
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Alka-Seltzer
53 Bobby Hillin Jr. Team Ireland Chevrolet Longhorn Steaks
55 Ted Musgrave (R) U.S. Racing Pontiac Jasper Engines & Transmissions
66 Dorsey Schroeder Cale Yarborough Motorsports Pontiac Phillips 66 TropArtic
68 Bobby Hamilton (R) TriStar Motorsports Oldsmobile Country Time
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Big Apple Market
74 Mike Potter Wawak Racing Pontiac Wawak Racing
75 Joe Ruttman RahMoc Enterprises Oldsmobile Dinner Bell Foods
87 Randy Baker Buck Baker Racing Chevrolet Armour Classics
89 Jim Sauter Mueller Brothers Racing Pontiac Evinrude Outboard Motors
90 Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) Donlavey Racing Ford Ford Motorsports Sportswear
94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Sunoco
95 Kerry Teague Sadler Brothers Racing Oldsmobile Texaco
98 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Chevrolet Banquet Foods
99 Brad Teague Ball Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's Frosted Flakes

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was originally scheduled to be held on Wednesday, October 2, at 5:00 PM EST, but was delayed to Thursday, October 3, at 8:30 AM EST due to rain.[5] 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 Thursday, October 3, 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,[6] 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. 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.

Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.595 and an average speed of 176.499 miles per hour (284.048 km/h) in the first round.[7][8]

Six drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 30.595 176.499
2 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 30.767 175.513
3 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 30.850 175.041
4 4 Ernie Irvan Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 30.887 174.831
5 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 30.925 174.616
6 11 Geoff Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 30.981 174.300
7 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 30.984 174.284
8 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Pontiac 31.024 174.059
9 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 31.081 173.740
10 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.135 173.438
11 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 31.148 173.366
12 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 31.149 173.360
13 22 Sterling Marlin Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 31.201 173.071
14 68 Bobby Hamilton (R) TriStar Motorsports Oldsmobile 31.222 172.955
15 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.224 172.944
16 12 Hut Stricklin Bobby Allison Motorsports Buick 31.230 172.911
17 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Oldsmobile 31.243 172.839
18 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Oldsmobile 31.293 172.563
19 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Buick 31.297 172.540
20 15 Morgan Shepherd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 31.375 172.112
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 47 Greg Sacks Close Racing Oldsmobile 31.396 171.996
22 21 Dale Jarrett Wood Brothers Racing Ford 31.447 171.717
23 8 Rick Wilson Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 31.447 171.717
24 94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 31.487 171.499
25 24 Jimmy Hensley Team III Racing Pontiac 31.517 171.336
26 10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Chevrolet 31.612 170.821
27 19 Chad Little Little Racing Ford 31.632 170.713
28 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 31.732 170.175
29 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 31.781 169.913
30 49 Stanley Smith (R) BS&S Motorsports Buick 31.806 169.779
31 55 Ted Musgrave (R) U.S. Racing Pontiac 31.816 169.726
32 75 Joe Ruttman RahMoc Enterprises Oldsmobile 31.863 169.476
33 98 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Chevrolet 32.037 168.555
34 27 Gary Balough Linro Motorsports Pontiac 32.048 168.497
35 53 Bobby Hillin Jr. Team Ireland Chevrolet 32.051 168.481
36 66 Dorsey Schroeder Cale Yarborough Motorsports Pontiac 32.309 167.136
37 95 Kerry Teague Sadler Brothers Racing Oldsmobile 32.349 166.929
38 99 Brad Teague Ball Motorsports Chevrolet 32.369 166.826
39 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 32.406 166.636
40 13 Mike Skinner Mansion Motorsports Chevrolet 32.526 166.021
Provisional
41 90 Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) Donlavey Racing Ford -* -*
Failed to qualify
42 20 Buddy Baker Moroso Racing Oldsmobile -* -*
43 51 Jeff Purvis (R) Phoenix Racing Chevrolet -* -*
44 74 Mike Potter Wawak Racing Pontiac -* -*
45 89 Jim Sauter Mueller Brothers Racing Pontiac -* -*
46 87 Randy Baker Buck Baker Racing Chevrolet -* -*
47 41 Larry Pearson Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet - -
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 6 11 Geoff Bodine Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 334 23 running 180 $92,200
2 2 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 334 57 running 175 $69,350
3 3 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 333 0 running 165 $47,250
4 17 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Oldsmobile 333 0 running 160 $31,350
5 13 22 Sterling Marlin Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 331 0 running 155 $25,100
6 24 94 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 330 0 running 150 $20,300
7 11 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 330 0 running 146 $17,700
8 19 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Buick 330 0 running 142 $16,000
9 12 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 329 0 running 138 $12,500
10 27 19 Chad Little Little Racing Ford 329 0 running 134 $12,300
11 9 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 329 0 running 130 $16,700
12 39 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 329 0 running 127 $11,400
13 18 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Oldsmobile 329 0 running 124 $10,600
14 31 55 Ted Musgrave (R) U.S. Racing Pontiac 328 0 running 121 $9,050
15 7 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 327 0 running 118 $13,625
16 32 75 Joe Ruttman RahMoc Enterprises Oldsmobile 326 0 running 115 $8,200
17 23 8 Rick Wilson Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 325 0 running 112 $7,800
18 35 53 Bobby Hillin Jr. Team Ireland Chevrolet 324 0 running 109 $4,600
19 41 90 Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) Donlavey Racing Ford 323 0 running 106 $4,700
20 25 24 Jimmy Hensley Team III Racing Pontiac 323 0 running 103 $6,150
21 38 99 Brad Teague Ball Motorsports Chevrolet 322 0 running 100 $4,175
22 30 49 Stanley Smith (R) BS&S Motorsports Buick 321 0 running 97 $4,050
23 33 98 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Chevrolet 319 0 ignition 94 $6,700
24 29 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 313 0 ignition 91 $3,850
25 15 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 302 56 valve 93 $22,460
26 22 21 Dale Jarrett Wood Brothers Racing Ford 302 0 valve 85 $6,380
27 8 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Pontiac 296 0 running 82 $4,775
28 20 15 Morgan Shepherd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 292 0 accident 79 $10,525
29 14 68 Bobby Hamilton (R) TriStar Motorsports Oldsmobile 283 0 engine 76 $4,100
30 4 4 Ernie Irvan Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 263 0 accident 73 $12,875
31 21 47 Greg Sacks Close Racing Oldsmobile 252 0 engine 70 $3,300
32 10 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 232 0 accident 67 $10,550
33 26 10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Chevrolet 225 0 accident 64 $5,825
34 28 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 225 0 accident 61 $11,575
35 1 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 212 198 engine 68 $70,955
36 16 12 Hut Stricklin Bobby Allison Motorsports Buick 135 0 piston 55 $5,740
37 37 95 Kerry Teague Sadler Brothers Racing Oldsmobile 124 0 accident 52 $3,125
38 5 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 59 0 piston 49 $6,615
39 34 27 Gary Balough Linro Motorsports Pontiac 42 0 camshaft 46 $3,110
40 40 13 Mike Skinner Mansion Motorsports Chevrolet 12 0 oil line 43 $3,105
41 36 66 Dorsey Schroeder Cale Yarborough Motorsports Pontiac 2 0 head gasket 40 $5,105
Failed to qualify
42 41 Larry Pearson Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet
43 20 Buddy Baker Moroso Racing Oldsmobile
44 51 Jeff Purvis (R) Phoenix Racing Chevrolet
45 74 Mike Potter Wawak Racing Pontiac
46 89 Jim Sauter Mueller Brothers Racing Pontiac
47 87 Randy Baker Buck Baker Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

Standings after the race

References

  1. Higgins, Tom (October 7, 1991). "Gas gamble pays dividend for Bodine (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 11. Retrieved March 9, 2023 via Newspapers.com. open access
  2. Higgins, Tom (October 7, 1991). "Gas gamble pays dividend for Bodine (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 18. Retrieved March 9, 2023 via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. Foreman Jr., Tom (October 7, 1991). "Geoff Bodine beats Allison". The Morning Call. p. 40. Retrieved March 9, 2023 via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. Clarke, Liz; Higgins, Tom (October 7, 1991). "Earnhardt closing in on title?". The Charlotte Observer. p. 18. Retrieved March 9, 2023 via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. Higgins, Tom (October 3, 1991). "Rain-delayed qualifying resumes today". The Charlotte Observer. p. 21. Retrieved March 9, 2023 via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. "Charlotte race week schedule". The Charlotte Observer. October 2, 1991. p. 14. Retrieved March 9, 2023 via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. Higgins, Tom (October 4, 1991). "Martin manages a record (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 15. Retrieved March 9, 2023 via Newspapers.com. open access
  8. Higgins, Tom (October 4, 1991). "Martin manages a record (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 17. Retrieved March 9, 2023 via Newspapers.com. open access
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