1990 Heinz Southern 500
The 1990 Heinz Southern 500, the 41st running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on September 2, 1990 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366 mile (2.198 km) speedway, it was the 21st race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing won the race.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 21 of 29 in the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
| Date | September 2, 1990 | ||
| Official name | Heinz Southern 500 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway, Darlington County, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.800 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures reaching up to 88 °F (31 °C); wind speeds reaching up to 11.39 miles per hour (18.33 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 123.141 miles per hour (198.176 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Childress Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 99 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett and Gary Nelson | ||
Summary
The traditional Labor Day event saw Dale Earnhardt capture the Richard Childress Racing's fourth pole of the season before winning the race. Even with an ill-handling racecar, Earnhardt recovered, made up a lost lap and then having to battle a vibrating tire to outrun Ernie Irvan to the checkered flag. With the $200,000 payday, Dale became the first race car driver in history to pass the $11,000,000 mark in career winnings. During the race, Morgan Shepherd and Ken Schrader made contact, sending Schrader into the wall. An angry Schrader returned to the race, and rammed Shepherd into the wall, knocking both drivers out of the race.
Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, and Geoff Bodine timed together in the top three and combined to lead 286 laps between them; Bodine faded to eighth while Elliott finished fourth and Ernie Irvan led 70 laps and grabbed second, but no one could catch Earnhardt en route to his third Southern 500 in his previous four starts.[2]
Phillip Duffie made his only NASCAR appearance at this race.[2]
Top 10 results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford |
| 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford |
| 5 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile |
| 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 7 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 11 | Geoffrey Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford |
| 9 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick |
Race statistics
- Time of race: 4:04:16
- Average Speed: 123.141 miles per hour (198.176 km/h)
- Pole Speed: 158.448 miles per hour (254.997 km/h)
- Cautions: 10 for 51 laps
- Margin of Victory: 4.19 sec
- Lead changes: 20
- Percent of race run under caution: 13.9%
- Average green flag run: 28.7 laps
References
- Weather information for the 1990 Heinz Southern 500 at the Old Farmer's Almanac
- Race information at Race Database