The 1987 Southern 500 was the 21st stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 6, 1987, before an audience of 75,000 in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race was shortened from its scheduled 367 laps to 202 laps due to rain.

1987 Southern 500
Race details
Race 21 of 29 in the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1987 Southern 500 program cover, featuring Davey Allison, Kyle Petty, and Bill Elliott.
The 1987 Southern 500 program cover, featuring Davey Allison, Kyle Petty, and Bill Elliott.
Date September 6, 1987
Official name 38th Annual Southern 500
Location Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.366 mi (2.221 km)
Distance 202 laps, 275.932 mi (444.069 km)
Scheduled Distance 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.799 km)
Average speed 115.52 miles per hour (185.91 km/h)
Attendance 75,000
Pole position
Driver Ranier-Lundy Racing
Time 31.276
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Laps 109
Winner
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Chris Economaki
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Racing until the 198th lap, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt managed to fend off challenges for the lead by owner-driver Richard Petty until a caution period was declared on lap 198. Four laps later, the race was red-flagged and not resumed, earning Earnhardt his 30th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his 10th victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace and the aforementioned Richard Petty finished second and third, respectively.

Background

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The layout of Darlington Raceway, the venue where the race was held.

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Brett Bodine Ellington Racing Chevrolet Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Wrangler
4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile Kodak
5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Levi Garrett
6 Derrike Cope[a] (R) U.S. Racing Chevrolet Slender You Figure Salons
7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford Zerex
8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller American
9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford Coors
11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet Budweiser
12 Trevor Boys Hamby Racing Chevrolet Gorman's Esso Sales
15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford Motorcraft Quality Parts
17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Tide
18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet Freedlander Financial
21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller American
25 Tim Richmond[b] Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Folgers
26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick Quaker State
27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac Kodiak
28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile Hardee's
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet All Pro Auto Parts
32 Jonathan Lee Edwards Edwards Racing Chevrolet Edwards Racing
33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
34 Eddie Bierschwale AAG Racing Chevrolet Allen's Glass
35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Folgers Decaf
36 H. B. Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac Almeda Auto Parts
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Piedmont Airlines
50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac Valvoline
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Eureka
55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile Skoal Classic
62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac AC Spark Plug
64 Rodney Combs Langley Racing Ford Sunny King Ford
67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford Pannill Sweatshirts
70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac Rumple Furniture
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Lifebuoy
74 Bobby Wawak Wawak Racing Chevrolet Wawak Racing
75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac Valvoline
81 Mike Potter Fillip Racing Chevrolet Fillip Racing
83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile Wynn's, Kmart
88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile Crisco
90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford Red Baron Frozen Pizza

Qualifying

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Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, September 3, at 3:00 pm EST. Originally, the first 20 positions were going to be determined by first round qualifying, with positions 21–40 meant to be determined the following day on Friday, September 4.[5] However, due to rain, the second round was cancelled. As a result, the rest of the starting lineup was set using the results from the first round. 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.[6]

Davey Allison, driving for Ranier-Lundy Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 31.276 and an average speed of 157.232 miles per hour (253.040 km/h).[7]

J. D. McDuffie was the only driver to fail to qualify, as he signed up later than U. S. Racing owner D. K. Ulrich. In the battle for the last position to qualify, four cars out of the 41-car entry list did not run laps during the first round. Two provisionals were given to Dale Jarrett and Brett Bodine for the 38th and 39th positions, leaving the 40th position to be determined by whichever car owner signed up for the race earlier. Due to Ulrich signing up earlier, his entry, driven by Connie Saylor, was given the 40th position.[3]

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 31.276 157.232
2 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 31.425 156.487
3 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 31.460 156.313
4 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 31.469 156.268
5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.547 155.882
6 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 31.762 154.827
7 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.889 154.210
8 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 31.893 154.191
9 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.919 154.065
10 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 31.919 154.065
11 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 31.945 153.940
12 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 31.956 153.887
13 50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac 32.013 153.613
14 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 32.065 153.363
15 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 32.066 153.359
16 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 32.111 153.144
17 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 32.121 153.096
18 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 32.124 153.082
19 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 32.157 152.925
20 88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 32.175 152.839
21 29 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 32.193 152.754
22 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 32.265 152.413
23 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 32.312 152.191
24 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 32.325 152.130
25 64 Rodney Combs Langley Racing Ford 32.378 151.881
26 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 32.394 151.806
27 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 32.404 151.759
28 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 32.484 151.385
29 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 32.497 151.325
30 12 Trevor Boys Hamby Racing Oldsmobile 32.515 151.241
31 34 Eddie Bierschwale AAG Racing Chevrolet 32.615 150.777
32 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 32.631 150.703
33 36 H. B. Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac 32.932 149.326
34 74 Bobby Wawak Wawak Racing Chevrolet 33.245 147.920
35 81 Mike Potter Fillip Racing Ford 33.552 146.567
36 32 Jonathan Lee Edwards Edwards Racing Chevrolet 33.605 146.335
37 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 33.615 146.292
Provisionals
38 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet - -
39 1 Brett Bodine Ellington Racing Chevrolet - -
Qualified via earlier postmark entry sign-in time
40 6 Connie Saylor U.S. Racing Oldsmobile - -
Failed to qualify or withdrew
41 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac - -
WD 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet - -
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 202 109 running 185 $64,650
2 16 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 202 0 running 170 $33,695
3 14 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 202 2 running 170 $22,530
4 24 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 202 0 running 160 $18,665
5 3 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 202 0 running 155 $19,945
6 17 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 202 0 running 150 $14,890
7 12 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 202 0 running 146 $15,055
8 2 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 202 1 running 147 $15,215
9 15 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 202 0 running 138 $9,555
10 7 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 202 1 running 139 $6,365
11 18 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 202 0 running 130 $9,765
12 22 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 202 0 running 127 $4,535
13 21 29 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 201 0 running 124 $4,375
14 26 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 200 0 running 121 $11,215
15 38 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 118 $9,110
16 28 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 115 $7,750
17 20 88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 199 0 distributor 112 $3,755
18 27 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 running 109 $9,310
19 19 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 198 0 running 106 $7,135
20 39 1 Brett Bodine Ellington Racing Chevrolet 195 0 running 103 $3,855
21 37 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 195 0 running 100 $3,050
22 29 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 195 0 running 97 $6,365
23 34 74 Bobby Wawak Wawak Racing Chevrolet 194 0 running 94 $2,850
24 32 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 193 0 running 91 $5,960
25 31 34 Eddie Bierschwale AAG Racing Chevrolet 192 0 running 88 $2,760
26 11 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 185 0 engine 85 $9,570
27 25 64 Rodney Combs Langley Racing Ford 185 0 running 82 $5,525
28 8 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 176 0 running 79 $2,385
29 1 28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 164 86 accident 81 $6,545
30 4 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 163 0 accident 73 $2,240
31 9 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 162 3 accident 75 $12,290
32 23 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 156 0 running 67 $4,805
33 35 81 Mike Potter Fillip Racing Ford 153 0 accident 64 $1,975
34 40 6 Connie Saylor U.S. Racing Oldsmobile 140 0 fatigue 61 $4,690
35 33 36 H. B. Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac 133 0 fatigue 58 $1,855
36 30 12 Trevor Boys Hamby Racing Oldsmobile 126 0 accident 0 $4,560
37 36 32 Jonathan Lee Edwards Edwards Racing Chevrolet 122 0 engine 52 $1,755
38 13 50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac 96 0 engine 49 $1,705
39 10 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 85 0 clutch 46 $4,395
40 6 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 77 0 engine 43 $4,500
Failed to qualify or withdrew
41 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac
WD 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Official race results

Standings after the race

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Notes

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  1. ^ Cope crashed the team's primary car during a preliminary practice session. As a result of the crash, Cope was replaced by Connie Saylor in the team's backup car.[3]
  2. ^ Withdrew due to complications from a severe cold.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (September 7, 1987). "Earnhardt Wins Rainy 500". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 4B. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Branham, Russell (September 7, 1987). "Earnhardt wins rain-shortened Southern 500". Florence Morning News. pp. 2B. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ a b Woodward, Bill (September 5, 1987). "Name calling a compliment for Pearson". The News & Observer. pp. 3B. Retrieved September 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Higgins, Tom (September 4, 1987). "Richmond Withdraws From Southern 500". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 4B. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. September 3, 1987. pp. 12B. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  6. ^ Scoppe, Rick (November 7, 1987). "Rain forces alternate way of filling field". The Times and Democrat. Associated Press. pp. 3B. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  7. ^ Higgins, Tom (September 4, 1987). "Allison Roars To Pole". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 4B. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  


Previous race:
1987 Busch 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1987 season
Next race:
1987 Wrangler Jeans Indigo 400