Race details [1] | |||
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Race 2 of 2 exhibition races in the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
Date | May 21, 1989 | ||
Location | Concord, North Carolina | ||
Course | Charlotte Motor Speedway 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
Distance | 135 laps, 202.5 mi (324 km) | ||
Weather | Temperatures around 82 °F (28 °C), with 72% humidity and winds gusting to 10 miles per hour (16 km/h), partly sunny with 20% chance of rain | ||
Average speed | 133.15 mph (214.28 km/h) | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | |
Laps | 69 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | ABC | ||
Announcers | Paul Page, Benny Parsons, and Bobby Unser |
The 1989 edition of The Winston was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 21, 1989. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 135-lap race was an exhibition race in the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Terry Labonte of Junior Johnson & Associates won the pole, but it was Rusty Wallace of Blue Max Racing who led the most laps (69) and won the race to collect US$240,000 after spinning Darrell Waltrip of Hendrick Motorsports out before the final lap. [2] [3]
The Winston was open to race winners from last season through the 1989 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The winner of The Winston Open advanced to complete the starting grid. Because the field did not meet the minimum requirement of 19 cars, the remaining spots were awarded to the most recent winning drivers prior to the 1988 season.
Terry Labonte won the pole while Dale Earnhardt took the outside pole. Sterling Marlin made the starting grid by winning the Winston Open for the second year in the row. Darrell Waltrip and Kyle Petty served as the onboard camera cars throughout the race. Upon the waving of the green flag, Labonte had a good start while Rusty Wallace challenged Earnhardt for second place, but Earnhardt gained momentum and overtook Labonte to lead the first lap. Wallace and Alan Kulwicki zipped past Labonte, who then started losing positions to Geoff Bodine and Waltrip by the second lap. As Wallace closed in on Earnhardt, the first caution flag waved after Kyle Petty crashed on the turn three wall and Richard Petty spun out of control; the younger Petty was rushed to the hospital with only minor bruises. Earnhardt was forced to restart at the back of the field after his right front tire was punctured by the debris. Wallace led the field with Kulwicki and Waltrip behind him while Davey Allison and Bill Elliott overtook Labonte and Earnhardt inched his way back in the top 10. In the end, Wallace took the checkered flag and collected US$20,000.
Wallace led the field on the single-line restart, but Waltrip passed him from the outside after the first three laps. Morgan Shepherd retired on lap 83 after his engine overheated. Waltrip won the 50-lap segment to collect US$20,000
Waltrip led the field in the 10-lap shootout. He continued his lead while Wallace closed in on him. With two laps to go, Wallace tapped Waltrip on the left rear, sending Waltrip spinning across the infield grass and triggering the caution. It was decided by NASCAR that the restart would be a two-lap dash, which Wallace won to collect a combined US$240,000, including the US$200,000 prize for the final segment.
After the race, a fight ensued between the pit crews of Wallace and Waltrip as Wallace made his way to Victory Lane. Furious over the outcome of the race, Waltrip commented: "I just hope he chokes on that $200,000. That's all I can say." Rusty would apologize post-race for the contact, but maintained that it was a racing accident. By mid-week, Wallace and Waltrip would settle their feud with a phone call, although Wallace would become the most unpopular driver of the season despite becoming the Winston Cup champion. [2]
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The 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 39th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 16th modern-era cup series.
The 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 38th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 15th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on February 16 and ended November 16. Dale Earnhardt of RCR Enterprises won his second championship this year.
The 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 37th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 14th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Sunday, February 10 and ended on Sunday, November 17. Darrell Waltrip, driving for Junior Johnson, was crowned champion at the end of the season. Bill Elliott, driving for Harry Melling, had won 11 races in 1985, but lost the title by 101 points to three-time race winner Waltrip. This was the first season where all races were televised in some form.
The 1992 edition of The Winston was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 16, 1992. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 70-lap race was an exhibition race in the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. This was the first broadcast of The Winston on TNN, which aired the event until 2000. It was also better known as One Hot Night because it was the first ever race that was held on a superspeedway at night. Davey Allison of Robert Yates Racing won the pole, led the most laps, and won the race. This was also the final appearance of Richard Petty and Alan Kulwicki at The Winston; Petty retired at the end of the season and Kulwicki was killed in a plane crash on April 1, 1993.
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The 1991 edition of The Winston was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 19, 1991. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 70-lap race was an exhibition race in the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Davey Allison of Robert Yates Racing won the pole and led all 70 caution-free laps to win the race and collect a total purse of US$325,000.
The 1993 edition of The Winston was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 22, 1993. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 70-lap race was an exhibition race in the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Ernie Irvan of Morgan–McClure Motorsports won the pole and led the most laps, but it was Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing who won the race and became the first three-time All-Star Race winner. This was also the final appearance of Davey Allison at The Winston, as he died from injuries sustained in a helicopter crash on July 13, 1993.
The 1994 edition of The Winston Select was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 21, 1994. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 70-lap race was an exhibition race in the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Rusty Wallace of Penske Racing South won the pole, while Ernie Irvan of Robert Yates Racing led the most laps, but it was Geoff Bodine of Geoff Bodine Racing who won the race.