1987 Talladega 500

1987 Talladega 500
Race details
Race 17 of 29 in the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1987 Talladega 500 program cover, featuring Bobby Hillin Jr.
The 1987 Talladega 500 program cover, featuring Bobby Hillin Jr.
Date July 26, 1987
Official name 19th Annual Talladega 500
Location Lincoln, Alabama, Alabama International Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Distance 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km)
Scheduled Distance 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km)
Average speed 171.293 miles per hour (275.669 km/h)
Attendance 105,000
Pole position
Driver
Melling Racing
Time 46.981
Most laps led
Driver Davey Allison Ranier-Lundy Racing
Laps 77
Winner
No. 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing
Television in the United States
Network CBS
Announcers Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1987 Talladega 500 was the 17th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 19th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 26, 1987, before an audience of 105,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Alabama International Motor Speedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete.

By race's end, Melling Racing's Bill Elliott managed to fend off a late-race charge by Ranier-Lundy Racing's Davey Allison in the final laps of the race to take his 19th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Davey Allison and Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt finished second and third, respectively.

Background

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

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval, a 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) tri-oval.

Entry list

  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
0 Delma Cowart H. L. Waters Racing Chevrolet Heyward Grooms Construction
1 Brett Bodine Ellington Racing Chevrolet Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce
01 Dave Pletcher Sr. Weaver Racing Ford Ernie Haire Ford
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 Connie Saylor U.S. Racing Chevrolet U.S. Racing
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 Jeff Swindell Hamby Racing Chevrolet Hamby Racing
14 A. J. Foyt A. J. Foyt Racing Oldsmobile Copenhagen
15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford Motorcraft Quality Parts
17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Tide
18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet Coats & Clark
21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller American
25 Tim Richmond 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
33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Folgers Decaf
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Piedmont Airlines
48 Jerry Holden Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet Hylton Motorsports
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 Chet Fillip Arrington Racing Ford Pannill Sweatshirts
70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac Rumple Furniture
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Lifebuoy
75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac Valvoline
82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford Auto Bell Car Wash
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

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, July 23, at 2:00 PM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round were 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 Friday, July 24, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 were decided on time,[3] 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 provisionals were given.

Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 46.981 and an average speed of 203.827 miles per hour (328.028 km/h) in the first round.[4]

Connie Saylor was the only driver to fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 46.981 203.827
2 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 47.066 203.459
3 28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 47.154 203.079
4 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 47.295 202.474
5 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 47.304 202.435
6 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 47.347 202.251
7 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 47.352 202.230
8 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 47.376 202.128
9 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 47.397 202.038
10 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 47.471 201.723
11 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 47.537 201.443
12 88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 47.647 200.978
13 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 47.770 200.461
14 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 47.803 200.322
15 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 47.805 200.314
16 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 47.888 199.967
17 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 48.022 199.409
18 14 A. J. Foyt A. J. Foyt Racing Oldsmobile 48.055 199.272
19 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 48.055 199.272
20 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 48.069 199.214
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 47.977 199.596
22 29 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 48.049 199.297
23 1 Brett Bodine Ellington Racing Chevrolet 48.088 199.135
24 01 Dave Pletcher Sr. Weaver Racing Ford 48.098 199.094
25 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 48.114 199.027
26 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 48.121 198.998
27 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 48.197 198.685
28 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 48.208 198.639
29 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 48.474 197.549
30 82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford 48.601 197.033
31 64 Rodney Combs Langley Racing Ford 48.689 196.677
32 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 48.796 196.246
33 12 Jeff Swindell Hamby Racing Chevrolet 49.206 194.610
34 67 Chet Fillip Arrington Racing Ford 49.288 194.287
35 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 49.302 194.231
36 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 49.352 194.035
37 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 49.535 193.318
38 0 Delma Cowart H. L. Waters Racing Chevrolet 49.540 193.298
39 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 49.742 192.513
40 48 Jerry Holden Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet 49.748 192.490
Failed to qualify
41 6 Connie Saylor U.S. Racing Chevrolet 49.860 192.058
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 188 72 running 180 $70,920
2 3 28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 188 77 running 180 $39,115
3 2 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 188 8 running 170 $35,050
4 4 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 0 running 160 $19,120
5 22 29 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 188 4 running 160 $13,465
6 5 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 188 22 running 155 $19,445
7 14 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 188 0 running 146 $8,845
8 9 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 188 1 running 147 $14,645
9 8 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 188 1 running 143 $12,695
10 12 88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 188 0 running 134 $8,720
11 16 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 188 0 running 130 $5,065
12 7 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 188 0 running 127 $11,795
13 11 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 187 0 running 124 $11,575
14 10 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 187 0 running 121 $9,900
15 27 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 187 0 running 118 $12,975
16 32 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 187 0 running 115 $4,115
17 21 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 186 0 running 112 $8,930
18 26 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 185 0 running 109 $7,910
19 31 64 Rodney Combs Langley Racing Ford 184 0 running 106 $7,690
20 34 67 Chet Fillip Arrington Racing Ford 184 0 running 103 $7,965
21 37 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 183 0 running 100 $7,210
22 25 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 183 2 running 102 $6,865
23 13 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 180 0 running 94 $7,445
24 38 0 Delma Cowart H. L. Waters Racing Chevrolet 180 0 running 0 $3,130
25 35 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 177 0 running 88 $3,120
26 39 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 176 0 running 85 $2,955
27 24 01 Dave Pletcher Sr. Weaver Racing Ford 145 0 crash 82 $2,895
28 40 48 Jerry Holden Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet 133 0 engine 79 $2,850
29 15 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 132 0 engine 76 $2,765
30 19 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 131 0 engine 73 $11,905
31 29 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 124 0 engine 70 $5,690
32 17 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 116 0 running 67 $6,110
33 30 82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford 115 0 engine 64 $2,525
34 33 12 Jeff Swindell Hamby Racing Chevrolet 102 0 fatigue 61 $5,230
35 18 14 A. J. Foyt A. J. Foyt Racing Oldsmobile 91 1 handling 63 $2,505
36 36 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 60 0 engine 55 $5,120
37 28 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 47 0 engine 52 $5,040
38 23 1 Brett Bodine Ellington Racing Chevrolet 32 0 crash 49 $2,240
39 6 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 10 0 engine 46 $4,180
40 20 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 2 0 engine 43 $9,115
Failed to qualify
41 6 Connie Saylor U.S. Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

Standings after the race

References

  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (July 27, 1987). "Elliott Captures Talladega". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 3D. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ Webb, Donnie (July 27, 1987). "Elliott doesn't tire in victory". The Anniston Star. pp. 1C, 4C. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. July 23, 1987. pp. 4D. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ Higgins, Tom (July 24, 1987). "Elliott Takes Pole". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 4D. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon


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1987 Summer 500 		NASCAR Winston Cup Series
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1987 The Budweiser at The Glen