1987 Southern 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 21 of 29 in the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| 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 | ||
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.
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
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
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
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
Race results
Standings after the race
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Notes
- ^ 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]
- ^ Withdrew due to complications from a severe cold.[4]
References
- ^ Higgins, Tom (September 7, 1987). "Earnhardt Wins Rainy 500". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 4B. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Branham, Russell (September 7, 1987). "Earnhardt wins rain-shortened Southern 500". Florence Morning News. pp. 2B. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (September 4, 1987). "Richmond Withdraws From Southern 500". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 4B. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. September 3, 1987. pp. 12B. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (September 4, 1987). "Allison Roars To Pole". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 4B. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.