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1987 Pepsi Firecracker 400

1987 Pepsi Firecracker 400
Race details
Race 15 of 29 in the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1987 Pepsi Firecracker 400 program cover.
The 1987 Pepsi Firecracker 400 program cover.
Date July 4, 1987
Official name 29th Annual Pepsi Firecracker 400
Location Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Scheduled Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Average speed 161.074 miles per hour (259.223 km/h)
Attendance 85,000
Pole position
Driver Ranier-Lundy Racing
Time 45.435
Most laps led
Driver Ken Schrader
Davey Allison
Donlavey Racing
Ranier-Lundy Racing
Laps 32
Winner
No. 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing
Television in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Keith Jackson, Donnie Allison
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1987 Pepsi Firecracker 400 was the 15th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 4, 1987, before an audience of 85,000 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 160 laps to complete.

In what is considered to be one of the most confusing finishes in NASCAR history, Stavola Brothers Racing's Bobby Allison managed to pass 12 cars in the span of five laps heading into the final lap of the race. Mistakenly, Allison was scored a lap down by the time the final lap started both on the track and by commentators; as a result, drivers behind Allison at the time, which included owner-drivers Buddy Baker and Dave Marcis, let Allison increase his gap between them as most thought Allison was a lap down. By the time the error was realized, Allison had a four second lead over Baker, taking the victory while drivers behind them wrecked for what they thought was the presumed battle for the lead. The victory was Allison's 83rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Baker and Marcis finished second and third, respectively.

Background

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

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.

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 Buick 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 Kroger
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 Larry Pollard 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 Freedlander Financial
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
39 Blackie Wangerin Wangerin Racing Ford Wangerin Racing
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Piedmont Airlines
48 Tony Spanos Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet Hylton Motorsports
50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac Valvoline
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Jimmy Means Racing
55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile Copenhagen
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
73 Phil Barkdoll Barkdoll Racing Chevrolet Helen Rae Special
74 Bobby Wawak Wawak Racing Chevrolet Wawak Racing
75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac Valvoline
77 Eddie Bierschwale Ragan Racing Ford Ragan Racing
81 Chet Fillip Fillip Racing Ford Warr Valves
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
98 Ed Pimm Curb Racing Buick Sunoco
99 Brad Teague Ball Motorsports Chevrolet Slender You Figure Salons

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, July 2, at 10:00 AM 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 3, at 11:00 AM 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.

Davey Allison, driving for Ranier-Lundy Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 45.435 and an average speed of 198.085 miles per hour (318.787 km/h) in the first round.[4]

Four drivers failed to qualify.

Full qualifying results

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 45.435 198.085
2 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 45.443 198.050
3 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 45.545 197.607
4 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 45.661 197.105
5 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 45.762 196.670
6 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 45.849 196.297
7 1 Brett Bodine Ellington Racing Buick 45.932 195.942
8 14 A. J. Foyt A. J. Foyt Racing Oldsmobile 45.973 195.767
9 88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 45.973 195.767
10 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 46.013 195.597
11 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 46.025 195.546
12 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 46.035 195.503
13 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 46.070 195.355
14 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 46.093 195.257
15 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 46.094 195.253
16 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 46.144 195.042
17 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 46.181 194.885
18 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 46.210 194.763
19 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 46.294 194.410
20 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 46.309 194.347
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 46.407 193.936
22 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 46.434 193.823
23 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 46.462 193.707
24 99 Brad Teague Ball Motorsports Chevrolet 46.467 193.686
25 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 46.504 193.532
26 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 46.537 193.395
27 29 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 46.537 193.395
28 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 46.570 193.257
29 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 46.604 193.116
30 77 Eddie Bierschwale Ragan Racing Ford 46.613 193.079
31 82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford 46.658 192.893
32 12 Larry Pollard Hamby Racing Chevrolet 46.678 192.810
33 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 46.682 192.794
34 98 Ed Pimm Curb Racing Buick 46.712 192.670
35 64 Rodney Combs Langley Racing Ford 46.728 192.604
36 01 Dave Pletcher Sr. Weaver Racing Ford 46.777 192.402
37 50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac 46.873 192.008
38 81 Chet Fillip Fillip Racing Ford 46.947 191.706
39 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 46.959 191.657
40 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 47.024 191.392
Provisional
41 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 47.472 189.585
Failed to qualify
42 74 Bobby Wawak Wawak Racing Chevrolet 47.049 191.290
43 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 47.576 189.171
44 48 Tony Spanos Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet 47.967 187.629
45 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 48.182 186.792
46 0 Delma Cowart H. L. Waters Racing Chevrolet 48.290 186.374
47 73 Phil Barkdoll Barkdoll Racing Chevrolet 48.301 186.332
48 39 Blackie Wangerin Wangerin Racing Ford 48.909 184.015
49 6 Connie Saylor U.S. Racing Chevrolet - -
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 11 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 160 2 running 180 $57,375
2 9 88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 160 1 running 175 $30,800
3 28 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 160 23 running 170 $27,805
4 26 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 160 6 running 165 $17,470
5 4 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 160 0 running 155 $17,130
6 13 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 160 22 running 155 $22,160
7 3 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 160 32 running 156 $15,850
8 6 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 160 5 running 147 $15,760
9 16 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 160 0 running 138 $10,315
10 5 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 160 3 running 139 $16,135
11 7 1 Brett Bodine Ellington Racing Buick 160 1 running 135 $6,025
12 2 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 160 30 running 132 $16,990
13 14 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 159 0 running 124 $11,670
14 17 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 159 0 running 121 $12,855
15 40 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 159 0 running 118 $4,490
16 18 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 159 0 running 115 $7,870
17 12 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 158 0 running 112 $10,830
18 10 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 158 0 running 109 $7,305
19 20 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 158 0 running 106 $6,845
20 1 28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 157 32 running 113 $10,480
21 38 81 Chet Fillip Fillip Racing Ford 157 0 running 100 $3,130
22 23 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 157 3 running 102 $3,330
23 41 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 156 0 running 94 $6,110
24 27 29 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 155 0 engine 91 $2,805
25 37 50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac 155 0 running 88 $2,805
26 21 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 155 0 running 85 $5,650
27 32 12 Larry Pollard Hamby Racing Chevrolet 155 0 running 0 $5,280
28 25 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 154 0 running 79 $5,870
29 39 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 154 0 running 76 $5,060
30 29 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 152 0 crash 73 $3,955
31 35 64 Rodney Combs Langley Racing Ford 126 0 engine 70 $4,890
32 15 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 120 0 engine 67 $5,130
33 30 77 Eddie Bierschwale Ragan Racing Ford 117 0 running 64 $2,105
34 34 98 Ed Pimm Curb Racing Buick 110 0 engine 61 $2,080
35 33 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 109 0 fatigue 58 $11,255
36 36 01 Dave Pletcher Sr. Weaver Racing Ford 65 0 engine 55 $2,030
37 31 82 Mark Stahl Stahl Racing Ford 59 0 wheel bearing 52 $2,005
38 8 14 A. J. Foyt A. J. Foyt Racing Oldsmobile 28 0 transmission 49 $1,980
39 19 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 17 0 overheating 46 $8,955
40 22 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 10 0 fuel pump 43 $1,930
41 24 99 Brad Teague Ball Motorsports Chevrolet 5 0 crash 40 $1,930
Failed to qualify
42 74 Bobby Wawak Wawak Racing Chevrolet
43 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac
44 48 Tony Spanos Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet
45 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac
46 0 Delma Cowart H. L. Waters Racing Chevrolet
47 73 Phil Barkdoll Barkdoll Racing Chevrolet
48 39 Blackie Wangerin Wangerin Racing Ford
49 6 Connie Saylor U.S. Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

Standings after the race

References

  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (July 5, 1987). "Bobby Allison Captures Wild Firecracker 400". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 8D. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ Coble, Don (July 5, 1987). "Firecracker 400 ends with a bang". Florida Today. pp. 1C, 2C. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. July 2, 1987. pp. 4B. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ Higgins, Tom (July 3, 1987). "Allison Edges Elliott". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 5B, 8B. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon


Previous race:
1987 Miller American 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1987 season
Next race:
1987 Summer 500