The 1989 Busch 500 was the 20th stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 26, 1989, before an audience of 54,000 in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol International Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Darrell Waltrip would manage to dominate the late stages of the race, leading the final 206 laps to take his 78th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth victory of the season.[1][2][3][4] To fill out the top three, owner-driver Alan Kulwicki and King Racing driver Ricky Rudd would finish second and third, respectively.

1989 Busch 500
Race details
Race 20 of 29 in the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1989 Busch 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.
The 1989 Busch 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.
Date August 26, 1989
Official name 29th Annual Busch 500
Location Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.858 km)
Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Scheduled Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Average speed 85.554 miles per hour (137.686 km/h)
Attendance 54,000
Pole position
Driver AK Racing
Time 16.394
Most laps led
Driver Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 239
Winner
No. 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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

The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Tommy Ellis Wood Brothers Racing Ford Wood Brothers Racing
2 Ernie Irvan U.S. Racing Pontiac Kroger
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service Plus
4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile Kodak
5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Levi Garrett
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Stroh's Light
7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford Zerex
8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller High Life
9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford Coors Light
10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Pontiac Purolator
11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Ford Budweiser
15 Brett Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford Motorcraft
16 Larry Pearson (R) Pearson Racing Buick Chattanooga Chew
17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Tide
21 Neil Bonnett Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Folgers
26 Ricky Rudd King Racing Buick Quaker State
27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac Kodiak
28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Dale Jarrett Cale Yarborough Motorsports Pontiac Hardee's
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac Country Time
33 Harry Gant Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile Skoal Bandit
42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac Peak Antifreeze
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Jim Sauter Group 44 Pontiac Group 44
48 Greg Sacks Winkle Motorsports Pontiac Dinner Bell Foods
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Alka-Seltzer
55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile Skoal, Crown Central Petroleum
57 Hut Stricklin (R) Osterlund Racing Pontiac Heinz
66 Rick Mast (R) Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet Food City
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Lifebuoy
75 Morgan Shepherd RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac Valvoline
83 Joe Ruttman Speed Racing Oldsmobile Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce
84 Dick Trickle (R) Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller High Life
88 Jimmy Spencer (R) Baker–Schiff Racing Pontiac Crisco
94 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Sunoco

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 25, at 7:35 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 15 drivers in the round would be 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 Saturday, August 26, at 1:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 15-30 would be decided on time,[5] and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified on time but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals were given.

Alan Kulwicki, driving for his own AK Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 16.394 and an average speed of 117.043 miles per hour (188.362 km/h) in the first round.[6][7]

Four drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 16.394 117.043
2 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 16.406 116.957
3 15 Brett Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford 16.447 116.666
4 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 16.472 116.489
5 94 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 16.494 116.333
6 26 Ricky Rudd King Racing Buick 16.537 116.031
7 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 16.563 115.849
8 2 Ernie Irvan U.S. Racing Pontiac 16.567 115.821
9 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 16.584 115.702
10 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 16.604 115.563
11 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 16.605 115.556
12 88 Jimmy Spencer (R) Baker–Schiff Racing Pontiac 16.619 115.458
13 66 Rick Mast (R) Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 16.621 115.444
14 33 Harry Gant Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 16.637 115.333
15 10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Pontiac 16.656 115.202
Failed to lock in Round 1
16 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 16.687 114.988
17 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 16.776 114.374
18 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 16.693 114.946
19 16 Larry Pearson (R) Pearson Racing Buick 16.727 114.713
20 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 16.735 114.658
21 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 16.750 114.555
22 84 Dick Trickle (R) Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 16.754 114.528
23 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 16.780 114.350
24 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 16.804 114.187
25 83 Joe Ruttman Speed Racing Oldsmobile 16.811 114.140
26 48 Greg Sacks Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 16.873 113.720
27 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 16.883 113.653
28 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 16.900 113.538
29 75 Morgan Shepherd RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 16.992 112.924
30 29 Dale Jarrett Cale Yarborough Motorsports Pontiac 17.116 112.106
Provisionals
31 21 Neil Bonnett Wood Brothers Racing Ford 17.127 112.034
32 57 Hut Stricklin (R) Osterlund Racing Pontiac 17.270 111.106
Failed to qualify
33 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac -* -*
34 1 Tommy Ellis Wood Brothers Racing Ford -* -*
35 44 Jim Sauter Group 44 Pontiac -* -*
36 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac -* -*
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 9 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 239 running 185 $52,450
2 1 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 500 27 running 175 $30,875
3 6 26 Ricky Rudd King Racing Buick 500 0 running 165 $19,200
4 14 33 Harry Gant Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 500 0 running 160 $13,300
5 16 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 499 0 running 155 $13,400
6 10 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 499 24 running 155 $12,125
7 24 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 498 0 running 146 $7,800
8 12 88 Jimmy Spencer (R) Baker–Schiff Racing Pontiac 496 0 running 142 $7,900
9 31 21 Neil Bonnett Wood Brothers Racing Ford 495 0 running 138 $9,307
10 30 29 Dale Jarrett Cale Yarborough Motorsports Pontiac 494 0 running 134 $10,975
11 17 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 494 0 running 130 $6,100
12 28 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 493 0 running 127 $5,900
13 13 66 Rick Mast (R) Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 492 0 running 124 $3,150
14 7 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 490 145 running 126 $11,650
15 8 2 Ernie Irvan U.S. Racing Pontiac 489 0 running 118 $4,700
16 2 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 489 65 running 120 $8,850
17 3 15 Brett Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford 488 0 running 112 $5,525
18 5 94 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 464 0 running 109 $4,950
19 32 57 Hut Stricklin (R) Osterlund Racing Pontiac 463 0 running 106 $3,250
20 23 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 458 0 running 103 $5,500
21 19 16 Larry Pearson (R) Pearson Racing Buick 444 0 overheating 100 $3,025
22 27 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 322 0 accident 97 $2,250
23 4 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 294 0 engine 94 $7,295
24 21 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 246 0 engine 91 $11,190
25 20 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 241 0 running 88 $8,935
26 29 75 Morgan Shepherd RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 223 0 engine 85 $8,680
27 18 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 142 0 engine 82 $4,350
28 22 84 Dick Trickle (R) Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 126 0 accident 79 $4,300
29 15 10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Pontiac 121 0 accident 76 $2,725
30 26 48 Greg Sacks Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 59 0 engine 0 $2,600
31 25 83 Joe Ruttman Speed Racing Oldsmobile 57 0 accident 0 $3,600
32 11 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 57 0 accident 67 $4,100
Failed to qualify
33 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac
34 1 Tommy Ellis Wood Brothers Racing Ford
35 44 Jim Sauter Group 44 Pontiac
36 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac
Official race results

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (August 27, 1989). "Waltrip Exhausted After Charge To Bristol Win (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 85. Retrieved May 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Higgins, Tom (August 27, 1989). "Waltrip Exhausted After Charge To Bristol Win (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 92. Retrieved May 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ King, Randy (August 27, 1989). "Waltrip runs off with win (Part 1)". The Roanoke Times. p. 17. Retrieved May 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ King, Randy (August 27, 1989). "Waltrip runs off with win (Part 2)". The Roanoke Times. p. 28. Retrieved May 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. August 25, 1989. p. 64. Retrieved May 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  6. ^ Higgins, Tom (August 26, 1989). "Kulwicki Hangs On For Bristol Pole (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 25. Retrieved May 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  7. ^ Higgins, Tom (August 26, 1989). "Kulwicki Hangs On For Bristol Pole (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 28. Retrieved May 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
Previous race:
1989 Champion Spark Plug 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1989 season
Next race:
1989 Heinz Southern 500