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.[3][4]

1991 The Winston
Race details[1]
Race 2 of 2 exhibition races in the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Date May 19, 1991 (1991-05-19)
Location Concord, North Carolina
Course Charlotte Motor Speedway
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 70 laps, 105 mi (168.981 km)
Weather Temperatures around 64.0 °F (17.8 °C), with winds gusting to 14.96 miles per hour (24.08 km/h)[2]
Average speed 168.75 mph (271.58 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Robert Yates Racing
Most laps led
Driver Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing
Laps 70
Winner
No. 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing
Television in the United States
Network CBS
Announcers Ken Squier and Ned Jarrett

Background

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Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held.

The Winston was open to race winners from last season through the 1991 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Geoff Bodine was eligible for this race, but had to bow out due to an injury he sustained in a practice crash prior to the event. As a result, his eligibility was given to Tommy Ellis. Likewise, Kenny Wallace substituted for Kyle Petty, who was injured in a crash at the Winston 500. Bobby Hillin Jr., who had not won a race since 1986, made the field after his team Moroso Racing struck a deal with Blue Max Racing, which was eligible after former driver Rusty Wallace won two races in 1990.

1991 The Winston drivers and eligibility

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Race winners in 1990 and 1991

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Winning team owners in 1991 and 1992

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Top three finishers of The Winston Open

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Race summary

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Segment 1 (50 laps)

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Davey Allison won the pole, earning him US$75,000 in advance. Michael Waltrip, Sterling Marlin, and Hut Stricklin made the starting grid by finishing in the top three at The Winston Open.[5] Alan Kulwicki retired on lap 7 after his engine expired while Bobby Hillin Jr.'s day ended on lap 26 with valve issues. Segment 1 ended with Allison taking the checkered flag while leading all 50 laps.

Race 1 results
  1. 28-Davey Allison (US$50,000)
  2. 17-Darrell Waltrip
  3. 25-Ken Schrader
  4. 9-Bill Elliott
  5. 33-Harry Gant

Segment 2 (20 laps)

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Allison led the field on the second segment. Prior to the green flag, Ken Schrader stopped twice in the middle of the track before returning to the field. NASCAR initially gave Schrader the black flag, but rescinded it when his team explained that his safety belt suddenly came undone and he needed to buckle it back up. Morgan Shepherd was given a stop-and-go penalty after jumping the green flag, resulting in him finishing in the tail end of the lead lap. As Allison extended his lead, Schrader overtook Darrell Waltrip to advance to the second spot while Bill Elliott, Ernie Irvan, and Michael Waltrip engaged in a three-way battle for fourth. With a lead of over one second ahead of Schrader and rain beginning to hit the track, Allison crossed the finish line to win the race and US$200,000, becoming the second flag-to-flag winner of The Winston after Dale Earnhardt in 1990.

Race results
Pos Grid Car Driver Owner Manufacturer Laps run Laps led
1 1 28 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 70 70
2 6 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 70 0
3 3 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 70 0
4 7 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 70 0
5 16 4 Ernie Irvan Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 70 0
6 18 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 70 0
7 10 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Pontiac 70 0
8 20 12 Hut Stricklin Bobby Allison Motorsports Buick 70 0
9 2 33 Harry Gant Jackson Motorsports Oldsmobile 70 0
10 4 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 70 70
11 11 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 70 0
12 19 22 Sterling Marlin Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 70 0
13 13 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 70 0
14 5 11 Tommy Ellis Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 70 0
15 8 15 Morgan Shepherd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 70 0
16 15 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Buick 69 0
17 17 42 Kenny Wallace SABCO Racing Pontiac 69 0
18 9 10 Derrike Cope Whitcomb Racing Chevrolet 50 0
19 14 27 Bobby Hillin Jr. Blue Max Racing/Moroso Racing Oldsmobile 26 0
20 12 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 7 0
Source:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "1991 The Winston". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  2. ^ "Weather information for the 1991 The Winston". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  3. ^ "Davey Allison wins The Winston handily". Tampa Bay Times. May 20, 1991. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  4. ^ "Davey Allison Wins Winston, Cool $325,000". Chicago Tribune. May 20, 1991. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  5. ^ "1991 Winston Open". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2023.