1990 The Winston Explained

Year:1990
Race Name:The Winston
Details Ref:[1]
Type:CUST
Description:Race 2 of 2 exhibition races in the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Location:Concord, North Carolina
Course:Charlotte Motor Speedway
Course Mi:1.5
Course Km:2.4
Distance Laps:70
Distance Mi:105
Distance Km:168.981
Weather:Temperatures around 71.8F, with winds gusting to 8.75mph[2]
Avg:163.001mph
Pole Driver:Dale Earnhardt
Pole Team:Richard Childress Racing
Most Driver:Dale Earnhardt
Most Team:Richard Childress Racing
Most Laps:70
Car:3
First Driver:Dale Earnhardt
First Team:Richard Childress Racing
Network:ABC
Announcers:Paul Page, Benny Parsons, and Bobby Unser

The 1990 edition of The Winston was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 20, 1990. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 70-lap race was an exhibition race in the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing won the pole and led all 70 laps to win the race and collect a total purse of . He also became the first two-time winner of The Winston.[3]

Unlike the previous two events, which ran for 135 laps and three segments each, this race used a 70-lap, two-segment format.

Background

The Winston was open to race winners from last season through the 1990 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The winner of The Winston Open advanced to complete the starting grid. Because the field did not meet the minimum requirement of 19 cars, the remaining spots were awarded to the most recent winning drivers prior to the 1989 season. Neil Bonnett was eligible for this race, but had to bow out due to an injury he sustained at Darlington on April 1. As a result, his eligibility was given to Morgan Shepherd.

1990 The Winston drivers and eligibility

Race winners in 1989 and 1990

Race winners from previous years, not eligible by the above criteria

Winner of The Winston Open

Race summary

Segment 1 (50 laps)

Dale Earnhardt won the pole while Davey Allison took the outside pole. Dick Trickle made the starting grid by winning the Winston Open after beating Rob Moroso by a margin of only eight inches. Allison and Bill Elliott served as the onboard camera cars throughout the race. As the green flag dropped, Earnhardt charged forward while Darrell Waltrip overtook Allison for second place. By the fifth lap, Mark Martin took second place from Waltrip and set his sights on Earnhardt. On lap 8, defending champion Rusty Wallace retired from the race after his engine expired. Segment 1 ended with Earnhardt taking the checkered flag while leading all 50 laps.

Race 1 results
  1. 3-Dale Earnhardt
  2. 9-Bill Elliott
  3. 6-Mark Martin
  4. 25-Ken Schrader
  5. 7-Alan Kulwicki

Segment 2 (20 laps)

Earnhardt led the field on the second segment. Elliott suddenly lost momentum as Martin, Alan Kulwicki, and Ken Schrader passed him. The caution flag waved on lap 54 after NASCAR officials spotted oil on turns one and two. On the restart, Schrader challenged Martin for second place with Elliott close behind them while Trickle and Allison fought Kulwicki for fifth place. In the end, Earnhardt held off Schrader to win the race and, becoming the first two-time winner and the first flag-to-flag winner of The Winston.

+ Race results
PosGridCarDriverOwnerManufacturerLaps runLaps led
113Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet7070
2925Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet700
346Mark MartinRoush RacingFord700
469Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord700
5228Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord700
62066Dick TrickleCale Yarborough MotorsportsPontiac700
71133Harry GantJackson MotorsportsChevrolet700
887Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord700
9515Morgan ShepherdBud Moore EngineeringFord700
10158Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick700
111083Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobile700
12135Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet700
13317Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet700
14171Terry LabontePrecision Products RacingOldsmobile700
151242Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac690
161911Geoff BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord690
171873Phil ParsonsBarkdoll MotorsportsOldsmobile690
18710Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet680
191626Brett BodineKing RacingBuick550
201427Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac80

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1990 The Winston. Racing-Reference . January 28, 2019.
  2. Web site: Weather information for the 1990 The Winston . The Old Farmers' Almanac . January 28, 2019.
  3. Web site: Photos: 30 years of NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winners . . October 20, 2016 . January 26, 2019.