1991 Goody's 500 Explained

Type:NASWINSTON
Location:Ridgeway, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway
Distance Mi:263
Pole Time:20.324
Course Mi:0.526
Car:33
Scheduled Km:423.257
Distance Km:423.257
Distance Laps:500
Scheduled Laps:500
Scheduled Mi:263
Avg:74.535mph
Date:September 22
Race No:24
Season No:29
Year:1991
Race Name:Goody's 500
Most Laps:226
Most Driver:Harry Gant
Most Team:Leo Jackson Motorsports
First Driver:Harry Gant
First Team:Leo Jackson Motorsports
Pole Driver:Mark Martin
Pole Team:Roush Racing
Network:ESPN
Radio:Motor Racing Network
Announcers:Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Official Name:43rd Annual Goody's 500
Course Km:0.847
Caption:The 1991 Goody's 500 program cover, featuring Geoff Bodine.
Attendance:46,000

The 1991 Goody's 500 was the 24th stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 43rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 22, 1991, in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526miles permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Leo Jackson Motorsports driver Harry Gant would mount a late-race charge to the lead after being spun on lap 376 of the race. After passing for the lead on lap 454, Gant was able to defend the field for the final laps of the race to take his 16th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his fifth and final victory of the season, and his fourth straight victory.[1] [2] [3] To fill out the top three, King Racing driver Brett Bodine and Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.

With the victory, Gant, having won four out of the five races that occurred within the month of September of 1991, Gant would earn the nickname "Mr. September" by NASCAR media.[4]

Background

Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

Entry list

DriverTeamMakeSponsor
1Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobileSkoal
2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiacMiller Genuine Draft
3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletGM Goodwrench Service Plus
4Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevroletKodak
5Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevroletTide
6Mark MartinRoush RacingFordFolgers
7Alan KulwickiAK RacingFordHooters
8Rick WilsonStavola Brothers RacingBuickSnickers
9Bill ElliottMelling RacingFordCoors Light
10Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevroletPurolator Filters
11Geoff BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordBudweiser
12Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsBuickRaybestos
15Morgan ShepherdBud Moore EngineeringFordMotorcraft
17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevroletWestern Auto
19Chad LittleLittle RacingFordTyson Foods
21Dale JarrettWood Brothers RacingFordCitgo
22Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordMaxwell House
24Jimmy HensleyTeam III RacingPontiacTeam III Racing
25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevroletKodiak
26Brett BodineKing RacingBuickQuaker State
28Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFordTexaco, Havoline
30Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiacPennzoil
33Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobileSkoal Bandit
42Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiacMello Yello
43Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiacSTP
52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiacAlka-Seltzer
55Ted Musgrave (R)U.S. RacingPontiacJasper Engines & Transmissions
66Lake SpeedCale Yarborough MotorsportsPontiacPhillips 66 TropArtic
68Bobby Hamilton (R)TriStar MotorsportsOldsmobileCountry Time
71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevroletBig Apple Market
75Joe RuttmanRahMoc EnterprisesOldsmobileDinner Bell Foods
94Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobileSunoco
98Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesChevroletBanquet Foods

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 20, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 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, September 21, at 12:30 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-30 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 but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals were given. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.

Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.324 and an average speed of 93.171mph in the first round.[6] [7]

Jimmy Means was the only driver to fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

Pos.DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
16Mark MartinRoush RacingFord20.32493.171
226Brett BodineKing RacingBuick20.32993.148
317Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet20.38992.874
45Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20.39392.855
53Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet20.39492.851
67Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord20.41192.774
72Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac20.43092.687
842Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac20.43192.683
925Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20.49192.411
1015Morgan ShepherdBud Moore EngineeringFord20.51992.285
1168Bobby Hamilton (R)TriStar MotorsportsOldsmobile20.52592.258
1233Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobile20.54792.159
134Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet20.55192.142
1412Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsBuick20.55592.124
159Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord20.57292.047
161Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobile20.59491.949
1730Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac20.60891.887
1824Jimmy HensleyTeam III RacingPontiac20.60891.887
1911Geoff BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord20.62191.829
2021Dale JarrettWood Brothers RacingFord20.65391.686
Failed to lock in Round 1
2198Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesChevrolet20.53692.209
228Rick WilsonStavola Brothers RacingBuick20.64491.726
2310Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet20.64491.726
2419Chad LittleLittle RacingFord20.67391.598
2528Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord20.67491.593
2694Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobile20.67891.576
2766Lake SpeedCale Yarborough MotorsportsPontiac20.69491.505
2871Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet20.73891.311
2943Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac20.77991.130
3075Joe RuttmanRahMoc EnterprisesOldsmobile20.85590.798
Provisionals
3122Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord-*-*
3255Ted Musgrave (R)U.S. RacingPontiac-*-*
Failed to qualify
3352Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac-*-*
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

FinStDriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings
11233Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobile500226running185$64,000
2226Brett BodineKing RacingBuick50059running175$36,625
353Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet5009running170$30,350
4134Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet50062running165$19,300
516Mark MartinRoush RacingFord50013running160$24,575
62694Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobile5000running150$12,900
772Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac50064running151$11,500
845Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet5002running147$15,300
9925Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet5000running138$10,700
101824Jimmy HensleyTeam III RacingPontiac5000running134$11,300
111015Morgan ShepherdBud Moore EngineeringFord4990running130$12,135
12842Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac4990running127$11,150
13161Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobile4990running124$8,150
143122Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord4990running121$6,450
15317Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet4970running118$7,900
161412Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsBuick4971running120$7,450
171168Bobby Hamilton (R)TriStar MotorsportsOldsmobile4970running112$6,950
182021Dale JarrettWood Brothers RacingFord4960running109$6,755
192310Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet4950running106$12,250
203255Ted Musgrave (R)U.S. RacingPontiac4950running103$6,025
212871Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet4921running105$6,125
2267Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord48519running102$9,550
231911Geoff BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord4840running94$11,050
242419Chad LittleLittle RacingFord4808running96$3,500
251730Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac4580running88$5,650
26228Rick WilsonStavola Brothers RacingBuick4470running85$5,400
27159Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord4370running82$9,950
282198Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesChevrolet42936running84$5,150
292528Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord4020running76$10,350
302943Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac3480crash73$4,500
313075Joe RuttmanRahMoc EnterprisesOldsmobile2710crash70$4,500
322766Lake SpeedCale Yarborough MotorsportsPontiac2390brakes67$4,500
Failed to qualify
3352Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac
Official race results

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
PosDriverPoints
1Dale Earnhardt3,570
2Ricky Rudd3,511 (-59)
3Ernie Irvan3,388 (-182)
4Davey Allison3,271 (–299)
5Mark Martin3,225 (–345)
16Harry Gant3,206 (–364)
17Ken Schrader3,175 (–395)
8Sterling Marlin3,102 (–468)
9Darrell Waltrip3,089 (–481)
10Rusty Wallace3,004 (–566)
Official driver's standings

Notes and References

  1. News: Higgins . Tom . September 23, 1991 . It's not over yet: Gant wins 4th straight (Part 1) . 9 . . March 8, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  2. News: Higgins . Tom . September 23, 1991 . It's not over yet: Gant wins 4th straight (Part 2) . 11 . . March 8, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  3. News: Pearce . Al . September 23, 1991 . Gant rallies to win 4th consecutive race . 34 . . March 8, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  4. Web site: Albert . Zach . September 1, 2016 . Where have you gone, Mr. September? . March 8, 2023 . NASCAR.
  5. News: September 25, 1992 . NASCAR today . 33 . . February 6, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  6. News: Higgins . Tom . September 21, 1991 . Mark on pole at Martin-sville (Part 1) . 15 . . March 8, 2023 . Newspapers.com.
  7. News: Higgins . Tom . September 21, 1991 . Mark on pole at Martin-sville (Part 2) . 17 . . March 8, 2023 . Newspapers.com.