1990 Miller Genuine Draft 400 (September)
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 22 of 29 in the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Richmond Speedway | |||
| Date | September 9, 1990 | ||
| Official name | Miller Genuine Draft 400 | ||
| Location | Richmond Fairgrounds, Richmond, Virginia | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.542 mi (0.872 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 300.0 mi (480.9 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures reaching up to 79 °F (26 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 95.567 miles per hour (153.800 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 173 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racin | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TBS | ||
| Announcers |
Ken Squier Johnny Hayes Chris Economaki | ||
The 1990 Miller Genuine Draft 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 9, 1990, at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. This race spanned 300 miles or 480 kilometres on a permanent oval track; which each lap lasting 0.750 miles or 1.207 kilometres.
Background
In 1953, Richmond International Raceway began hosting the Grand National Series with Lee Petty winning that first race in Richmond.[3] The original track was paved in 1968.[4] In 1988, the track was re-designed into its present D-shaped configuration
The name for the raceway complex was "Strawberry Hill" until the Virginia State Fairgrounds site was bought out in 1999 and renamed the "Richmond International Raceway". The Strawberry Hill Races, which are a series of steeplechase horse races were formerly held the third Saturday of April at the Richmond Raceway Complex. In 2001, the races were moved to Colonial Downs in New Kent County, Virginia's first Thoroughbred racetrack.[5]
Summary
There was a starting grid of 36 American-born drivers; J.D. McDuffie, Jack Pennington, and Kerry Teague failed to qualify for this race.[2]
Harry Gant was credited as the last-place finisher after acquiring an engine failure at lap 12 of this 400-lap racing event. Jimmy Spencer was the last driver to actually finish the race; being 82 laps shy of the lead lap. Dale Earnhardt would defeat Mark Martin by nearly 0.90 seconds in this three-hour legendary race.[2] Several accidents and debris caused nine caution flags while Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt were competing for the lead during the climax of the race. Ernie Irvan, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, and Ken Schrader would duke it out for supremacy during the first 101 laps of this event.[2]
Ron Esau would retire from the NASCAR Cup Series after this race.[6] Earnhardt would walk away from this race taking home a then-impressive amount of $59,225 ($108,569.11 when adjusted for inflation) while Harry Gant had to take home a modest $8,855 ($16,232.66 when adjusted for inflation).[7]
Top ten finishers
| Pos[2] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Laps led | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 400 | 173 | 185 |
| 2 | 7 | 6 | Mark Martin | Ford | 400 | 31 | 175 |
| 3 | 27 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | 165 |
| 4 | 16 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Ford | 400 | 0 | 160 |
| 5 | 11 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Pontiac | 400 | 75 | 160 |
| 6 | 9 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | 150 |
| 7 | 5 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | 146 |
| 8 | 14 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | 142 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | Geoffrey Bodine | Ford | 399 | 0 | 138 |
| 10 | 3 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Chevrolet | 399 | 2 | 139 |
Timeline
- Start of race: Ernie Irvan started the race with the pole position
- Lap 10: Caution due to Rusty Wallace spinning his vehicle into turn two, ended on lap 11
- Lap 12: Harry Gant noticed his engine reacted in an adverse manner, making him the last-place finisher
- Lap 33: Caution due to Jimmy Spencer's accident, ended on lap 35
- Lap 34: Alan Kulwicki took over the lead from Ernie Irvan
- Lap 77: Mark Martin took over the lead from Alan Kulwicki
- Lap 102: Ken Schrader took over the lead from Mark Martin
- Lap 120: Derrike Cope witnessed his engine acting strangely
- Lap 123: Caution due to Derrike Cope's engine problems, ended on lap 128
- Lap 147: Caution due to a four-car accident, ended on lap 156
- Lap 161: Mickey Gibbs had a terminal crash, forcing him to leave the race early
- Lap 164: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Rusty Wallace
- Lap 185: D.K. Ulrich saw his engine acting weird, forcing him to exit the event
- Lap 236: Caution for debris throughout the track, ended on lap 240
- Lap 237: Rusty Wallace took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt
- Lap 239: Chad Little had a terminal crash, ending his race weekend prematurely
- Lap 241: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Rusty Wallace
- Lap 245: Brett Bodine had a terminal crash along with four other drivers, causing him to retire to the pits
- Lap 270: Morgan Shepherd's engine died down on this lap, ending his hopes for a respectable finish
- Lap 276: Rob Moroso and Dale Jarrett had a terminal crash, making him the final DNF for the race
- Lap 277: Rusty Wallace took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt
- Lap 288: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Rusty Wallace
- Lap 304: Rusty Wallace took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt
- Lap 305: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Rusty Wallace
- Lap 311: Rusty Wallace took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt
- Lap 312: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Rusty Wallace
- Lap 329: Rusty Wallace took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt
- Lap 347: Mark Martin took over the lead from Rusty Wallace
- Lap 376: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Mark Martin
- Lap 396: Caution due to Ernie Irvan spinning his vehicle into turn four, ended on lap 397
- Finish: Dale Earnhardt was officially declared the winner of the event
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
1  |
Mark Martin | 3344 | 0 |
| 2 |
Dale Earnhardt | 3328 | -16 |
| 3 |
Geoffrey Bodine | 3120 | -224 |
| 4 |
Rusty Wallace | 2952 | -392 |
| 5 |
Bill Elliott | 2921 | -423 |
| 6 |
Ricky Rudd | 2837 | -507 |
7  |
Kyle Petty | 2768 | -576 |
8  |
Morgan Shepherd | 2734 | -610 |
| 9 |
Ernie Irvan | 2719 | -625 |
| 10 |
Ken Schrader | 2673 | -671 |
References
- ↑ Weather information for the 1990 Miller Genuine Draft 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 1990 Miller Genuine Draft 400 race information at Racing Reference
- ↑ http://racing.ballparks.com/Richmond/index.htm "Richmond International Raceway has hosted the NASCAR Winston Cup Series since 1953. Lee Petty won the first race that year. "
- ↑ http://racing.ballparks.com/Richmond/index.htm "The original track was paved in 1968."
- ↑ Strawberry Hill Races Traditions
- ↑ 1990 Miller Genuine Draft 400 race information at Race Database
- ↑ 1990 Miller Genuine Draft 400 racing informnation at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
| Preceded by 1990 Heinz Southern 500 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1990 |
Succeeded by 1990 Peak AntiFreeze 500 |