1990 Tyson Holly Farms 400
# 1990 Tyson Holly Farms 400

The 1990 Tyson Holly Farms 400 was the 25th stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 30, 1990, before an audience of 39,000 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to mount a late-race charge to maintain his driver's championship lead over second-place finisher and driver in the driver's championship, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt. The victory was Martin's fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and third and final victory of the season.

Hours after the race, 1990 NASCAR Rookie of the Year contender Rob Moroso was killed in a drunk-driving crash, with Moroso speeding into another car at around 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) according to The Charlotte Observer, killing Moroso and nursing assistant Tammy Williams. Moroso's blood alcohol content at the time of the crash was found to be over twice the North Carolina legal limit of 0.1, with Moroso's BAC coming in as a 0.22.

## Background

North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about five miles east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures 0.625 mi (1.006 km) and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch. It has previously held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's original closure in 1996. The speedway briefly reopened in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races before closing again in the spring of 2011. It was re-opened in August 2022 for grassroots racing.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 2 | Ron Esau | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | U.S. Racing |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Folgers |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Snickers |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors Light |
| 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | Purolator Filters |
| 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | Raybestos |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Pelco |
| 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Crown Central Petroleum |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 40 | Tommy Kendall | Reno Enterprises | Chevrolet | Electronic Data Systems |
| 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | General Motors Auctions |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | Kanawha Insurance |
| 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Plasti-Kote |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Run-A-Bout Auto Sales |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 98 | Rick Mast | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Galaxy Food Centers |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 28, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top ten 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 29, at 12:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 11-30 would be decided on time, 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 were given.

Kyle Petty, driving for SABCO Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 19.332 and an average speed of 116.387 miles per hour (187.307 km/h) in the first round.

Five drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 19.332 | 116.387 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 19.372 | 116.147 |
| 3 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.389 | 116.045 |
| 4 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 19.416 | 115.884 |
| 5 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.417 | 115.878 |
| 6 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 19.428 | 115.812 |
| 7 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 19.434 | 115.776 |
| 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 19.468 | 115.574 |
| 9 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.472 | 115.551 |
| 10 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 19.473 | 115.545 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 11 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.477 | 115.521 |
| 12 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 19.488 | 115.456 |
| 13 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 19.516 | 115.290 |
| 14 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 19.523 | 115.249 |
| 15 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.530 | 115.207 |
| 16 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 19.531 | 115.201 |
| 17 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 19.541 | 115.143 |
| 18 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 19.558 | 115.042 |
| 19 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 19.577 | 114.931 |
| 20 | 98 | Rick Mast | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 19.577 | 114.931 |
| 21 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 19.582 | 114.901 |
| 22 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 19.587 | 114.872 |
| 23 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 19.602 | 114.784 |
| 24 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 19.626 | 114.644 |
| 25 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 19.642 | 114.550 |
| 26 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 19.653 | 114.486 |
| 27 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 19.677 | 114.347 |
| 28 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 19.697 | 114.231 |
| 29 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 19.742 | 113.970 |
| 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 19.751 | 113.918 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 31 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 19.776 | 113.774 |
| 32 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 19.773 | 113.792 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 33 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 34 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 35 | 40 | Tommy Kendall | Reno Enterprises | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 36 | 2 | Ron Esau | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 37 | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 39 | running | 180 | $52,875 |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 291 | running | 180 | $32,075 |
| 3 | 12 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 400 | 0 | running | 165 | $18,750 |
| 4 | 7 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $16,775 |
| 5 | 9 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 6 | running | 160 | $15,325 |
| 6 | 23 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 400 | 0 | running | 150 | $10,007 |
| 7 | 11 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running | 146 | $14,125 |
| 8 | 16 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 142 | $13,325 |
| 9 | 6 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 138 | $7,125 |
| 10 | 1 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 399 | 64 | running | 139 | $18,025 |
| 11 | 15 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 130 | $6,650 |
| 12 | 26 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 127 | $6,350 |
| 13 | 3 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 399 | 0 | running | 124 | $6,075 |
| 14 | 18 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 399 | 0 | running | 121 | $5,875 |
| 15 | 10 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 398 | 0 | running | 118 | $6,350 |
| 16 | 19 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 115 | $9,950 |
| 17 | 28 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 112 | $4,025 |
| 18 | 22 | 75 | Rick Wilson | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 396 | 0 | running | 109 | $5,300 |
| 19 | 4 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 106 | $5,150 |
| 20 | 27 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 395 | 0 | running | 103 | $4,325 |
| 21 | 32 | 20 | Rob Moroso (R) | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 394 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,200 |
| 22 | 25 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 97 | $6,900 |
| 23 | 31 | 57 | Jimmy Spencer | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 390 | 0 | running | 94 | $4,750 |
| 24 | 29 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 390 | 0 | running | 91 | $2,600 |
| 25 | 14 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 383 | 0 | running | 88 | $4,775 |
| 26 | 13 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 383 | 0 | running | 85 | $9,200 |
| 27 | 5 | 1 | Terry Labonte | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 334 | 0 | running | 82 | $5,350 |
| 28 | 17 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 327 | 0 | running | 79 | $8,150 |
| 29 | 21 | 66 | Dick Trickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 194 | 0 | accident | 76 | $5,025 |
| 30 | 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 128 | 0 | rocker arm | 73 | $2,375 |
| 31 | 24 | 51 | Jeff Purvis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | brakes | 70 | $2,375 |
| 32 | 20 | 98 | Rick Mast | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 17 | 0 | accident | 67 | $2,375 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 33 | | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 34 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 35 | | 40 | Tommy Kendall | Reno Enterprises | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 36 | | 2 | Ron Esau | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 37 | | 47 | Jack Pennington (R) | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Mark Martin | 3,869 |
| | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 3,853 (-16) |
| | 3 | Geoff Bodine | 3,475 (-394) |
| | 4 | Bill Elliott | 3,413 (–465) |
| | 5 | Rusty Wallace | 3,363 (–506) |
| | 6 | Kyle Petty | 3,143 (–726) |
| | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 3,123 (–746) |
| | 8 | Ernie Irvan | 3,084 (–785) |
| 1 | 9 | Ken Schrader | 3,054 (–815) |
| 1 | 10 | Morgan Shepherd | 3,042 (–827) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
