1989 Champion Spark Plug 400
# 1989 Champion Spark Plug 400

The 1989 Champion Spark Plug 400 was the 19th stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 20th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 20, 1989, before an audience of 80,000 in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Blue Max Racing driver Rusty Wallace would manage to dominate a majority of the race, leading 162 laps en route to his 15th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth victory of the season. To fill out the top three, RahMoc Enterprises driver Morgan Shepherd and Jackson Bros. Motorsports driver Harry Gant would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | Kroger |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Stroh's Light |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors Light |
| 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | Purolator |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 14 | Tracy Leslie | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | Chattanooga Chew |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 18 | Rick Jeffrey | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | TriStar Motorsports |
| 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | Melling Oil Pumps |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Folgers |
| 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | Kodiak |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 38 | Dick Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford | Redkote Steel Tubing |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Jim Sauter | Group 44 | Pontiac | Group 44 |
| 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 49 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | Hylton Motorsports |
| 51 | Butch Miller | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | Miller Racing |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal, Crown Central Petroleum |
| 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 83 | Joe Ruttman | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | Crisco |
| 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Hawaiian Tropic |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Saturday, August 19, at 11:30 AM 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, August 19, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 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.

Geoff Bodine, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 40.968 and an average speed of 175.962 miles per hour (283.183 km/h) in the first round.

Two drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.968 | 175.962 |
| 2 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 41.014 | 175.336 |
| 3 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 41.067 | 175.323 |
| 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 41.084 | 175.251 |
| 5 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 41.088 | 175.234 |
| 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.190 | 174.800 |
| 7 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 41.198 | 174.766 |
| 8 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 41.216 | 174.689 |
| 9 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 41.315 | 174.271 |
| 10 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 41.333 | 174.195 |
| 11 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 41.378 | 174.006 |
| 12 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 41.419 | 173.833 |
| 13 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 41.520 | 173.410 |
| 14 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 41.532 | 173.360 |
| 15 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 41.534 | 173.352 |
| 16 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 41.536 | 173.344 |
| 17 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 41.545 | 173.306 |
| 18 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 41.575 | 173.181 |
| 19 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.613 | 173.023 |
| 20 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 41.692 | 172.695 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 41.551 | 173.281 |
| 22 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 41.704 | 172.645 |
| 23 | 83 | Joe Ruttman | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 41.736 | 172.513 |
| 24 | 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 41.740 | 172.496 |
| 25 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 41.776 | 172.348 |
| 26 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 41.799 | 172.253 |
| 27 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 41.835 | 172.105 |
| 28 | 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 41.851 | 172.039 |
| 29 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 41.868 | 171.969 |
| 30 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 41.920 | 171.756 |
| 31 | 51 | Butch Miller | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | 41.950 | 171.633 |
| 32 | 44 | Jim Sauter | Group 44 | Pontiac | 42.009 | 171.392 |
| 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 42.034 | 171.290 |
| 34 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 42.038 | 171.274 |
| 35 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 42.093 | 171.050 |
| 36 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 42.115 | 170.960 |
| 37 | 18 | Rick Jeffrey | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 42.154 | 170.802 |
| 38 | 14 | Tracy Leslie | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.231 | 170.491 |
| 39 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 42.758 | 168.390 |
| 40 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.869 | 167.954 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 41 | 38 | Dick Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 49 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | -* | -* |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 162 | running | 185 | $67,900 |
| 2 | 7 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 200 | 7 | running | 175 | $38,975 |
| 3 | 21 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 200 | 4 | running | 170 | $28,425 |
| 4 | 26 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 3 | running | 165 | $20,232 |
| 5 | 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 2 | running | 160 | $23,750 |
| 6 | 18 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 1 | running | 155 | $15,375 |
| 7 | 11 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 146 | $17,150 |
| 8 | 16 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 200 | 0 | running | 142 | $15,050 |
| 9 | 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 2 | running | 143 | $13,075 |
| 10 | 3 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 200 | 9 | running | 139 | $14,700 |
| 11 | 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 3 | running | 135 | $13,400 |
| 12 | 29 | 88 | Jimmy Spencer (R) | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 127 | $10,350 |
| 13 | 9 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 124 | $5,800 |
| 14 | 34 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 199 | 0 | running | 121 | $9,400 |
| 15 | 25 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 118 | $9,600 |
| 16 | 36 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 198 | 0 | running | 115 | $6,450 |
| 17 | 15 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 112 | $13,450 |
| 18 | 17 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 109 | $5,750 |
| 19 | 30 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 197 | 0 | running | 106 | $7,350 |
| 20 | 38 | 14 | Tracy Leslie | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 197 | 0 | running | 103 | $4,875 |
| 21 | 23 | 83 | Joe Ruttman | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 197 | 0 | running | 0 | $6,825 |
| 22 | 31 | 51 | Butch Miller | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 97 | $3,725 |
| 23 | 32 | 44 | Jim Sauter | Group 44 | Pontiac | 196 | 0 | running | 94 | $3,625 |
| 24 | 35 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 91 | $6,475 |
| 25 | 13 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 196 | 0 | running | 88 | $4,500 |
| 26 | 24 | 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 196 | 0 | running | 85 | $3,325 |
| 27 | 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 195 | 0 | running | 82 | $3,275 |
| 28 | 40 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 194 | 0 | running | 79 | $3,225 |
| 29 | 39 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 193 | 0 | running | 76 | $3,125 |
| 30 | 37 | 18 | Rick Jeffrey | TriStar Motorsports | Pontiac | 191 | 0 | running | 73 | $3,125 |
| 31 | 22 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 190 | 1 | running | 75 | $5,735 |
| 32 | 5 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 186 | 0 | engine | 67 | $5,645 |
| 33 | 20 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 177 | 0 | running | 64 | $5,580 |
| 34 | 10 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 172 | 0 | running | 61 | $5,490 |
| 35 | 28 | 48 | Greg Sacks | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 158 | 0 | running | 58 | $2,815 |
| 36 | 12 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 128 | 0 | clutch | 55 | $5,425 |
| 37 | 19 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 119 | 6 | camshaft | 57 | $12,115 |
| 38 | 27 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 119 | 0 | rear end | 49 | $5,350 |
| 39 | 8 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 103 | 0 | engine | 46 | $13,585 |
| 40 | 14 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 69 | 0 | engine | 43 | $9,725 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | | 38 | Dick Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 42 | | 49 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,726 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | 2,644 (-82) |
| 1 | 3 | Mark Martin | 2,631 (-95) |
| 1 | 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,526 (–200) |
| 1 | 5 | Davey Allison | 2,465 (–261) |
| 1 | 6 | Bill Elliott | 2,440 (–286) |
| 1 | 7 | Ken Schrader | 2,379 (–347) |
| 1 | 8 | Terry Labonte | 2,333 (–393) |
| 1 | 9 | Geoff Bodine | 2,314 (–412) |
| 1 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | 2,292 (–434) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
