1989 Pannill Sweatshirts 500
# 1989 Pannill Sweatshirts 500

The 1989 Pannill Sweatshirts 500 was the eighth stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 40th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 23, 1989, before an audience of 43,000 in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. Taking advantage of a misfortunate incident Dale Earnhardt suffered in a pit stop late into the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Darrell Waltrip would manage to pull away in the final 52 laps of the race to capture his 76th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Dale Earnhardt and Stavola Brothers Racing driver Dick Trickle would finish second and third, respectively.

## 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

* (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 |
| 07 | Mark Walbridge | Walbridge Racing | Pontiac | Hanna Car Wash |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors Light |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | Chattanooga Chew |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | B&B Racing |
| 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 |
| 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Pontiac | Bob Clark Motorsports |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | Hess Racing |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Chevrolet | Aroneck Racing |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal, Crown Central Petroleum |
| 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | Heinz |
| 65 | Steve Seligman | Seligman Racing | Ford | Seligman Racing |
| 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Raven Boats |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | Crisco |
| 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Wahoo! |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 21, at 2:00 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, April 22, at 12:45 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, 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 20.340 and an average speed of 93.097 miles per hour (149.825 km/h) in the first round.

Seven drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.340 | 93.097 |
| 2 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 20.470 | 92.506 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.475 | 92.484 |
| 4 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 20.504 | 92.353 |
| 5 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.525 | 92.258 |
| 6 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 20.568 | 92.065 |
| 7 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.611 | 91.873 |
| 8 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 20.623 | 91.820 |
| 9 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 20.624 | 91.815 |
| 10 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.625 | 91.811 |
| 11 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 20.634 | 91.771 |
| 12 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 20.650 | 91.700 |
| 13 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 20.652 | 91.691 |
| 14 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 20.672 | 91.602 |
| 15 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 20.675 | 91.589 |
| 16 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 20.676 | 91.584 |
| 17 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.678 | 91.576 |
| 18 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 20.710 | 91.434 |
| 19 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 20.725 | 91.368 |
| 20 | 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 20.730 | 91.346 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.731 | 91.341 |
| 22 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 20.734 | 91.328 |
| 23 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 20.750 | 91.258 |
| 24 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 20.802 | 91.030 |
| 25 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 20.810 | 90.995 |
| 26 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 20.878 | 90.698 |
| 27 | 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 20.925 | 90.495 |
| 28 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 20.953 | 90.374 |
| 29 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 20.972 | 90.292 |
| 30 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 20.973 | 90.288 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 31 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 20.993 | 90.201 |
| 32 | 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | 21.016 | 90.103 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 33 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 34 | 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 35 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 36 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 37 | 65 | Steve Seligman | Seligman Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 38 | 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 39 | 07 | Mark Walbridge | Walbridge Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 10 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 158 | running | 185 | $53,600 |
| 2 | 7 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 103 | running | 175 | $34,525 |
| 3 | 13 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 500 | 7 | running | 170 | $21,050 |
| 4 | 8 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 499 | 0 | running | 160 | $15,975 |
| 5 | 4 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 155 | $15,575 |
| 6 | 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 150 | $10,275 |
| 7 | 5 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 498 | 0 | running | 146 | $10,700 |
| 8 | 22 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 498 | 0 | running | 142 | $6,850 |
| 9 | 30 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 497 | 0 | running | 138 | $8,907 |
| 10 | 19 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 496 | 0 | running | 134 | $8,675 |
| 11 | 26 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 496 | 0 | running | 130 | $5,570 |
| 12 | 16 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 496 | 0 | running | 127 | $6,920 |
| 13 | 14 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 496 | 0 | running | 124 | $5,470 |
| 14 | 28 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 496 | 0 | running | 121 | $9,470 |
| 15 | 23 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 495 | 0 | running | 118 | $6,070 |
| 16 | 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 495 | 117 | running | 120 | $14,000 |
| 17 | 32 | 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | 491 | 0 | running | 112 | $2,230 |
| 18 | 21 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 491 | 0 | running | 109 | $8,655 |
| 19 | 31 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 487 | 0 | running | 106 | $2,925 |
| 20 | 24 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 476 | 0 | running | 103 | $12,225 |
| 21 | 18 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 456 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,350 |
| 22 | 2 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 450 | 51 | running | 102 | $8,055 |
| 23 | 25 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 433 | 0 | running | 94 | $3,945 |
| 24 | 17 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 420 | 0 | running | 91 | $2,570 |
| 25 | 12 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | timing chain | 88 | $4,275 |
| 26 | 27 | 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 358 | 0 | running | 85 | $1,650 |
| 27 | 15 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 345 | 0 | valve | 82 | $4,025 |
| 28 | 6 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 330 | 0 | engine | 79 | $3,900 |
| 29 | 11 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 310 | 0 | crash | 76 | $2,375 |
| 30 | 29 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 291 | 0 | crash | 73 | $1,610 |
| 31 | 9 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 272 | 64 | engine | 75 | $10,510 |
| 32 | 20 | 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 251 | 0 | engine | 67 | $3,260 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 33 | | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 34 | | 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 35 | | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 36 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 37 | | 65 | Steve Seligman | Seligman Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 38 | | 53 | Jerry O'Neil | Aroneck Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 39 | | 07 | Mark Walbridge | Walbridge Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,229 |
| | 2 | Geoff Bodine | 1,171 (-58) |
| | 3 | Alan Kulwicki | 1,147 (-82) |
| 1 | 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,139 (–90) |
| 1 | 5 | Rusty Wallace | 1,099 (–130) |
| | 6 | Sterling Marlin | 1,078 (–151) |
| 1 | 7 | Mark Martin | 1,043 (–186) |
| 1 | 8 | Davey Allison | 1,037 (–192) |
| 1 | 9 | Dick Trickle | 1,001 (–228) |
| 1 | 10 | Rick Wilson | 989 (–240) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
