1989 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500
# 1989 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500

The 1989 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 was the third stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 19, 1989, before an audience of 41,000 in Hampton, Georgia, at Atlanta International Raceway, a 1.522 miles (2.449 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 328 laps to complete. With the assist of a fast final pit-stop, Hendrick Motorsports driver Darrell Waltrip would manage to hold off the field on the final restart with nine laps left in the race to take his 75th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Stavola Brothers Racing driver Dick Trickle would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.522-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.

The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of 1.54-mile (2.48 km) where before it was 1.522-mile (2.449 km). The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.

### 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 | Ken Bouchard | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | Whitcomb Racing |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Budweiser |
| 14 | A. J. Foyt | 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 | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | Jeffrey Racing |
| 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | Auto Finders |
| 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 | Slender You Figure Salons |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | Hess Racing |
| 41 | Jim Bown | Bown Racing | Chevrolet | Bown Racing |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Peak Antifreeze |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 48 | Mickey Gibbs (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | SmartLease |
| 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 |
| 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Banquet Foods |
| 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Pontiac | Purolator |
| 69 | Lee Raymond | Raymond Racing | Ford | Raymond Racing |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Pontiac | Miles Concrete |
| 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 | Donlavey Racing |
| 93 | Charlie Baker | Baker Racing | Chevrolet | Baker Racing |
| 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 17, 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, March 18, at 10:30 AM 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.

Alan Kulwicki, driving for his own AK Racing team, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.969 and an average speed of 176.925 miles per hour (284.733 km/h) in the first round.

Four drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 30.969 | 176.925 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.000 | 176.748 |
| 3 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 31.136 | 175.976 |
| 4 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.228 | 175.458 |
| 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.230 | 175.447 |
| 6 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.305 | 175.026 |
| 7 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.310 | 174.998 |
| 8 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.314 | 174.976 |
| 9 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 31.316 | 174.965 |
| 10 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.413 | 174.425 |
| 11 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 31.447 | 174.236 |
| 12 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 31.455 | 174.192 |
| 13 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 31.457 | 174.181 |
| 14 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.470 | 174.109 |
| 15 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 31.492 | 173.987 |
| 16 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 31.497 | 173.959 |
| 17 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.608 | 173.349 |
| 18 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.622 | 173.272 |
| 19 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.638 | 173.184 |
| 20 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.638 | 173.184 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.237 | 175.407 |
| 22 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 31.507 | 173.904 |
| 23 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 31.527 | 173.794 |
| 24 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.692 | 172.889 |
| 25 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.706 | 172.813 |
| 26 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Pontiac | 31.729 | 172.687 |
| 27 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 31.742 | 172.617 |
| 28 | 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 31.790 | 172.356 |
| 29 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.795 | 172.329 |
| 30 | 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.797 | 172.318 |
| 31 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 31.811 | 172.242 |
| 32 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.850 | 172.031 |
| 33 | 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 31.879 | 171.875 |
| 34 | 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Pontiac | 31.950 | 171.493 |
| 35 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 31.990 | 171.279 |
| 36 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 32.017 | 171.134 |
| 37 | 41 | Jim Bown | Bown Racing | Chevrolet | 32.103 | 170.676 |
| 38 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 32.182 | 170.257 |
| 39 | 10 | Ken Bouchard | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 32.236 | 169.971 |
| 40 | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Pontiac | 32.256 | 169.866 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 33.047 | 165.800 |
| 42 | 48 | Mickey Gibbs (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 33.687 | 162.650 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 18 | Rick Jeffrey | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 44 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 45 | 69 | Lee Raymond | Raymond Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 46 | 93 | Charlie Baker | Baker Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 4 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 328 | 29 | running | 180 | $63,500 |
| 2 | 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 328 | 92 | running | 175 | $39,675 |
| 3 | 18 | 84 | Dick Trickle (R) | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 328 | 15 | running | 170 | $30,250 |
| 4 | 23 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 327 | 0 | running | 160 | $13,250 |
| 5 | 8 | 94 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 326 | 0 | running | 155 | $22,500 |
| 6 | 32 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 326 | 0 | running | 150 | $16,325 |
| 7 | 17 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 325 | 0 | running | 146 | $11,350 |
| 8 | 35 | 57 | Hut Stricklin (R) | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 324 | 0 | running | 142 | $8,525 |
| 9 | 10 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 324 | 0 | running | 138 | $11,200 |
| 10 | 19 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 323 | 0 | running | 134 | $15,500 |
| 11 | 16 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 323 | 0 | running | 130 | $15,295 |
| 12 | 27 | 2 | Ernie Irvan | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 323 | 0 | running | 127 | $7,525 |
| 13 | 40 | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Pontiac | 320 | 0 | running | 124 | $5,562 |
| 14 | 25 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 319 | 3 | running | 126 | $7,655 |
| 15 | 21 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 316 | 28 | running | 123 | $13,455 |
| 16 | 1 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 316 | 0 | running | 115 | $11,195 |
| 17 | 30 | 40 | Ben Hess (R) | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | 315 | 0 | running | 112 | $4,705 |
| 18 | 36 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 314 | 0 | running | 109 | $4,375 |
| 19 | 6 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 2 | accident | 111 | $10,265 |
| 20 | 13 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 310 | 0 | running | 103 | $8,070 |
| 21 | 14 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 306 | 0 | running | 100 | $6,085 |
| 22 | 38 | 16 | Larry Pearson (R) | Pearson Racing | Buick | 300 | 0 | running | 97 | $3,400 |
| 23 | 41 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 278 | 0 | running | 94 | $2,815 |
| 24 | 15 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 270 | 0 | engine | 91 | $5,730 |
| 25 | 28 | 66 | Rick Mast (R) | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 262 | 0 | engine | 88 | $5,820 |
| 26 | 22 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Pontiac | 257 | 0 | engine | 85 | $5,455 |
| 27 | 24 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 257 | 9 | engine | 87 | $3,295 |
| 28 | 20 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 254 | 0 | engine | 79 | $2,510 |
| 29 | 7 | 33 | Harry Gant | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 240 | 0 | running | 76 | $2,475 |
| 30 | 29 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 233 | 0 | engine | 73 | $5,140 |
| 31 | 3 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 217 | 130 | engine | 80 | $23,110 |
| 32 | 34 | 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Pontiac | 166 | 0 | engine | 67 | $3,075 |
| 33 | 12 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 164 | 1 | accident | 69 | $4,925 |
| 34 | 26 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Pontiac | 160 | 0 | accident | 61 | $2,250 |
| 35 | 33 | 90 | Chad Little (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 101 | 0 | camshaft | 58 | $2,855 |
| 36 | 11 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 97 | 3 | engine | 60 | $9,205 |
| 37 | 39 | 10 | Ken Bouchard | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 56 | 0 | overheating | 52 | $3,785 |
| 38 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 48 | 16 | engine | 54 | $4,165 |
| 39 | 42 | 48 | Mickey Gibbs (R) | Winkle Motorsports | Pontiac | 30 | 0 | engine | 46 | $2,140 |
| 40 | 9 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 19 | 0 | engine | 43 | $10,660 |
| 41 | 37 | 41 | Jim Bown | Bown Racing | Chevrolet | 10 | 0 | engine | 40 | $2,060 |
| 42 | 31 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 9 | 0 | engine | 37 | $4,060 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 18 | Rick Jeffrey | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 44 | | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 45 | | 69 | Lee Raymond | Raymond Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 93 | Charlie Baker | Baker Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 510 |
| 1 | 2 | Alan Kulwicki | 441 (-69) |
| 1 | 3 | Geoff Bodine | 441 (-69) |
| 4 | 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 436 (–74) |
| | 5 | Sterling Marlin | 431 (–79) |
| 1 | 6 | Rick Wilson | 409 (–101) |
| 1 | 7 | Ken Schrader | 391 (–119) |
| 4 | 8 | Rusty Wallace | 374 (–136) |
| | 9 | Rick Mast | 343 (–167) |
| 10 | 10 | Dale Jarrett | 340 (–170) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
