1991 Pepsi 400
# 1991 Pepsi 400

The 1991 Pepsi 400 was the 15th stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 33rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 6, 1991, before an audience of 80,000 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 160 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Melling Racing driver Bill Elliott would manage to mount a late-race charge to the lead, passing for the lead with 13 to go to take his 34th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Junior Johnson & Associates driver Geoff Bodine and Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison would finish second and third, respectively.

On lap 120 of the race, owner-driver Darrell Waltrip, along with RahMoc Enterprises driver Joe Ruttman, would both be involved in a crash on the track's back straightaway. Waltrip and Ruttman would both slide into the infield grass, and Waltrip's car, after hitting a bump in the infield, would then proceed to go into a series of violent flips, destroying Waltrip's car. Waltrip was not seriously hurt.

## Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Folgers |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Hooters |
| 8 | Rick Wilson | 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 |
| 14 | Mike Chase | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Tyson Foods |
| 20 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | Rob Moroso Memorial |
| 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Maxwell House |
| 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | Auto Finders |
| 24 | Mickey Gibbs | Team III Racing | Pontiac | Team III Racing |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | Quaker State |
| 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal Bandit |
| 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 42 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | Mello Yello |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 47 | Greg Sacks | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | Kanawha Insurance |
| 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | Interstate Batteries |
| 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Oldsmobile | Phoenix Construction |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Alka-Seltzer |
| 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | U.S. Racing |
| 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | Phillips 66 TropArtic |
| 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Country Time |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Big Apple Market |
| 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | X-1R |
| 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Dinner Bell Foods |
| 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Ford | S&H Racing |
| 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Ford Motorsport Sportswear |
| 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Sunoco |
| 95 | Kerry Teague | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Texaco |
| 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | Banquet Foods |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, July 2, at 10:00 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 Friday, July 3, at 11:00 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 provisionals were given. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.

Sterling Marlin, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, would win the pole, setting a time of 47.286 and an average speed of 190.331 miles per hour (306.308 km/h) in the first round.

Four drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 47.286 | 190.331 |
| 2 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 47.391 | 189.909 |
| 3 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 47.402 | 189.865 |
| 4 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 47.618 | 189.004 |
| 5 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 47.659 | 188.842 |
| 6 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 47.679 | 188.762 |
| 7 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 47.757 | 188.454 |
| 8 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 47.765 | 188.422 |
| 9 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 47.784 | 188.348 |
| 10 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 47.788 | 188.332 |
| 11 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.794 | 188.308 |
| 12 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 47.795 | 188.304 |
| 13 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.796 | 188.300 |
| 14 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 47.910 | 187.852 |
| 15 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 47.920 | 187.813 |
| 16 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 47.957 | 187.668 |
| 17 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 47.964 | 187.641 |
| 18 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 48.055 | 187.285 |
| 19 | 20 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 48.124 | 187.017 |
| 20 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.128 | 187.001 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 48.171 | 186.834 |
| 22 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.188 | 186.768 |
| 23 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 48.220 | 186.645 |
| 24 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 48.249 | 186.532 |
| 25 | 42 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 48.265 | 186.471 |
| 26 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 48.286 | 186.389 |
| 27 | 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | 48.298 | 186.343 |
| 28 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 48.353 | 186.131 |
| 29 | 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Oldsmobile | 48.378 | 186.035 |
| 30 | 14 | Mike Chase | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 48.439 | 185.801 |
| 31 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 48.444 | 185.782 |
| 32 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 48.554 | 185.361 |
| 33 | 47 | Greg Sacks | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 48.593 | 185.212 |
| 34 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.651 | 184.991 |
| 35 | 24 | Mickey Gibbs | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 48.654 | 184.980 |
| 36 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 48.656 | 184.972 |
| 37 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | 48.689 | 184.847 |
| 38 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 48.697 | 184.816 |
| 39 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 48.774 | 184.525 |
| 40 | 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 49.063 | 183.438 |
| 41 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 49.147 | 183.124 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 42 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 43 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 44 | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 95 | Kerry Teague | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 10 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 160 | 13 | running | 180 | $75,000 |
| 2 | 4 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 160 | 4 | running | 175 | $48,325 |
| 3 | 2 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 160 | 11 | running | 170 | $36,950 |
| 4 | 22 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 21 | running | 165 | $27,450 |
| 5 | 11 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 85 | running | 165 | $36,525 |
| 6 | 7 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 160 | 4 | running | 155 | $17,300 |
| 7 | 12 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 8 | running | 151 | $23,200 |
| 8 | 1 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 160 | 2 | running | 147 | $17,100 |
| 9 | 13 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 8 | running | 143 | $16,500 |
| 10 | 32 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 160 | 2 | running | 139 | $15,800 |
| 11 | 26 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 130 | $17,090 |
| 12 | 28 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 160 | 0 | running | 127 | $9,600 |
| 13 | 19 | 20 | Buddy Baker | Moroso Racing | Oldsmobile | 160 | 0 | running | 124 | $9,210 |
| 14 | 17 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 121 | $14,070 |
| 15 | 25 | 42 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 160 | 0 | running | 118 | $14,480 |
| 16 | 15 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 160 | 2 | running | 120 | $10,440 |
| 17 | 36 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 112 | $14,825 |
| 18 | 31 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 109 | $9,810 |
| 19 | 9 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 160 | 0 | running | 106 | $9,295 |
| 20 | 18 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 159 | 0 | running | 103 | $13,730 |
| 21 | 34 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 159 | 0 | running | 100 | $5,510 |
| 22 | 21 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 159 | 0 | running | 97 | $8,490 |
| 23 | 3 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 159 | 0 | running | 94 | $8,470 |
| 24 | 14 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 158 | 0 | running | 91 | $8,050 |
| 25 | 39 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 157 | 0 | running | 88 | $7,930 |
| 26 | 38 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 157 | 0 | running | 85 | $4,810 |
| 27 | 35 | 24 | Mickey Gibbs | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 154 | 0 | running | 82 | $5,440 |
| 28 | 5 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 153 | 0 | running | 79 | $6,070 |
| 29 | 8 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 150 | 0 | running | 76 | 4,475 |
| 30 | 29 | 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Oldsmobile | 144 | 0 | running | 73 | $5,080 |
| 31 | 16 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 125 | 0 | crash | 70 | $7,000 |
| 32 | 20 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 119 | 0 | crash | 67 | $5,945 |
| 33 | 30 | 14 | Mike Chase | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 106 | 0 | crash | 64 | $4,265 |
| 34 | 40 | 90 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. (R) | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 89 | 0 | ignition | 61 | $4,585 |
| 35 | 37 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Oldsmobile | 84 | 0 | crash | 58 | $4,205 |
| 36 | 23 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 17 | 0 | engine | 55 | $6,800 |
| 37 | 24 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 12 | 0 | crash | 52 | $4,745 |
| 38 | 6 | 66 | Lake Speed | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 12 | 0 | crash | 49 | $6,130 |
| 39 | 33 | 47 | Greg Sacks | Close Racing | Oldsmobile | 12 | 0 | crash | 46 | $4,120 |
| 40 | 27 | 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | 12 | 0 | crash | 43 | $4,080 |
| 41 | 41 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 8 | 0 | quit | 40 | $6,080 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 43 | | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 44 | | 80 | Jimmy Horton | S&H Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 95 | Kerry Teague | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,353 |
| | 2 | Ricky Rudd | 2,207 (-146) |
| 1 | 3 | Ernie Irvan | 2,139 (-214) |
| 1 | 4 | Ken Schrader | 2,137 (–216) |
| 1 | 5 | Davey Allison | 2,124 (–229) |
| 3 | 6 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,060 (–293) |
| | 7 | Harry Gant | 2,000 (–353) |
| | 8 | Mark Martin | 1,985 (–368) |
| 1 | 9 | Michael Waltrip | 1,852 (–501) |
| 1 | 10 | Sterling Marlin | 1,841 (–512) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
