The 1987 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 15, 1987, before an audience of 130,000 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete.
Nearing the race's end, Hendrick Motorsports' Geoff Bodine tried to forego a final pitstop but ran out of fuel with three laps to go. Melling Racing's Bill Elliott took the lead and held off Bodine's teammate, Benny Parsons, and owner-driver Richard Petty to take his 18th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his first victory of the season, and his second and final Daytona 500 victory.
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.
#DriverTeamMakeSponsor00Dick McCabeMcCabe RacingChevroletMcCabe Racing1Ron BouchardEllington RacingChevroletBull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce02Joe BooherBooher RacingPontiacBooher Racing3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletWrangler4Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobileKodak5Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevroletLevi Garrett6Trevor BoysU.S. RacingChevroletU.S. Racing7Alan KulwickiAK RacingFordZerex8Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuickMiller American9Bill ElliottMelling RacingFordCoors09Jeff SwindellSwindell RacingChevroletSwindell Racing10Rodney Combs (R)DiGard MotorsportsOldsmobileOberg Filters11Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevroletBudweiser12David SosebeeHamby RacingChevroletHamby Racing14A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt RacingOldsmobileCopenhagen15Ricky RuddBud Moore EngineeringFordMotorcraft Quality Parts17Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevroletTide18Tommy EllisFreedlander MotorsportsChevroletFreedlander Financial19Derrike Cope (R)Stoke RacingFordStoke Racing21Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFordCitgo22Bobby AllisonStavola Brothers RacingBuickMiller American24Grant AdcoxAdcox RacingChevroletHerb Adcox Chevrolet26Morgan ShepherdKing RacingBuickQuaker State27Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiacKodiak28Davey Allison (R)Ranier-Lundy RacingFordRanier-Lundy Racing29Cale YarboroughCale Yarborough MotorsportsOldsmobileHardee's30Michael WaltripBahari RacingChevroletOxford Plains Speedway, Domino's32Jonathan Lee EdwardsEdwards RacingChevroletEdwards Racing33Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevroletSkoal Bandit35Benny ParsonsHendrick MotorsportsChevroletFolgers39Blackie WangerinWangerin RacingFordWangerin Racing41Ronnie ThomasRonnie Thomas RacingPontiacBusch Cleaners43Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiacSTP44Sterling MarlinHagan RacingOldsmobilePiedmont Airlines48Steve MooreHylton MotorsportsChevroletHylton Motorsports49Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingChevroletH. L. Waters Racing50Greg SacksDingman Brothers RacingPontiacValvoline51David SimkoSimko RacingChevroletMount Steel & Supply, The Tom Company52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiacTurtle Wax54Donnie AllisonGray RacingChevroletJerzees55Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobileCopenhagen62Steve Christman (R)Winkle MotorsportsPontiacAC Spark Plug63Jocko MaggiacomoLinro MotorsportsChevroletLinro Motorsports64Connie SaylorLangley RacingFordSunny King Ford66Tom SnevaJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobileSkoal67Eddie BierschwaleArrington RacingFordJim Peacock Ford, Pannill Sweatshirts70J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiacWinkle Pontiac71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevroletLifebuoy73Phil BarkdollBarkdoll RacingOldsmobileBarkdoll Racing74Bobby WawakWawak RacingChevroletWawak Racing75Neil BonnettRahMoc EnterprisesPontiacValvoline77Ken RaganRagan RacingFordSouthlake Ford81Chet FillipFillip RacingFordMarshall Batteries82Mark StahlStahl RacingFordAuto Bell Car Wash83Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobileWynn's, Kmart86Ronnie SandersMoss RacingFordMoss Racing88Buddy BakerBaker–Schiff RacingOldsmobileCrisco89Jim SauterMueller Brothers RacingPontiacEvinrude Outboard Motors90Ken SchraderDonlavey RacingFordRed Baron Frozen Pizza92Ralph JonesLC RacingFordCountry Boy Waterbeds, K. T. B. Custom Photo Lab93Charlie BakerSalmon RacingChevroletSalmon Racing98Ed PimmCurb RacingOldsmobileSunoco
Qualifying
Qualifying was set by the 1987 7-Eleven Twin 125s. The top two positions were set by qualifying speeds held for the Twin 125 Qualifiers held on Monday, February 9, with the top two qualifiers in the session earning the top two positions for the Daytona 500. The rest of the starting was set in the Twin 125 Qualifiers, held on Thursday, February 12, during two races. The top 14 finishers in the first race, excluding the pole position winner, set the inside row from rows two to 15, and the top 14 finishers in the second race, excluding the outside pole position winner, set the outside row from rows two to 15. The remaining non-qualifiers set positions 31-40 based on qualifying speeds from the first qualifying session held on Saturday. If needed, up to two extra provisionals were given to teams high enough in the previous season's owner's standings that did not qualify for the race by either qualifying speed or from the Twin 125 Qualifiers.
Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 42.783 and an average speed of in Monday's session.
19 drivers failed to qualify.
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeReason19Bill ElliottMelling RacingFordQualified on pole228Davey Allison (R)Ranier-Lundy RacingFordQualified on outside pole390Ken SchraderDonlavey RacingFordFirst in Twin 125 #1435Benny ParsonsHendrick MotorsportsChevroletFirst in Twin 125 #2517Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevroletThird in Twin 125 #1622Bobby AllisonStavola Brothers RacingBuickSecond in Twin 125 #2788Buddy BakerBaker–Schiff RacingOldsmobileFourth in Twin 125 #185Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevroletThird in Twin 125 #294Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobileFifth in Twin 125 #11044Sterling MarlinHagan RacingOldsmobileFourth in Twin 125 #21143Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiacSixth in Twin 125 #11233Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevroletFifth in Twin 125 #2133Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletSeventh in Twin 125 #11411Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevroletSeventh in Twin 125 #21575Neil BonnettRahMoc EnterprisesPontiacEighth in Twin 125 #11671Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevroletEighth in Twin 125 #2171Ron BouchardEllington RacingChevroletNinth in Twin 125 #11830Michael WaltripBahari RacingChevroletNinth in Twin 125 #21955Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobileTenth in Twin 125 #12021Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFordTenth in Twin 125 #2218Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick11th in Twin 125 #12229Cale YarboroughCale Yarborough MotorsportsOldsmobile11th in Twin 125 #22319Derrike Cope (R)Stoke RacingFord12th in Twin 125 #12477Ken RaganRagan RacingFord12th in Twin 125 #22564Connie SaylorLangley RacingFord13th in Twin 125 #12681Chet FillipFillip RacingFord13th in Twin 125 #22786Ronnie SandersMoss RacingFord14th in Twin 125 #1286Trevor BoysU.S. RacingChevrolet14th in Twin 125 #22966Tom SnevaJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobile15th in Twin 125 #13082Mark StahlStahl RacingFord15th in Twin 125 #23115Ricky RuddBud Moore EngineeringFordSpeed provisional (204.634)3227Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiacSpeed provisional (204.448)3383Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobileSpeed provisional (204.160)3467Eddie BierschwaleArrington RacingFordSpeed provisional (203.087)3526Morgan ShepherdKing RacingBuickSpeed provisional (202.789)3610Rodney Combs (R)DiGard MotorsportsOldsmobileSpeed provisional (202.425)377Alan KulwickiAK RacingFordSpeed provisional (201.771)3870J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiacSpeed provisional (200.929)3912David SosebeeHamby RacingChevroletOwner's points provisional4052Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiacOwner's points provisionalForced to start at rear4114A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt RacingOldsmobileSpeed provisional (203.832)4250Greg SacksDingman Brothers RacingPontiacSpeed provisional (201.428)Failed to qualify or withdrew4374Bobby WawakWawak RacingChevrolet16th in Twin 125 #14451David SimkoSimko RacingChevrolet19th in Twin 125 #24502Joe BooherBooher RacingPontiac19th in Twin 125 #14692Ralph JonesLC RacingFord20th in Twin 125 #24793Charlie BakerSalmon RacingChevrolet20th in Twin 125 #14839Blackie WangerinWangerin RacingFord21st in Twin 125 #24924Grant AdcoxAdcox RacingChevrolet22nd in Twin 125 #15062Steve Christman (R)Winkle MotorsportsPontiac23rd in Twin 125 #25132Jonathan Lee EdwardsEdwards RacingChevrolet23rd in Twin 125 #15249Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingChevrolet24th in Twin 125 #25389Jim SauterMueller Brothers RacingPontiac25th in Twin 125 #15409Jeff SwindellSwindell RacingChevrolet25th in Twin 125 #25518Tommy EllisFreedlander MotorsportsChevrolet27th in Twin 125 #15698Ed PimmCurb RacingOldsmobile27th in Twin 125 #25748Steve MooreHylton MotorsportsChevrolet28th in Twin 125 #15841Ronnie ThomasRonnie Thomas RacingPontiac29th in Twin 125 #25973Phil BarkdollBarkdoll RacingOldsmobile30th in Twin 125 #16054Donnie AllisonGray RacingChevrolet30th in Twin 125 #26100Dick McCabeMcCabe RacingChevrolet31st in Twin 125 #2WD63Jocko MaggiacomoLinro MotorsportsChevroletInjuries sustained in a practice crashOfficial Twin 125s resultsOfficial starting lineup
Race results