The 1991 GM Goodwrench 500 was the third stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 3, 1991, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a permanent high-banked racetrack. With the assist of a late caution with 14 laps to go in the race, SABCO Racing driver Kyle Petty would manage to catch up and pass for the lead on the ensuing restart with 11 laps to go to take his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader and Leo Jackson Motorsports driver Harry Gant would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

North Carolina Motor Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.

Entry list

(R) denotes rookie driver.

#DriverTeamMake1Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobile2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet04Bill MeachamMeacham RacingOldsmobile5Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord8Rick WilsonStavola Brothers RacingBuick9Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord10Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet11Geoff BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord12Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsBuick13Mike SkinnerMansion MotorsportsChevrolet15Morgan ShepherdBud Moore EngineeringFord17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet19Chad LittleLittle RacingFord20Bobby Hillin Jr.Moroso RacingOldsmobile21Dale JarrettWood Brothers RacingFord22Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord24Mickey GibbsTeam III RacingPontiac25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26Brett BodineKing RacingBuick28Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord29Andy HillenburgAndy Hillenburg RacingBuick30Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac33Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobile42Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac43Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac47Rich BickleClose RacingOldsmobile49Stanley Smith (R)BS&S MotorsportsBuick51Jeff Purvis (R)Phoenix RacingOldsmobile52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac55Ted Musgrave (R)U.S. RacingPontiac64Gary WrightWhite RacingChevrolet66Dick TrickleCale Yarborough MotorsportsPontiac68Bobby Hamilton (R)TriStar MotorsportsOldsmobile70J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiac71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Joe RuttmanRahMoc EnterprisesOldsmobile82Mark StahlStahl RacingFord94Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobile98Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesChevrolet

Qualifying Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, February 28, at 2:30 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 Friday, March 1, 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. 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.

Kyle Petty, driving for SABCO Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 24.538 and an average speed of in the first round.

Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed142Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac24.538149.205225Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet24.540149.193328Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord24.621148.702433Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobile24.631148.64255Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet24.664148.443630Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac24.696148.251711Geoff BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord24.724148.08387Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord24.727148.06598Rick WilsonStavola Brothers RacingBuick24.807147.587102Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac24.807147.587111Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobile24.811147.563129Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord24.844147.368133Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet24.849147.3381410Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet24.854147.308154Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet24.857147.2911626Brett BodineKing RacingBuick24.866147.2371717Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet24.885147.1251821Dale JarrettWood Brothers RacingFord24.895147.0661968Bobby Hamilton (R)TriStar MotorsportsOldsmobile24.917146.9362015Morgan ShepherdBud Moore EngineeringFord24.964146.659Failed to lock in Round 12122Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord24.967146.6422266Dick TrickleCale Yarborough MotorsportsPontiac24.969146.630236Mark MartinRoush RacingFord24.985146.5362494Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobile24.990146.5072543Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac24.993146.4892620Bobby Hillin Jr.Moroso RacingOldsmobile25.009146.3952719Chad LittleLittle RacingFord25.026146.2962824Mickey GibbsTeam III RacingPontiac25.033146.2552998Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesChevrolet25.049146.1623071Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet25.123145.7313112Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsBuick25.282144.8143229Andy HillenburgAndy Hillenburg RacingBuick25.317144.6143351Jeff Purvis (R)Phoenix RacingOldsmobile25.420144.0283449Stanley Smith (R)BS&S MotorsportsBuick25.488143.6443575Joe RuttmanRahMoc EnterprisesOldsmobile25.497143.5933647Rich BickleClose RacingOldsmobile25.531143.4023713Mike SkinnerMansion MotorsportsChevrolet25.818141.8083852Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac26.021140.7023904Bill MeachamMeacham RacingOldsmobile26.057140.5074055Ted Musgrave (R)U.S. RacingPontiac26.146140.029Failed to qualify4182Mark StahlStahl RacingFord26.197139.7564270J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiac26.409138.6354364Gary WrightWhite RacingChevrolet27.620132.556Official first round qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup

Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings1142Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac492380running185$131,4502225Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet49240running175$34,5753433Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobile4910running165$23,950455Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4910running160$20,2505129Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord49110running160$21,2756154Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet4900running150$15,9007630Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac4900running146$12,4008133Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4890running142$18,85091717Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet4880running138$7,700102015Morgan ShepherdBud Moore EngineeringFord4880running134$17,500111821Dale JarrettWood Brothers RacingFord4880running130$11,10012711Geoff BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord4880running127$15,600131626Brett BodineKing RacingBuick4870running124$10,50014236Mark MartinRoush RacingFord4860running121$15,400152543Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac4860running118$9,90016328Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord4860running115$14,7001787Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord4850running112$12,800182620Bobby Hillin Jr.Moroso RacingOldsmobile4850running109$7,2001998Rick WilsonStavola Brothers RacingBuick4850running106$8,650202824Mickey GibbsTeam III RacingPontiac4840running103$6,300211968Bobby Hamilton (R)TriStar MotorsportsOldsmobile4840running100$5,700222719Chad LittleLittle RacingFord4830running97$5,950233071Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet4821running99$7,700243575Joe RuttmanRahMoc EnterprisesOldsmobile4810running91$7,550254055Ted Musgrave (R)U.S. RacingPontiac4810running88$5,700263647Rich BickleClose RacingOldsmobile4800running85$5,150273852Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac4720running82$5,00028102Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac46761engine84$15,500292266Dick TrickleCale Yarborough MotorsportsPontiac4480running76$6,87530111Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobile4210engine73$6,800313112Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsBuick4000running70$7,150323713Mike SkinnerMansion MotorsportsChevrolet3380running67$3,900332122Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord2870engine64$3,750341410Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet2870engine61$12,100353351Jeff Purvis (R)Phoenix RacingOldsmobile1650camshaft58$3,600363904Bill MeachamMeacham RacingOldsmobile1150ignition55$3,525373449Stanley Smith (R)BS&S MotorsportsBuick250overheating52$3,475382998Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesChevrolet190crash49$6,060392494Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobile140crash46$5,425403229Andy HillenburgAndy Hillenburg RacingBuick60engine43$3,400Official race results

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Dale Earnhardt 482 2 Ricky Rudd 478 (-4) 3 3 Harry Gant 423 (-59) 4 Alan Kulwicki 414 (–68) 5 Ernie Irvan 412 (–70) 14 6 Kyle Petty 398 (–84) 6 7 Darrell Waltrip 385 (–97) 1 8 Dale Jarrett 380 (–102) 13 9 Ken Schrader 379 (–103) 7 10 Sterling Marlin 377 (–105)Official driver's standings

Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.

References