1990 NASCAR Winston West Series

The 1990 NASCAR Winston West Series was the 37th season of the series. The title was won by Bill Schmitt, his fourth in the series and second in succession. Schmitt won the championship by just 1 point over Bill Sedgwick.

Teams and drivers

Complete schedule ManufacturerTeamDriverBuickAdele Emerson44Jack SellersDon Freymiller23Mike ChaseSt. James Racing22St. James DavisChevroletGilliland Racing24Butch GillilandSchmitt Racing73Bill SchmittSpears MotorsportsBill SedgwickPontiacKrebs Racing99John KrebsPontiac Chevrolet Oldsmobile Midgley Racing09Terry Fisher

Limited schedule ManufacturerTeamDriverRacesBuickBeebe Racing93Troy BeebeGlen Steurer18Glen SteurerJack Sellers Racing8Chuck WelchRon Hornaday Jr.Sara Vincent41Chuck WelchChevroletBob Whitcomb Racing10Derrike CopeGerald Smith69Brent KaedingJack Sellers Racing08Dick GabouryTroy BeebeJohn Kieper10Jim Bown98Jerry BowersJim BownReed Racing72Mark ReedRick ScribnerRick ScribnerSchmitt Racing78P. J. JonesTidrick Racing27Gary Scott72Brad TidrickTim McCauley0Tim McCauleyUnknown87Mike Nicholson08John ClaytonFordAutosport Enterprises Inc.79Roy SmithChuck Little18Chad LittleMelling Racing9Bill ElliottRabanco Racing70L. J. PryorRouse RacingJ. C. DanielsenRobert SpragueOldsmobileAdele Emerson34Ted KennedyCollins MotorsportsGary CollinsFrench Racing14Mike FrenchLarry Gaylord68Larry GaylordS&S Racing05Randy BeckerTom Hathaway89Bob HowardUnknown05Will HarperPontiacBob Lipseia04Hershel McGriffEaton Racing7Ron EatonGunselman Racing07Larry GunselmanHickingbottom RacingMike HickingbottomHoenshell Racing38Duke HoenshellRay Kelly74Ray KellyRick McCray08Rick McCrayUnknown07Mark WalbridgeBuick Chevrolet Adele Emerson8Chuck WelchPontiac Chevrolet Rick MackeyRick MackeyPontiac Chevrolet Bob Walker Racing88Bob Walker

Schedule and results The 1990 season included 9 individual races, although Mesa Marin Raceway hosted two races. The races at Sears Point International Raceway and Phoenix International Raceway were in combination with the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. DateNameRacetrackLocationWinnerMay 20Spears Manufacturing 400Mesa Marin RacewayBakersfield, CaliforniaBill SedgwickJune 10Banquet Frozen Foods 300Sears Point International RacewaySonoma, CaliforniaRusty Wallace June 16Winston 200Saugus SpeedwaySaugus, CaliforniaBill SedgwickJuly 1Winston 200Portland SpeedwayPortland, OregonRoy SmithJuly 15Motorcraft 500Evergreen SpeedwayMonroe, WashingtonBill SedgwickAugust 25Six Rivers National Bank 200Redwood Acres SpeedwayEureka, CaliforniaBill SedgwickSeptember 30Miller Genuine Draft 200Tri-City RacewayWest Richland, WashingtonRoy SmithOctober 14Spears Manufacturing 400Mesa Marin RacewayBakersfield, CaliforniaMike ChaseNovember 4Checker 500Phoenix International RacewayAvondale, ArizonaDale Earnhardt

Spears Manufacturing 400 (May) The Spears Manufacturing 400 was held on May 20 at Mesa Marin Raceway. Bill Sedgwick won the pole.

Top Ten Results

75 - Bill Sedgwick 28 - Gary Collins 09 - Terry Fisher 98 - Jerry Bowers 19 - Robert Sprague -3 34 - Ted Kennedy -4 88 - Bob Walker -4 04 - Hershel McGriff -5 07 - Mark Walbridge -9 24 - Butch Gilliland -9

Bill Sedgwick started the season with a win, leading 254 of the 400 laps. Bill Schmitt, who led 62 laps, fell out with engine issues halfway through the race. Six other drivers took turns at the front of the field, but Sedgwick was able to prevail by 2.85 second over Gary Collins. It was the only standalone West race of the season where a driver failed to qualify, as Rick Mackey would not make the field.

Banquet Frozen Foods 300

The Banquet Frozen Foods 300 was held on June 10 at Sears Point International Raceway and was the first of two combination races with the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Ricky Rudd won the pole.

Top Ten Results

27 - Rusty Wallace 6 - Mark Martin 5 - Ricky Rudd 11 - Geoff Bodine 8 - Bobby Hillin Jr. 94 - Sterling Marlin 4 - Ernie Irvan 0 - Irv Hoerr 30 - Michael Waltrip 75 - Rick Wilson

Failed to qualify: 52 - Jimmy Means, J. C. Danielsen, 22 - St. James Davis, Mike Hickingbottom

Rusty Wallace continued his Winston Cup road course mastery in earning his second win of the season at Sears Point. It was his fifth road course win in the last seven, finishing second in the other two. Wallace overtook Ricky Rudd on the 11th turn on lap 60 and led the rest of the way, beating Mark Martin to the caution on lap 73, earning the win under caution in the final lap. Martin overtook the Winston Cup points race at 1800, while Terry Fisher moved to the Winston West points lead. This was the final race victory for Blue Max Racing, as the team would fold after Wallace left the team at the end of 1990, and Roger Penske would acquire their equipment and hire Wallace starting in 1991. Terry Fisher was the highest finishing West Series driver, coming home 15th overall and scoring points equivalent to a win. As previously mentioned, Fisher would take the points lead, leaving Sonoma with a 14 point lead over Bill Sedgwick.

Winston 200 (Saugus)

The Winston 200 was held on June 16 at Saugus Speedway. Bill Sedgwick won the pole.

Top Ten Results

75 - Bill Sedgwick 73 - Bill Schmitt 99 - John Krebs 19 - Robert Sprague -1 04 - Hershel McGriff -1 23 - Mike Chase -1 9 - J. C. Danielsen -1 09 - Terry Fisher -2 28 - Gary Collins -2 24 - Butch Gilliland -2

Bill Sedgwick scored his second win of the season, leading all 200 laps. He would retake the points leader from Terry Fisher, who would be 29 points behind after his eighth place finish.

Winston 200 (Portland)

The Winston 200 was held on July 1 at Portland Speedway. Mike Chase won the pole.

Top Ten Results

79 - Roy Smith 73 - Bill Schmitt 75 - Bill Sedgwick 10 - Derrike Cope 24 - Butch Gilliland 04 - Hershel McGriff 23 - Mike Chase 19 - Robert Sprague -4 33 - Rick Mackey -6 88 - Bob Walker -7

Roy Smith, in his second start of the season, would score his first win of the season, leading only 23 of the race's 200 laps. Bill Sedgwick would grow his points lead, leading Portland with a 71 point advantage over Bill Schmitt, who surpassed Terry Fisher and left Portland with a 3 point advantage over him. This was the last standalone West race Derrike Cope would compete in.

Motorcraft 500 The Motorcaft 500 was held on July 15 at Evergreen Speedway. Winston Cup driver Bill Elliott won the pole.

Top Ten Results

75 - Bill Sedgwick 9 - Bill Elliott 73 - Bill Schmitt 23 - Mike Chase -1 09 - Terry Fisher -4 87 - Mike Nicholson -14 89 - Bob Howard -15 33 - Rick Mackey -30 79 - Roy Smith -31 72 - Brad Tidrick -33

Bill Sedgwick scored his third win of the season, beating polesitter and 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Bill Elliott by 0.67 seconds. Sedgwick maintained his points lead over Bill Schmitt, who was 76 points behind after the race. Terry Fisher maintained third, however was now 99 points behind Sedgwick.

Six Rivers National Bank 200 The Six Rivers National Bank 200 was held on August 25 at Redwood Acres Speedway. Jim Bown won the pole.

Top Ten Results

75 - Bill Sedgwick 88 - Bob Walker 9 - J. C. Danielsen 24 - Butch Gilliland 19 - Robert Sprague -2 23 - Mike Chase -2 09 - Terry Fisher -5 44 - Jack Sellers -28 33 - Rick Mackey -33 99 - John Krebs -35

Bill Sedgwick scored his fourth and final win of the season, and his second in a row. He led 179 of the race's 200 laps, with the other 21 being led by polesitter Jim Bown, who fell out of the race with overheating issues after 129 laps. Sedgwick expanded his points lead to 134 points over Bill Schmitt. Schmitt stayed just 4 points ahead of Terry Fisher.

Miller Genuine Draft 200

The Miller Genuine Draft 200 was held on September 30 at Tri-City Raceway. Bill Sedgwick won the pole.

Top Ten Results

79 - Roy Smith 23 - Mike Chase 73 - Bill Schmitt 09 - Terry Fisher 19 - Robert Sprague 99 - John Krebs 72 - Brad Tidrick -2 44 - Jack Sellers -2 10 - Jim Bown -3 70 - L. J. Pryor -4

Roy Smith scored his second win of the season and the final of his career. Bill Sedgwick had engine issues late in the race and finished 16th, allowing Bill Schmitt to gain in the standings, leaving Tri-City with an 84 point deficit.

Spears Manufacturing 400 (October)

The Spears Manufacturing 400 was held on October 14 at Mesa Marin Raceway. Bill Sedgwick won the pole.

Top Ten Results

23 - Mike Chase 73 - Bill Schmitt 79 - Roy Smith 99 - John Krebs -4 87 - Mike Nicholson -9 88 - Bob Walker -10 33 - Rick Mackey -25 05 - Will Harper -28 15 - Rick Scribner -36 24 - Butch Gilliland -48

Mike Chase scored his first career win, winning by 1.3 seconds over Bill Schmitt. John Krebs got credit for fourth, although he required relief from Robert Sprague, who had fallen out of the race early with engine issues. After starting on pole, Bill Sedgwick only completed five laps before engine issues sent him out of the race and he finished 22nd. Terry Fisher failed to start the race and was given credit for 24th place. Sedgwick's points lead was cut to just 6 points after Schmitt led the most laps and finished second. Fisher finally lost third in points, as Chase was able to move into third, only 34 points behind Sedgwick.

Checker 500

The Checker 500 was held on November 4 at Phoenix International Raceway and was the second of two combination races with the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Rusty Wallace won the pole.

Top Ten Results 3 - Dale Earnhardt 25 - Ken Schrader 15 - Morgan Shepherd 17 - Darrell Waltrip 9 - Bill Elliott 7 - Alan Kulwicki 98 - Rick Mast 11 - Geoff Bodine 4 - Ernie Irvan 6 - Mark Martin Failed to qualify: 04 - Hershel McGriff, 34 - Ted Kennedy, 24 - Butch Gilliland, 61 - Rick Scribner, 44 - Jack Sellers, 22 - St. James Davis, 09 - Terry Fisher, 36 - Rick Mackey, 56 - Ron Esau, 88 - Bob Walker

Dale Earnhardt won his first (and only) race at Phoenix in a dominant fashion, leading 262 laps of 312 laps. He also took the Cup points lead by 6 points over Mark Martin heading into the season finale at Atlanta. Bill Schmitt was the highest finishing West driver and received points equivalent to a win, taking the championship from Bill Sedgwick by one point. Mike Chase, who finished last of the West drivers who made the field, ended the season third in points, with Terry Fisher and John Krebs completing the top five in the standings.

Full Drivers' Championship

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led. † – Ineligible for West Series points DriverMMRSONSGSPOREVGRASTCRMMRPHO1Bill Schmitt2120223*1232*1813422Bill Sedgwick1*361*3*11*16222013413Mike Chase202567462*13912784Terry Fisher31581157424DNQ12055John Krebs15233131610643111836Robert Sprague548175518DNQ11287Butch Gilliland10281052241910DNQ11078Jack Sellers24401617138813DNQ10189Rick MackeyDNQ14989187DNQ99410Bob Walker715102206DNQ94711St. James Davis23DNQ172112171719DNQ90212Hershel McGriff8445623DNQ81413J.C. Danielsen13DNQ71419379214Roy Smith18191378215Gary Collins2915143371216Mike Hickingbottom17DNQ1219211569017Rick Scribner1111139DNQ64018Chuck Welch25242518211764019Mike Nicholson14616554120Ted Kennedy64316DNQ51921Bob Howard1671139622Mark Walbridge9111239523Brad Tidrick1810739424Troy Beebe30243538725Larry Gaylord23141234226Gary Scott20181533027Mike French20142232128Mark Reed153427329Jim Bown13927230L.J. Pryor102322831Tim McCauley142022432Bill Elliott21†25†17533Brent Kaeding2916534Jerry Bowers416535Derrike Cope13†414†16036Will Harper814237Ron EsauDNQ13838Glen Steurer1213239Randy Becker1113040Larry Gunselman1113041John Clayton1212742Duke Hoenshell1312443Chad Little37†1521†12344Ron Eaton1611545Ron Hornaday Jr.1810946Ray Kelly1910647Rick McCray2210248P. J. Jones2110049Dick Gaboury2297

See also

1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1990 NASCAR Busch Series

References