1991 GM Goodwrench 500


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

' denotes rookie driver.
#DriverTeamMakeSponsor
1Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobileSkoal
2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiacMiller Genuine Draft
3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletGM Goodwrench Service Plus
4Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevroletKodak
04Bill MeachamMeacham RacingOldsmobileMeacham Racing
5Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevroletTide
6Mark MartinRoush RacingFordFolgers
7Alan KulwickiAK RacingFordAK Racing
8Rick WilsonStavola Brothers RacingBuickSnickers
9Bill ElliottMelling RacingFordCoors Light
10Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevroletPurolator Filters
11Geoff BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordBudweiser
12Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsBuickRaybestos
13Mike SkinnerMansion MotorsportsChevroletGlidden
15Morgan ShepherdBud Moore EngineeringFordMotorcraft
17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevroletWestern Auto
19Chad LittleLittle RacingFordTyson Foods
20Bobby Hillin Jr.Moroso RacingOldsmobileRob Moroso Memorial
21Dale JarrettWood Brothers RacingFordCitgo
22Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFordMaxwell House
24Mickey GibbsTeam III RacingPontiacTeam III Racing
25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevroletKodiak
26Brett BodineKing RacingBuickQuaker State
28Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFordTexaco, Havoline
29Andy HillenburgAndy Hillenburg RacingBuickMax Xorb
30Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiacPennzoil
33Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobileSkoal Bandit
42Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiacMello Yello
43Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiacSTP
47Rich BickleClose RacingOldsmobileKanawha Insurance
49Stanley Smith 'BS&S MotorsportsBuickInterstate Batteries
51Jeff Purvis 'Phoenix RacingOldsmobilePlastiKote
52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiacAlka-Seltzer
55Ted Musgrave 'U.S. RacingPontiacU.S. Racing
64Gary WrightWhite RacingChevroletAction Rent-to-Own
66Dick TrickleCale Yarborough MotorsportsPontiacPhillips 66 TropArtic
68Bobby Hamilton TriStar MotorsportsOldsmobileCountry Time
70J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiacRumple Furniture
71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevroletBig Apple Market
75Joe RuttmanRahMoc EnterprisesOldsmobileDinner Bell Foods
82Mark StahlStahl RacingFordHooters
94Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobileSunoco
98Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesChevroletBanquet Foods

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.

Standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings
  • Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.