1987 Budweiser 500

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Short description|11th race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Scheduled_km=804.672|Official_name=19th Annual Budweiser 500|Caption=The 1987 Budweiser 500 program cover.|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Network=ESPN|First_Team=Ranier-Lundy Racing|Most_Team=Ranier-Lundy Racing|First_Driver=Davey Allison|Most_Driver=Davey Allison|Pole_Team=Melling Racing|Pole_Driver=Bill Elliott|Most_laps=212|Car=28|Distance_km=804.672|Location=Dover, Delaware, Dover Downs International Speedway|Scheduled_laps=500|Scheduled_mi=500|Distance_laps=500|Avg={{convert|118.726|mph|km/h}}|Date=May 31|Pole_Time=24.818|Course_km=1.6|Course_mi=1|Race_Name=Budweiser 500|Year=1987|Season_No=29|Race_No=11|Distance_mi=500|Announcers=Larry Nuber, Jerry Punch|Image=1987_Budweiser_500.jpeg|Attendance=56,000}}

The '''1987 Budweiser 500''' was the 11th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 19th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 31, 1987, before an audience of 56,000 in Dover, Delaware at Dover Downs International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete.

By race's end, Ranier-Lundy Racing's Davey Allison had managed to dominate the late stages of the race, leading 216 laps to take his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. The victory also marked the first time a driver who had declared for NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors had won multiple races in the same season.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=June 1, 1987 |title=D. Allison Cruises At Dover |pages=1B, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-d-allison-cruise/133988290/ 3B] |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-d-allison-cruise/133988262/ |access-date=October 24, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bryson |first=Gene |date=June 1, 1987 |title=Davey Allison rolls to win |pages=C1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-journal-davey-allison-rolls-to/133993996/ C4] |work=The News Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-journal-davey-allison-rolls-to/133993984/ |access-date=October 24, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}</ref> To fill out the top three, Melling Racing's Bill Elliott and Junior Johnson & Associates' Terry Labonte finished second and third, respectively.

== Background == [[File:Dover_International_Speedway.svg|thumb|The layout of Dover Downs International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.]] Dover Downs International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.

The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

=== Entry list ===

* '''(R)''' denotes rookie driver.

== Qualifying == Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Saturday, May 30, at 10:00 AM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round were 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 Saturday, at 3:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 were decided on time,<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 29, 1987 |title=NASCAR Today |pages=3C |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-nascar-today/133988534/ |access-date=October 24, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}</ref> 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.

Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 24.818 and an average speed of {{Convert|145.056|mph|km/h}} in the first round.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=May 31, 1987 |title=Fords, Led By Elliott, Dominate Qualifying For Dover Race |pages=8C |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-fords-led-by-ell/134005636/ |access-date=October 24, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}</ref>

No drivers failed to qualify.

=== Full qualifying results === {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" !Pos. !# !Driver !Team !Make !Time !Speed |- !1 |9 |Bill Elliott |Melling Racing |Ford |'''24.818''' |'''145.056''' |- !2 |28 |Davey Allison |Ranier-Lundy Racing |Ford |24.860 |144.811 |- !3 |90 |Ken Schrader |Donlavey Racing |Ford |25.010 |143.942 |- !4 |22 |Bobby Allison |Stavola Brothers Racing |Buick |25.065 |143.627 |- !5 |33 |Harry Gant |Mach 1 Racing |Chevrolet |25.130 |143.255 |- !6 |4 |Rick Wilson |Morgan–McClure Motorsports |Oldsmobile |25.185 |142.942 |- !7 |5 |Geoff Bodine |Hendrick Motorsports |Chevrolet |25.185 |142.942 |- !8 |17 |Darrell Waltrip |Hendrick Motorsports |Chevrolet |25.197 |142.874 |- !9 |35 |Benny Parsons |Hendrick Motorsports |Chevrolet |25.220 |142.744 |- !10 |3 |Dale Earnhardt |Richard Childress Racing |Chevrolet |25.224 |142.721 |- !11 |15 |Ricky Rudd |Bud Moore Engineering |Ford |25.250 |142.574 |- !12 |75 |Neil Bonnett |RahMoc Enterprises |Pontiac |25.291 |142.343 |- !13 |11 |Terry Labonte |Junior Johnson & Associates |Chevrolet |25.314 |142.214 |- !14 |21 |Kyle Petty |Wood Brothers Racing |Ford |25.315 |142.208 |- !15 |26 |Morgan Shepherd |King Racing |Buick |25.316 |142.203 |- !16 |44 |Sterling Marlin |Hagan Racing |Oldsmobile |25.325 |142.152 |- !17 |7 |Alan Kulwicki |AK Racing |Ford |25.372 |141.889 |- !18 |1 |Brett Bodine |Ellington Racing |Chevrolet |25.433 |141.548 |- !19 |27 |Rusty Wallace |Blue Max Racing |Pontiac |25.435 |141.537 |- !20 |8 |Bobby Hillin Jr. |Stavola Brothers Racing |Buick |25.435 |141.537 |- ! colspan="7" |Failed to lock in Round 1 |- !21 |30 |Michael Waltrip |Bahari Racing |Chevrolet |25.486 |141.254 |- !22 |88 |Buddy Baker |Baker–Schiff Racing |Oldsmobile |25.499 |141.182 |- !23 |18 |Dale Jarrett |Freedlander Motorsports |Chevrolet |25.654 |140.329 |- !24 |43 |Richard Petty |Petty Enterprises |Pontiac |25.657 |140.313 |- !25 |71 |Dave Marcis |Marcis Auto Racing |Chevrolet |25.667 |140.258 |- !26 |55 |Phil Parsons |Jackson Bros. Motorsports |Oldsmobile |25.720 |139.969 |- !27 |80 |Gary Fedewa |Burke Racing |Chevrolet |25.731 |139.909 |- !28 |67 |Buddy Arrington |Arrington Racing |Ford |25.737 |139.876 |- !29 |64 |Rodney Combs |Langley Racing |Ford |26.092 |137.973 |- !30 |58 |Jerry Bowman |Jerry Bowman Racing |Ford |26.110 |137.878 |- !31 |12 |Larry Pollard |Hamby Racing |Chevrolet |26.115 |137.852 |- !32 |85 |Jimmy Horton |S&H Racing |Ford |26.248 |137.153 |- !33 |37 |Curtis Markham |Beahr Racing |Ford |26.317 |136.794 |- !34 |6 |D. K. Ulrich |U.S. Racing |Chevrolet |26.325 |136.752 |- !35 |62 |Steve Christman |Winkle Motorsports |Pontiac |26.398 |136.374 |- !36 |81 |Mike Potter |Fillip Racing |Ford |26.411 |136.307 |- !37 |04 |Charlie Rudolph |Rudolph Racing |Chevrolet |26.431 |136.204 |- !38 |52 |Jimmy Means |Jimmy Means Racing |Pontiac |26.591 |135.384 |- !39 |70 |J. D. McDuffie |McDuffie Racing |Pontiac |26.632 |135.176 |- !40 |31 |Ron Shephard |Ron Shephard Racing |Chevrolet |26.747 |134.595 |- ! colspan="7" |[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-columbus-ledger-budweiser-500-lineup/133988420/ Official starting lineup] |}

== Race results == {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" !Fin !St !# !Driver !Team !Make !Laps !Led !Status !Pts !Winnings |- !1 |2 |28 |Davey Allison |Ranier-Lundy Racing |Ford |500 |212 |running |185 |$46,600 |- !2 |1 |9 |Bill Elliott |Melling Racing |Ford |500 |61 |running |175 |$35,575 |- !3 |13 |11 |Terry Labonte |Junior Johnson & Associates |Chevrolet |499 |1 |running |165 |$25,575 |- !4 |10 |3 |Dale Earnhardt |Richard Childress Racing |Chevrolet |498 |15 |running |165 |$20,775 |- !5 |9 |35 |Benny Parsons |Hendrick Motorsports |Chevrolet |498 |0 |running |155 |$18,025 |- !6 |3 |90 |Ken Schrader |Donlavey Racing |Ford |498 |38 |running |155 |$12,880 |- !7 |8 |17 |Darrell Waltrip |Hendrick Motorsports |Chevrolet |496 |0 |running |151 |$7,895 |- !8 |25 |71 |Dave Marcis |Marcis Auto Racing |Chevrolet |496 |25 |running |147 |$11,575 |- !9 |12 |75 |Neil Bonnett |RahMoc Enterprises |Pontiac |494 |0 |running |138 |$8,465 |- !10 |16 |44 |Sterling Marlin |Hagan Racing |Oldsmobile |494 |0 |running |134 |$9,280 |- !11 |22 |88 |Buddy Baker |Baker–Schiff Racing |Oldsmobile |492 |0 |running |130 |$3,400 |- !12 |11 |15 |Ricky Rudd |Bud Moore Engineering |Ford |490 |1 |running |132 |$11,300 |- !13 |38 |52 |Jimmy Means |Jimmy Means Racing |Pontiac |487 |0 |running |124 |$6,485 |- !14 |18 |1 |Brett Bodine |Ellington Racing |Chevrolet |486 |0 |running |121 |$2,400 |- !15 |17 |7 |Alan Kulwicki |AK Racing |Ford |485 |0 |crash |118 |$7,275 |- !16 |31 |12 |Larry Pollard |Hamby Racing |Chevrolet |483 |0 |running |0 |$5,615 |- !17 |19 |27 |Rusty Wallace |Blue Max Racing |Pontiac |481 |0 |running |112 |$10,150 |- !18 |28 |67 |Buddy Arrington |Arrington Racing |Ford |479 |0 |running |109 |$5,305 |- !19 |37 |04 |Charlie Rudolph |Rudolph Racing |Chevrolet |462 |0 |running |106 |$2,050 |- !20 |29 |64 |Rodney Combs |Langley Racing |Ford |456 |0 |engine |103 |$5,595 |- !21 |21 |30 |Michael Waltrip |Bahari Racing |Chevrolet |415 |0 |engine |100 |$4,725 |- !22 |26 |55 |Phil Parsons |Jackson Bros. Motorsports |Oldsmobile |389 |0 |crash |97 |$2,400 |- !23 |39 |70 |J. D. McDuffie |McDuffie Racing |Pontiac |373 |0 |engine |94 |$1,850 |- !24 |14 |21 |Kyle Petty |Wood Brothers Racing |Ford |370 |0 |running |91 |$8,800 |- !25 |4 |22 |Bobby Allison |Stavola Brothers Racing |Buick |362 |147 |engine |93 |$10,600 |- !26 |20 |8 |Bobby Hillin Jr. |Stavola Brothers Racing |Buick |359 |0 |engine |85 |$8,700 |- !27 |27 |80 |Gary Fedewa |Burke Racing |Chevrolet |355 |0 |engine |82 |$1,650 |- !28 |7 |5 |Geoff Bodine |Hendrick Motorsports |Chevrolet |316 |0 |engine |79 |$8,600 |- !29 |6 |4 |Rick Wilson |Morgan–McClure Motorsports |Oldsmobile |289 |0 |engine |76 |$1,540 |- !30 |5 |33 |Harry Gant |Mach 1 Racing |Chevrolet |196 |0 |engine |73 |$4,275 |- !31 |30 |58 |Jerry Bowman |Jerry Bowman Racing |Ford |161 |0 |electrical |70 |$1,450 |- !32 |15 |26 |Morgan Shepherd |King Racing |Buick |135 |0 |crash |67 |$4,155 |- !33 |36 |81 |Mike Potter |Fillip Racing |Ford |132 |0 |crash |64 |$1,350 |- !34 |34 |6 |D. K. Ulrich |U.S. Racing |Chevrolet |91 |0 |crash |61 |$4,035 |- !35 |23 |18 |Dale Jarrett |Freedlander Motorsports |Chevrolet |84 |0 |transmission |58 |$3,200 |- !36 |24 |43 |Richard Petty |Petty Enterprises |Pontiac |69 |0 |crash |55 |$3,175 |- !37 |35 |62 |Steve Christman |Winkle Motorsports |Pontiac |59 |0 |engine |52 |$1,175 |- !38 |33 |37 |Curtis Markham |Beahr Racing |Ford |29 |0 |crash |0 |$1,175 |- !39 |40 |31 |Ron Shephard |Ron Shephard Racing |Chevrolet |22 |0 |engine |46 |$1,150 |- !40 |32 |85 |Jimmy Horton{{efn|While Horton was able to qualify for the race, for unknown reasons, he did not start and is not classified in NASCAR's results.|name=alpha}} |S&H Racing |Ford |0 |0 |did not start |0 |$0 |- ! colspan="11" |[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-budweiser-500/133988305/ Official race results] |}

== Standings after the race == {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} ;Drivers' Championship standings {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |- ! ! Pos ! Driver ! Points |- |align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Dale Earnhardt | style="text-align:center;"| 1,823 |- |align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | Bill Elliott | style="text-align:center;"| 1,614 (-209) |- |align="left"| 10px '''1''' | style="text-align:center;"| 3 | Terry Labonte | style="text-align:center;"| 1,568 (-255) |- |align="left"| 10px '''1''' | style="text-align:center;"| 4 | Neil Bonnett | style="text-align:center;"| 1,556 (–267) |- |align="left"| 10px '''2''' | style="text-align:center;"| 5 | Rusty Wallace | style="text-align:center;"| 1,467 (–356) |- |align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 6 | Kyle Petty | style="text-align:center;"| 1,465 (–358) |- |align="left"| 10px '''1''' | style="text-align:center;"| 7 | Darrell Waltrip | style="text-align:center;"| 1,458 (–365) |- |align="left"| 10px '''3''' | style="text-align:center;"| 8 | Richard Petty | style="text-align:center;"| 1,435 (–388) |- |align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 9 | Ken Schrader | style="text-align:center;"| 1,406 (–417) |- |align="left"| 10px | style="text-align:center;"| 10 | Ricky Rudd | style="text-align:center;"| 1,378 (–445) |- class="sortbottom" !colspan="9"|[https://www.newspapers.com/article/florence-morning-news-winston-cup-update/133993533/ Official driver's standings] |} * <small>'''Note''': Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.</small> {{col-end}}

== Notes == <references group="lower-alpha" responsive="1"></references>

== References == {{reflist}}

{{NASCAR next race|Previous_race=1987 Coca-Cola 600|Next_race=1987 Miller High Life 500|Monsteryear=1987|Series=NASCAR Winston Cup Series}} {{1987 Winston Cup}} {{NASCAR on ESPN}}

Category:1987 in sports in Delaware Category:1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Category:May 1987 sports events in the United States Category:NASCAR races at Dover Motor Speedway