| Avg | 75.139 miles per hour (120.924 km/h) |
|---|---|
| Network | ESPN |
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons |
| Most laps | 251 |
| Pole driver | Mark Martin |
| Pole team | Roush Racing |
| First driver | Dale Earnhardt |
| Most driver | Dale Earnhardt |
| Most team | Richard Childress Racing |
| First team | Richard Childress Racing |
| Car | 3 |
| Radio | Motor Racing Network |
| Location | Martinsville, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway |
| Race name | Hanes 500 |
| Date | April 28 |
| Scheduled laps | 500 |
| Scheduled | 423.257 km |
| Course | 0.847 km |
| Distance | 423.257 km |
| Distance laps | 500 |
| Scheduled | 263 mi |
| Course | 0.526 mi |
| Season no | 29 |
| Race no | 8 |
| Year | 1991 |
| Pole time | 20.594 |
| Distance | 263 mi |
| Attendance | 44,000 |
The 1991 Hanes 500 was the eighth stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 28, 1991, before an audience of 44,000 in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. With the assist of a late caution, on the final restart with 38 laps to go in the race, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to mount a late-race charge to the lead on the ensuing restart to take his 50th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season.[1][2][3] To fill out the top three, SABCO Racing driver Kyle Petty and owner-driver Darrell Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 27, at 3:00 PM EST. Originally, the first 20 positions were going to be determined by first round qualifying, with positions 21-30 meant to be determined the following day on Saturday, April 28.[4] However, due to rain, the second round was cancelled. As a result, the rest of the starting lineup was set using the results from the first round. 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.[5]
Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.594 and an average speed of 91.949 miles per hour (147.978 km/h).[6]
Five drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
Race results
Standings after the race
- Drivers' Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Points | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ricky Rudd | 1,233 | ||||||
| 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,191 (-42) | ||||||
| 3 | Ernie Irvan | 1,111 (-122) | ||||||
| 1 | 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,106 (–127) | |||||
| 3 | 5 | Davey Allison | 1,055 (–178) | |||||
| 3 | 6 | Michael Waltrip | 1,028 (–205) | |||||
| 3 | 7 | Mark Martin | 1,027 (–206) | |||||
| 2 | 8 | Morgan Shepherd | 1,011 (–222) | |||||
| 2 | 9 | Ken Schrader | 1,005 (–228) | |||||
| 2 | 10 | Harry Gant | 1,005 (–228) | |||||
| Official driver's standings | ||||||||
- Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.
References
- ^ Higgins, Tom (April 29, 1991). "Pieces all fall into place for Earnhardt (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 21. Retrieved February 13, 2023. – via Newspapers.com
- ^ Higgins, Tom (April 29, 1991). "Pieces all fall into place for Earnhardt (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 23. Retrieved February 13, 2023. – via Newspapers.com
- ^ Harris, Mike (April 29, 1991). "Earnhardt claims 50th". The Clarksdale Press Register. p. 6. Retrieved February 13, 2023. – via Newspapers.com
- ^ "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. April 26, 1991. p. 45. Retrieved February 13, 2023. – via Newspapers.com
- ^ Higgins, Tom (April 28, 1991). "Confident Bodine has longtime love affair with Martinsville track". The Charlotte Observer. p. 110. Retrieved February 13, 2023. – via Newspapers.com
- ^ Harris, Mike (April 27, 1991). "Martin says Martinsville pole puts team on track". Messenger-Inquirer. p. 31. Retrieved February 13, 2023. – via Newspapers.com