1990 Daytona 500

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The 1990 Daytona 500 was run on February 18, 1990. This race was best known as the race in which a blown tire with about one mile left robbed Dale Earnhardt of his first Daytona 500 victory.

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[edit] Overview

Ken Schrader won the pole with a speed of 196.515 mph. However, on race day, although there were 27 lead changes, it was Earnhardt who took command, leading 155 of 200 laps including 26 of the first 27 laps and 84 of the first 100 laps. Meanwhile, Derrike Cope (an unknown driver at the time) was surprisingly in 4th place at the halfway point.

Earnhardt was running away with the race until lap 193 when Geoff Bodine spun in the first turn, causing the third and final caution of the race. Everyone pitted except Cope who stayed out on the track, and for 2 laps, he lead the race. Cope led briefly before relinquishing the lead in lap 196, not seeing the front again until the last lap. On the lap 195 restart, Earnhardt retook the lead and kept it there until the fateful final lap. On the backstretch, a piece of metal bell housing had tumbled to a stop on the asphalt, which had come off Rick Wilson's car as his engine expired. Earnhardt was on the backstretch, drove over the bell housing which hit the bottom of the car which caused the right rear tire to blow up. Earnhardt held the wheel straight, let off the throttle and let his car climb the banking of turn three. Some observers have speculated that this was the point at which Earnhardt knew it was, for him, over. Cope followed by Terry Labonte drove by Earnhardt to seal his first ever Winston (now Sprint) Cup victory. It was the first of 2 victories for Cope in the 1990 season. Earnhardt ended up finishing 5th in the race.

[edit] Results

  1. 10-Derrike Cope
  2. 1-Terry Labonte
  3. 9-Bill Elliott
  4. 5-Ricky Rudd
  5. 3-Dale Earnhardt
  6. 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr.
  7. 27-Rusty Wallace
  8. 30-Michael Waltrip
  9. 11-Geoff Bodine
  10. 15-Morgan Shepherd
  11. 21-Neil Bonnett
  12. 66-Dick Trickle
  13. 90-Ernie Irvan
  14. 17-Darrell Waltrip
  15. 57-Jimmy Spencer
  16. 83-Lake Speed
  17. 26-Brett Bodine
  18. 33-Harry Gant
  19. 94-Sterling Marlin
  20. 28-Davey Allison
  21. 6-Mark Martin
  22. 98-Butch Miller
  23. 71-Dave Marcis
  24. 42-Kyle Petty
  25. 47-Jack Pennington
  26. 32-Joe Ruttman
  27. 16-Larry Pearson
  28. 02-Rich Bickle
  29. 52-Jimmy Means
  30. 75-Rick Wilson
  31. 53-Jerry O'Neil
  32. 2-Eddie Bierschwale
  33. 68-Hut Stricklin
  34. 43-Richard Petty
  35. 7-Alan Kulwicki
  36. 14-A.J. Foyt
  37. 80-Jimmy Horton
  38. 20-Rob Moroso
  39. 73-Phil Barkdoll
  40. 25-Ken Schrader
  41. 12-Mike Alexander
  42. 4-Phil Parsons

[edit] See also

[edit] References