The 1991 TranSouth 500 was the fifth stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 7, 1991, before an audience of 50,000 in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 367 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ricky Rudd would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 12th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison and Bahari Racing driver Michael Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
#DriverTeamMake1Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobile2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet5Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet05Bill MeachamMeacham RacingOldsmobile6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord8Rick WilsonStavola Brothers RacingBuick9Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord10Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet11Geoff BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord12Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsBuick15Morgan ShepherdBud Moore EngineeringFord17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet19Chad LittleLittle RacingFord20Bobby Hillin Jr.Moroso RacingOldsmobile21Dale JarrettWood Brothers RacingFord22Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord24Mickey GibbsTeam III RacingPontiac25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26Brett BodineKing RacingBuick28Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord30Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac33Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobile36H. B. BaileyBailey RacingPontiac42Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac43Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac47Rich BickleClose RacingOldsmobile52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac55Ted Musgrave (R)U.S. RacingPontiac65Dave Mader IIIBahre RacingPontiac66Lake SpeedCale Yarborough MotorsportsPontiac68Bobby Hamilton (R)TriStar MotorsportsOldsmobile70J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiac71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Joe RuttmanRahMoc EnterprisesOldsmobile82Mark StahlStahl RacingFord87Randy BakerBuck Baker RacingChevrolet94Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobile98Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesChevrolet
Qualifying Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, April 4, at 3:00 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, April 5, at 11:30 AM 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; which was usually two. 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.
Geoff Bodine, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.367 and an average speed of in the first round.
Mark Stahl was the only driver to fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed111Geoff BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord30.367161.939222Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord30.528161.08534Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet30.539161.027425Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet30.558160.927533Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobile30.609160.65967Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord30.650160.44473Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet30.688160.245826Brett BodineKing RacingBuick30.730160.026917Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet30.731160.0211030Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac30.801159.6571128Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord30.802159.652126Mark MartinRoush RacingFord30.821159.554135Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet30.949158.8941421Dale JarrettWood Brothers RacingFord30.962158.8271542Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac31.002158.622161Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobile31.006158.602179Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord31.030158.479188Rick WilsonStavola Brothers RacingBuick31.031158.4741912Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsBuick31.073158.2602010Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet31.101158.117Failed to lock in Round 1212Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac30.862159.3422266Lake SpeedCale Yarborough MotorsportsPontiac30.866159.3212315Morgan ShepherdBud Moore EngineeringFord31.102158.1122424Mickey GibbsTeam III RacingPontiac31.107158.0872598Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesChevrolet31.156157.8382665Dave Mader IIIBahre RacingPontiac31.193157.6512794Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobile31.198157.6252820Bobby Hillin Jr.Moroso RacingOldsmobile31.278157.2222955Ted Musgrave (R)RaDiUs MotorsportsPontiac31.359156.8163043Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac31.421156.5073119Chad LittleLittle RacingFord31.470156.2633275Joe RuttmanRahMoc EnterprisesOldsmobile31.515156.0403371Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet31.581155.7143468Bobby Hamilton (R)TriStar MotorsportsOldsmobile31.747154.9003547Rich BickleClose RacingOldsmobile31.747154.9003652Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac31.910154.1083787Randy BakerBuck Baker RacingChevrolet31.932154.0023805Bill MeachamMeacham RacingOldsmobile32.021153.5743936H. B. BaileyBailey RacingPontiac32.528151.1814070J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiac32.782150.009Failed to qualify4182Mark StahlStahl RacingFord32.839149.749Official first round qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup
Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings1135Ricky RuddHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet36769running180$62,18521128Davey AllisonRobert Yates RacingFord36731running175$38,86031030Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac367208running175$20,3204126Mark MartinRoush RacingFord3660running160$22,7105212Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthPontiac3650running155$10,26061542Kyle PettySABCO RacingPontiac3650running150$16,330734Ernie IrvanMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet3650running146$15,02582315Morgan ShepherdBud Moore EngineeringFord3651running147$14,3209111Geoff BodineJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord3650running138$18,40010222Sterling MarlinJunior Johnson & AssociatesFord36545running139$12,060112598Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesChevrolet3650running130$10,50512179Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord3650running127$13,67513161Rick MastPrecision Products RacingOldsmobile3640running124$9,69514188Rick WilsonStavola Brothers RacingBuick3640running121$9,390152794Terry LabonteHagan RacingOldsmobile3640running118$9,73516826Brett BodineKing RacingBuick3630running115$8,815172820Bobby Hillin Jr.Moroso RacingOldsmobile3610running112$6,560183371Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet3610running109$8,22519425Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3615running111$7,790203468Bobby Hamilton (R)TriStar MotorsportsOldsmobile3600running103$6,560212955Ted Musgrave (R)RaDiUs MotorsportsPontiac3590running100$5,540222424Mickey GibbsTeam III RacingPontiac3590running97$4,070233652Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac3580running94$4,950243547Rich BickleClose RacingOldsmobile3560running91$3,83025917Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet3560running88$3,810263275Joe RuttmanRahMoc EnterprisesOldsmobile3550running85$6,54527533Harry GantLeo Jackson MotorsportsOldsmobile3470running82$6,380283787Randy BakerBuck Baker RacingChevrolet3460running79$3,4702973Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet3320engine76$14,310304070J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiac2820running73$3,325312010Derrike CopeWhitcomb RacingChevrolet2790oil leak70$11,665321912Hut StricklinBobby Allison MotorsportsBuick2598vibration72$5,980332665Dave Mader IIIBahre RacingPontiac1970fatigue64$3,1703467Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord1860crash61$11,135353936H. B. BaileyBailey RacingPontiac1720handling58$3,100363119Chad LittleLittle RacingFord700crash55$3,065373043Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac520engine52$5,750383805Bill MeachamMeacham RacingOldsmobile310flagged49$3,010391421Dale JarrettWood Brothers RacingFord300crash46$5,670402266Lake SpeedCale Yarborough MotorsportsPontiac100engine43$5,650Official race results
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 1 Ricky Rudd 808 1 2 Dale Earnhardt 728 (-80) 2 3 Ernie Irvan 679 (-129) 4 Ken Schrader 670 (–138) 2 5 Sterling Marlin 667 (–141) 5 6 Mark Martin 648 (–160) 2 7 Morgan Shepherd 644 (–164) 6 8 Michael Waltrip 642 (–166) 4 9 Rusty Wallace 625 (–183) 7 10 Alan Kulwicki 622 (–186)Official driver's standings
Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.
References