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 1.017 miles (1.637 km) 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.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader and Leo Jackson Motorsports driver Harry Gant would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3 of 29 in the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1991 GM Goodwrench 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt. | |||
| Date | March 3, 1991 | ||
| Official name | 26th Annual GM Goodwrench 500 | ||
| Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, North Carolina Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.017 mi (1.637 km) | ||
| Distance | 492 laps, 500.364 mi (805.257 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 492 laps, 500.364 mi (805.257 km) | ||
| Average speed | 124.083 miles per hour (199.692 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | SABCO Racing | ||
| Time | 24.538 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | |
| Laps | 380 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Buddy Baker, Neil Bonnett | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
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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
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
editQualifying 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,[3] 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 149.205 miles per hour (240.122 km/h) in the first round.[4]
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editStandings after the race
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References
edit- ^ Higgins, Tom (March 4, 1991). "Caution Hurts, Then Helps K. Petty". The Charlotte Observer. p. 23. Retrieved February 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Harris, Mike (March 4, 1991). "Good fortune near end gives NASCAR victory to Kyle Petty". Muncie Evening Press. p. 15. Retrieved February 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. February 28, 1991. p. 45. Retrieved February 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (March 1, 1991). "K. Petty Breaks Rockingham Record". The Charlotte Observer. p. 37. Retrieved February 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
