1991 Pyroil 500
The 1991 Pyroil 500 was the 28th and penultimate stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, the ninth and the final race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston West Series season, and the fourth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 3, 1991, in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete. At race's end, Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison would manage to dominate the late stages of the race, leading 162 of the final 166 laps of the race to take his 13th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth and final victory of the season.[1][2][3] To fill out the top three, owner-driver Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson & Associates driver Sterling Marlin would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 28 of 29 in the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1991 Pyroil 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | November 3, 1991 | ||
| Official name | 4th Annual Pyroil 500 | ||
| Location | Avondale, Arizona, Phoenix International Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.6 km) | ||
| Distance | 312 laps, 312 mi (502.115 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 312 laps, 312 mi (502.115 km) | ||
| Average speed | 95.746 miles per hour (154.088 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
| Time | 28.220 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Laps | 162 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Buddy Baker, Neil Bonnett | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
In the driver's championship for the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt was considered the extremely heavy favorite to win the championship, only needing to start the next race, the 1991 Hardee's 500, to win the championship.[4][5]
Background
Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, November 1, at 5:30 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 Saturday, November 2, 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,[6] 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 one for cars in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and two extra provisionals for the NASCAR Winston West Series. 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 28.220 and an average speed of 127.569 miles per hour (205.302 km/h) in the first round.[7]
14 drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
Race results
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | 28 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 312 | 162 | running | 185 | $78,500 |
| 2 | 11 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 25 | running | 175 | $37,225 |
| 3 | 9 | 22 | Sterling Marlin | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 312 | 0 | running | 170 | $25,000 |
| 4 | 5 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 312 | 1 | running | 165 | $22,600 |
| 5 | 10 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Pontiac | 312 | 0 | running | 155 | $16,475 |
| 6 | 15 | 4 | Ernie Irvan | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 312 | 2 | running | 155 | $18,100 |
| 7 | 26 | 98 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Chevrolet | 311 | 4 | running | 151 | $12,850 |
| 8 | 1 | 11 | Geoff Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 311 | 53 | running | 147 | $19,050 |
| 9 | 12 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | running | 138 | $18,200 |
| 10 | 19 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 311 | 0 | running | 134 | $16,750 |
| 11 | 14 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | running | 130 | $13,250 |
| 12 | 35 | 94 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 311 | 0 | running | 127 | $9,750 |
| 13 | 40 | 68 | Bobby Hamilton (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 311 | 1 | running | 129 | $8,100 |
| 14 | 8 | 26 | Brett Bodine | King Racing | Buick | 311 | 1 | running | 126 | $9,050 |
| 15 | 22 | 8 | Rick Wilson | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 311 | 10 | running | 118 | $9,000 |
| 16 | 6 | 10 | Derrike Cope | Whitcomb Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | running | 115 | $12,950 |
| 17 | 7 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | running | 112 | $7,750 |
| 18 | 21 | 55 | Ted Musgrave (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 310 | 0 | running | 109 | $5,700 |
| 19 | 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 310 | 20 | running | 111 | $13,550 |
| 20 | 18 | 42 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 309 | 2 | running | 108 | $12,225 |
| 21 | 24 | 76 | Bill Sedgwick | Spears Motorsports | Chevrolet | 308 | 0 | running | 100 | $5,050 |
| 22 | 27 | 75 | Joe Ruttman | RahMoc Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 308 | 0 | running | 97 | $6,925 |
| 23 | 4 | 33 | Harry Gant | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 307 | 0 | running | 94 | $7,050 |
| 24 | 30 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 307 | 0 | running | 91 | $6,725 |
| 25 | 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 307 | 0 | running | 88 | $12,450 |
| 26 | 32 | 14 | Mike Chase | A. J. Foyt Racing | Chevrolet | 305 | 0 | running | 85 | $3,825 |
| 27 | 43 | 04 | Hershel McGriff | Lipseia Racing | Pontiac | 300 | 0 | running | 82 | $3,800 |
| 28 | 25 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Oldsmobile | 299 | 0 | running | 79 | $6,525 |
| 29 | 42 | 23 | Butch Gilliland | Gilliland Racing | Pontiac | 299 | 0 | running | 76 | $3,750 |
| 30 | 28 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 298 | 0 | running | 73 | $4,925 |
| 31 | 38 | 52 | Mike Wallace | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 246 | 0 | running | 70 | $3,700 |
| 32 | 29 | 66 | Randy LaJoie | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Pontiac | 203 | 0 | engine | 67 | $6,100 |
| 33 | 31 | 41 | Larry Pearson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 178 | 0 | accident | 64 | $3,400 |
| 34 | 36 | 72 | Mark Reed | Reed Racing | Chevrolet | 177 | 0 | valve | 61 | $3,375 |
| 35 | 17 | 21 | Dale Jarrett | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 151 | 19 | engine | 63 | $6,000 |
| 36 | 33 | 49 | Stanley Smith (R) | BS&S Motorsports | Buick | 150 | 12 | accident | 60 | $3,325 |
| 37 | 39 | 73 | Bill Schmitt | Schmitt Racing | Ford | 136 | 0 | accident | 52 | $3,305 |
| 38 | 34 | 51 | Jeff Purvis (R) | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 127 | 0 | engine | 49 | $3,295 |
| 39 | 16 | 12 | Hut Stricklin | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Buick | 105 | 0 | accident | 46 | $5,910 |
| 40 | 23 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | a-frame | 43 | $5,850 |
| 41 | 20 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 89 | 0 | accident | 40 | $3,250 |
| 42 | 37 | 29 | Gary Collins | Collins Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 61 | 0 | accident | 37 | $3,250 |
| 43 | 41 | 24 | Kenny Wallace | Team III Racing | Pontiac | 1 | 0 | steering | 34 | $3,000 |
| Failed to qualify | ||||||||||
| 44 | 22W | St. James Davis | St. James Racing | Buick | ||||||
| 45 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | ||||||
| 46 | 99 | John Krebs | KC Racing | Pontiac | ||||||
| 47 | 37 | Rick Carelli | Chesrown Racing | Chevrolet | ||||||
| 48 | 58 | Wayne Jacks | Jacks Motorsports | Oldsmobile | ||||||
| 49 | 86 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Benison Racing | Chevrolet | ||||||
| 50 | 44W | Jack Sellers | Emerson Racing | Buick | ||||||
| 51 | 15W | Rick Scribner | Scribner Racing | Chevrolet | ||||||
| 52 | 00 | Scott Gaylord | Oliver Racing | Oldsmobile | ||||||
| 53 | 97 | Billy Jac Shaw | Beebe Racing | Buick | ||||||
| 54 | 91 | Robert Sprague | Rouse Racing | Ford | ||||||
| 55 | 93 | Troy Beebe | Beebe Racing | Buick | ||||||
| 56 | 44 | Irv Hoerr | Labonte Motorsports | Oldsmobile | ||||||
| 57 | 09 | R. K. Smith | Midgley Racing | Pontiac | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
Standings after the race
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References
- Higgins, Tom (November 4, 1991). "Allison overtakes Rudd, field in Phoenix (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 11. Retrieved March 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (November 4, 1991). "Allison overtakes Rudd, field in Phoenix (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 15. Retrieved March 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Harris, Mike (November 4, 1991). "Earnhardt has title within reach". The York Dispatch. p. 17. Retrieved March 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (November 4, 1991). "Earnhardt a start from title (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 11. Retrieved March 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (November 4, 1991). "Earnhardt a start from title (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 15. Retrieved March 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. November 1, 1991. p. 22. Retrieved March 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (November 2, 1991). "G. Bodine leads record-breaking qualifying". The Charlotte Observer. p. 19. Retrieved March 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.