The 1991 First Union 400 was the seventh stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 21, 1991, before an audience of 41,500 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, owner-driver Darrell Waltrip would manage to get his car away from the chaotic nature of the race, leading the final 52 laps to take his 80th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Travis Carter Enterprises driver Jimmy Spencer would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about five miles east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures 0.625 mi (1.006 km) and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch. It has previously held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's original closure in 1996. The speedway briefly reopened in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races before closing again in the spring of 2011. It was re-opened in August 2022 for grassroots racing.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
*After sustaining burns in a crash at the 1991 Valleydale Meats 500, Sterling Marlin would be replaced by relief driver Charlie Glotzbach for qualifying.[3] During the race, Marlin would manage to start the race, before being replaced by Glotzbach one lap into the race. As a result of starting the race, Marlin is credited with the finish.[1]
Qualifying
Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Friday, April 19, at 3:00 PM EST. However, due to fog, the first round was cancelled, and qualifying was condensed into one round,[4] which was held on Saturday, April 20, at 12:15 AM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 1–30 would be decided on time,[5] 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 provisionals 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.
Brett Bodine, driving for King Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 19.357 and an average speed of 116.237 miles per hour (187.065 km/h).[6][7]
Eight drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
Race results
Standings after the race
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References
- ^ a b Higgins, Tom (April 22, 1991). "Trouble brews in ragged North Wilkesboro race". The Charlotte Observer. p. 24. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Droschak, David (April 22, 1991). "Spencer overcomes penalty, takes third place". The Danville News. p. 10. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (April 19, 1991). "Glotzbach charges into substitute role". The Charlotte Observer. p. 43. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (April 20, 1991). "Irvan's feet back on ground after dining with president". The Charlotte Observer. p. 37. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer. April 19, 1991. p. 35. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (April 21, 1991). "Brett Bodine back in front again at North Wilkesboro (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 43. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (April 21, 1991). "Brett Bodine back in front again at North Wilkesboro (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 52. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.