The 1987 Summer 500 was the 16th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 15th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 19, 1987, before an audience of 90,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete.

1987 Summer 500
Race details
Race 16 of 29 in the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1987 Summer 500 program cover, featuring Bill Elliott.
The 1987 Summer 500 program cover, featuring Bill Elliott.
Date July 19, 1987
Official name 15th Annual Summer 500
Location Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Scheduled Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Average speed 121.745 miles per hour (195.930 km/h)
Attendance 90,000
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 57.700
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Laps 85
Winner
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network SETN
Announcers Eli Gold, Jerry Punch
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Heading into the final lap of the race, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt and owner-driver Alan Kulwicki engaged in a battle for the victory. Earnhardt and Kulwicki went side-by-side heading into the second turn; Kulwicki over-drove the turn, leading to Earnhardt gaining the lead for the victory. The victory was Earnhardt's 28th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his eighth victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Alan Kulwicki and owner-driver Buddy Baker finished second and third, respectively.

Background

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The layout of Pocono International Raceway, the venue where the race was held.

The race was held at Pocono International Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.

Pocono International Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.

Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Brett Bodine Ellington Racing Buick Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Wrangler
4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile Kodak
04 Charlie Rudolph Rudolph Racing Chevrolet Sunoco
5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Levi Garrett
05 Ed Sutton Wiltshire Racing Oldsmobile Wiltshire Racing
6 Connie Saylor U.S. Racing Chevrolet U.S. Racing
7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford Zerex
8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller American
9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford Coors
11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet Budweiser
12 Trevor Boys Hamby Racing Chevrolet Hamby Racing
15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford Motorcraft Quality Parts
17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Tide
18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet Freedlander Financial
19 Derrike Cope (R) Stoke Racing Chevrolet Stoke Racing
21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller American
25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Folgers
26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick Quaker State
27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac Kodiak
28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet All Pro Auto Parts
31 Ron Shephard Ron Shephard Racing Chevrolet L. B. S. Graphics, National Parts Peddler
33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Folgers
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Piedmont Airlines
50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac Valvoline
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Jimmy Means Racing
55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile Copenhagen
62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac AC Spark Plug
63 Jocko Maggiacomo Linro Motorsports Chevrolet Linro Motorsports
64 Rodney Combs Langley Racing Ford Sunny King Ford
67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford Pannill Sweatshirts
70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac Rumple Furniture
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Lifebuoy
75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac Valvoline
80 Jimmy Horton S&H Racing Ford S&H Racing
81 Mike Potter Fillip Racing Ford Fillip Racing
85 Bobby Gerhart Bobby Gerhart Racing Chevrolet J. Omar Landis Enterprises
88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile Crisco
90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford Red Baron Frozen Pizza

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Saturday, July 18, at 10:00 AM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round were 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, at 3:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 were 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.

Tim Richmond, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 57.700 and an average speed of 155.979 miles per hour (251.024 km/h) in the first round.[4]

Three drivers failed to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 57.700 155.979
2 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 57.788 155.796
3 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 57.824 155.645
4 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 57.931 155.357
5 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 58.046 155.049
6 28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 58.074 154.975
7 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 58.138 154.804
8 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 58.180 154.692
9 1 Brett Bodine Ellington Racing Chevrolet 58.260 154.480
10 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 58.304 154.363
11 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 58.336 154.279
12 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 58.366 154.199
13 88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 58.391 154.133
14 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 58.399 154.112
15 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 58.410 154.083
16 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 58.418 154.062
17 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 58.553 153.707
18 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 58.646 153.463
19 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 58.672 153.395
20 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 58.700 153.322
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 58.641 153.466
22 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 58.743 153.210
23 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 58.851 152.929
24 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 58.988 152.573
25 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 59.011 152.514
26 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 59.023 152.483
27 50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac 59.095 152.297
28 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 59.198 152.032
29 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 59.713 150.721
30 19 Derrike Cope (R) Stoke Racing Chevrolet 59.722 150.698
31 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 59.888 150.281
32 63 Jocko Maggiacomo Linro Motorsports Chevrolet 59.890 150.276
33 12 Trevor Boys Hamby Racing Chevrolet 59.914 150.215
34 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 59.921 150.198
35 04 Charlie Rudolph Rudolph Racing Chevrolet 59.922 150.195
36 64 Rodney Combs Langley Racing Ford 1:00.108 149.730
37 85 Bobby Gerhart Bobby Gerhart Racing Chevrolet 1:00.577 148.571
38 31 Ron Shephard Ron Shephard Racing Chevrolet 1:00.716 148.231
39 80 Jimmy Horton S&H Racing Ford 1:00.753 148.141
40 6 Connie Saylor U.S. Racing Chevrolet 1:01.379 146.640
Failed to qualify
41 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac -* -*
42 81 Mike Potter Fillip Racing Ford -* -*
43 05 Ed Sutton Wiltshire Racing Oldsmobile -* -*
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 16 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 85 running 185 $55,875
2 2 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 200 1 running 175 $32,880
3 13 88 Buddy Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 200 2 running 170 $18,100
4 15 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 1 running 165 $21,445
5 6 28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 200 0 running 155 $11,650
6 10 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 200 11 running 155 $15,950
7 11 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 200 5 running 151 $10,420
8 22 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 199 0 running 142 $9,500
9 24 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 199 6 running 143 $8,970
10 21 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 199 0 running 134 $12,065
11 33 12 Trevor Boys Hamby Racing Chevrolet 199 4 running 0 $8,050
12 28 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 198 0 running 127 $7,670
13 35 04 Charlie Rudolph Rudolph Racing Chevrolet 198 0 running 124 $3,775
14 14 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 197 22 running 126 $12,765
15 26 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 196 0 engine 118 $10,640
16 36 64 Rodney Combs Langley Racing Ford 196 0 running 115 $6,590
17 31 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 196 0 running 112 $6,275
18 40 6 Connie Saylor U.S. Racing Chevrolet 194 0 running 109 $6,010
19 25 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 190 0 running 106 $3,605
20 5 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 185 9 running 108 $10,250
21 38 31 Ron Shephard Ron Shephard Racing Chevrolet 176 0 crash 100 $2,595
22 9 1 Brett Bodine Ellington Racing Chevrolet 174 2 engine 102 $2,490
23 29 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 164 0 engine 94 $2,385
24 32 63 Jocko Maggiacomo Linro Motorsports Chevrolet 156 0 engine 91 $2,330
25 23 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 149 0 overheating 88 $5,140
26 8 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 142 4 engine 90 $10,620
27 17 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 130 8 engine 87 $9,165
28 37 85 Bobby Gerhart Bobby Gerhart Racing Chevrolet 126 0 engine 79 $2,110
29 1 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 120 14 engine 81 $5,555
30 7 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 83 0 crash 73 $4,755
31 30 19 Derrike Cope (R) Stoke Racing Chevrolet 76 0 engine 70 $1,945
32 3 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 75 26 overheating 72 $10,985
33 39 80 Jimmy Horton S&H Racing Ford 60 0 oil pressure 64 $1,810
34 12 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 50 0 steering 61 $8,755
35 27 50 Greg Sacks Dingman Brothers Racing Pontiac 50 0 engine 58 $1,700
36 4 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 47 0 transmission 55 $4,380
37 19 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 37 0 crash 52 $3,615
38 34 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 17 0 oil leak 49 $3,585
39 18 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 16 0 engine 46 $1,555
40 20 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 11 0 engine 43 $1,525
Failed to qualify
41 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac
42 81 Mike Potter Fillip Racing Ford
43 05 Ed Sutton Wiltshire Racing Oldsmobile
Official race results

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (July 20, 1987). "Earnhardt Rocks, Rolls To Victory At Pocono". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 3B. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Meixell, Ted (July 20, 1987). "Earnhardt wins 'drag race'; then has to defend himself". The Morning Call. pp. C1, C6. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. July 18, 1987. pp. 6B. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Higgins, Tom (July 19, 1987). "No Surprise On Pocono Pole: It's Richmond". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 5C. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  


Previous race:
1987 Pepsi Firecracker 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1987 season
Next race:
1987 Talladega 500