1989 Winston Cup Series

1989 Winston Cup Series
Rusty Wallace was the 1989 Winston Cup Series Champion.
Duration	February 19 to November 19
TV	CBS, ESPN, ABC, TBS, PPV
Season statistics
No. of races	29
No. of teams	30 (full time); 21 (part time)
First race	Daytona 500
Last race	Atlanta Journal 500
Drivers' champion	Rusty Wallace
Manufacturers' champion
Rookie of the Year	Dick Trickle
Most popular driver	Darrell Waltrip
Previous	1988
Next	1990

The 1989 Winston Cup Series was the 41st season of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19 and ended with the Atlanta Journal 500 at Atlanta International Raceway on November 19.

In one of the closest championships in NASCAR history, Rusty Wallace beat Dale Earnhardt by 12 points to capture his first and only title. Earnhardt led the point standings through much of the season, earning five wins, however a broken camshaft 13 laps into the All Pro Auto Parts 500 and a last place finish vaulted Wallace into the points lead. Three drivers entered the final race with a chance at the title, and while Earnhardt led the most laps and won the race, Wallace would have a challenging day but rally to finish 15^th and win the championship. Wallace and Earnhardt pulled away from the field in the points based primarily on laps led, as the two drivers combined to lead 48% of the laps in the season. Darrell Waltrip, who won six races like Wallace, finished a distant fourth in points, 205 points behind Wallace.

The 1989 season was notable for being the first season that every race was televised with flag-to-flag coverage, and nearly all races were televised live. It was the first season without former champions Bobby Allison, Benny Parsons, and Cale Yarborough. It marked the end of the first tire war between Goodyear and Hoosier, when Hoosier left NASCAR after Goodyear debuted radial tires at North Wilkesboro. It was Pontiac’s first championship since the 1963 season and the first championship where the champion driver drove only a Pontiac the entire season. It was also the first season that featured a race at Sears Point Raceway.

Chevrolet debuted the new Lumina model at the Winston 500, replacing the Monte Carlo, and Ford debuted a redesigned body shape for the Thunderbird.

Major Teams

Car No.	Driver	Sponsor	Make	Team
2	Ernie Irvan	Kroger		U.S. Racing
3	Dale Earnhardt	GM Goodwrench		Richard Childress Racing
4	Rick Wilson	Kodak Film		Morgan-McClure Motorsports
5	Geoff Bodine	Levi Garrett		Hendrick Motorsports
6	Mark Martin	Stroh's Light		Roush Racing
7	Alan Kulwicki	Zerex		AK Racing
8	Bobby Hillin, Jr.	Miller High Life		Stavola Brothers Racing
9	Bill Elliott	Coors		Melling Racing
10	Ken Bouchard (5) Derrike Cope (20)	Purolator		Whitcomb Racing
11	Terry Labonte	Budweiser		Junior Johnson & Associates
15	Brett Bodine	Motorcraft		Bud Moore Engineering
16	Larry Pearson*	Chattanooga Chew		David Pearson Racing
17	Darrell Waltrip	Tide		Hendrick Motorsports
21	Neil Bonnett (26) Tommy Ellis (3)	Citgo		Wood Brothers Racing
23	Eddie Bierschwale			B&B Racing
25	Ken Schrader	Folgers		Hendrick Motorsports
26	Ricky Rudd	Quaker State		King Racing
27	Rusty Wallace	Kodiak		Blue Max Racing
28	Davey Allison	Havoline		Robert Yates Racing
29	Dale Jarrett	Hardee's		Cale Yarborough Motorsports
30	Michael Waltrip	Country Time		Bahari Racing
33	Harry Gant	Skoal		Jackson Brothers Motorsports
42	Kyle Petty	Peak Antifreeze		SABCO Racing
43	Richard Petty	STP		Petty Enterprises
52	Jimmy Means	Alka Seltzer		Means Racing
55	Phil Parsons	Crown Petroleum		Jackson Brothers Motorsports
57	Hut Stricklin*	Heinz		Osterlund Racing
66	Rick Mast	Banquet Frozen Foods / Winn Dixie		Mach 1 Racing
70	J.D. McDuffie	Rumple Furniture		McDuffie Racing
71	Dave Marcis	Lifebuoy Soap		Marcis Auto Racing
75	Morgan Shepherd	Valvoline		RahMoc Enterprises
83	Lake Speed (24) Joe Ruttman (3) Eddie Bierschwale (1) Rodney Combs (1)	Bull's Eye Barbecue Sauce		Speed Racing
84	Dick Trickle* (28) Mike Alexander (1)	Miller High Life		Stavola Brothers Racing
88	Greg Sacks (10) Joe Ruttman (1) Jimmy Spencer* (17)	Crisco		Baker-Schiff Racing
94	Sterling Marlin	Sunoco		Hagan Racing

Schedule

Round	Date	Race Name	Track	TV
	February 12, 1989	Busch Clash	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
	February 16, 1989	Twin 125 Qualifiers	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
1	February 19, 1989	Daytona 500	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
2	March 5, 1989	Goodwrench 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway	ESPN
3	March 19, 1989	Motorcraft Quality Parts 500	Atlanta International Raceway	ABC
4	March 26, 1989	Pontiac Excitement 400	Richmond International Raceway	TBS
5	April 2, 1989	TranSouth 500	Darlington Raceway	ESPN
6	April 9, 1989	Valleydale Meats 500	Bristol International Raceway	ESPN
7	April 16, 1989	First Union 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway	ESPN
8	April 23, 1989	Pannill Sweatshirts 500	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN
9	May 7, 1989	Winston 500	Talladega Superspeedway	ESPN
	May 21, 1989	The Winston	Charlotte Motor Speedway	ABC
10	May 28, 1989	Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway	TBS
11	June 4, 1989	Budweiser 500	Dover Downs International Speedway	ESPN
12	June 11, 1989	Banquet Frozen Foods 300	Sears Point Raceway	ESPN
13	June 18, 1989	Miller High Life 500	Pocono International Raceway	PPV
14	June 25, 1989	Miller High Life 400	Michigan International Speedway	CBS
15	July 1, 1989	Pepsi 400	Daytona International Speedway	ESPN
16	July 23, 1989	AC Spark Plug 500	Pocono International Raceway	ESPN
17	July 30, 1989	Talladega DieHard 500	Talladega Superspeedway	CBS
18	August 13, 1989	Budweiser at the Glen	Watkins Glen International	ESPN
19	August 20, 1989	Champion Spark Plug 400	Michigan International Speedway	ESPN
20	August 26, 1989	Busch 500	Bristol International Raceway	ESPN
21	September 3, 1989	Heinz Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	ESPN
22	September 10, 1989	Miller High Life 400	Richmond International Raceway	TBS
23	September 17, 1989	Peak Performance 500	Dover Downs International Speedway	ESPN
24	September 24, 1989	Goody's 500	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN
25	October 8, 1989	All Pro Auto Parts 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	TBS
26	October 15, 1989	Holly Farms 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway	ESPN
27	October 22, 1989	AC Delco 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway	ESPN
28	November 5, 1989	Autoworks 500	Phoenix Interational Raceway	ESPN
29	November 19, 1989	Atlanta Journal 500	Atlanta International Raceway	ESPN

Results

Round	Race	Pole Winner	Winner	Make	Cautions	Caution Laps	Average Speed	Number of Lead Changes
	1989 Busch Clash	Ken Schrader	Ken Schrader		0	0	192.926	3
	1989 Twin 125 Qualifier (Race #1)	Ken Schrader	Ken Schrader		2	7	147.203	5
	1989 Twin 125 Qualifier (Race #2)	Darrell Waltrip	Terry Labonte		0	0	189.554	5
1	1989 Daytona 500	Ken Schrader	Darrell Waltrip		7	30	148.466	30
2	1989 Goodwrench 500	Rusty Wallace	Rusty Wallace		10	64	115.122	29
3	1989 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500	Alan Kulwicki	Darrell Waltrip		6	41	139.684	29
4	1989 Pontiac Excitement 400	Geoff Bodine	Rusty Wallace		12	67	89.619	19
5	1989 TranSouth 500	Mark Martin	Harry Gant		7	68	115.475	16
6	1989 Valleydale Meats 500	Mark Martin	Rusty Wallace		20	98	76.034	34
7	1989 First Union 400	Rusty Wallace	Dale Earnhardt		10	49	89.937	10
8	1989 Pannill Sweatshirts 500	Geoff Bodine	Darrell Waltrip		5	31	79.025	12
9	1989 Winston 500	Mark Martin	Davey Allison		7	26	155.869	28
	1989 The Winston	Terry Labonte	Rusty Wallace		2	7	133.150	8
10	1989 Coca-Cola 600	Alan Kulwicki	Darrell Waltrip		7	36	144.077	22
11	1989 Budweiser 500	Mark Martin	Dale Earnhardt		6	36	121.670	20
12	1989 Banquet Frozen Foods 300	Rusty Wallace	Ricky Rudd		3	16	76.088	3
13	1989 Miller High Life 500	Rusty Wallace	Terry Labonte		6	23	131.320	23
14	1989 Miller High Life 400	Ken Schrader	Bill Elliott		5	23	139.023	13
15	1989 Pepsi 400	Mark Martin	Davey Allison		12	42	132.207	28
16	1989 AC Spark Plug 500	Ken Schrader	Bill Elliott		9	42	117.847	28
17	1989 Talladega DieHard 500	Mark Martin	Terry Labonte		6	25	157.354	49
18	1989 The Budweiser At The Glen	Morgan Shepherd	Rusty Wallace		6	19	87.242	13
19	1989 Champion Spark Plug 400	Geoff Bodine	Rusty Wallace		2	8	157.704	20
20	1989 Busch 500	Alan Kulwicki	Darrell Waltrip		11	69	85.554	11
21	1989 Heinz Southern 500	Alan Kulwicki	Dale Earnhardt		4	24	135.462	26
22	1989 Miller High Life 400	Bill Elliott	Rusty Wallace		14	76	88.380	9
23	1989 Peak Performance 500	Davey Allison	Dale Earnhardt		5	31	122.909	18
24	1989 Goody's 500	Dale Earnhardt	Darrell Waltrip		8	46	76.571	18
25	1989 All Pro Auto Parts 500	Bill Elliott	Ken Schrader		4	21	149.863	19
26	1989 Holly Farms 400	Dale Earnhardt	Geoff Bodine		11	60	90.269	7
27	1989 AC Delco 500	Alan Kulwicki	Mark Martin		14	69	114.079	35
28	1989 Autoworks 500	Ken Schrader	Bill Elliott		5	24	105.683	17
29	1989 Atlanta Journal 500	Alan Kulwicki	Dale Earnhardt		6	35	140.229	21

Final Points Standings

Pos.	Driver	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Points	Difference
1	Rusty Wallace	29	6	13	20	4	4176
2	Dale Earnhardt	29	5	14	19	0	4164	-12
3	Mark Martin	29	1	14	18	6	4053	-123
4	Darrell Waltrip	29	6	14	18	0	3971	-205
5	Ken Schrader	29	1	10	14	4	3876	-300
6	Bill Elliott	29	3	8	14	2	3774	-402
7	Harry Gant	29	1	9	14	0	3610	-566
8	Ricky Rudd	29	1	7	15	0	3608	-568
9	Geoffrey Bodine	29	1	9	11	3	3600	-576
10	Terry Labonte	29	2	9	11	0	3569	-607
11	Davey Allison	29	2	7	13	1	3481	-695
12	Sterling Marlin	29	0	4	13	0	3422	-754
13	Morgan Shepherd	29	0	5	13	1	3403	-773
14	Alan Kulwicki	29	0	5	9	6	3236	-940
15	Dick Trickle	28	0	6	9	0	3203	-973
16	Bobby Hillin, Jr.	28	0	1	7	0	3139	-1,037
17	Rick Wilson	29	0	2	7	0	3119	-1,057
18	Michael Waltrip	29	0	0	5	0	3057	-1,119
19	Brett Bodine	29	0	1	6	0	3051	-1,125
20	Neil Bonnett	26	0	0	11	0	2995	-1,181
21	Phil Parsons	29	0	2	3	0	2933	-1,243
22	Ernie Irvan	29	0	0	4	0	2919	-1,257
23	Larry Pearson	29	0	0	2	0	2860	-1,316
24	Dale Jarrett	29	0	2	5	0	2789	-1,387
25	Dave Marcis	27	0	0	1	0	2715	-1,461
26	Hut Stricklin	27	0	1	4	0	2705	-1,471
27	Lake Speed	24	0	1	5	0	2550	-1,626
28	Derrike Cope	23	0	0	4	0	2180	-1,996
29	Richard Petty	25	0	0	0	0	2148	-2,028
30	Kyle Petty	19	0	1	5	0	2099	-2,077
31	Jimmy Means	22	0	0	0	0	1698	-2,478
32	Greg Sacks	20	0	0	2	0	1565	-2,611
33	Jim Sauter	17	0	0	2	0	1510	-2,666
34	Jimmy Spencer	17	0	0	3	0	1445	-2,731
35	Rick Mast	13	0	0	1	0	1315	-2,861
36	Eddie Bierschwale	16	0	0	1	0	1306	-2,870
37	Ben Hess	9	0	0	0	0	921	-3,255
38	Chad Little	8	0	0	0	0	602	-3,574
39	Butch Miller	9	0	0	0	0	576	-3,600
40	A.J. Foyt	7	0	0	0	0	527	-3,649
41	Mickey Gibbs	7	0	0	0	0	508	-3,668
42	Rodney Combs	9	0	0	0	0	470	-3,706
43	Joe Ruttman	9	0	0	1	0	469	-3,707
44	J.D. McDuffie	7	0	0	0	0	457	-3,719
45	Phil Barkdoll	4	0	0	0	0	378	-3,798

Rookie of the Year

Rookie of the Year Standings

Position	Driver	Race Wins
1	Dick Trickle	0
2	Hut Stricklin	0
3	Larry Pearson	0
4	Jimmy Spencer	0
5	Rick Mast	0
6	Ben Hess	0
7	Chad Little	0
8	Butch Miller	0
9	Mickey Gibbs	0

Manufacturer's Championship

With 13 wins, Chevrolet won the manufacturer's championship.

Position	Make	Points	Race Wins
1		186	13
2		166	8
3		142	6
4		107	1
5		95	1