1991 Winston Cup Series

1991 Winston Cup Series
Dale Earnhardt won his fifth Cup Series Championship.
Duration	February 17 to November 17
TV	CBS, ABC, ESPN, TBS, TNN
Season statistics
No. of races	29
No. of teams	33 (full time) 46 (part time)
First race	Daytona 500
Last race	Hardee's 500
Drivers' champion	Dale Earnhardt
Manufacturers' champion
Rookie of the Year	Bobby Hamilton
Most popular driver	Bill Elliott
Previous	1990
Next	1992

The 1991 Winston Cup Series was the 43rd season of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17 and ended with the Hardee's 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 17.

Despite crashing out of the Daytona 500 in the final laps, Dale Earnhardt would bounce back and win races at Richmond and Martinsville and assume the points lead after the Winston 500 at Talladega. From then on, a series of strong finishes allowed Earnhardt to build a lead over his rivals in the points standings. Poor finishes at Pocono, Michigan and Charlotte were mitigated by wins at Talladega and North Wilkesboro, and by completing one lap at the season finale at Atlanta, Earnhardt clinched his fifth Winston Cup Series Championship over Ricky Rudd and Davey Allison.

The 1991 season was notable for being the final season for Buick, which had its first winless season since 1985. A series of pit road rules designed to maximize safety was implemented and adjusted throughout the early part of the season, until a pit road speed limit was implemented in April at North Wilkesboro. Finally, the season was memorable for 51-year-old Harry Gant's 4 race win streak in September, as well as the debut of several new teams which would be competitive through the year and in subsequent years: Penske Racing and Darrell Waltrip Motorsports.

Major Teams

Car No.	Driver	Sponsor	Make	Team
1	Rick Mast	Skoal Classic		Precision Products Racing
2	Rusty Wallace	Miller Genuine Draft		Penske Racing
3	Dale Earnhardt	GM Goodwrench		Richard Childress Racing
4	Ernie Irvan	Kodak Film		Morgan-McClure Motorsports
5	Ricky Rudd	Tide		Hendrick Motorsports
6	Mark Martin	Folgers		Roush Racing
7	Alan Kulwicki	Hooters		AK Racing
8	Rick Wilson	Snickers		Stavola Brothers Racing
9	Bill Elliott	Coors Light		Melling Racing
10	Derrike Cope	Purolator		Whitcomb Racing
11	Geoff Bodine (25) Tommy Ellis (4)	Budweiser		Junior Johnson & Associates
12	Hut Stricklin	Raybestos Brakes		Bobby Allison Motorsports
15	Morgan Shepherd	Motorcraft		Bud Moore Engineering
17	Darrell Waltrip	Western Auto		Darrell Waltrip Motorsports
19	Chad Little	Tyson Foods Bull's Eye Barbeque Sauce		Little Racing
20	Bobby Hillin, Jr. (9) Sammy Swindell (1) Kim Campbell (2) Buddy Baker (6) Ricky Craven (1)			Moroso Racing
21	Dale Jarrett	Citgo		Wood Brothers Racing
22	Sterling Marlin	Maxwell House		Junior Johnson & Associates
24	Mickey Gibbs (15) Dick Trickle (6) Dorsey Schroeder (1) Kenny Wallace (3) Jimmy Hensley (4)			Team III Racing
25	Ken Schrader	Kodiak		Hendrick Motorsports
26	Brett Bodine	Quaker State		King Racing
28	Davey Allison	Texaco Havoline		Robert Yates Racing
30	Michael Waltrip	Pennzoil		Bahari Racing
33	Harry Gant	Skoal		Leo Jackson Motorsports
41	Larry Pearson	Kellogg's		Larry Hedrick Motorsports
42	Kyle Petty (18) Kenny Wallace (2) Tommy Kendall (1) Bobby Hillin, Jr. (7)	Mello Yello		SABCO Racing
43	Richard Petty	STP		Petty Enterprises
47	Greg Sacks (13) Rich Bickle (6)	Kanawha Insurance		Close Racing
52	Jimmy Means (25) Bobby Hillin, Jr. (2) Mike Wallace (2)	Alka Seltzer		Means Racing
55	Ted Musgrave *	Jasper Engines		U.S. Racing
66	Lake Speed (20) Dick Trickle (4) Randy LaJoie (3) Chuck Bown (1) Dorsey Schroeder (1)	TropArtic		Cale Yarborough Motorsports
68	Bobby Hamilton *	Country Time		Tri-Star Motorsports
70	J.D. McDuffie	Rumple Furniture		McDuffie Racing
71	Dave Marcis	Big Apple Markets		Marcis Auto Racing
75	Joe Ruttman	Dinner Bell Foods		RahMoc Enterprises
90	Wally Dallenbach, Jr. *(11) Robby Gordon (2) Steve Perry (1)			Donlavey Racing
94	Terry Labonte	Sunoco		Hagan Racing
98	Jimmy Spencer	Banquet Frozen Foods		Travis Carter Enterprises

Schedule

Round	Date	Race Name	Track	TV
	February 10, 1991	Busch Clash	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
	February 14, 1991	Gatorade Twin 125 Qualifiers	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
1	February 17, 1991	Daytona 500 By STP	Daytona International Speedway	CBS
2	February 24, 1991	Pontiac Excitement 400	Richmond International Raceway	TBS
3	March 3, 1991	GM Goodwrench 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway	TNN
4	March 18, 1991	Motorcraft Quality Parts 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ABC
5	April 7, 1991	TranSouth 500	Darlington Raceway	ESPN
6	April 14, 1991	Valleydale Meats 500	Bristol International Raceway	ESPN
7	April 21, 1991	First Union 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway	ESPN
8	April 28, 1991	Hanes 500	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN
9	May 6, 1991	Winston 500	Talladega Superspeedway	ESPN
	May 19, 1991	The Winston	Charlotte Motor Speedway	CBS
10	May 26, 1991	Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway	TBS
11	June 3, 1991	Budweiser 500	Dover Downs International Speedway	TNN
12	June 9, 1991	Banquet Frozen Foods 300	Sears Point Raceway	ESPN
13	June 16, 1991	Champion Spark Plug 500	Pocono International Raceway	ESPN
14	June 23, 1991	Miller Genuine Draft 400	Michigan International Speedway	CBS
15	July 6, 1991	Pepsi 400	Daytona International Speedway	ESPN
16	July 21, 1991	Miller Genuine Draft 500	Pocono International Raceway	ESPN
17	July 28, 1991	DieHard 500	Talladega Superspeedway	CBS
18	August 11, 1991	Budweiser at the Glen	Watkins Glen International	ESPN
19	August 18, 1991	Champion Spark Plug 400	Michigan International Speedway	ESPN
20	August 24, 1991	Bud 500	Bristol International Raceway	ESPN
21	September 1, 1991	Heinz Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	ESPN
22	September 7, 1991	Miller Genuine Draft 400	Richmond International Raceway	TBS
23	September 15, 1991	Peak AntiFreeze 500	Dover Downs International Speedway	TNN
24	September 22, 1991	Goody's 500	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN
25	September 29, 1991	Tyson Holly Farms 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway	ESPN
26	October 6, 1991	Mello Yello 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	TBS
27	October 20, 1991	AC Delco 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway	TNN
28	November 3, 1991	Pyroil 500	Phoenix International Raceway	TNN
29	November 17, 1991	Hardee's 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ESPN

Results

Round	Race	Pole Winner	Winner	Make	Cautions	Caution Laps	Average Speed	Number of Lead Changes
	1991 Busch Clash	Derrike Cope	Dale Earnhardt		2	5	189.474	4
	1991 Gatorade Twin 125 (Race #1)	Davey Allison	Davey Allison		2	5	165.380	0
	1991 Gatorade Twin 125 (Race #2)	Ernie Irvan	Dale Earnhardt		1	7	156.794	0
1	1991 Daytona 500 By STP	Davey Allison	Ernie Irvan		9	36	148.148	21
2	1991 Pontiac Excitement 400	Davey Allison	Dale Earnhardt		6	23	105.937	25
3	1991 GM Goodwrench 500	Kyle Petty	Kyle Petty		7	29	124.083	13
4	1991 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500	Alan Kulwicki	Ken Schrader		4	33	140.470	16
5	1991 TranSouth 500	Geoffrey Bodine	Ricky Rudd		3	19	135.594	15
6	1991 Valleydale Meats 500	Rusty Wallace	Rusty Wallace		19	133	72.809	40
7	1991 First Union 400	Brett Bodine	Darrell Waltrip		17	87	79.604	8
8	1991 Hanes 500	Mark Martin	Dale Earnhardt		11	53	75.139	13
9	1991 Winston 500	Ernie Irvan	Harry Gant		3	18	165.620	24
	1991 The Winston	Davey Allison	Davey Allison		1	0	168.750	0
10	1991 Coca-Cola 600	Mark Martin	Davey Allison		9	54	138.951	22
11	1991 Budweiser 500	Michael Waltrip	Ken Schrader		6	42	120.152	22
12	1991 Banquet Frozen Foods 300	Ricky Rudd	Davey Allison		5	14	72.970	10
13	1991 Champion Spark Plug 500	Mark Martin	Darrell Waltrip		7	37	122.666	23
14	1991 Miller Genuine Draft 400	Michael Waltrip	Davey Allison		1	4	160.912	31
15	1991 Pepsi 400	Sterling Marlin	Bill Elliott		4	18	159.116	18
16	1991 Miller Genuine Draft 500	Alan Kulwicki	Rusty Wallace		11	48	115.459	21
17	1991 DieHard 500	Sterling Marlin	Dale Earnhardt		7	43	147.383	32
18	1991 Budweiser At The Glen	Terry Labonte	Ernie Irvan		5	11	98.977	34
19	1991 Champion Spark Plug 400	Alan Kulwicki	Dale Jarrett		4	22	142.972	24
20	1991 Bud 500	Bill Elliott	Alan Kulwicki		11	81	82.028	14
21	1991 Heinz Southern 500	Davey Allison	Harry Gant		8	33	133.508	20
22	1991 Miller Genuine Draft 400	Rusty Wallace	Harry Gant		9	43	101.361	15
23	1991 Peak AntiFreeze 500	Alan Kulwicki	Harry Gant		9	70	110.179	10
24	1991 Goody's 500	Mark Martin	Harry Gant		15	81	74.535	20
25	1991 Tyson Holly Farms 400	Harry Gant	Dale Earnhardt		8	43	94.113	3
26	1991 Mello Yello 500	Mark Martin	Geoffrey Bodine		6	38	138.984	10
27	1991 AC Delco 500	Kyle Petty	Davey Allison		5	24	127.292	26
28	1991 Pyroil 500	Geoffrey Bodine	Davey Allison		10	55	95.746	18
29	1991 Hardee's 500	Bill Elliott	Mark Martin		6	37	137.968	21

Final Points Standings

Pos.	Driver	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Points	Difference
1	Dale Earnhardt	29	4	14	21	0	4287
2	Ricky Rudd	29	1	9	17	1	4092	-195
3	Davey Allison	29	5	12	16	3	4088	-199
4	Harry Gant	29	5	15	17	1	3985	-302
5	Ernie Irvan	29	2	11	19	1	3925	-362
6	Mark Martin	29	1	14	17	5	3914	-373
7	Sterling Marlin	29	0	7	16	2	3839	-448
8	Darrell Waltrip	29	2	5	17	0	3711	-576
9	Ken Schrader	29	2	10	18	0	3690	-597
10	Rusty Wallace	29	2	9	14	2	3582	-705
11	Bill Elliott	29	1	6	12	2	3535	-752
12	Morgan Shepherd	29	0	4	14	0	3438	-849
13	Alan Kulwicki	29	1	4	11	4	3354	-933
14	Geoffrey Bodine	27	1	6	12	2	3277	-1,010
15	Michael Waltrip	29	0	4	12	2	3254	-1,033
16	Hut Stricklin	29	0	3	7	0	3199	-1,088
17	Dale Jarrett	29	1	3	8	0	3124	-1,163
18	Terry Labonte	29	0	1	7	1	3024	-1,263
19	Brett Bodine	29	0	2	6	1	2980	-1,307
20	Joe Ruttman	29	0	1	4	0	2938	-1,349
21	Rick Mast	29	0	1	3	0	2918	-1,369
22	Bobby Hamilton	28	0	0	4	0	2915	-1,372
23	Ted Musgrave	29	0	0	0	0	2841	-1,446
24	Richard Petty	29	0	0	1	0	2817	-1,470
25	Jimmy Spencer	29	0	1	6	0	2790	-1,497
26	Rick Wilson	29	0	0	0	0	2723	-1,564
27	Chad Little	28	0	0	1	0	2678	-1,609
28	Derrike Cope	28	0	1	2	0	2516	-1,771
29	Dave Marcis	27	0	0	1	0	2374	-1,913
30	Bobby Hillin, Jr.	22	0	0	1	0	2317	-1,970
31	Kyle Petty	18	1	2	4	2	2078	-2,209
32	Lake Speed	20	0	0	0	0	1742	-2,545
33	Jimmy Means	20	0	0	0	0	1562	-2,725
34	Mickey Gibbs	15	0	0	0	0	1401	-2,886
35	Dick Trickle	14	0	0	1	0	1258	-3,029
36	Stanley Smith	12	0	0	0	0	893	-3,394
37	Larry Pearson	11	0	0	0	0	848	-3,439
38	Wally Dallenbach, Jr.	11	0	0	0	0	803	-3,484
39	Greg Sacks	11	0	0	0	0	791	-3,496
40	Buddy Baker	6	0	0	0	0	552	-3,735
41	Jimmy Hensley	4	0	0	1	0	488	-3,799
42	Eddie Bierschwale	5	0	0	0	0	431	-3,856
43	Jim Sauter	6	0	0	0	0	423	-3,864
44	Kenny Wallace	5	0	0	0	0	412	-3,875
45	Jeff Purvis	6	0	0	0	0	399	-3,888

Complete statistics can be found at Racing-Reference.info.

Rookie of the Year

Rookie of the Year Standings

Position	Driver	Points	Race Wins
1	Bobby Hamilton	240	0
2	Ted Musgrave	198	0
3	Stanley Smith	118	0
4	Wally Dallenbach, Jr.	157	0
5	Jeff Purvis	74	0

Manufacturer's Championship

With 11 wins, Chevrolet won the manufacturer's championship.

Position	Make	Points	Race Wins
1		184	11
2		181	10
3		136	5
4		115	3
5		80	0