May 27, 1990
There’s nothing quite like “Motorsports Christmas”. For one glorious day in late May, the three biggest events of the racing year go green for all the world to see. As a racing fan, there’s nothing like it.
The table was set on this “Motorsports Christmas” in 1990. Formula 1 provided an excellent appetizer as Ayrton Senna won his third race on the historic street circuit of Monaco. The Indianapolis 500 did not disappoint as the main course, with Arie Luyendyk scoring a massive upset win in the fastest 500-mile race of all time.
Now it’s NASCAR’s turn to provide a worthy desert. Time for the longest and most arduous race of the season; the Coca-Cola 600.
Racing for 600 miles isn’t easy. It requires the driver to be subjected to intense g-forces and heat for upwards of five hours. The 600 is, in a way, a mini endurance race. The only difference is that, unlike endurance racing, no driver changes will take place. One man and one machine must become one to conquer this epic race.
Someone didn’t give the memo to Charlotte Motor Speedway promoter Humpy Wheeler that today is about the drivers on track. The legendary businessman has made a habit of setting up lucrative pre-race events and stunts that often overshadow the action onth track. Today’s events include a school bus jumping a fake Berlin Wall, a woman skydiving down to the track with the green flag, and a mechanical dinosaur nicknamed Robo-Sauruss rex” that eats cars with chainsaw teeth.
No, I did not make that up.
Sunday’s main event is the race, so let’s get to it already. Ken Schrader has won the pole for struggling Hendrick Motorsports and spends no time taking an early lead. The early laps of this race should be fairly calm as drivers test their equipment. Nobody told Mark Martin that as he guns for the lead on lap five. The day’s first caution follows as Ken Ragan and Larry Pearson have both blown their engines across the track. A long afternoon is cut terribly short for the two.
Martin holds the lead on the restart until Schrader retakes the top spot on lap 17. The two duel for the lead for the next few laps, keenly watching a dark shape approach in their rearview mirrors. Rusty Wallace, defending NASCAR champion, has come from deep in the field to the front in less than 40 laps. On lap 34, Wallace scythes past Schrader and Martin to take the lead. His Pontiac is running on rails and he pulls out to a multi-second lead.
The growing lead Wallace is creating allows for strategy to take effect. Around lap 50, green flag pit stops begin as drivers try desperately to leapfrog the leaders. Under this cycle, Brett and Geoff Bodine, Davey Allison, Harry Gant, and Darrell Waltrip will all get a chance up front. But by the time the stops cycled through on lap 67, Wallace remains up front. He has company though: Brett Bodine has once again played the pit strategy perfectly and is right on Wallace’s tail. His #26 Quaker State Buick could be the only car fast enough to challenge Wallace today.
After 95 laps of green flag racing, during which the only incident is a blown motor for Terry Byers, the caution flies for a major incident just past quarter distance. Debris in turn one has cut a tire on Bobby Hamilton’s ride, sending the youngster hard into the wall. Joining him in the wall is Dale Earnhardt. The points leader runs over the same piece of debris and smashes his car to bits. His team will manage to repair the damage and send him back out, but the consequences are immense. Any advantage in the points over Morgan Shepherd has been snuffed out.
Lap 113’s restart is short-lived as Chad Little and Lake Speed tangle on the backstretch to bring out another yellow. When green flag racing resumes, Wallace continues to lead with Bodine hot on his heels. Bodine’s Buick looks to be faster, but dirty air prevents a clean pass on Wallace. There’s still plenty of time left in this race, so Bodine opts to play it safe and lag back. After a brief debris caution on lap 154, Bodine resumes his chase, mirroring Wallace’s moves in each turn.
Caution flies again on lap 170 as Hut Stricklin has a brutal crash. The #12 Buick blows its motor and slams into the outside wall, bursting into flames. No sooner has the destroyed car stopped than Stricklin explodes out of the cockpit to escape the inferno. The chaos extends the yellow, enabling some underdogs to make a bid for the lead on strategy. Dale Jarrett and Derrike Cope both stay out to try and snag the lead, but Wallace easily passes them on the restart. So much for strategy. Today, victory will be obtained by simply outdriving the leaders.
200 laps down. Halfway to go. The Coca-Cola 600 has become a battle for survival. Cars are dropping left and right in the intense heat. Tracy Leslie, Sterling Marlin, Rick Mast, Dale Jarrett, and Rodney Combs all fall victim to blown engines in the subsequent 50 laps. Bobby Hillin Jr. narrowly avoids injury when his fifth-place running car blows a tire and pancakes the turn four wall. All the while, Rusty Wallace remains up front. Calm, cool, and collected. He’s pulled away from everyone, even the pesky Brett Bodine. This is his race to lose.
And with 100 laps to go, he just might.
As the race approaches its closing stages, Wallace begins to fade. The dominant car of the day suddenly seems to lose speed, enough so that Ken Schrader catches and passes Wallace on lap 264. For the first time all day long, Rusty Wallace looks mortal. Approaching a round of pit stops, Wallace radios his crew that all is well. There is nothing to fear, for this team has already had their panic moment.
Back on lap two, so long ago it seems like an ancient time, Wallace nearly crashed. The #27 was working up through the field when Bill Elliott tagged his left rear. Wallace nearly spun into the oncoming Dale Earnhardt, but somehow kept his car straight. If this team can avoid a disaster such as that, then they can overcome this loss of speed.
The pit stop cycle passes. Derrike Cope and Geoffrey Bodine are the last to pit from the lead group. Once they make their stops, Wallace emerges as the new leader. Thanks to a masterful pit stop, he has jumped Ken Schrader back into the lead of this race. But the job isn’t finished. There are still over 90 laps left. Wallace must hold off Schrader and a surging Bill Elliott to the end. The remaining cars are dropping like flies struck with a bug zapper. Brett Bodine’s excellent day ends in the garage. Ricky Rudd blows a camshaft. Richard Petty finally retires his exhausted machine, and Rob Moroso ends another race on the sideline with a blown motor.
It doesn’t matter to Wallace. His dominant day is coming to a close and he can already taste the champagne they will spray on him in victory lane.
But the racing gods are cruel. They throw one last curve ball to Wallace, one last test to see if he truly is worthy of winning this most-coveted race. On lap 397, three laps from home, Rick Wilson blows his engine. Enough time remains for a one-lap shootout to determine the Coca-Cola 600 winner. Rusty Wallace must hold off ten other lead-lap cars to prove that he is the master of this track.
And that’s just what he does. Not even Bill Elliott’s last-lap gasp is enough. Wallace has done it. He has conquered the racing equivalent of hell.
This is the first Crown Jewel victory for Rusty Wallace. It is also the first win of the season for the defending champion. What seemed to be a lost season is no more. Wallace’s massive win thrusts him back into the championship battle. And with Dale Earnhardt crashing out, the tables of the title fight have turned. The long summer stretch approaches. It’s the perfect time for someone to pounce on Earnhardt’s lead.
The question is who?
Next time on NASCAR in the 90s, another massive upset. This time at Dover.
NASCAR in the 90s 