1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series (Johnsonverse)

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1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
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Champions | Seasons

The 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Season was the 41st season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 18th modern-era Cup season. It began February 12 and ended November 26. Rusty Wallace of Blue Max Racing won the championship.

The 1989 season marked the end of the first of two tire wars between Goodyear and Hoosier, with Hoosier leaving NASCAR shortly after Goodyear debuted their new radial tires.

Also, 1989 was the first season without Benny Parsons or Cale Yarborough, and was the final year for the third-generation car introduced in 1981.

1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Drivers and Manufacturers

Manufacturers

Company	Marquee	Model	Status
General Motors	Chevrolet	Lumina	NEW, full factory support
		Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe	FINAL YEAR, full factory support
	Pontiac	Grand Prix	Full factory support
	Buick	Regal	Full factory support
		LeSabre	No factory support
	Oldsmobile	Cutlass Supreme	Full factory support
Ford Motor Company	Ford	Thunderbird	Full factory support
Chrysler Corporation	Chrysler	LeBaron	Full factory support

Teams

Make	Team	No.	Driver	Crew Chief	Model	Primary Sponsor
Buick	David Pearson Racing	16	Larry Pearson (R)		1989 Regal	Chattanooga Chew
	King Racing	26	Ricky Rudd	Larry MacReynolds	1989 Regal 1987 LeSabre	Quaker State
	Stavola Brothers Racing	8	Bobby Hillin Jr.	Harry Hyde	1989 Regal	Miller High Life
		12	Bobby Allison	Jimmy Fennig		Miller High Life
		84	Dick Trickle (R)			Miller High Life
Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	5	Geoffrey Bodine	Waddell Wilson	1988 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe 1989 Lumina	Levi Garrett
		17	Darrell Waltrip	Jeff Hammond		Tide
		25	Tim Richmond	Richard Broome		Folger's Coffee
	Mach 1 Racing	66	Rick Mast (R)	Travis Carter	1988 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe 1989 Lumina	unsponsored
	Marcis Auto Racing	71	Dave Marcis		1988 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe	Lifebuoy
	Richard Childress Racing	3	Dale Earnhardt	Kirk Shelmerdine	1988 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe 1989 Lumina	GM Goodwrench
	Whitcomb Racing	10	Derrike Cope	Buddy Parrott	1988 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe 1989 Lumina	Simoniz
Chrysler	Bahari Racing	30	Michael Waltrip	Mike Beam	1989 LeBaron	Country Time Lemonade
	Donlavey Racing	90	Ken Schrader		1989 LeBaron	Purolator/Accu-Turn
	Hagan Racing	94	Sterling Marlin		1989 LeBaron	Sunoco Ultra
	Jackson Brothers Motorsports	33	Harry Gant	Andy Petree	1989 LeBaron	Skoal Bandit
		55	Phil Parsons			Crown Petroleum
	Means Racing	52	Jimmy Means		1989 LeBaron	Alka-Seltzer
	Petty Enterprises	43	Richard Petty	Dale Inman	1989 LeBaron	STP
	SABCO Racing	42	Kyle Petty	Gary Nelson	1989 LeBaron	Peak Antifreeze
	Speed Racing	83	Lake Speed		1989 LeBaron	Kraft BBQ Sauce
Ford	AK Racing	7	Alan Kulwicki	Paul Andrews	1989 Thunderbird	Zerex
	Bud Moore Engineering	15	Brett Bodine	Donnie Wingo	1989 Thunderbird	Motorcraft
	Junior Johnson & Associates	11	Terry Labonte	Tim Brewer	1989 Thunderbird	Budweiser
	Melling Racing	9	Bill Elliott	Ernie Elliott	1989 Thunderbird	Coors
	RahMoc Enterprises	75	Morgan Shepherd	Bob Rahilly	1989 Thunderbird	Valvoline
	Robert Yates Racing	28	Davey Allison	Robert Yates	1989 Thunderbird	Havoline
	Roush Racing	6	Mark Martin	Robin Pemberton	1989 Thunderbird	Stroh's Light
	Wood Brothers Racing	21	Neil Bonnett	Leonard Wood	1989 Thunderbird	Citgo
Oldsmobile	B & B Racing	23	Eddie Bierschwale		1989 Cutlass Supreme	Peak Antifreeze
	Morgan-McClure Motorsports	4	Rick Wilson	Tony Glover	1989 Cutlass Supreme	Kodak Film
Pontiac	Baker-Schiff Racing	88	Jimmy Spencer	Dennis Conner	1989 Grand Prix	Crisco
	Blue Max Racing	27	Rusty Wallace	Barry Dodson	1989 Grand Prix	Kodiak
	Cale Yarborough Motorsports	29	Dale Jarrett		1989 Grand Prix	Hardee's
	Osterlund Racing	57	Hut Stricklin (R)	Doug Richert	1989 Grand Prix	Heinz
	U.S. Racing	2	Ernie Irvan	Bob Johnson	1989 Grand Prix	Kroger
	Winkle Motorsports	48	Greg Sacks		1989 Grand Prix	GMAC

Schedule

No.	Race title	Track	Date	TV
	Busch Clash	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	February 12	WBC
	Twin 125 Qualifiers		February 16
1	Daytona 500		February 19
2	Goodwrench 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham	March 5	ESPN
3	Motorcraft Quality Parts 500	Atlanta International Speedway, Hampton	March 19	WBC
4	Pontiac Excitement 400	Richmond International Raceway, Richmond	March 26
5	TranSouth 500	Darlington Raceway, Darlington	April 2	ESPN
6	Valleydale Meats 500	Bristol International Raceway, Bristol	April 9
7	First Union 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro	April 16
8	Pannill Sweatshirts 500	Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville	April 23
9	Pabst Blue Ribbon 400	Milwaukee Mile, West Allis	April 30	WBC
10	Winston 500	Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega	May 7	ESPN
11	Diet Coke 500	Denver International Speedway, Denver	May 14	WBC
	Winston Open	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord	May 21
	The Winston
12	Coca-Cola 600		May 28
13	Budweiser 500	Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover	June 4	ESPN
14	Banquet Frozen Foods 300	Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma	June 11	WBC
15	Miller High Life 500	Pocono International Raceway, Long Pond	June 18
16	Miller High Life 400	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn	June 25
17	Pepsi 400	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	July 1	ESPN
18	Denver Post 400	Pikes Peak International Speedway, Fountain	July 9	WBC
19	AC Spark Plug 500	Pocono International Raceway, Long Pond	July 23	ESPN
20	Talladega DieHard 500	Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega	July 30	WBC
21	Sprite 500	Denver International Speedway, Denver	August 6
22	Budweiser At The Glen	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen	August 13	ESPN
23	Champion Spark Plug 400	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn	August 20
24	Busch 500	Bristol International Raceway, Bristol	August 26
25	Heinz Southern 500	Darlington Raceway, Darlington	September 3
26	Miller High Life 400	Richmond International Raceway, Richmond	September 10	WBC
27	Peak Performance 500	Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover	September 17	ESPN
28	Goody's 500	Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway	September 24
29	Mountain Dew 400	Milwaukee Mile, West Allis	October 1
30	All Pro Parts 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord	October 8	WBC
31	Holly Farms 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro	October 15	ESPN
32	AC Delco 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham	October 22
33	Coor's 400	Pikes Peak International Speedway, Fountain	October 29
34	Autoworks 500	Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale	November 5
35	Budweiser 400	Riverside International Raceway, Riverside	November 12
36	Atlanta Journal 500	Atlanta International Speedway, Hampton	November 19
37	Los Angeles Times 500	Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario	November 26	WBC

Technical Changes

Following the introduction of the restrictor plate in 1988, all manufacturers made changes to their cars in 1989. The main change involved rounder, more compact bodies for better aero efficiency.

A few model changes also occurred. From the Daytona 500 through to the Pabst Blue Ribbon 400 at The Milwaukee Mile, Chevrolet continued using the old Monte Carlo SS, which lost the Aerocoupe moniker due to the Monte Carlos being rebuilt to stay competitive with the other rebodied cars. Starting with the Winston 500 at Talladega, the new Chevrolet Lumina debuted. Ricky Rudd’s #26 team for King Racing continued to use the old 1987 Buick LeSabre sheet metal at restrictor plate tracks due to being more aerodynamic than the current Buick Regal. All other Buick teams continued to use the normal Regal chassis at plate tracks. Stavola Brothers Racing tried to run a Buick Skyhawk, but decided to stick with the Regal.

Results

No.	Race	Pole Position	Winner	Make/Model
	Busch Clash	Ken Schrader	Tim Richmond	1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe
	Twin 125 Race 1	Ken Schrader	Ken Schrader	1989 Chrysler LeBaron
	Twin 125 Race 2	Darrell Waltrip	Terry Labonte	1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe
1	Daytona 500	Ken Schrader	Darrell Waltrip	1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe
2	Goodwrench 500	Rusty Wallace	Rusty Wallace	1989 Pontiac Grand Prix
3	Motorcraft Quality Parts 500	Alan Kulwicki	Darrell Waltrip	1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe
4	Pontiac Excitement 400	Geoff Bodine	Rusty Wallace	1989 Pontiac Grand Prix
5	TranSouth 500	Mark Martin	Harry Gant	1989 Chrysler LeBaron
6	Valleydale Meats 500	Mark Martin	Rusty Wallace	1989 Pontiac Grand Prix
7	First Union 400	Rusty Wallace	Dale Earnhardt	1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe
8	Pannill Sweatshirts 500	Geoff Bodine	Darrell Waltrip	1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe
9	Pabst Blue Ribbon 400	Dale Earnhardt	Kyle Petty	1989 Chrysler LeBaron
10	Winston 500	Mark Martin	Davey Allison	1989 Ford Thunderbird
11	Diet Coke 500	Neil Bonnett	Dale Earnhardt	1989 Chevrolet Lumina
	The Winston	Terry Labonte	Rusty Wallace	1989 Pontiac Grand Prix
12	Coca-Cola 600	Alan Kulwicki	Darrell Waltrip	1989 Chevrolet Lumina
13	Budweiser 500	Mark Martin	Dale Earnhardt	1989 Chevrolet Lumina
14	Banquet Frozen Foods 300	Rusty Wallace	Ricky Rudd	1989 Buick Regal
15	Miller High Life 500	Rusty Wallace	Terry Labonte	1989 Ford Thunderbird
16	Miller High Life 400	Tim Richmond	Bill Elliott	1989 Ford Thunderbird
17	Pepsi 400	Mark Martin	Davey Allison	1989 Ford Thunderbird
18	Denver Post 400	Geoff Bodine	Richard Petty	1989 Chrysler LeBaron
19	AC Spark Plug 500	Ken Schrader	Bill Elliott	1989 Ford Thunderbird
20	Talladega DieHard 500	Mark Martin	Terry Labonte	1989 Ford Thunderbird
21	Sprite 500	Ernie Irvan	Richard Petty	1989 Chrysler LeBaron
22	Budweiser at The Glen	Morgan Shepherd	Rusty Wallace	1989 Pontiac Grand Prix
23	Champion Spark Plug 400	Geoff Bodine	Rusty Wallace	1989 Pontiac Grand Prix
24	Busch 500	Alan Kulwicki	Darrell Waltrip	1989 Chevrolet Lumina
25	Heinz Southern 500	Alan Kulwicki	Dale Earnhardt	1989 Chevrolet Lumina
26	Miller High Life 400	Bill Elliott	Rusty Wallace	1989 Pontiac Grand Prix
27	Peak Performance 500	Davey Allison	Dale Earnhardt	1989 Chevrolet Lumina
28	Goody's 500	Dale Earnhardt	Neil Bonnett	1989 Ford Thunderbird
29	Mountain Dew 400	Tim Richmond	Rick Wilson	1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
30	All Pro Parts 500	Bill Elliott	Ken Schrader	1989 Chrysler LeBaron
31	Holly Farms 400	Dale Earnhardt	Geoff Bodine	1989 Chevrolet Lumina
32	AC Delco 500	Alan Kulwicki	Mark Martin	1989 Ford Thunderbird
33	Coor's 400	Neil Bonnett	Michael Waltrip	1989 Chrysler LeBaron
34	Autoworks 500	Ken Schrader	Bill Elliott	1989 Ford Thunderbird
35	Budweiser 400	Jimmy Spencer	Richard Petty	1989 Chrysler LeBaron
36	Atlanta Journal 500	Alan Kulwicki	Dale Earnhardt	1989 Chevrolet Lumina
37	Los Angeles Times 500	Dale Earnhardt	Davey Allison	1989 Ford Thunderbird

Cars Used in 1989

Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe (Daytona 500-Pabst Blue Ribbon 400)

Chevrolet Lumina (Winston 500-onward)

Pontiac Grand Prix (First year for this particular body)

Buick Regal

1987 Buick LeSabre (only used by Ricky Rudd at plate tracks)

Oldsmobile Cutlass

Ford Thunderbird

Chrysler LeBaron