Winston 500
The Winston 500 was held May 3 at Alabama International Motor Speedway. Bill Elliott won the pole at a record speed of 212.809 mph (44.998 seconds), a record that still stands today and will likely never be broken. But the race was also remembered for a near-tragedy early when Bobby Allison flew into the fence and nearly landed in the frontstretch grandstands. Though Allison was not injured, a female fan lost an eye as a result of being struck by debris. Eventually this crash would lead to the introduction of restrictor plates in 1988.
Top Ten Results
- 28-Davey Allison*
- 11-Terry Labonte
- 21-Kyle Petty
- 3-Dale Earnhardt
- 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr.
- 27-Rusty Wallace
- 75-Neil Bonnett
- 90-Ken Schrader
- 83-Lake Speed
- 26-Morgan Shepherd
- This was the last Winston Cup race at Daytona or Talladega to be run unrestricted with normal engine configurations.
- This was Davey Allison's first career Winston Cup victory, in only his 13th career start.
- The race was shortened to 178 laps due to darkness. This was as a result of the red flag that lasted about 2 and a half hours to repair the catch fence after Bobby Allison's crash.
Read more about this topic: 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series