Official name Peak AntiFreeze 500 | ||
 | ||
Date September 16, 1990 (1990-September-16) Course Permanent racing facility1.000 mi (1.609 km) Distance 500 laps, 500.0 mi (804.6 km) Weather Mild with temperatures reaching up to 71.1 °F (21.7 °C); wind speeds approaching 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) | ||
The 1990 Peak AntiFreeze 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 16, 1990, at Dover Downs International Speedway in Dover, Delaware.
Contents
Phoenix Racing would make their "maiden voyage" into the NASCAR Cup Series; with veteran wheelman Jeff Purvis dominating the decision-making throughout the event. After suffering from shoulder injury in practice, Lake Speed would be replaced by Tommy Ellis.
Background
Dover Downs International Speedway, now called Dover International Speedway, is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway. The NASCAR race makes use of the track's standard configuration, a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mile (1.6 km) long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, and both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the backstretch are banked at nine degrees.
Summary
Bill Elliott managed to defeat Mark Martin (who would maintain the championship points lead after this race) by less than 1.4 seconds in front of 74,000 spectators. Elliott would earn the pole position by qualifying at a speed of 144.928 miles per hour (233.239 km/h) while the average race speed was 125.945 miles per hour (202.689 km/h). J.D. McDuffie would make his final last-place finish before being killed at the 1991 Budweiser at The Glen race (which took place at Watkins Glen International). The only driver that failed to qualify was Kerry Teague.
Six cautions were handed out for 29 laps. The prize winnings for each driver varied from a then-incredible $83,100 ($152,335.89 when inflation is taken into account) to a meager $2,650 ($4,857.88 when inflation is taken into account). This would become the last Last ESPN race at Dover until the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
Tommy Riggins and Jerry Hufflin would retire from the Winston Cup Series after this race. Bobby Wawak would also make his NASCAR exit as an owner after this racing event.