The 1987 Holly Farms 400 was the 25th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 4, 1987, before an audience of 32,500 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete.

1987 Holly Farms 400
Race details
Race 25 of 29 in the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1987 Holly Farms 400 program cover, featuring Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson.
The 1987 Holly Farms 400 program cover, featuring Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson.
Date October 4, 1987
Official name 38th Annual Holly Farms 400
Location North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
0.625 mi (1.006 km)
Distance 400 laps, 250 mi (402.336 km)
Scheduled Distance 400 laps, 250 mi (402.336 km)
Average speed 96.051 miles per hour (154.579 km/h)
Attendance 32,500
Pole position
Driver Melling Racing
Time 19.532
Most laps led
Driver Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates
Laps 207
Winner
No. 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Jerry Punch
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

With the help of a final fast pit stop late in the race, Junior Johnson & Associates' Terry Labonte managed to pull away from second-place Dale Earnhardt, completing a dominant run where Labonte led the final 207 laps. The victory was Labonte's eighth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2]

Heading into the next four races of the season, Dale Earnhardt, who at this point had a 573 point lead in the driver's championship over Bill Elliott, was slated as the lock-in for the championship, only needing a 40th or better place finish in the next four races to clinch the championship.[2]

Background

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The layout of North Wilkesboro Speedway, the venue where the race was held

North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about five miles east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures 0.625 mi (1.006 km) and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch. It has previously held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's original closure in 1996. The speedway briefly reopened in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races before closing again in the spring of 2011. It was re-opened in August 2022 for grassroots racing.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
02 Jed Doggett Doggett Racing Pontiac Doggett Racing
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Wrangler
04 Clark James James Racing Pontiac James Racing
5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Levi Garrett
6 Ernie Irvan U.S. Racing Chevrolet U.S. Racing
7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford Zerex
8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller American
9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford Coors
11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet Budweiser
12 Larry Pollard Hamby Racing Chevrolet Hamby Racing
15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford Motorcraft Quality Parts
17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Tide
18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet Coats & Clark
21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller American
26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick Quaker State
27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac Kodiak
28 Davey Allison (R) Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet All Pro Auto Parts
33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Folgers Decaf
36 Joe Dan Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac Almeda Auto Parts
38 Ronnie Adams Adams Racing Chevrolet Adams Racing
41 Ronnie Thomas Ronnie Thomas Racing Chevrolet Busch Enterprises
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Piedmont Airlines
46 Glenn Moffat Moffat Racing Chevrolet Moffat Racing
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Eureka
54 Kevin Evans Gray Racing Chevrolet Gray Racing
55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile Skoal Classic
62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac AC Spark Plug
64 Rodney Combs[a] Langley Racing Ford Sunny King Ford
67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford Pannill Sweatshirts
70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac Rumple Furniture
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Lifebuoy
75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac Valvoline
76 Hut Stricklin Jaehne Motorsports Oldsmobile Jaehne Motorsports
76 Graham Taylor Betty Taylor Racing Ford Betty Taylor Racing
81 Larry Caudill[b] Fillip Racing Ford Fillip Racing
85 Bobby Gerhart Bobby Gerhart Racing Chevrolet J. Omar Landis Enterprises
88 Brandon Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Chevrolet Crisco
90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford Red Baron Frozen Pizza
97 D. Wayne Strout Strout Racing Oldsmobile Strout Racing
98 Lynn Gibson Gibson Racing Pontiac Gibson Racing

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, October 2, at 4:30 PM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 10 drivers in the round were guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, October 3, at 12:15 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 11-30 were decided on time,[3] and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; up to two were given.

Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 19.532 and an average speed of 115.196 miles per hour (185.390 km/h) in the first round.[4]

12 drivers failed to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 19.532 115.196
2 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.565 115.001
3 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.585 114.884
4 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 19.597 114.813
5 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 19.598 114.808
6 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 19.659 114.451
7 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 19.696 114.236
8 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 19.727 114.057
9 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 19.741 113.976
10 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 19.745 113.953
Failed to lock in Round 1
11 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 19.719 114.103
12 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 19.759 113.872
13 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 19.784 113.728
14 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 19.791 113.688
15 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 19.801 113.631
16 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 19.821 113.516
17 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 19.837 113.424
18 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.852 113.339
19 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 19.858 113.304
20 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 19.858 113.304
21 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 19.870 113.236
22 28 Davey Allison Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 19.883 113.162
23 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 19.894 113.099
24 76 Hut Stricklin Jaehne Motorsports Oldsmobile 19.975 112.641
25 6 Ernie Irvan U.S. Racing Chevrolet 20.007 112.461
26 12 Larry Pollard Hamby Racing Chevrolet 20.015 112.416
27 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 20.035 112.303
28 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 20.048 112.231
29 81 Larry Caudill Fillip Racing Ford 20.073 112.091
30 41 Ronnie Thomas Ronnie Thomas Racing Chevrolet 20.080 112.052
Provisionals
31 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 20.080 112.052
32 64 Trevor Boys Langley Racing Ford 20.097 111.957
Failed to qualify
33 85 Bobby Gerhart Bobby Gerhart Racing Chevrolet 20.193 111.425
34 04 Clark James James Racing Pontiac 20.293 110.876
35 54 Kevin Evans Gray Racing Chevrolet 20.316 110.750
36 36 Joe Dan Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac 20.364 110.489
37 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 20.484 109.842
38 97 D. Wayne Strout Strout Racing Oldsmobile 20.518 109.660
39 38 Ronnie Adams Adams Racing Chevrolet 20.959 107.352
40 88 Brandon Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Chevrolet 21.023 107.026
41 98 Lynn Gibson Gibson Racing Pontiac 21.188 106.192
42 76 Graham Taylor Betty Taylor Racing Ford 21.202 106.122
43 46 Glenn Moffat Moffat Racing Chevrolet 21.329 105.490
44 02 Jed Doggett Doggett Racing Pontiac - -
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 4 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 400 207 running 185 $45,575
2 10 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 137 running 175 $26,950
3 1 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 399 39 running 170 $25,450
4 9 26 Morgan Shepherd King Racing Buick 398 0 running 160 $11,205
5 18 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 398 11 running 160 $11,975
6 11 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 398 0 running 150 $9,425
7 5 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 398 0 running 146 $9,305
8 27 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 397 0 running 142 $7,980
9 19 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 397 0 running 138 $5,310
10 20 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 397 0 running 134 $9,975
11 15 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 397 0 running 130 $4,995
12 2 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 397 0 running 127 $3,325
13 12 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 397 0 running 124 $8,720
14 17 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 397 0 running 121 $2,565
15 6 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 396 0 running 118 $4,910
16 7 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Chevrolet 395 0 running 115 $4,355
17 8 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 394 0 running 112 $7,170
18 14 18 Dale Jarrett (R) Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 394 0 running 109 $4,995
19 3 35 Benny Parsons Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 394 0 running 106 $9,320
20 16 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 393 0 running 103 $4,610
21 28 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 389 0 running 100 $3,830
22 25 6 Ernie Irvan U.S. Racing Chevrolet 387 0 running 0 $3,515
23 26 12 Larry Pollard Hamby Racing Chevrolet 386 0 running 0 $3,480
24 32 64 Trevor Boys Langley Racing Ford 386 0 running 0 $3,445
25 30 41 Ronnie Thomas Ronnie Thomas Racing Chevrolet 381 0 running 88 $1,300
26 22 28 Davey Allison Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 367 0 running 85 $1,175
27 13 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 265 0 engine 82 $3,410
28 24 76 Hut Stricklin Jaehne Motorsports Oldsmobile 207 0 crash 79 $1,925
29 31 62 Steve Christman (R) Winkle Motorsports Pontiac 202 0 engine 76 $1,100
30 21 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 198 6 engine 78 $2,625
31 23 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 24 0 differential 70 $2,575
32 29 81 Slick Johnson Fillip Racing Ford 11 0 engine 0 $1,125
Failed to qualify
33 85 Bobby Gerhart Bobby Gerhart Racing Chevrolet
34 04 Clark James James Racing Pontiac
35 54 Kevin Evans Gray Racing Chevrolet
36 36 Joe Dan Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac
37 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac
38 97 D. Wayne Strout Strout Racing Oldsmobile
39 38 Ronnie Adams Adams Racing Chevrolet
40 88 Brandon Baker Baker–Schiff Racing Chevrolet
41 98 Lynn Gibson Gibson Racing Pontiac
42 76 Graham Taylor Betty Taylor Racing Ford
43 46 Glenn Moffat Moffat Racing Chevrolet
44 02 Jed Doggett Doggett Racing Pontiac
Official race results

Standings after the race

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Notes

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  1. ^ For unknown reasons, driver changed to Trevor Boys.
  2. ^ For unknown reasons, driver changed to Slick Johnson.

References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (October 5, 1987). "Cool Labonte Ices Win At North Wilkesboro". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 7B. Retrieved November 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ a b Mulhurn, Mike (October 5, 1987). "Labonte, Johnson End Winless Streaks". Winston-Salem Journal. pp. 11, 13. Retrieved November 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. October 2, 1987. pp. 5B. Retrieved November 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Higgins, Tom (October 3, 1988). "Elliott Zips To 7th Pole". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1C, 7C. Retrieved November 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  


Previous race:
1987 Goody's 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1987 season
Next race:
1987 Oakwood Homes 500