| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 17 of 29 in the1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1991 DieHard 500 program cover, featuringRichard Petty. | |||
| Date | July 28, 1991 | ||
| Official name | 23rd Annual DieHard 500 | ||
| Location | Lincoln, Alabama,Talladega Superspeedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.66 miles (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 147.383 miles per hour (237.190 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 95,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
| Time | 49.853 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 101 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier,Ned Jarrett | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The1991 DieHard 500 was the 17thstock car race of the1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 23rd iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, July 28, 1991, before an audience of 95,000 inLincoln, Alabama atTalladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shapedsuperspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race,Richard Childress Racing driverDale Earnhardt would manage to fend off the field, leading the final 28 laps of the race to take his 51st careerNASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season.[1][2][3][4] To fill out the top three,Melling Racing driverBill Elliott andRoush Racing driverMark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known asAlabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is amotorsports complex located north ofTalladega, Alabama. It is located on the formerAnniston Air Force Base in the small city ofLincoln. The track is atri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by theInternational Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by theFrance family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts theNASCAR series such as theNASCAR Cup Series,Xfinity Series and theCamping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longestNASCAR oval, a 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like theDaytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) tri-oval.
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, July 24, at 4:30 PMEST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 15 drivers in the round would be 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 Friday, July 25, at 4:30 PMEST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 16-40 would be decided on time,[5] 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 provisionals were given. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.
Sterling Marlin, driving forJunior Johnson & Associates, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.853 and an average speed of 192.085 miles per hour (309.131 km/h) in the first round.[6][7]
Two drivers would fail to qualify.
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| Previous race: 1991 Miller Genuine Draft 500 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1991 season | Next race: 1991 Budweiser at The Glen |
