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The1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 41st season of professional stock car racing in theUnited States and the 18th modern-era Cup season. It began February 12 and ended November 19.Rusty Wallace ofBlue Max Racing won the championship. This was the first year that every Winston Cup race had flag to flag coverage, with almost all of them being televised live.

The 1989 season marked the end of the first of twotire wars betweenGoodyear andHoosier, with Hoosier leaving NASCAR shortly after Goodyear debuted their newradial tires.^[1]

TheBusch Clash, an annual invitational event for all winners of the Busch Pole award from the previous season, was held February 12 atDaytona International Speedway.Ken Schrader drew for the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 25-Ken Schrader
2. 28-Davey Allison
3. 11-Terry Labonte
4. 5-Geoff Bodine
5. 4-Rick Wilson
6. 27-Rusty Wallace
7. 6-Mark Martin
8. 17-Darrell Waltrip
9. 75-Morgan Shepherd
10. 66-Rick Mast

TheGatorade 125s, a pair of qualifying races for theDaytona 500, were held February 16 atDaytona International Speedway.Ken Schrader andDarrell Waltrip won the poles for each event, respectively.

Race One Top Ten Results

1. 25-Ken Schrader
2. 75-Morgan Shepherd
3. 6-Mark Martin
4. 55-Phil Parsons
5. 7-Alan Kulwicki
6. 66-Rick Mast
7. 9-Jody Ridley
8. 10-Ken Bouchard -1
9. 45-Joe Ruttman -1
10. 71-Dave Marcis -1

Race Two Top Ten Results

1. 11-Terry Labonte
2. 94-Sterling Marlin
3. 3-Dale Earnhardt
4. 5-Geoff Bodine
5. 33-Harry Gant
6. 16-Larry Pearson
7. 28-Davey Allison
8. 17-Darrell Waltrip -1
9. 15-Brett Bodine -1
10. 29-Dale Jarrett -1

• Jody Ridley substituted forBill Elliott, who injured his wrist in a practice crash.

TheDaytona 500 was held February 19.Ken Schrader won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 17-Darrell Waltrip
2. 25-Ken Schrader
3. 3-Dale Earnhardt
4. 5-Geoff Bodine
5. 55-Phil Parsons
6. 66-Rick Mast*
7. 7-Alan Kulwicki
8. 4-Rick Wilson
9. 11-Terry Labonte
10. 23-Eddie Bierschwale

• Darrell Waltrip stretched his fuel for 53 laps, and won the Daytona 500 for the first time in his career, after 17 tries.

TheGoodwrench 500 was held March 5 atNorth Carolina Motor Speedway.Rusty Wallace won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 27-Rusty Wallace
2. 7-Alan Kulwicki
3. 3-Dale Earnhardt
4. 5-Geoff Bodine
5. 6-Mark Martin
6. 28-Davey Allison
7. 94-Sterling Marlin
8. 83-Lake Speed
9. 88-Greg Sacks
10. 31-Jim Sauter

• Rusty Wallace became the first driver to claim theUnocal 76 Challenge. After one rollover, and bonus money added at the season ending banquet, Wallace received an additional $22,800 for winning from the pole.

TheMotorcraft Quality Parts 500 was held March 19 atAtlanta International Raceway. The No. 7 ofAlan Kulwicki won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 17-Darrell Waltrip
2. 3-Dale Earnhardt
3. 84-Dick Trickle
4. 42-Kyle Petty
5. 94-Sterling Marlin
6. 4-Rick Wilson
7. 21-Neil Bonnett
8. 57-Hut Stricklin
9. 29-Dale Jarrett
10. 75-Morgan Shepherd

Failed to qualify: #36-H. B. Baily, #69-Lee Raymond, #70-J. D. McDuffie,Rodney Combs,Rick Jeffrey

• Richard Petty was a factor among the leaders, and led 9 laps. But during a pit stop, the gas can leaked fuel onto the exhaust pipe, and started a bad pit fire. Crew member Robert Callicutt suffered second degree burns over 40% of his body and was hospitalized. Petty was forced to drop out of the race. The incident led to new rules regarding crew member fire protection, and newly designed gas can nozzles to prevent leakage. In addition, all pit road reporters for ABC and ESPN would be required to wear fire protected suits for future races telecast by either network.

ThePontiac Excitement 400 was held March 26 atRichmond International Raceway. The No. 5 ofGeoff Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 27-Rusty Wallace
2. 7-Alan Kulwicki
3. 3-Dale Earnhardt
4. 26-Ricky Rudd
5. 28-Davey Allison
6. 16-Larry Pearson
7. 17-Darrell Waltrip
8. 94-Sterling Marlin
9. 2-Ernie Irvan
10. 9-Bill Elliott

Failed to qualify: 43-Richard Petty

• This race was scheduled for the weekend after the Daytona 500 (February 26), but snow fell in Richmond and blanketed the Speedway. The race was postponed a month, and in subsequent seasons, the spring Richmond race was moved later and later into the season. It is one of the rare times a NASCAR race has been held onEaster Sunday, a weekend that has not had an originally scheduled NASCAR Cup race in the modern era.
• After qualifying for 513 consecutive races, Richard Petty failed to make the field for this race for the first time since the1971 Georgia 500. He wrecked his primary car during practice, and could not get the backup car up to speed. His consecutive starts record would stand until the 1996 First Union 400 whenTerry Labonte broke the record. Petty's failure to qualify would not be this isolated race however as he would fail to qualify for three additional races later in the season. This would eventually lead to the past champion's provisional being added for former Cup champions failing to qualify on speed or normal provisionals.

TheTranSouth 500 was held April 2 atDarlington Raceway.Mark Martin won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 33-Harry Gant
2. 28-Davey Allison
3. 5-Geoff Bodine
4. 6-Mark Martin
5. 94-Sterling Marlin
6. 9-Bill Elliott
7. 7-Alan Kulwicki
8. 27-Rusty Wallace
9. 30-Michael Waltrip
10. 83-Lake Speed

• This wasHarry Gant's first victory since the 1985 Holly Farms 400.

TheValleydale Meats 500 was held April 9 atBristol International Raceway.Mark Martin won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 27-Rusty Wallace
2. 17-Darrell Waltrip
3. 5-Geoff Bodine
4. 28-Davey Allison
5. 84-Dick Trickle
6. 6-Mark Martin
7. 88-Greg Sacks
8. 26-Ricky Rudd
9. 9-Bill Elliott
10. 33-Harry Gant

Failed to qualify: #40-Ben Hess, #43-Richard Petty, #52-Jimmy Means, #70-J. D. McDuffie, #71-Dave Marcis,Steve Seligman

• This would beGreg Sacks' best finish of 1989.
• This was the final NASCAR start for team ownerBuddy Arrington withBrad Teague as his final driver. Teague would finish 17th, 12 laps down to the winner.
• This race would set the all time caution record for the NASCAR Cup Series; this record would hold up for seventeen years before being beaten by the2005 Coca-Cola 600.

TheFirst Union 400 was held April 16 atNorth Wilkesboro Speedway.Rusty Wallace won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 3-Dale Earnhardt
2. 7-Alan Kulwicki
3. 6-Mark Martin
4. 84-Dick Trickle
5. 11-Terry Labonte
6. 26-Ricky Rudd
7. 5-Geoff Bodine
8. 17-Darrell Waltrip
9. 27-Rusty Wallace
10. 2-Ernie Irvan

Failed to qualify: 8-Bobby Hillin Jr., 43-Richard Petty, 55-Phil Parsons*, 70-J. D. McDuffie, 04-Bill Meacham,Jerry O'Neil,Kevin Evans,Mark Walbridge

• The race was notable forGoodyear debuting their newradial tires andDale Earnhardt winning the race with them.^[1]
• Phil Parsons' team purchased the No. 60 in this event in order to race. He finished 12th, 6 laps down.

ThePannill Sweatshirts 500 was held April 23 atMartinsville Speedway. The No. 5 ofGeoff Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 17-Darrell Waltrip
2. 3-Dale Earnhardt
3. 84-Dick Trickle
4. 4-Rick Wilson
5. 11-Terry Labonte
6. 6-Mark Martin
7. 25-Ken Schrader
8. 94-Sterling Marlin
9. 71-Dave Marcis
10. 21-Neil Bonnett

• This would mark the final race as well as race victory for the olderChevrolet Monte Carlo body style. The newChevrolet Lumina would debut the next week atTalladega Superspeedway.

TheWinston 500 was held May 7 atAlabama International Motor Speedway.Mark Martin won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 28-Davey Allison
2. 11-Terry Labonte
3. 6-Mark Martin
4. 75-Morgan Shepherd
5. 17-Darrell Waltrip
6. 25-Ken Schrader
7. 33-Harry Gant
8. 3-Dale Earnhardt
9. 21-Neil Bonnett
10. 27-Rusty Wallace

• This was the first race for the newChevrolet Lumina race car.
• This race marked the end of the first tire war, asHoosier Racing Tire left NASCAR when they could not sell enough tires to be economically viable. Hoosier returned to the Winston Cup Series in 1994, but left for good after that season.^[2][3]
• This wasRobert Yates Racing's first race victory.
• Derrike Cope brings his Purolator sponsorship to the Bob Whitcomb team as their new driver. He was involved in the race's final caution inThe Big One crashing out of the race, finishing 30th.

The Winston, an annual all-star race for previous winners and champions along with the winner of the same day Winston Open, was held May 21 atCharlotte Motor Speedway. The No. 11 ofTerry Labonte won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 27-Rusty Wallace
2. 25-Ken Schrader
3. 3-Dale Earnhardt
4. 9-Bill Elliott
5. 7-Alan Kulwicki
6. 94-Sterling Marlin (Winston Open Winner)
7. 17-Darrell Waltrip
8. 26-Ricky Rudd
9. 5-Geoff Bodine
10. 88-Greg Sacks

• Rusty Wallace spunDarrell Waltrip out of the lead coming to the white flag to earn the victory. This sparked a fight between Wallace and Waltrip's crew members in the pits before Wallace got to victory lane.

TheCoca-Cola 600 was held May 28 atCharlotte Motor Speedway. The No. 7 ofAlan Kulwicki won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 17-Darrell Waltrip
2. 94-Sterling Marlin
3. 25-Ken Schrader
4. 5-Geoff Bodine
5. 9-Bill Elliott
6. 6-Mark Martin
7. 21-Neil Bonnett
8. 15-Brett Bodine
9. 8-Bobby Hillin Jr.
10. 26-Ricky Rudd

• By winning the Daytona 500 earlier in the season, and now the Coca-Cola 600, Waltrip secured a $100,000 bonus for winning two of theWinston Million races, and put himself in position to win the Winston Million later in the season at Darlington.
• Kyle Petty drives the number 42 Peak Antifreeze Chevrolet Monte Carlo owned by Rick Hendrick in this race due to Kyle destroying the only car his regular owner Felix Sabates had during the previous weekend on lap 3 of The Winston. He would finish 17th, 8 laps down to the winner.^[4]
• Darrell Waltrip, who won the final race with the olderChevrolet Monte Carlo body style at Martinsville a month earlier, became the first driver to take theLumina that replaced it to Victory Lane.

TheBudweiser 500 was held June 4 atDover Downs International Speedway.Mark Martin won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 3-Dale Earnhardt
2. 6-Mark Martin
3. 25-Ken Schrader
4. 11-Terry Labonte
5. 27-Rusty Wallace
6. 26-Ricky Rudd
7. 21-Neil Bonnett
8. 9-Bill Elliott
9. 17-Darrell Waltrip
10. 55-Phil Parsons

• This race marked the debut ofJimmy Spencer in the NASCAR Cup Series driving Buddy Baker's number 88. However it was short lived as he would finish 34th only completing 75 laps due to engine failure.^[5]

The inauguralBanquet Frozen Foods 300 was held June 11 atSears Point Raceway.Rusty Wallace won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 26-Ricky Rudd
2. 27-Rusty Wallace
3. 9-Bill Elliott
4. 3-Dale Earnhardt
5. 83-Lake Speed
6. 88-Joe Ruttman
7. 75-Morgan Shepherd
8. 4-Rick Wilson
9. 28-Davey Allison
10. 30-Michael Waltrip

• Mark Martin actually rolled his car during the race due to an error by a new tire changer (only two of the five lug nuts were properly fastened on the car). Right after the car left the pits, the right rear came off, the car spun, hit the tire barrier and rolled onto its roof. However, he came back to finish the race in 31st, 5 laps down.
• This would be Buick's penultimate victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.

TheMiller High Life 500 was held June 18 atPocono International Raceway. The No. 27 ofRusty Wallace won the pole. This race was one of the few races telecast onPay Per View.

Top Ten Results

1. 11-Terry Labonte
2. 33-Harry Gant
3. 3-Dale Earnhardt
4. 25-Ken Schrader
5. 75-Morgan Shepherd
6. 94-Sterling Marlin
7. 29-Dale Jarrett
8. 21-Neil Bonnett
9. 16-Larry Pearson
10. 15-Brett Bodine

• This was the first victory for Junior Johnson's team using a Ford since the1969 American 500 at Rockingham.

TheMiller High Life 400 was held June 25 atMichigan International Speedway. The No. 25 ofKen Schrader won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 9-Bill Elliott
2. 27-Rusty Wallace
3. 17-Darrell Waltrip
4. 26-Ricky Rudd
5. 15-Brett Bodine
6. 4-Rick Wilson
7. 83-Lake Speed
8. 94-Sterling Marlin
9. 10-Derrike Cope
10. 42-Kyle Petty

ThePepsi 400 was held July 1 atDaytona International Speedway. The No. 6 ofMark Martin won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 28-Davey Allison
2. 75-Morgan Shepherd
3. 55-Phil Parsons
4. 9-Bill Elliott
5. 7-Alan Kulwicki
6. 11-Terry Labonte
7. 94-Sterling Marlin
8. 84-Dick Trickle
9. 26-Ricky Rudd
10. 57-Hut Stricklin

• This was first time thePepsi 400 was aired on ESPN. The race was shown flag-to-flag, but on same-day tape delay. Previously, the Pepsi/Firecracker 400 was aired as part ofABC's Wide World of Sports and only highlights of the race would air.
• This race featured a rollover crash involving the No. 83 ofLake Speed on lap 144.

TheAC Spark Plug 500 was held on July 23 atPocono International Raceway.Ken Schrader won the pole.

Top Ten Finishers

1. 9-Bill Elliott
2. 27-Rusty Wallace
3. 6-Mark Martin
4. 17-Darrell Waltrip
5. 28-Davey Allison
6. 33-Harry Gant
7. 25-Ken Schrader
8. 75-Morgan Shepherd
9. 3-Dale Earnhardt
10. 15-Brett Bodine

• This race was notable for two wrecks that tore open portions of the track'sboilerplate walls.Jimmy Horton crashed in Turn Two and tore open a hole in the wall. Later a big wreck erupted in Turn One involvingGreg Sacks in the Tom Winkle No. 48 and the No. 83 ofLake Speed. The two cars got together going into Turn One and smashed into theboilerplate wall head-on. The hit punched open the wall and sent Sacks flipping. The yellow remained out for the duration of time needed to repair the wall. Speed broke his shoulder in the crash and had to sit out for a couple weeks.
• Elliott cut a tire on the opening lap but rallied to take the lead from Wallace in the final ten laps. The win tied Elliott withTim Richmond for most wins at Pocono. Richmond, battling illness, was the subject of a short retrospective piece on theESPN telecast and former Richmond crew chiefsBarry Dodson andHarry Hyde were interviewed on-air about him.

TheTalladega DieHard 500 was held July 30 atAlabama International Motor Speedway.Mark Martin won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 11-Terry Labonte
2. 17-Darrell Waltrip
3. 6-Mark Martin
4. 25-Ken Schrader
5. 4-Rick Wilson
6. 75-Morgan Shepherd
7. 42-Kyle Petty
8. 33-Harry Gant
9. 28-Davey Allison
10. 21-Neil Bonnett

• Joe Ruttman substituted forLake Speed in the No. 83, and crashed spectacularly on lap 145. Ruttman hit the wall nearly head-on and almost got on his side as a result.
• This would be Labontes final win with the Junior Johnson team. Labonte would not win again in the Cup series until1994.

TheBudweiser at the Glen was held August 13 atWatkins Glen International.Morgan Shepherd won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 27-Rusty Wallace
2. 6-Mark Martin
3. 3-Dale Earnhardt
4. 28-Davey Allison
5. 8-Bobby Hillin Jr.
6. 75-Morgan Shepherd
7. 94-Sterling Marlin
8. 4-Rick Wilson
9. 44-Jim Sauter
10. 30-Michael Waltrip

• Eddie Bierschwale was the substitute driver in the No. 83 forLake Speed, who was still recovering from his shoulder injury at Pocono. He finished 38th.
• This race is notable for a big wreck on lap 89 involving the No. 5 ofGeoff Bodine. Bodine lost a tire at the end of the backstraight, spun around and went through the barrier and hitting a fence behind the barrier (more or less marking off the property line of Watkins Glen International's land). Bodine was uninjured.
• Also on this day,Tim Richmond who had a long battle withAIDS, died earlier in the day.
• Wallace's victory snapped a five-race winning streak forFord.
• Late in the race,ESPN showedTom Cruise meeting withRick Hendrick and members of that team as part of his preparation to play Cole Trickle in the 1990 filmDays of Thunder.
• This race would be Jim Sauter's final Top 10 finish, with Sauter's 9th place finish tying his finish at the1987 Coca-Cola 600 for the best of his career.

TheChampion Spark Plug 400 was held August 20 atMichigan International Speedway.Geoff Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 27-Rusty Wallace
2. 75-Morgan Shepherd
3. 33-Harry Gant
4. 57-Hut Stricklin
5. 5-Geoff Bodine
6. 10-Derrike Cope
7. 28-Davey Allison
8. 26-Ricky Rudd
9. 6-Mark Martin
10. 7-Alan Kulwicki

TheBusch 500 was held August 26 atBristol International Raceway.Alan Kulwicki won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 17-Darrell Waltrip
2. 7-Alan Kulwicki
3. 26-Ricky Rudd
4. 33-Harry Gant
5. 11-Terry Labonte
6. 27-Rusty Wallace
7. 8-Bobby Hillin Jr.
8. 88-Jimmy Spencer
9. 21-Neil Bonnett
10. 29-Dale Jarrett

Failed to qualify: 43-Richard Petty

• This was the fourth race that Petty failed to qualify. In response to fan complaints about Petty missing several races, NASCAR introduced the past champion's provisional in 1991.^[6][7]
• Fortunately, this would be the last DNQ for Richard Petty before his retirement in 1992.

TheHeinz Southern 500 was held September 3 atDarlington Raceway. The No. 7 ofAlan Kulwicki won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 3-Dale Earnhardt
2. 6-Mark Martin
3. 26-Ricky Rudd
4. 27-Rusty Wallace
5. 25-Ken Schrader
6. 33-Harry Gant
7. 9-Bill Elliott
8. 8-Bobby Hillin Jr.
9. 75-Morgan Shepherd
10. 94-Sterling Marlin

• Darrell Waltrip had a chance to win theWinston Million at Darlington, but hit the wall early in the race and finished 22nd.
• Rodney Combs replacedJoe Ruttman asLake Speed's substitute driver in the No. 83 at Darlington. He finished 23rd.

TheMiller High Life 400 was held September 10 atRichmond International Raceway. The No. 9 ofBill Elliott won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 27-Rusty Wallace
2. 3-Dale Earnhardt
3. 5-Geoff Bodine
4. 26-Ricky Rudd
5. 33-Harry Gant
6. 17-Darrell Waltrip
7. 21-Neil Bonnett
8. 84-Dick Trickle
9. 57-Hut Stricklin
10. 28-Davey Allison

• Lake Speed returned to the No. 83 at Richmond after sitting out 5 races due to injury.
• Lennie Pond retired after this race.

ThePeak Performance 500 was held September 17 atDover Downs International Speedway. The No. 28 ofDavey Allison won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 3-Dale Earnhardt
2. 6-Mark Martin
3. 25-Ken Schrader
4. 9-Bill Elliott
5. 26-Ricky Rudd
6. 30-Michael Waltrip
7. 27-Rusty Wallace
8. 10-Derrike Cope
9. 15-Brett Bodine
10. 88-Jimmy Spencer

• The race was red-flagged briefly because of a crash involvingNeil Bonnett. Bonnett, who broke hissternum in the incident, was forced to sit out the next three races. The reason for the delay was to clear the track to allow for an ambulance to transport Bonnett out of the speedway to a local hospital.

TheGoody's 500 was held September 24 atMartinsville Speedway.Dale Earnhardt started on the pole, which was actually won byJimmy Hensley (as a substitute driver) as Earnhardt and others could not reach the track in time due toHurricane Hugo, which affected the area.

Top Ten Results

1. 17-Darrell Waltrip
2. 33-Harry Gant
3. 84-Dick Trickle
4. 27-Rusty Wallace
5. 29-Dale Jarrett
6. 2-Ernie Irvan
7. 15-Brett Bodine
8. 26-Ricky Rudd
9. 3-Dale Earnhardt
10. 25-Ken Schrader

• Tommy Ellis substituted forNeil Bonnett in the No. 21 in this race, and the next 2 events in Charlotte and North Wilkesboro.
• This would beDarrell Waltrip's last Cup Series win withHendrick Motorsports

TheAll Pro Auto Parts 500 was held October 8 atCharlotte Motor Speedway.Bill Elliott won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 25-Ken Schrader
2. 33-Harry Gant
3. 6-Mark Martin
4. 9-Bill Elliott
5. 28-Davey Allison
6. 10-Derrike Cope
7. 94-Sterling Marlin
8. 27-Rusty Wallace -1
9. 8-Bobby Hillin Jr. -2
10. 75-Morgan Shepherd -2

Failed to qualify: 14-A. J. Foyt*

• Foyt was involved in a practice crash where he suffered a significantconcussion which kept him from attempting to qualify.
• Dale Earnhardt lost the points lead in this race when the camshaft in his No. 3 Chevrolet broke in the 13th lap, and he dropped out.

TheHolly Farms 400 atNorth Wilkesboro Speedway was originally scheduled for October 1, but rain forced the race to be postponed to October 15. Rain also cancelled qualifying soDale Earnhardt who was leading the points at the time qualifying was cancelled on September 30 was awarded the pole per the current owners points at that time.

Top Ten Results

1. 5-Geoff Bodine
2. 6-Mark Martin
3. 11-Terry Labonte
4. 33-Harry Gant
5. 75-Morgan Shepherd
6. 9-Bill Elliott
7. 27-Rusty Wallace
8. 2-Ernie Irvan
9. 26-Ricky Rudd
10. 3-Dale Earnhardt

• This race was notable for the race for the win between Earnhardt andRicky Rudd. On the last lap, Earnhardt and Rudd touched in turn 1, spinning both cars out. This allowedGeoff Bodine to slip by and win the race, and allowedRusty Wallace to gain points on Earnhardt for the championship hunt.
• This was Bodine's first win since the 1988Miller High Life 500 atPocono. Bodine led only the final lap of the race whileDale Earnhardt dominated, leading 343 of the 400 laps. This was alsoGeoff Bodine's final win in aChevrolet and withHendrick Motorsports. Geoff would leave the #5Levi GarrettChevrolet Lumina to go drive the #11BudweiserFord Thunderbird for the next 2 years (1990-1991) withJunior Johnson & Associates.
• A rare father-and-son crash knocked bothRichard Petty and sonKyle out of the race, with Richard finishing 32nd (last); the 15th and final last-place finish for "the King". Kyle ended the afternoon in 31st place.

TheAC Delco 500 was held October 22 atNorth Carolina Motor Speedway.Alan Kulwicki won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 6-Mark Martin*
2. 27-Rusty Wallace
3. 17-Darrell Waltrip
4. 25-Ken Schrader
5. 84-Dick Trickle
6. 21-Neil Bonnett*
7. 5-Geoff Bodine
8. 8-Bobby Hillin Jr.
9. 7-Alan Kulwicki
10. 42-Kyle Petty

• This was Martin's first career Winston Cup victory.
• This was Bonnett's first race back from his sternum injury that he suffered at Dover.

TheAutoworks 500 was held November 5 atPhoenix International Raceway.Ken Schrader won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 9-Bill Elliott
2. 11-Terry Labonte
3. 6-Mark Martin
4. 17-Darrell Waltrip
5. 29-Dale Jarrett
6. 3-Dale Earnhardt
7. 84-Dick Trickle
8. 33-Harry Gant
9. 30-Michael Waltrip
10. 88-Jimmy Spencer

Failed to qualify: 18-Tommy Ellis, 41-Danny Lawson, 89-Bob Howard, 35-Keith van Houten, 07-Mark Walbridge, 44-Jack Sellers, 19-Robert Sprague, 24-Butch Gilliland, 22-St. James Davis, 80-Bob Walker, 08-Rick McCray, 99-John Krebs, 38-Duke Hoenshell, 04-Hershel McGriff, 50-Rick Scribner^[8]

• Two cars entered byHendrick Motorsports (the No. 46 CityChevrolet driven byGreg Sacks and the No. 51Exxon Chevrolet driven byBobby Hamilton) were entered to get in-race footage for the 1990 filmDays of Thunder. Hamilton actually led the race with 100 laps to go (in his first career start) before the engine blew. A third movie car (the No. 18Hardee's Chevrolet driven by Tommy Ellis) failed to make the race.

TheAtlanta Journal 500 was held November 19 atAtlanta Motor Speedway. The No. 7 ofAlan Kulwicki won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 3-Dale Earnhardt
2. 5-Geoff Bodine
3. 94-Sterling Marlin
4. 25-Ken Schrader
5. 17-Darrell Waltrip
6. 42-Kyle Petty
7. 8-Bobby Hillin Jr.
8. 75-Morgan Shepherd
9. 21-Neil Bonnett
10. 83-Lake Speed

• Three drivers entered the race mathematically eligible for the Winston Cup championship.Rusty Wallace had a 78-point lead overMark Martin, and a 79-point lead over third-placeDale Earnhardt. Wallace had to finish 18th or better to clinch the title, but went into the race proclaiming he was going to 'run as hard as he could.' The statement was seen as a thinly veiled criticism ofBill Elliott whom Wallace lost the championship to a year earlier, in a similar situation. In that year, Elliott elected to drive a very conservative race, easily clinching the title, much to the ire of the hard-charging Wallace. Dale Earnhardt qualified 3rd, Wallace qualified 4th, but Martin would start back in 20th.^[9]
• Despite his plan to race all-out, Wallace encountered problems that complicated his day. On the first round of pit stops, he pitted under green but lost a lap when the caution came out shortly thereafter. Later, he suffered a flat tire and fell all the way back to the 33rd position. Wallace slowly and steadily worked his way back up the standings.Dale Earnhardt, meanwhile, dominated the race leading 294 of the 328 laps en route to victory.Mark Martin, the other driver in the mix for the championship did not end up being a factor. He dropped out on lap 224 with a blown engine that resulted in a fire. In the closing laps, Wallace was three laps down in 15th place, just barely holding on to the hypothetical points lead. Wallace managed to finish the race in 15th, and won the Winston Cup championship by a mere 12 points over Earnhardt.^[10] It was Wallace's first and only Winston Cup championship, and the first championship in the modern era forPontiac.
• On lap 203,Grant Adcox struck the wall and suffered a heart attack and severe head injuries. Adcox died shortly after the accident.
• Final career top 10 forNeil Bonnett.

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time.Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led.

Dick Trickle was named the 1989 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, despite entering the competition in the second week of the season, replacingMike Alexander atStavola Brothers Racing. The top runner-up was former Dash championHut Stricklin, driving for returning car ownerRod Osterlund. Two-time Busch championLarry Pearson and former modified driverJimmy Spencer were the only other candidates to make a full schedule, asRick Mast,Ben Hess,Chad Little,Butch Miller, andMickey Gibbs all ran part-time.

• 1989 NASCAR Busch Series
• 1989 NASCAR Winston West Series

• Winston Cup Standings and Statistics for 1989Archived 2009-04-04 at theWayback Machine

• 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
• NASCAR Cup Series seasons

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles needing additional references from March 2016
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