Why is it as soon as I read the name of this race, that Steve Winwood song wouldn’t get out of my head?
Initially I thought this might be the same Richmond race they aired on FOX in the early days of the initial COVID outbreak but, in spoiling the ending for myself (don’t worry, I won’t spoil it here), this isn’t the same race.
Kulwicki wrecked last week and Earnhardt wrecked the day before but the two are here running first and second, with Harry Gant in third. Earnhardt is right on Kulwicki’s bumper and I keep expecting a little bump and run on a short track like Richmond.
Schrader cuts a tire and has to pit. Wow! Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in 1987 looks a lot different than Richmond Raceway looks in 2020. Wasn’t Paul Heyman leading a company that was going to help market this track (obviously a lot closer to 2020 than 1987)?
Earnhardt tries to move Kulwicki but ends up spinning out. Oh wait, sorry it looks like Earnhardt might have been trying to go below Kulwicki, Kulwicki blocked and Earnhardt got turned around. No caution and so Earnhardt is way back in the field.
Ken Squier is doing the lead commentator as this race was aired on WTBS. I wonder if there were any commercials during the previous evening’s NWA World Championship Wrestling at 6:05 p.m. (Hey! It could happen!)
As Terry Labonte and Phil Parsons (and others) pit due to tire issues, Kulwicki is putting several cars a lap down. Meanwhile, Earnhardt is trying to get back to the front.
Battle for third sees Geoff Bodine (#5) and Darrell Waltrip (#17). Hmm…that could be an awkward Monday team meeting at Hendrick Motorsports. After they show highlights of qualifying, we see that Harry Gant has caught up to Alan Kulwicki after 38 laps.
As the leaders hit lap traffic including Phil Parsons, Gant tries to go low to try and make way around Kulwicki but can’t seem to make it. Ken Schrader, meanwhile, races to stay on the lead lap.
By Lap 68, Gant uses that lap traffic of Ken Schrader to box in Kulwicki, throws the block and gets the lead. Meanwhile, Earnhardt gets past Michael Waltrip and moves to pass Dave Marcis, about a half straightway from the leaders. He passes Tommy Ellis, Ricky Rudd and others to break back into the Top 10.
Earnhardt is not done yet, as he gets past Rusty Wallace and Bill Elliott. Meanwhile, at 84 laps, the tires are going away on Alan Kulwicki’s car. A lot of drivers’ cars are starting to lose their handling, except for Darrell Waltrip. Ken Squier talks about how the previous year’s race had multiple cautions by this point and a lot of drivers would love an opportunity to pit.
After 100 laps, Waltrip’s handling is paying off as he is into third, with Geoff Bodine in fourth. The King Richard Petty who dented the right rear of his car is running just ahead of leader Harry Gant. Bobby Allison still runs fifth and Earnhardt remains behind him so after charging through the field passing cars left and right (literally), Earnhardt has stalled out.
The battle for fifth has been going on for quite a while. Rusty Wallace, meanwhile, starts creeping into the picture. Back up front, Gant is being challenged not just by Kulwicki but by Waltrip and Bodine.
As far as the big picture, Elliott and Earnhardt are tied for the lead in terms of championship points. Apparently, Richmond should have been the second stop of the 1987 season but snow delayed the race until today.
And the first caution finally falls at Lap 113 as Eddie Bierschwale spins on the front straight away. While Michael Waltrip has to stop, no one gets caught up in the wreck.
The field finally gets a chance to come down pit row for tires, etc. Bobby Allison leads the field back to green, with Harry Gant in second, Darrell Waltrip in third and Earnhardt up to fourth. Squier discusses the finish to the 1986 version of this race, in which Earnhardt wrecked Waltrip but took himself and others out in the process, allowing Kyle Petty to get his first career win. (And that was the race FOX carried earlier this year!)
As Earnhardt tries to pass Gant for second, the #33 car spins and gets into the fence. Gant is able to continue but is probably not too happy with Earnhardt. On the restart, Earnhardt gets by Allison (a little cleaner this time) and takes the lead. The battle now becomes between Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.
Chris Economaki interviews #3 RCR crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine asking “What did you do to the car?” Shelmerdine basically just shrugs and says “Put new tires on it.”
And Morgan Shepherd slides into the wall, collecting Bobby Allison and sparking a multi-car wreck that included Tommy Ellis, Ricky Rudd, Phil and Benny Parsons, Neil Bonnett, Richard Petty. Nine cars (so one they never mentioned) in total. Alan Kulwicki gets through.
While they clean up the wreck, they turn their attention to Tim Richmond who would be out for much of the early part of 1987. In the clip, Richmond tries to pass it off as just doing too much and getting the flu and then double pneumonia. He says he wants to try to be back for the Winston.
With 152 laps in the book, Darrell Waltrip leads Geoff Bodine, Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt, Alan Kulwicki and the rest back to green. Waltrip is having issues with the rear of his car.
His time at the front doesn’t last as Earnhardt makes the pass for the lead.
Watching the race from the pit area, Ricky Rudd reports he was having issues with his car (leaking oil) even before he got caught up in the wreck.
While Earnhardt and Waltrip continue up front, Bill Elliott is running in fourth. While that might not be impressive for a guy who won the Daytona 500, this represents Elliott’s best finish at Richmond. While “Awesome Bill” was great at the superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega (and Darlington), short tracks were his Achilles Heel. Hey, Dave Marcis is at 6th so a good showing for him as well.
Davey Allison gets into the wall and that brings out the caution at Lap 209. I’ll tell ya, Davey got a lot better as the years (or even the year -SPOILER ALERT) went along. Harry Gant heads back to the garage with transmission issues.
Elliott has made it to the front and is battling Earnhardt wheel to wheel around the short track that is Richmond. Elliott does get by Earnhardt, although Earnhardt slips up and almost clips the #9. Meanwhile, Terry Labonte, up to third, is creeping into the picture.
Elliott gets a bit of a lead but Earnhardt is back within a couple of laps to battle for the lead. Earnhardt takes the lead and pulls away by just a bit and the commentators ponder that perhaps the two leaders have burnt up their tires and perhaps Labonte will make a move.
As they come back from a break with just over 150 laps to go, Dave Despain tries to throw it to Ken Squier but something is going on because Despain says Ken is unavailable but it almost sounds like you can hear Squier talking in the background. No real explanation as Squier does come back and take over. Weird moment.
Earnhardt has continued to expand his lead over Elliott and then Waltrip, not Labonte, is now in third. Whatever they thought Labonte had for the leaders obviously never materialized. Meanwhile, can Waltrip’s car hang on to the finish or will the rear-end issues end his day?
Speaking of days ending prematurely, there are weather issues to be considered. They head to commercial break and come back to see Waltrip having gotten around Elliott for second place, due to some worn out tires on the #9.
Without a caution, Elliott continues to slip and Bodine takes over third. In fifth, Terry Labonte is battling Rusty Wallace and Alan Kulwicki. With Earnhardt having such a large lead, that’s the battle that’s drawing the most interest. With less than 100 laps to go, Wallace gets the position.
Jerry Cranmer running a car owned by long-time pace car driver Elmo Langley has spun and Neil Bonnett plows into him to make things worse. Bonnett has completely bashed in the front end of his car. Looks like Cranmer got both end destroyed. Much like Kulwicki earlier, Richard Petty managed to get through the wreck unscathed.
With 325 laps complete, everyone pits. While Earnhardt seems to get in and out okay, the rear-end issues for Darrell Waltrip are finally coming to fruition as he’s having to make multiple stops.
Earnhardt continues to lead while Bodine and Elliott battle for a second. Elliott has definitely benefited from having fresher tires. With 50 laps to go, we come back from break and Waltrip is back in for the fifth time, I would say. Eddie Bierschwale has spun and while the track stays green initially, the yellow does come out.
Six cars remain on the lead lap and Earnhardt continues to lead with Bodine, Elliott, Labonte and Wallace -only one who pitted for fresh tires on the caution – in the Top 5. (Not sure who the final car on the lead lap is.) Elliott’s fresher tires obviously didn’t help him that much, much like there was talk Labonte’s tires might get him into the lead.
Elliott is able to hold off Wallace and then Wallace has to refocus on keeping Labonte behind him. In the end, Wallace is able to hold off Labonte and passes Elliott.
With 30 laps to go, they break as Wallace is heading to the front, closing in on Geoff Bodine. And they are already talking that Earnhardt may be about to win his second Richmond race but as Lake Speed (working as an analyst) says “It’s not over ’til it’s over!” Earnhardt would learn that the hard way during the 1990 Daytona 500.
With 10 to go, Bodine has put some distance between himself and Wallace and has closed up a little bit on Earnhardt who has run into some traffic. Darrell Waltrip, talking from the garage area, says the car was running about the best he’d ever run at Richmond but the rear end issues couldn’t be overcome.
Bodine has made it fairly close to Earnhardt as they take the white flag but with just over a mile to go it’s pretty obvious he won’t get there. Even as Earnhardt heads into Turn 3, he has to get by a wrecked Ken Schrader who is around and hard into the wall – the car looks demolished!
Earnhardt makes it through and takes the yellow and checkered flag for his second straight win in 1987. Bodine takes second with Wallace, Elliott and Labonte rounding out the Top 5.
In Victory Lane, Earnhardt gives credit to Richard Childress and his crew for getting the car back together and in good enough shape to win the race. Earnhardt talks about how he didn’t practice last week and won and now has won again with no practice. “Maybe we’ll just stop practicing.”
Geoff Bodine says he is happy with the runner-up finish. The team didn’t quite get the set-up and Earnhardt (“Ironhead”) was tough.
And so with three races in the books for 1987, Dale Earnhardt has won two of the three and Bill Elliott has won the first of the those three. Who will win next week? Stay tuned.
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