|| *Comments on the 1991 Champion Spark Plug 400:* View the most recent comment <#26> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. HomeDepotKid posted: 11.28.2004 - 8:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was Dale "D.J." Jarrett's 1st win, and in spectacular fashion. He outran Davey Allison in a fender-banging, door-slamming finish by about 10 inches. It is the closest finish in Michigan Speedway history. 2. Kevin posted: 08.15.2006 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jarrett drove his but off to win, you just knew at that time that Jarrett was going to be a stud! A force to deal with! 3. Steve.M. posted: 05.07.2007 - 2:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) video of the finish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT-KWIIC9So 4. myself posted: 02.15.2008 - 2:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) D@MN that Dale Jarrett. Davey would have had 20 wins. 5. JCS posted: 08.27.2008 - 8:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) A photo finish, and another win for the Wood Brothers. 6. Neal posted: 02.21.2009 - 9:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) About the only race in the history of MIS that's memorable. 7. Steve posted: 02.02.2010 - 4:11 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) The only Winston Cup race, that is. Probably because most of the races come down to fuel mileage. CART races in the late 90s and early 2000s were really something! 8. 18fan posted: 02.27.2010 - 1:10 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) 2009's Busch race was something. (Yes, I still prefer calling it the Busch Series, not Nationwide.) 9. evan posted: 05.31.2010 - 10:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) have a diecast of that car that Jarrett won this race with, back then I didn't know he replaced Neil after his crash. I watched this whole race on ESPN Classic back about 2003 great race. I was quite suprised to know he drove for the Woods, its a shame he couldn't have won a lot of races with them. But Jarrett got his big break in 1992 to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing because of his performance. 10. Matt posted: 06.10.2010 - 5:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To date, Jarrett's the only driver to get his first career Cup win at Michigan. 11. Walleyewhacker posted: 05.26.2011 - 1:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The August 1987 Champion Spark Plug 400 at MIS was very entertaining! Nine cars, five different brands (3 Fords, 2 Pontiacs, 2 Buicks, 1 Olds and 1 Chevy) had a shot at winning at the end. It was also Richard Petty's last race with real decent shot at victory before crashing at the very end. The races at MIS tend to get spread out real quick a couple of laps into a green flag segment. It's even worse with the identical body shapes of the COT cars they don't draft as well and take too long to catch up and pass. 12. Ryan posted: 08.28.2011 - 3:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The 1999 race in August was an awesome race. Dale Earnhardt made his true return in that race. 13. Rusty posted: 08.12.2012 - 1:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jarrett's only win for the Wood Brothers. 14. Walleyewhacker posted: 03.06.2014 - 6:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (2) Earnhradt never won one August event at MIS in his entire career. Earnhardt was hardly memorable at any MIS race except for the 1987 and 1990 ones, and I went to every June event from 1983-89. I have most of the 1990's and early 2000's MIS races on tape. 15. nascarman posted: 05.26.2015 - 1:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Qualifying Results: Pos. Driver Speed 1. Alan Kulwicki 173.431 2. Mark Martin 173.314 3. Davey Allison 172.977 4. Bill Elliott 172.757 5. Ernie Irvan 172.732 6. Geoffrey Bodine 172.459 7. Darrell Waltrip 171.801 8. Sterling Marlin 171.396 9. Rusty Wallace 171.213 10. Morgan Shepherd 171.147 11. Dale Jarrett 171.103 12. Ricky Rudd 170.960 13. Jimmy Spencer 170.891 14. Harry Gant 170.661 15. Ted Musgrave 170.370 16. Chad Little 170.362 17. Hut Stricklin 170.261 18. Ken Schrader 170.213 19. Derrike Cope 170.189 20. Bobby Hillin, Jr. 170.185 21. Michael Waltrip 172.695 22. Buddy Baker 171.147 23. Richard Petty 171.143 24. Stanley Smith 170.936 25. Terry Labonte 170.883 26. Dale Earnhardt 170.871 27. Lake Speed 170.851 28. Brett Bodine 170.705 29. Rick Wilson 170.221 30. Rick Mast 170.160 31. Dick Trickle 169.920 32. Joe Ruttman 169.763 33. Dave Marcis 169.703 34. Wally Dallenbach, Jr. 169.464 35. Jimmy Means 169.280 36. Bobby Hamilton 168.844 37. Jim Sauter 168.638 38. Mike Chase 168.547 39. H.B. Bailey 168.390 40. Bobby Labonte 168.268 16. Josh posted: 06.24.2016 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The late H.B. Bailey with a good run! 17. Josh posted: 11.30.2017 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Dale Earnhardt had a rough event here. He cut down a right rear tire early (he must love right rear tires) and the tire shredded and ripped sheet metal away from the car, likely being the reason NASCAR threw the first caution for debris. NASCAR conveniently ran 7 laps of caution for debris while the RCR #3 crew attempted to make repairs to what turned out to be the trailing arm. Dale struggled with the car the rest of the day due to the damage and finished 24th, 6 laps down. The first half of the race was pretty uneventful, with the field getting strung out in typical Michigan fashion. The third caution was caused when Jim Sauter one way or another lost control in Turn 2, spun around, and was hit in the nose by Joe Ruttman. Ted Musgrave spun harmlessly behind the incident and was able to continue. Davey Allison seemed to have the field covered until the final caution. That's when Dale Jarrett's crew made the call for a fuel only pit stop that got him out front for good. Davey said with about three to go that his car became tight running behind Jarrett. He tried to pass him on the outside, which led to the side-by-side finish. "Davey Allison keeps his car in the middle of the race track; Dale Jarrett's car is on the low side. Off the 18 degrees of banking, now 5 degrees of banking, and Dale Jarrett wiggles a little bit as they come out of the second corner. They bump, they touch, they rub going down the backstretch! Side by side, wheel to wheel! Who is it going to be in the Champion Spark Plug 400? Jarrett has the slight advantage as they go into the third and fourth corners. Davey Allison battles back on the outside. It's going to be a photo finish! They touch coming down through the tri-oval! At the line...who wins it? I believe Jarrett got it!" - Bob Jenkins, ESPN 18. Mr.Victory posted: 04.12.2018 - 3:32 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Estimated distance from 1st to 2nd: 0.008 difference. 19. yellowcat53 posted: 06.10.2018 - 10:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) John Paul Jr. attempted his 3rd and final race in the Cup series and also his only Cup attempt on an oval, but it resulted in his only Cup DNQ. 20. RickyMudd posted: 01.03.2019 - 6:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The last two laps of this race are just brilliant. Two guys racing side-by-side as hard as they can and the emotion of a first time victory. 21. Bob posted: 01.23.2019 - 12:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Absolutely loved this finish. I believe Dale Jarrett restarted ninth on the last restart and drove to the win. What a finish. 22. Ryan posted: 09.20.2019 - 11:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @21 He actually restarted first on the last restart and held Davey off, well on the last lap he had to get back by him. 23. Jim posted: 11.09.2019 - 2:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale's winning car was restored, check it out on You Tube. 24. SweetRich posted: 07.01.2020 - 11:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The commentators were Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons. The pit road reporters were Dr. Jerry Punch and John Kernan. 25. SweetRich posted: 07.01.2020 - 11:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The day a legend was born. This race, almost thirty years later, stands as one of the best races in NASCAR Cup Series history and one of the best races in Michigan International Speedway history. Dale Jarrett, competing for The Wood Brothers, had his day in the sun, picking up his first career win, holding off Davey Allison in a photo finish for the ages. side by side, wheel to wheel, who's going to win The Champion Spark Plug 400 are the famous words said by Bob Jenkins. Jarrett had worked long and hard to earn this first win, losing his ride with Cale Yarborough in 1989 and taking over for the injured Neil Bonnett in April 1990 at Bristol, having strong runs and solid finishes from day one with a few bumps in the road. Dale became a household name on this day, winning in The Citgo Ford #21, giving the team their first win since may of '87 At Charlotte with a young Kyle Petty. This win would launch Dale's career to the next level and by 1996, he became a championship contender which would culminate in 1999, competing in the #88 Ford for Robert Yates. What a great race, what a great first win. 26. AD posted: 10.07.2020 - 10:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale had already secured his Gibbs ride. But DJ joins the list of winning Wood Brother drivers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: