1989 Winchester 400

The twentieth annual Winchester 400 was held under American Speed Association sanction on October 1, 1989, at the Winchester Speedway.

Butch Miller led on three separate occasions to win his second Winchester 400 in three years. The two-time defending ASA National Champion passed Dave Jackson on lap 253 and then cruised to his seventh ASA victory of th3 1989 season on the 20th running of the fall classic.

Kenny Wallace was the fastest of 34 qualifiers who attempted to earn a starting spot in the 30-car field. Wallace, in the Raven Boats Pontiac, darted into the early lead and controlled much of the early portion of the race. A multi-car pileup happened on lap 71 when Bruce VanderLaan, Bobby Dotter and Todd Forbes came together. Miller grabbed his first lead of the race on lap 80 by passing Wallace. Bob Senneker and Harold Fair would trade the lead several times in the first half of the even while Wallace would retire on lap 126. Running near the lead, two-time winner Mike Eddy experienced mechanical problems when his Howe Racing Enterprises Buick began trailing white smoke on lap 138. Although able to return to the race, Eddy lost 28 laps replacing a broken shock.

With Eddy in the pits, Miller took the lead from Fair on lap 163. Dave Jackson then took a turn at the front when he made the pass for the lead on lap 236. After dropping back a few spots, Miller leaped from third to the lead all on lap 253 and then dominated the remaining circuits of the 400-lap race. Jackson’s strong run came to an abrupt halt when he lost and engine and pounded the fourth turn wall with 27 laps to go. Miller collected $10,150 for the win. Ted Musgrave backed up his 1988 win by finishing second. Tony Raines placed third with Fair, and Glenn Allen, Jr. rounding out the top-five.

External links

* [http://www.winchesterspeedway.com/ Winchester Speedway website]
* [http://www.craracing.net/ Official CRA Website]