Davey Allison made his only trip to Bristol Motor Speedway's Victory Lane in the 1990 Valleydale Meats 500.
Allison led the final 108 laps in a caution-filled race for a slippery track surface after the team opted not to pit on the race's final caution because they were at a disadvantage with a backstretch pit stall. With a good tire package and enough fuel, Allison was able to hold off the pack and then Mark Martin in a photo finish.
With Ricky Rudd spinning out Sterling Marlin on the last lap, the action was just getting started as Martin made a move in the final turn and drag raced Allison to the checkered flag. The NASCAR officials had to revert to the video tapes to see who actually won and Allison was declared the winner by a mere eight inches.
"That was an awful close finish," Allison told MRN in Victory Lane. "Mark Martin made a strong charge there at the end. I've got to give him credit for a great race, the guys over there have done a super job. But, the guys on the Havoline crew are the best and we're glad to have this Texaco/Havoline Thunderbird in Victory Lane."
Martin's runner-up finish was one of 16 top fives he recorded behind the wheel of the No. 6 Folgers Ford that season.
"We ran a position where we had to do all we could do but there just wasn't enough race track out there to quite get by Davey," Martin said. "We had a great car but we just didn't quite make it to the front. I'm sure not disappointed with second.
"Our car was great, we just came up six inches short I guess."
After the contact with Marlin and a post-race confrontation, Rudd finished third in the No. 5 Levi Garrett Chevrolet. Terry Labonte (No. 1 Skoal Oldsmobile) and Rick Wilson (No. 75 Dinner Bell Pontiac) rounded out the top five.
Darrell Waltrip, who won 12 times at Bristol in his career, had the strongest car during the race leading 167 laps in the No. 17 Tide Chevrolet. But in the last segment he cut a tire down while chasing down Allison. Waltrip wound up finishing ninth.
On lap 222, Rusty Wallace cut a tire and crashed hard into the Turn 4 wall. The impact lifted the hood up on his No 27 Miller Genuine Draft Pontiac. The crash was reminiscent to a practice crash at BMS in 1988 that saw his car take a tumble on the frontstretch.
Also that weekend, Michael Waltrip escaped a scary accident in Saturday's Grand National race that saw his car disintegrate after hitting part of a gate on the outside wall. Waltrip was back in his Cup car the next day, but finished 20th after he cut a tire while running ninth.
Allison's victory was one of two during the 1990 season and one of 19 in his career.
With the a difficult track surface to race on, the 1990 race was one of the last before the track switched to a concrete surface.
