By Zane Miller
First round
(8) #22 Sterling Marlin v. (1) #3 Dale Earnhardt
(7) #17 Darrell Waltrip v. (2) #5 Ricky Rudd
(6) #25 Ken Schrader v. (3) #6 Mark Martin
(5) #4 Ernie Irvan v. (4) #28 Davey Allison
As the month of September got underway, so too did the Cup Series playoffs at Darlington as Ernie Irvan came in a solid second to race winner Harry Gant, while Irvan’s first-round competitor Davey Allison finished 12th despite leading 151 laps. Meanwhile, Ken Schrader was right behind Irvan in third, taking an easy opening race victory over Mark Martin, who suffered a blown engine with around 65 laps remaining. Both Ricky Rudd and Darrell Waltrip had disappointing days at the Lady in Black, but Rudd would ultimately come out on top in 15th while Waltrip slid to 24th. However, the biggest shocker by far was Sterling Marlin grabbing the win over Dale Earnhardt, as the hard-fought battle between the two ended with Marlin in sixth and Earnhardt two spots behind.
The spectacular turn of events continued into Richmond, as Marlin finished 10th to Earnhardt’s 11th to complete the upset. Just like that, the reigning champ was knocked out, overshadowing Gant getting back-to-back wins. Also eliminated was Waltrip despite his best efforts, as he came in seventh while Rudd was successfully able to hold him off in fifth. Unfortunately, Martin was bitten by mechanical failures once again, spending a significant amount of time in the garage before limping to a 33rd-place finish while Schrader nabbed the eighth spot to advance to the semifinals.
The only series that would not end in a sweep was between Irvan and Allison, as Allison led the most laps and finished second while Irvan battled back from a late spin to finish fourth. However, the deciding race at Dover would not be ideal for the fans as neither driver was still running at the finish. Allison blew an engine after just 115 laps of the 500-lap event to hand the win to Irvan, who himself would take an early exit shortly after due to overheating issues. This took a backseat to Gant’s triumph, as he won his third straight race.
Semifinal
(8) #22 Sterling Marlin v. (2) #5 Ricky Rudd
(6) #25 Ken Schrader v. (5) #4 Ernie Irvan
The second round got underway at Martinsville with Gant finishing off his impressive four-race winning streak, though as far as playoff-relevant drivers, Irvan had the upper hand with a fourth-place finish to Schrader’s ninth. Rudd also held a relatively comfortable gap, ending up with the eighth spot as Marlin finished a lap down in 14th. Schrader was able to keep his championship hopes going at North Wilkesboro, as Irvan crashed out near the halfway point and was stuck with a last-place finish while Schrader got eighth. Marlin would not be so fortunate, with his championship contention ending after coming home two laps down in 13th while Rudd was just one spot better. Just like that, Rudd would be in his first championship final since the 1984 season.
With a shot at the title up for grabs at Charlotte, both Irvan and Schrader initially appeared to be on their A-game. Both drivers started inside the top-five, but the dream turned into a nightmare shortly after the green flag for Schrader. The #25 car sustained a piston failure only 59 laps in, causing a terminal engine failure. Although Irvan also had a poor finish, being swept up in another crash, it was still good enough to advance with Schrader out of the event for good.
Final
(5) #4 Ernie Irvan v. (2) #5 Ricky Rudd
The opening race of the finals at Rockingham got off to a rough start for Irvan, as a promising outside front row starting spot ended in the garage after being involved in multiple accidents throughout the day. Although Rudd’s car was far from perfect, his 12th-place run set him up to take the trophy at Phoenix.
In the Grand Canyon State, both Rudd and Irvan started on the outside edge of the top 15, but Irvan was the only one who could get up to the top 10. The year’s Daytona 500 winner kept his season alive with a sixth-place run, while Rudd fell a lap down in 11th. The deciding race would occur at the newly-renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway, with Rudd starting at a massive deficit after a poor qualifying run. Irvan started on the outside front row once more, but this time would stay up front as he led several laps in the early going. Rudd was able to make passes and find his way towards the front, but was unable to crack the top 10. Meanwhile, the pride of Salinas, California, became the first driver since Cale Yarborough in 1977 to win the championship and the Daytona 500 in the same year, getting a second-place finish to capture his first title.
Ernie Irvan’s stats for 1991 were two wins, 11 top-fives and 19 top-10s, finishing fifth in the final standings to real-life champion Dale Earnhardt.
1991 Cup Series standings in real life: https://scorum.com/en-us/nascar/@zmiller82/1991-nascar-cup-series-season-recap
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