The 1987 Southern 500 was the 21st stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 38th iteration of the event.

[1][2] To fill out the top three, Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace and the aforementioned Richard Petty finished second and third, respectively.

This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

Depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; up to two were given.

[6] Davey Allison, driving for Ranier-Lundy Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 31.276 and an average speed of 157.232 miles per hour (253.040 km/h).