1986 Daytona 500
The 1986 Daytona 500, the 28th running of the event, was held February 16 at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida. it was the first race of 29 in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup season. Defending race winner Bill Elliott won the pole for the second year in a row, and outside pole sitter Geoffrey Bodine won the race and led 101 laps, including the final 34.
Race details | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 1 of 29 in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
Date | February 16, 1986 | ||
Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.02336 km) | ||
Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
Weather |
Temperatures reaching up to 71.1 °F (21.7 °C); wind speeds approaching 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)[1] | ||
Average speed | 148.124 mph (238.382 km/h) | ||
Attendance | 140,000[2] | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver |
| Melling Racing | |
Qualifying race winners | |||
Duel 1 Winner | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
Duel 2 Winner | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Geoffrey Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | |
Laps | 101 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 5 | Geoffrey Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | CBS | ||
Announcers |
Host: Chris Economaki Lap-by-Lap: Ken Squier Driver analyst: David Hobbs Driver analyst: Ned Jarrett Pit Reporter: Chris Economaki Pit Reporter: Mike Joy | ||
Nielsen Ratings |
8.4/22 (10.3 million viewers) |
Race Recap
On lap 116, a major accident (such crashes are now known as "The Big One") in turn 4 involved several cars, including some contenders for the win. 1980 winner Buddy Baker, Neil Bonnett (already several laps down after earlier problems), defending race winner Bill Elliott, Tommy Ellis, Harry Gant, Kyle Petty, Joe Ruttman, Lake Speed, & four-time 500 winner Cale Yarborough were involved in the crash, but Elliott, Ellis, Petty, and Speed were able to continue the race.
Geoff Bodine won this race on fuel mileage after engaging in a long feud with Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt was forced to pit for gas with three laps to go, then blew the engine leaving the pits. This allowed Bodine to cruise to victory by a margin of over 11 seconds. It was the first of many hard luck finishes for Dale Earnhardt that would last until the 1998 race.
Prior to the race, the drivers paid tribute to the astronauts who were killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which was several miles away from the track 19 days earlier. They would do so again for the 2003 Daytona 500, which took place two weeks after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
Results
Box Score
(5) Indicates 5 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading 1 lap
(10) Indicates 10 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading 1 lap & leading the most laps
(W) denotes former Daytona 500 winner
(R) denotes series rookie
Cautions
8 for 46 laps
From Lap |
To Lap |
Number of laps |
Reason |
---|---|---|---|
26 | 30 | 5 | Car #2 accident, turn 2 |
64 | 75 | 12 | Car #43 accident, turn 2 |
83 | 88 | 6 | Car #'s 7 & 64 accident, turn 2 |
94 | 97 | 4 | Car #90 engine |
102 | 105 | 4 | Car #54 engine |
110 | 112 | 3 | Car #47 stalled at pit exit |
117 | 125 | 9 | Car #'s 7, 9, 12, 18, 26, 28, 33, 75, 88 accident, turn 4 |
130 | 132 | 3 | debris |
Lap Leader Breakdown
Lead changes: 27
Driver | From Lap |
To Lap |
Number of Laps |
---|---|---|---|
Bill Elliott | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Geoffrey Bodine | 3 | 10 | 14 |
Dale Earnhardt | 11 | 24 | 14 |
Geoffrey Bodine | 25 | 26 | 2 |
A. J. Foyt | 27 | 27 | 1 |
Dale Earnhardt | 28 | 31 | 4 |
Geoffrey Bodine | 32 | 41 | 10 |
Dale Earnhardt | 42 | 42 | 1 |
Neil Bonnett | 43 | 74 | 32 |
Geoffrey Bodine | 75 | 81 | 7 |
Tommy Ellis | 82 | 82 | 1 |
Cale Yarborough | 83 | 83 | 1 |
Geoffrey Bodine | 84 | 92 | 9 |
Cale Yarborough | 93 | 94 | 2 |
Sterling Marlin | 95 | 100 | 6 |
Bobby Hillin Jr. | 101 | 101 | 1 |
Tim Richmond | 102 | 108 | 7 |
Cale Yarborough | 109 | 110 | 2 |
Tommy Ellis | 111 | 112 | 2 |
Dale Earnhardt | 113 | 117 | 5 |
Darrell Waltrip | 118 | 118 | 1 |
Geoffrey Bodine | 119 | 135 | 17 |
Dale Earnhardt | 136 | 144 | 9 |
Geoffrey Bodine | 145 | 158 | 14 |
Dale Earnhardt | 159 | 159 | 1 |
Terry Labonte | 160 | 164 | 5 |
Darrell Waltrip | 165 | 166 | 2 |
Geoffrey Bodine | 167 | 200 | 34 |
Failed to qualify
- 0-Delma Cowart
- 19-Bob Park
- 23-Michael Waltrip (R)
- 29-Grant Adcox
- 35-Alan Kulwicki (R)
- 39-Blackie Wangerin
- 48-Ron Esau (R)
- 49-Ferdin Wallace (R)
- 53-Donny Paul (R)
- 54-Slick Johnson
- 60-Dick Skillen
- 70-J. D. McDuffie
- 73-Phil Barkdoll (R)
- 74-Bobby Wawak
- 76-Clark Dwyer
- 81-Chet Fillip (R)
- 82-Mark Stahl (R)
- 95-Davey Allison (R)
- 99-Connie Saylor
- 07-Randy LaJoie (R)[2]
(R) Denotes series rookie.
Notes
- This was the first Daytona 500 that did not have some type of Chrysler car in the field (Dodge or Plymouth) since the Mirada, Imperial, and Cordoba were aged out at the end of the 1985 season.[2]
- First Daytona 500 starts: Eddie Bierschwale and Larry Pearson.[2]
- Only Daytona 500 starts: Tommy Ellis, Pancho Carter, and Kirk Bryant.[2]
- Last Daytona 500 starts: Jody Ridley, Doug Heveron, and Buddy Arrington.[2]
Standings after the race
Pos | Driver | Points[2] | Difference |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Geoffrey Bodine | 185 | 0 |
2 | Terry Labonte | 175 | -10 |
3 | Darrell Waltrip | 170 | -15 |
4 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 165 | -20 |
5 | Benny Parsons | 155 | -30 |
6 | Ron Bouchard | 150 | -35 |
7 | Rick Wilson | 146 | -39 |
8 | Sterling Marlin | 143 | -42 |
9 | Rusty Wallace | 142 | -43 |
10 | Lake Speed | 134 | -51 |
References
- "Weather of the 1986 Daytona 500". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Archived from the original on 2013-07-02. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
- "1986 Daytona 500". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
- "1986 DAYTONA 500 Results". daytonainternationalspeedway.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-28. Retrieved 2011-02-27.