The 1986 Budweiser 400 was the 12th stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the second race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston West Series, and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 1, 1986, before an audience of 45,126 in Riverside, California, at the short layout of Riverside International Raceway, a 2.62 miles (4.22 km) permanent road course layout at the track. The race took the scheduled 95 laps to complete.

1986 Budweiser 400
Race details
Race 12 of 29 in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1986 Budweiser 400 program cover, featuring Darrell Waltrip.
The 1986 Budweiser 400 program cover, featuring Darrell Waltrip.
Date June 1, 1986
Official name 18th Annual Budweiser 400
Location Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California
Course Permanent racing facility
2.62 mi (4.216 km)
Distance 95 laps, 248.9 mi (400.565 km)
Scheduled Distance 95 laps, 248.9 mi (400.565 km)
Average speed 105.083 miles per hour (169.115 km/h)
Attendance 45,126
Pole position
Driver Junior Johnson & Associates
Time 1:20.611
Most laps led
Driver Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 43
Winner
No. 11 Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates
Television in the United States
Network TNN (via American Sports Cavalcade)
Announcers Steve Evans, Brock Yates
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

With two laps left in the race, a caution flag was called for a four car wreck. The top two at the time, Hendrick Motorsports' Tim Richmond and Junior Johnson & Associates' Darrell Waltrip, raced back to the line, with the driver leading by the start of the next lap essentially being guaranteed the victory. In the final turn of the track, Waltrip was able to pass Richmond exiting the turn, giving Waltrip the lead and the victory. The victory was Waltrip's 68th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Bud Moore Engineering's Ricky Rudd finished third.[1][2]

Background

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The layout of Riverside International Raceway, the venue where the race was held.

Riverside International Raceway (sometimes known as Riverside, RIR, or Riverside Raceway) was a motorsports race track and road course established in the Edgemont area of Riverside County, California, just east of the city limits of Riverside and 50 mi (80 km) east of Los Angeles, in 1957. In 1984, the raceway became part of the newly incorporated city of Moreno Valley. Riverside was noted for its hot, dusty environment and for being somewhat of a complicated and dangerous track for drivers. It was also considered one of the finest tracks in the United States.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Bill Osborne Osborne Racing Buick Osborne Racing
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Wrangler
04 Hershel McGriff Smith Racing Pontiac Wershow–Ash–Lewis Auctioneers
5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Levi Garrett
6 D. K. Ulrich U.S. Racing Chevrolet U.S. Racing
7 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 7-Eleven
8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Chevrolet Miller American
08 Rick McCray McCray Racing Buick McCray Racing
9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford Coors
11 Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet Budweiser
12 Neil Bonnett Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet Budweiser
15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford Motorcraft Quality Parts
17 Doug Heveron Hamby Racing Chevrolet Kmart
18 Glen Steurer Steurer Racing Chevrolet Steurer Racing
22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller American
23 Michael Waltrip (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac Hawaiian Punch
25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Folgers
26 Joe Ruttman King Racing Buick Quaker State
27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac Alugard
28 Chad Little George Jefferson Racing Ford Peterbilt
32 Ruben Garcia Stoke Racing Chevrolet Suncrest Motorhomes
33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
38 John Krebs Krebs Racing Oldsmobile Skoal Bandit
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Terry Labonte Hagan Enterprises Oldsmobile Piedmont Airlines
48 Ron Esau Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet Hylton Motorsports
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Jimmy Means Racing
62 Terry Petris Petris Racing Chevrolet Petris Racing
64 Willy T. Ribbs DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet Red Roof Inn
67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford Pannill Sweatshirts
70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac Rumple Furniture
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Pontiac Helen Rae Special
73 Bill Schmitt Schmitt Racing Chevrolet California Cooler
74 Ray Kelly Ray Kelly Racing Pontiac Ray Kelly Racing
75 Morgan Shepherd RahMoc Enterprises Ford Nationwise Automotive
77 Richard Lach Stoke Racing Buick Stoke Racing
78 Jim Robinson Lois Williams Racing Oldsmobile Hammer Security Service
79 Derrike Cope Razore Racing Ford Peterbilt
86 Clay Young Clay Young Racing Buick Dole Food Company
90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford Red Baron Frozen Pizza
94 Trevor Boys Eller Racing Pontiac Kodak Film
99 Ted Kennedy Stoke Racing Chevrolet Stoke Racing

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, May 30, at 6:30 PM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round were guaranteed a starting spot in the race.[3] If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, May 31, at 2:30 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 were decided on time, and 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 provisionals were given.[4]

Darrell Waltrip, driving for Junior Johnson & Associates, won the pole, setting a time of 1:20.611 and an average speed of 117.006 miles per hour (188.303 km/h) in the first round.[5]

No drivers failed to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 11 Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 1:20.611 117.006
2 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:20.782 116.759
3 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:20.783 116.757
4 12 Neil Bonnett Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 1:21.340 115.958
5 44 Terry Labonte Hagan Enterprises Oldsmobile 1:21.377 115.905
6 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 1:21.540 115.673
7 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 1:21.593 115.598
8 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 1:21.784 115.328
9 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 1:22.107 114.874
10 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:22.468 114.372
11 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 1:22.474 114.363
12 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 1:22.609 114.176
13 04 Hershel McGriff Smith Racing Pontiac 1:22.875 113.810
14 75 Morgan Shepherd RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 1:23.001 113.637
15 79 Derrike Cope Razore Racing Ford 1:23.107 113.492
16 7 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 1:23.252 113.295
17 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 1:23.330 113.189
18 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Pontiac 1:23.364 113.142
19 73 Bill Schmitt Schmitt Racing Chevrolet 1:23.964 112.334
20 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 1:24.141 112.098
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 26 Joe Ruttman King Racing Buick 1:21.910 115.151
22 18 Glen Steurer Steurer Racing Chevrolet 1:23.620 112.796
23 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 1:23.982 112.310
24 32 Ruben Garcia Stoke Racing Chevrolet 1:24.005 112.279
25 28 Chad Little George Jefferson Racing Ford 1:24.488 111.637
26 62 Terry Petris Petris Racing Chevrolet 1:24.619 111.464
27 6 D. K. Ulrich U.S. Racing Chevrolet 1:24.674 111.391
28 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 1:24.691 111.370
29 48 Ron Esau Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet 1:24.797 111.230
30 64 Willy T. Ribbs DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet 1:24.854 111.156
31 08 Rick McCray McCray Racing Buick 1:24.975 110.997
32 17 Doug Heveron Hamby Racing Chevrolet 1:25.450 110.380
33 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 1:25.509 110.304
34 38 John Krebs Krebs Racing Oldsmobile 1:25.818 109.907
35 99 Ted Kennedy Stoke Racing Chevrolet 1:26.130 109.509
36 23 Michael Waltrip (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 1:26.324 109.263
37 86 Clay Young Clay Young Racing Buick 1:26.468 109.081
38 94 Trevor Boys Eller Racing Pontiac 1:27.268 108.081
39 77 Richard Lach Stoke Racing Buick 1:27.281 108.065
40 74 Ray Kelly Ray Kelly Racing Pontiac 1:27.317 108.020
41 78 Jim Robinson Lois Williams Racing Oldsmobile 1:27.407 107.909
42 1 Bill Osborne Osborne Racing Buick 1:27.472 107.829
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 11 Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 95 21 running 180 $49,000
2 3 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 43 running 180 $22,155
3 8 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 95 0 running 165 $18,650
4 6 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 95 0 running 160 $12,775
5 10 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 95 0 running 155 $14,125
6 7 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 95 0 running 150 $7,745
7 11 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 95 0 running 146 $9,800
8 4 12 Neil Bonnett Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 95 0 running 142 $11,000
9 9 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 95 2 running 143 $11,000
10 22 18 Glen Steurer Steurer Racing Chevrolet 94 0 running 134 $6,975
11 12 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 94 0 running 130 $11,300
12 5 44 Terry Labonte Hagan Enterprises Oldsmobile 93 21 accident 132 $9,000
13 25 28 Chad Little George Jefferson Racing Ford 92 0 running 124 $4,965
14 20 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 92 0 running 121 $5,755
15 41 78 Jim Robinson Lois Williams Racing Oldsmobile 92 0 running 118 $5,835
16 29 48 Ron Esau Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet 92 0 running 0 $5,325
17 17 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 91 0 running 112 $6,040
18 19 73 Bill Schmitt Schmitt Racing Chevrolet 91 0 running 109 $3,755
19 33 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 90 0 running 106 $4,545
20 32 17 Doug Heveron Hamby Racing Chevrolet 90 0 running 103 $4,775
21 37 86 Clay Young Clay Young Racing Buick 90 0 running 100 $1,400
22 28 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 90 0 running 97 $4,115
23 35 99 Ted Kennedy Stoke Racing Chevrolet 89 0 running 94 $2,030
24 26 62 Terry Petris Petris Racing Chevrolet 88 0 accident 91 $1,985
25 36 23 Michael Waltrip (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 85 0 running 88 $1,800
26 34 38 John Krebs Krebs Racing Oldsmobile 77 0 running 85 $1,150
27 14 75 Morgan Shepherd RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 75 0 transmission 82 $3,125
28 13 04 Hershel McGriff Smith Racing Pontiac 73 0 running 79 $2,100
29 30 64 Willy T. Ribbs DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet 64 0 engine 76 $1,075
30 24 32 Ruben Garcia Stoke Racing Chevrolet 61 0 transmission 73 $2,050
31 15 79 Derrike Cope Razore Racing Ford 58 0 engine 70 $1,000
32 23 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 58 0 running 67 $2,975
33 27 6 D. K. Ulrich U.S. Racing Chevrolet 53 0 running 64 $2,950
34 38 94 Trevor Boys Eller Racing Pontiac 41 0 engine 61 $925
35 42 1 Bill Osborne Osborne Racing Buick 38 0 engine 0 $850
36 40 74 Ray Kelly Ray Kelly Racing Pontiac 36 0 running 55 $850
37 31 08 Rick McCray McCray Racing Buick 33 0 engine 52 $850
38 18 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Pontiac 32 0 accident 49 $2,850
39 2 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28 8 engine 51 $7,850
40 39 77 Richard Lach Stoke Racing Buick 20 0 engine 43 $825
41 16 7 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 13 0 engine 40 $7,825
42 21 26 Joe Ruttman King Racing Buick 5 0 engine 37 $3,325
Official race results

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (June 2, 1986). "Waltrip Wins Wild Riverside Race". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 3B. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Ray, Pat (June 2, 1986). "Waltrip Takes Low Road to 500 Victory". The Los Angeles Times. pp. III-2. III-16. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ Higgins, Tom (May 30, 1986). "Cool Labonte Hottest Prospect At Riverside". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 4B. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Ray, Pat (May 31, 1986). "Waltrip Wins Pole in Record Fashion". The Los Angeles Times. pp. III-2. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ Higgins, Tom (May 31, 1986). "Waltrip Runs To Record For Pole At Riverside". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 21A, 25A. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.  


Previous race:
1986 Coca-Cola 600
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1986 season
Next race:
1986 Miller High Life 500