The 1986 Budweiser 500 was the 10th stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 18, 1986, before an audience of 51,000 in Dover, Delaware at Dover Downs International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete.

1986 Budweiser 500
Race details
Race 10 of 29 in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1986 Budweiser 500 program cover.
The 1986 Budweiser 500 program cover.
Date May 18, 1986
Official name 18th Annual Budweiser 500
Location Dover, Delaware, Dover Downs International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance 500 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Scheduled Distance 500 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Average speed 115.009 miles per hour (185.089 km/h)
Attendance 51,000
Pole position
Driver Bud Moore Engineering
Time 26.046
Most laps led
Driver Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing
Laps 177
Winner
No. 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network Mizlou
Announcers Steve Grad, Dick Brooks
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

In a race of attrition, Hendrick Motorsports' Geoff Bodine was able to take advantage of an engine failure suffered by leader Harry Gant with less than 50 laps left in the race, gaining his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Stavola Brothers Racing's Bobby Allison and Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt finished second and third, respectively.

Background

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The layout of Dover Downs International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Dover Downs International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.

The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Wrangler
03 Howard Mark Mark Racing Chevrolet Mark Racing
5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Levi Garrett
6 Joe Booher 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
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 Hesco Exhaust Systems
18 Tommy Ellis Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet Freedlander Financial
20 Rick Newsom Newsom Racing Buick Newsom 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
33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
35 Alan Kulwicki (R) AK Racing Ford Quincy's Steakhouse
38 Joe Fields Beahr Racing Ford Beahr Racing
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Terry Labonte Hagan Enterprises Oldsmobile Piedmont Airlines
48 Jerry Cranmer Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet Hylton Motorsports
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Jimmy Means Racing
64 Rick Baldwin Langley Racing Ford Sunny King Ford
67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford Pannill Sweatshirts
68 Jerry Holden Holden Racing Ford Holden Racing
70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac Rumple Furniture
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Pontiac Helen Rae Special
75 Jody Ridley RahMoc Enterprises Ford Nationwise Automotive
80 Gary Fedewa Burke Racing Chevrolet Burke Racing
88 Mike Potter Jimmy Walker Enterprises Ford Jimmy Walker Enterprises
90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford Red Baron Frozen Pizza
94 Trevor Boys Eller Racing Pontiac Kodak Film
96 Jerry Bowman Jerry Bowman Racing Ford Precision Tune
98 Ron Bouchard Curb Racing Pontiac Valvoline

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Saturday, May 17, at 10:00 AM 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. 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, at 3:00 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,[3] 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 were given.

Ricky Rudd, driving for Bud Moore Engineering, won the pole, setting a time of 26.046 and an average speed of 138.217 miles per hour (222.439 km/h) in the first round.[4]

No drivers failed to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 26.046 138.217
2 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 26.057 138.158
3 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26.129 137.777
4 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 26.163 137.598
5 44 Terry Labonte Hagan Enterprises Oldsmobile 26.193 137.441
6 11 Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 26.209 137.357
7 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26.209 137.357
8 75 Jody Ridley RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 26.307 136.845
9 26 Joe Ruttman King Racing Buick 26.344 136.653
10 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 26.372 136.508
11 18 Tommy Ellis Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 26.397 136.379
12 7 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 26.408 136.322
13 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 26.415 136.286
14 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 26.423 136.244
15 12 Neil Bonnett Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 26.448 136.116
16 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 26.517 135.761
17 23 Michael Waltrip (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 26.573 135.475
18 98 Ron Bouchard Curb Racing Pontiac 26.675 134.957
19 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 26.677 134.947
20 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 26.708 134.791
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 26.183 137.494
22 17 Doug Heveron Hamby Racing Chevrolet 26.728 134.690
23 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 26.901 133.824
24 35 Alan Kulwicki (R) AK Racing Ford 26.927 133.694
25 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 26.967 133.496
26 80 Gary Fedewa Burke Racing Chevrolet 27.050 133.086
27 64 Rick Baldwin Langley Racing Ford 27.056 133.057
28 48 Jerry Cranmer Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet 27.129 132.699
29 94 Trevor Boys Eller Racing Pontiac 27.167 132.514
30 38 Joe Fields Beahr Racing Ford 27.237 132.173
31 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 27.454 131.128
32 96 Jerry Bowman Jerry Bowman Racing Ford 27.570 130.576
33 20 Rick Newsom Newsom Racing Buick 27.595 130.458
34 88 Mike Potter Jimmy Walker Enterprises Ford 27.798 129.505
35 6 Joe Booher U.S. Racing Chevrolet 28.307 127.177
36 03 Howard Mark Mark Racing Chevrolet 29.753 120.996
37 68 Jerry Holden Holden Racing Ford 29.791 120.842
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 3 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 85 running 180 $51,700
2 10 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 500 2 running 175 $29,150
3 2 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 499 57 running 170 $24,900
4 1 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 498 0 running 160 $18,875
5 6 11 Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 498 0 running 155 $18,975
6 4 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 494 0 running 150 $10,480
7 21 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 493 0 running 146 $14,800
8 20 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 493 0 running 142 $9,065
9 11 18 Tommy Ellis Freedlander Motorsports Chevrolet 493 9 running 143 $4,100
10 16 90 Ken Schrader Donlavey Racing Ford 493 0 running 134 $10,325
11 9 26 Joe Ruttman King Racing Buick 486 1 running 135 $5,165
12 17 23 Michael Waltrip (R) Bahari Racing Pontiac 479 2 running 132 $3,100
13 29 94 Trevor Boys Eller Racing Pontiac 473 0 running 124 $2,350
14 14 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 470 177 engine 131 $11,200
15 25 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 469 0 running 118 $6,055
16 28 48 Jerry Cranmer Hylton Motorsports Chevrolet 467 0 running 0 $5,735
17 5 44 Terry Labonte Hagan Enterprises Oldsmobile 445 78 engine 117 $10,250
18 8 75 Jody Ridley RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 444 0 accident 109 $5,475
19 12 7 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 432 0 running 106 $8,750
20 23 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 383 0 engine 103 $5,565
21 13 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 361 2 steering 105 $4,855
22 26 80 Gary Fedewa Burke Racing Chevrolet 334 0 engine 97 $1,600
23 24 35 Alan Kulwicki (R) AK Racing Ford 317 0 overheating 94 $1,550
24 31 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 302 0 oil pressure 91 $4,545
25 33 20 Rick Newsom Newsom Racing Buick 260 0 overheating 88 $1,600
26 19 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 242 0 engine 85 $8,400
27 18 98 Ron Bouchard Curb Racing Pontiac 219 0 engine 82 $1,350
28 15 12 Neil Bonnett Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 179 87 clutch 84 $8,330
29 32 96 Jerry Bowman Jerry Bowman Racing Ford 121 0 handling 76 $1,250
30 37 68 Jerry Holden Holden Racing Ford 100 0 brakes 0 $1,200
31 35 6 Joe Booher U.S. Racing Chevrolet 91 0 engine 70 $3,925
32 7 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 85 0 engine 67 $3,865
33 34 88 Mike Potter Jimmy Walker Enterprises Ford 73 0 engine 64 $1,050
34 27 64 Rick Baldwin Langley Racing Ford 39 0 engine 0 $3,755
35 22 17 Doug Heveron Hamby Racing Chevrolet 26 0 engine 58 $3,635
36 36 03 Howard Mark Mark Racing Chevrolet 14 0 overheating 55 $875
37 30 38 Joe Fields Beahr Racing Ford 0 0 accident 0 $875
Official race results

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (May 19, 1986). "Bodine Ends Dover Dixie Domination". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1C, 5C. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Bryson, Gene (May 19, 1986). "Bodine finishes what he starts". The News Journal. pp. C1, C4. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ Cooper, Ray (May 17, 1986). "Moise is hoping her luck will change in Charlotte". News & Record. pp. C3. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Higgins, Tom (May 18, 1986). "Rudd Fools The Favorites, Races To Pole At Dover". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 14C. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.  


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