1986 The Winston
The 1986 The Winston, the second running of the NASCAR All-Star Race, was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 11, 1986. The only time The Winston was held at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia, the 83-lap race was the second exhibition race in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series.[3] Bill Elliott of Melling Racing led the most laps (82) and won the caution-free race and US$200,000, along with US$40,000 for leading laps 20, 30, 50, and 60.
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 2 exhibition races in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
| Date | May 11, 1986 | ||
| Location | Hampton, Georgia | ||
| Course |
Atlanta International Raceway 1.522 mi (2.45 km) | ||
| Distance | 83 laps, 126.3 mi (203.26 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures around 67.2 °F (19.6 °C), with winds gusting to 8.52 miles per hour (13.71 km/h)[2] | ||
| Average speed | 159.123 mph (256.084 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 18,500 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
| Laps | 82 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Larry Nuber, and Benny Parsons | ||
The event featured the Atlanta Invitational, a 100-lap race for drivers who did not meet the eligibility of The Winston. Benny Parsons of Jackson Brothers Motorsports won the race and US$75,000 and became eligible to run the 1987 The Winston. The Atlanta Invitational was held before The Winston, but due to a tape delay, ESPN aired the race after The Winston.
NASCAR's original plan for The Winston was to hold the race at a different track every year, but due to the dismal attendance of this race, The Winston was moved back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the next 32 years before Bristol Motor Speedway hosted the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race.
Background
The Winston was open to race winners from the 1985 season. Because the field was one short of the minimum requirement of 10 cars, the final spot was awarded to the highest finishing driver in the 1985 points standings without a win. The pole position was awarded to the defending Winston Cup champion while the rest of the field was determined by the total number of wins from last season, with driver's points used as the tiebreaker.
Race winners in 1985
- 3-Dale Earnhardt (4 wins)
- 9-Bill Elliott (11 wins, including the 1985 Daytona 500)
- 10-Greg Sacks (1 win)
- 11-Darrell Waltrip (3 wins)
- 12-Neil Bonnett (2 wins)
- 15-Ricky Rudd (1 win)
- 28-Cale Yarborough (2 wins)
- 33-Harry Gant (3 wins)
- 44-Terry Labonte (1 win)
Awarded by points
- 5-Geoff Bodine (5th in 1985 driver's points)
Race summary
Atlanta Invitational
The Atlanta Invitational was a 100-lap exhibition race featuring 14 participants that did not met the eligibility of The Winston. Benny Parsons won the caution-free race and US$75,000. The win also gave him the eligibility to run the 1987 Winston.
| Pos | Grid | Car | Driver | Owner | Manufacturer | Laps run | Laps led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Brothers Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 100 | 37 |
| 2 | 2 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 100 | 56 |
| 3 | 3 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 100 | 0 |
| 4 | 6 | 4 | Lake Speed | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 100 | 3 |
| 5 | 7 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 100 | 2 |
| 6 | 4 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 100 | 0 |
| 7 | 8 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 100 | 0 |
| 8 | 10 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 100 | 0 |
| 9 | 9 | 73 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Ford | 99 | 0 |
| 10 | 11 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 97 | 0 |
| 11 | 12 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Means Racing | Pontiac | 94 | 0 |
| 12 | 1 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 69 | 2 |
| 13 | 14 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 37 | 0 |
| 14 | 13 | 6 | Trevor Boys | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 24 | 0 |
Source:[4] | |||||||
The Winston
The Winston was an 83-lap exhibition race with a combined purse of US$500,000. The earnings were as follows:
| The Winston earnings | |
| First place | US$200,000 |
| Second place | US$75,000 |
| Third place | US$60,000 |
| Fourth place | US$50,000 |
| Fifth place | US$30,000 |
| Sixth place | US$25,000 |
| Seventh place | US$20,000 |
| Eighth place | US$15,000 |
| Ninth place | US$14,500 |
| Tenth place | US$10,000 |
In addition, a purse bonus of US$10,000 was given to the drivers who led laps 20, 30, 50, and 60.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo driver Darrell Waltrip and Ford Thunderbird driver Bill Elliott led the field on the green flag. Despite being the pole sitter, Waltrip lost momentum as Elliott and Dale Earnhardt passed him before the first lap. Prior to the first pit stop, Waltrip struggled with an ill-handling car as he dropped below the top five while Cale Yarborough and Harry Gant battled for third and Neil Bonnett and Geoff Bodine fought for fifth place. With no one close enough to challenge him, Elliott earned US$20,000 by leading laps 20 and 30. The two-tire pit stop began on lap 40. After changing left-side tires, Elliott passed Earnhardt at full speed to regain the lead. He once again collected US$20,000 for leading laps 50 and 60. Elliott dominated the race and took the checkered flag to win US$200,000 with Earnhardt, Gant, Waltrip, and Yarborough wrapping up the top five.
| Pos | Grid | Car | Driver | Owner | Manufacturer | Laps run | Laps led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 83 | 82 |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 83 | 1 |
| 3 | 4 | 44 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 83 | 0 |
| 4 | 1 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 83 | 0 |
| 5 | 6 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Rainier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 83 | 0 |
| 6 | 5 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 83 | 0 |
| 7 | 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 83 | 0 |
| 8 | 7 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 82 | 0 |
| 9 | 8 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 82 | 0 |
| 10 | 9 | 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 82 | 0 |
Source:[1] | |||||||
References
- "1986 The Winston". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- "Weather information for the 1986 The Winston". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- "Photos: 30 years of NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winners". Fox Sports. October 20, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- "1986 Atlanta Invitational". Racing-References. Retrieved January 25, 2019.