1985 Winchester 400
The 1985 Winchester 400 motor race, the sixteenth annual (run yearly since 1970), was held under American Speed Association sanction on September 29, 1985, at the Winchester Speedway, in Indiana (USA).
After coming close on several occasions, 1985 saw Mark Martin finally captured his first "Winchester 400" crown. After passing the ill-handling car of Dick Trickle on the 338th lap, Martin flew to the $13,615 victory that was the largest in the history of the event. He was the first driver since Bob Senneker in 1977 to win the "400" from the pole.
The race
Martin led the initial 93 laps from his pole position starting spot, before making his first pit stop of the day when a blown tire by Jim Sauter brought out the first caution. His dominance on and off the track was so strong, that the Batesville, AR native never ran lower than fifth during the 200-mile grind. His good fortune was not shared by two-time defending pole winner Dick Trickle and former winners Mike Eddy and Bob Senneker. Eddy managed to finish on the lead lap despite a spin on lap 177, but lost second spot late in the race to a charging Harold Fair. Trickle ran strong, but blew a tire and hit the backstretch wall, eventually dropping to a tenth-place finish. Senneker, who started the race with a broken rib, blew an oil line on lap 111 and hit the first turn wall to end his day. Alan Kulwicki was among the front-runners until a broken spindle forced his Ford into the pits for a lengthy stop on lap 267.
Fair led the race for the first time following Martin’s first stop on lap 93, until Trickle shot by to lead laps 105-217. Fair then went back in front for 13 laps before Trickle again assumed the point. Trickle relinquished the lead on lap 286 when John Wilson hit the fourth-turn wall to bring out a caution. As Trickle cruised down pit road, Eddy and Martin remained on the track and move to the top-two spots. The lead duo made their final stops on lap 318 with Martin winning the race off pit road. Back under green, Martin quickly chased down Trickle and made what would be the pass for the win on lap 338. Fair finished a career-best second ahead of Eddy, Bobby Dotter, and Butch Miller.
Table of results
| Results of the 16th Annual Winchester 400 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Start | Car # | Driver/Hometown | Sponsor/Make | Laps | Winnings (in US$) |
Status | |
| 1 | 1 | 2 |  Mark Martin / Batesville, AR |
Miller American / Ford | 400 | $13,685 | running | |
| 2 | 9 | 81 |  Harold Fair / Livonia, MI |
Hanley Ent./Prototype Eng. / Pontiac | 400 | $6,490 | running | |
| 3 | 8 | 88 | Mike Eddy / Midland, MI |
Howe Ent./Malcuit Engines / Pontiac | 400 | $4,690 | running | |
| 4 | 7 | 79 |  Bobby Dotter / Chicago, IL |
Car Parts Unlimited/Mathu / Pontiac | 396 | $3,390 | running | |
| 5 | 2 | 52 | Butch Miller / Lawton, MI |
MSW/Lane Automotive/Fredrikson / Chevrolet | 396 | $3,585 | running | |
| 6 | 19 | 90 |  Kent Stauffer / Elyria, OH |
Flex Auto Products / Pontiac | 395 | $2,600 | running | |
| 7 | 10 | 35 | Buddy Schrock / Plain City, OH |
Performance Technology / Pontiac | 395 | $1,790 | running | |
| 8 | 17 | 22 |  Ken Lund / Madison, WI |
Jack’s Original Pizza/LSJ / Pontiac | 392 | $2,200 | running | |
| 9 | 14 | 0 | Tom Jones / Northbrook, IL |
RJ Race Cars/Prototype Eng. / Chevrolet | 389 | $1,995 | running | |
| 10 | 3 | 99 | Dick Trickle / Wisconsin Rapids, WI |
Pabst/Prototype Eng. / Pontiac | 387 | $2,585 | running | |
| 11 | 15 | 41 | Tom Harrington / Loveland, OH |
BFI Waste/E.B. Adv./Coors / Chevrolet | 384 | $1,795 | running | |
| 12 | 20 | 55 |  Bill Stephenson / Richmond Hill, ONT, CAN |
Lake Refrigeration / Pontiac | 383 | $1,650 | running | |
| 13 | 26 | 71 | John Wilson / Springfield, OH |
Wilson Racing Ent. / Pontiac | 380 | $1,400 | running | |
| 14 | 30 | 7 | Donnie Gregory / Columbus, OH |
A-1 Auto Service / Pontiac | 371 | $1,225 | running | |
| 15 | 4 | 28 | Alan Kulwicki / Greenfield, WI |
Hardee’s / Ford | 365 | $2,060 | running | |
| 16 | 13 | 91 | Russ Urlin / London, ONT, CAN |
Budget Rent-A-Car of Canada / Ford | 361 | $1,240 | running | |
| 17 | 16 | 78 | Ed Cooper / Clarks Lake, MI |
Habegger Racing / Pontiac | 330 | $1,005 | running | |
| 18 | 29 | 3 | Dave Heid / White Pigeon, MI |
Heid Racing / Chevrolet | 300 | $700 | running | |
| 19 | 11 | 51 | Dennis Vogel / Manitowoc, WI |
Vogel Brothers Racing / Pontiac | 290 | $1,185 | suspension | |
| 20 | 28 | 4 |  Ken Harrison / Indianapolis, IN |
Dairy Queen Laps for Kids / Pontiac | 202 | $900 | ignition | |
| 21 | 27 | 52 | Denny Miles / Muncie, IN |
Muncie Metal Spining/Wold Engines / Pontiac | 182 | $825 | engine | |
| 22 | 12 | 24 |  Dave Jensen / Independence, MO |
Jensen Sales/GDI Racing / Pontiac | 155 | $1,180 | suspension | |
| 23 | 5 | 84 | Bob Senneker / Dorr, MI |
Elk Custom Vans / Pontiac | 110 | $1,860 | engine | |
| 24 | 24 | 93 | Ed Evans / West Allis, WI |
Baker Enterprises of Wisconsin / Pontiac | 94 | $770 | accident | |
| 25 | 6 | 5 | Jim Sauter / Necedah, WI |
Dairyland Transport/Midstate/LSJ / Pontiac | 90 | $1,715 | accident | |
| 26 | 22 | 38 | Jeep Pflum / Cincinnati, OH |
J & M Towing/Car Rental / Chevrolet | 70 | $500 | accident | |
| 27 | 18 | 68 | Terry Senneker / Wayland, MI |
Car Brite/Reliable Body Shop / Chevrolet | 63 | $350 | oil leak | |
| 28 | 18 | 04 | Gene Harsch / Cincinnati, OH |
Pepsi-Cola Bottlers / Chevrolet | 59 | $650 | transmission | |
| 29 | 23 | 14 | Jay Sauter / Necedah, WI |
G.W. Pierce Auto Parts / Chevrolet | 40 | $550 | engine | |
| 30 | 25 | 72 |  Craig Spetman / Council Bluffs, IA |
Kingman Salvage Co. / Ford | 16 | $750 | engine | |
Race statistics
- Average Speed: 76.951 mph (123.841 km/h)
- Margin of Victory: 3.62 seconds
- Time of Race: Two hours, 35 minutes and 56.65 seconds
- Lead Changes: 8 among 4 drivers
- Lap Leaders: Mark Martin 1-93; Butch Miller 94; Harold Fair 95-104; Dick Trickle 105-217; Fair 218-231; Trickle 232-286; Martin 287-318; Trickle 319-337; Martin 338-400.
- Cautions: 12 for 68 laps
- Entries: 30 Qualifiers: 30
External links
| Preceded by 1984 Winchester 400 |
1985 Winchester 400 Winner: Mark Martin |
Succeeded by 1986 Winchester 400 |
Coordinates: 40°10′31″N 85°1′37″W / 40.17528°N 85.02694°W