1986 Delaware 500

1986 Delaware 500
Race details[1]
Race 23 of 29 in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season

Dover's then-current asphalt surface
Date September 14, 1986 (1986-September-14)
Official name Delaware 500
Location Dover International Speedway (Dover, Delaware)
Course Permanent racing facility
1.000 mi (1.609 km)
Distance 500 laps, 500.0 mi (804.6 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching up to 73.9 °F (23.3 °C); wind speeds up to 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h)
Average speed 114.329 miles per hour (183.995 km/h)
Attendance 44,000
Pole position
Driver
Hendrick Motorsports
Most laps led
Driver Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering
Laps 141
Winner
No. 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1986 Delaware 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on September 14, 1986, at Dover Downs International Speedway in Dover, Delaware.

Summary

There were 41 drivers who originally qualified for this race; only George Wiltshire failed to make the final 40-car starting grid. All but one of the drivers were born in the United States of America; Cliff Hucul was born in Canada.

This race lasted 500-laps or four hours and twenty-two minutes. Mike Potter received the last-place finish of this race due to problems with his engine on lap 22. Ricky Rudd would end up defeating Neil Bonnet by slightly more than five seconds.[2] His one-lap penalty for driving past the pace car was eventually relegated to a "slap on the wrist" for Rudd; as his Ford Thunderbird performed like a flawless machine from lap 200 to the checkered flag.[3] Out of the 56 racing events that Ricky Rudd did at Dover International Speedway, his average start was 13th place while his average finish was 14th place with four confirmed victories.[4] The pole position of the race would end up going to Geoffrey Bodine for travelling up to 146.205 miles per hour (235.294 km/h) during his solo qualifying runs. Tim Richmond ended up being the lowest-place driver to actually make it through the race. Only Ricky Rudd, Neil Bonnett, and Kyle Petty would finish the race in the lead lap.[2]

Terry Labonte's engine problem would eliminate him from the race on lap 461 but would guarantee him a finish in the "top twenty.[2]" However, Labonte would have to earn this middle-of-the-road finish by dueling against Ricky Rudd for 138 laps.[5] Bryan Baker, Roy Lee Hendrick, and Howard Rose would make their only appearances during this event while Cliff Hucul would retire from NASCAR Cup Series racing competition after the end of the racing event.[6]

Winnings for this racing event varied from a then-awesome $51,500 ($111,176.84 when adjusted for inflation) to a humble $850 ($1,834.96 when adjusted for inflation).[2] The total prize purse for this racing event totalled at exactly $314,000 ($677,854.89 when adjusted for inflation).[7]

Top twenty finishers

Standings after the race

Pos Driver Points[2]
1 Dale Earnhardt 3498
2 Tim Richmond 3360
3 Darrell Waltrip 3306
4 Bobby Allison 3112
5 Ricky Rudd 3069

References

  1. ↑ Weather information for the 1986 Delaware 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 1986 Delaware 500 racing information at Racing Reference
  3. ↑ Auto Racing Roundup : Rudd Overcomes Penalty to Win the Delaware 500 at Los Angeles Times
  4. ↑ NASCAR Statistics on Ricky Rudd at Driver Averages
  5. ↑ Rudd Avoids An Epidemic Of Trouble To Win Delaware 500 at Philly.com
  6. ↑ 1986 Delaware 500 racing information at Race Database
  7. ↑ 1986 Delaware 500 racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
Preceded by
1986 Wrangler Jeans Indigo 400		 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1986 		Succeeded by
1986 Goody's 500
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