# 1986 Winston 500

The 1986 Winston 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 17th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 4, 1986, before an audience of 130,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Alabama International Motor Speedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete.
In the final laps of the race, Stavola Brothers Racing's Bobby Allison made a late-race charge to the lead, passing with six laps left in the race. Allison then defended a last-lap move by Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt in the final turns of the race, securing his 82nd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Earnhardt and owner-driver Buddy Baker finished second and third, respectively.
The race is notable for an incident in which a fan stole the pace car for the event, resulting in a short lived police chase occurring on the track. The fan was later arrested for the incident.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval, a 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) tri-oval.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | Heyward Grooms Construction, Carey Hillard's Restaurants |
| 1 | Sterling Marlin | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 02 | Mark Martin | Gunderman Racing | Ford | Lone Star Peterbilt |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Wrangler |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Cap'n Coty's |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Trevor Boys | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | Finky's |
| 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 |
| 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Pontiac | TRW Automotive |
| 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 | Pancho Carter | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | Kmart |
| 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | Freedlander Financial |
| 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 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | Hardee's |
| 32 | Jim Sauter | Ingle Racing | Chevrolet | Ingle Racing |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | Quincy's Steakhouse |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Chevrolet | Race Hill Farm Team |
| 48 | Ronnie Thomas | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hylton Motorsports |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 54 | Eddie Bierschwale | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | Gray Racing |
| 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 60 | Dick Skillen | Goff Racing | Chevrolet | Goff Racing |
| 64 | Tommy Gale | Langley Racing | Ford | Sunny King Ford |
| 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 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 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | Helen Rae Special |
| 75 | Jody Ridley | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Nationwise Automotive |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Chevrolet | McCord Gasket |
| 78 | Steve Moore | Steve Moore Racing | Chevrolet | Steve Moore Racing |
| 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | Circle Bar Truck Corral |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Crisco |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 94 | Doug Heveron | Eller Racing | Pontiac | Kodak Film |
| 95 | Davey Allison | Sadler Brothers Racing | Buick | Sadler Brothers Racing |
| 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 99 | Connie Saylor | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ball Motorsports |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, May 1, at 1:00 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. 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 Friday, May 2, at 1:00 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, 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.
Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, won the pole, setting a time of 45.121 and an average speed of 212.229 miles per hour (341.549 km/h) in the first round.
Seven drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 45.121 | 212.229 |
| 2 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 45.758 | 209.274 |
| 3 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.001 | 208.169 |
| 4 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 46.018 | 208.092 |
| 5 | 1 | Sterling Marlin | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 46.088 | 207.776 |
| 6 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 46.174 | 207.389 |
| 7 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 46.227 | 207.151 |
| 8 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 46.240 | 207.093 |
| 9 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 46.306 | 206.798 |
| 10 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 46.308 | 206.789 |
| 11 | 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 46.315 | 206.758 |
| 12 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.361 | 206.552 |
| 13 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 46.495 | 205.957 |
| 14 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 46.510 | 205.891 |
| 15 | 75 | Jody Ridley | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 46.516 | 205.864 |
| 16 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 46.524 | 205.829 |
| 17 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 46.550 | 205.714 |
| 18 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 46.730 | 204.921 |
| 19 | 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Pontiac | 46.751 | 204.829 |
| 20 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 46.790 | 204.659 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.640 | 205.317 |
| 22 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 46.683 | 205.128 |
| 23 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.799 | 204.619 |
| 24 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 46.864 | 204.335 |
| 25 | 17 | Pancho Carter | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 46.903 | 204.166 |
| 26 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 46.905 | 204.157 |
| 27 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 46.916 | 204.109 |
| 28 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | 46.918 | 204.100 |
| 29 | 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | 46.989 | 203.792 |
| 30 | 6 | Trevor Boys | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 46.991 | 203.783 |
| 31 | 54 | Eddie Bierschwale | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | 47.000 | 203.744 |
| 32 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 47.019 | 203.662 |
| 33 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 47.022 | 203.649 |
| 34 | 99 | Connie Saylor | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.042 | 203.562 |
| 35 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | 47.059 | 203.489 |
| 36 | 32 | Jim Sauter | Ingle Racing | Chevrolet | 47.121 | 203.221 |
| 37 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 47.184 | 202.950 |
| 38 | 94 | Doug Heveron | Eller Racing | Pontiac | 47.201 | 202.877 |
| 39 | 48 | Ronnie Thomas | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.259 | 202.628 |
| 40 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 47.274 | 202.563 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 47.279 | 202.542 |
| 42 | 64 | Tommy Gale | Langley Racing | Ford | 48.300 | 198.260 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Chevrolet | 47.319 | 202.371 |
| 44 | 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | 47.365 | 202.174 |
| 45 | 02 | Mark Martin | Gunderman Racing | Ford | 47.523 | 201.502 |
| 46 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 47.871 | 200.037 |
| 47 | 95 | Davey Allison | Sadler Brothers Racing | Buick | 48.218 | 198.598 |
| 48 | 60 | Dick Skillen | Goff Racing | Chevrolet | 48.494 | 197.467 |
| 49 | 78 | Steve Moore | Steve Moore Racing | Chevrolet | 50.449 | 189.815 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 188 | 40 | running | 180 | $77,905 |
| 2 | 14 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 18 | running | 175 | $53,900 |
| 3 | 7 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 188 | 6 | running | 170 | $27,600 |
| 4 | 10 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 188 | 0 | running | 160 | $21,470 |
| 5 | 11 | 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | running | 155 | $15,525 |
| 6 | 6 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 188 | 2 | running | 155 | $11,750 |
| 7 | 18 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 146 | $14,425 |
| 8 | 21 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 142 | $10,500 |
| 9 | 26 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 1 | running | 143 | $7,900 |
| 10 | 19 | 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 134 | $9,350 |
| 11 | 32 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 2 | running | 135 | $10,455 |
| 12 | 12 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 127 | $9,835 |
| 13 | 16 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 187 | 0 | running | 124 | $12,440 |
| 14 | 39 | 48 | Ronnie Thomas | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 185 | 0 | running | 121 | $8,875 |
| 15 | 38 | 94 | Doug Heveron | Eller Racing | Pontiac | 185 | 0 | running | 118 | $4,940 |
| 16 | 40 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 185 | 0 | running | 115 | $8,115 |
| 17 | 17 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 182 | 0 | running | 112 | $7,635 |
| 18 | 25 | 17 | Pancho Carter | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 181 | 0 | running | 109 | $7,725 |
| 19 | 35 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | 181 | 0 | running | 106 | $3,820 |
| 20 | 8 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 180 | 0 | engine | 103 | $3,735 |
| 21 | 22 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 178 | 0 | engine | 100 | $12,010 |
| 22 | 41 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 178 | 0 | running | 97 | $5,855 |
| 23 | 29 | 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | 177 | 0 | running | 94 | $3,670 |
| 24 | 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 175 | 116 | engine | 101 | $43,070 |
| 25 | 42 | 64 | Tommy Gale | Langley Racing | Ford | 175 | 0 | running | | $5,845 |
| 26 | 33 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 168 | 0 | running | 85 | $5,785 |
| 27 | 3 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 157 | 0 | running | 82 | $10,070 |
| 28 | 28 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | 149 | 1 | engine | 84 | $2,820 |
| 29 | 13 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 144 | 0 | engine | 76 | $9,770 |
| 30 | 31 | 54 | Eddie Bierschwale | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | 129 | 0 | transmission | 73 | $2,720 |
| 31 | 9 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 125 | 0 | accident | 70 | $9,625 |
| 32 | 23 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 117 | 0 | fan blade | 67 | $2,600 |
| 33 | 34 | 99 | Connie Saylor | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | 114 | 0 | engine | 64 | $2,575 |
| 34 | 24 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 102 | 0 | engine | 61 | $13,850 |
| 35 | 37 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 92 | 0 | accident | 58 | $2,525 |
| 36 | 20 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 85 | 0 | engine | 55 | $10,500 |
| 37 | 4 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 63 | 0 | engine | 52 | $2,575 |
| 38 | 30 | 6 | Trevor Boys | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 62 | 2 | accident | 54 | $5,305 |
| 39 | 5 | 1 | Sterling Marlin | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 48 | 0 | piston | 46 | $2,500 |
| 40 | 27 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 40 | 0 | fuel pressure | 43 | $10,800 |
| 41 | 36 | 32 | Jim Sauter | Ingle Racing | Chevrolet | 26 | 0 | vibration | 40 | $2,400 |
| 42 | 15 | 75 | Jody Ridley | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 4 | 0 | engine | 37 | $5,135 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 44 | | 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 02 | Mark Martin | Gunderman Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 95 | Davey Allison | Sadler Brothers Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 48 | | 60 | Dick Skillen | Goff Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 49 | | 78 | Steve Moore | Steve Moore Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,417 |
| 1 | 2 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,308 (-109) |
| 1 | 3 | Rusty Wallace | 1,216 (-204) |
| 3 | 4 | Bobby Allison | 1,198 (–219) |
| 2 | 5 | Terry Labonte | 1,189 (–228) |
| 1 | 6 | Kyle Petty | 1,152 (–265) |
| 1 | 7 | Bill Elliott | 1,141 (–276) |
| | 8 | Tim Richmond | 1,135 (–282) |
| 2 | 9 | Harry Gant | 1,084 (–333) |
| 1 | 10 | Geoff Bodine | 1,082 (–335) |
| Official driver's standings ||||