# 1986 Canadian Players 500

The 1986 Canadian Players 500, also referred to as the Canadian 500 or Players 500, was the 4th stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston West Series season. The race was held on Sunday, August 3, 1986, at Race City Speedway, a 0.420 mile (0.676 km) oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. Bill Schmitt won the race, his first and only win of the season. Multiple of Schmitt's closest competitors, such as Hershel McGriff and Terry Petris, were eliminated in accidents, and Schmitt would ultimately win with a margin of 7 laps over second place Chad Little. Canadian driver Billy Hitchcox would finish third, and Jim Robinson and John Krebs rounded out the top five. This race would be the last Winston West race to take pace in Canada.

## Background

Race City Motorsport Park, also known as Race City or Race City Speedway, was a multi-track auto racing facility located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The facility featured a ¼ mile dragstrip, a 3.2 km (2.0 mi) 11-turn road course, and a ½ mile paved short oval.

### Entry list

| No. | Driver | Owner | Manufacturer |
| 3 | Kenny Schmitt | Bill Schmitt | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Bob Howard | Bob Howard | Oldsmobile |
| 04 | Hershel McGriff | Gary Smith | Pontiac |
| 6 | Chuck Little | George Jefferson | Ford |
| 12 | Terry Petris | John & Terry Petris | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Laury Cover | unknown | Ford |
| 18 | Glen Steurer | Glen Steurer | Chevrolet |
| 22 | St. James Davis | LaDonna Davis | Buick |
| 24 | Buddie Boys | Buddie Boys | Pontiac |
| 26 | Chad Little | George Jefferson | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Bobby Schukar | Dick Midgley | Chevrolet |
| 27X | Doug Rutz | unknown | Pontiac |
| 32 | Ruben Garcia | Fred Stoke | Chevrolet |
| 33 | John Krebs | John Krebs | Oldsmobile |
| 41 | Jack Sellers | Sara Vincent | Chevrolet |
| 44 | Billy Hitchcox | unknown | Oldsmobile |
| 72 | Brad Tidrick | Cindi Tidrick | Buick |
| 73 | Bill Schmitt | Bill Schmitt | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Jim Robinson | Lois Williams | Oldsmobile |
| 97 | Mike Van Amberg | unknown | Pontiac |
| 98 | Garrett Evans | John Kieper | Chevrolet |
| 99 | Mike Chase | Fred Stoke | Chevrolet |

## Qualifying

Bill Schmitt started the race on pole with an average speed of 86.728 mph.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Owner | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | 73 | Bill Schmitt | Bill Schmitt | Chevrolet | 500 | 467 | Running | 60 |
| 2 | 5 | 26 | Chad Little | George Jefferson | Chevrolet | 493 | 0 | Running | 49 |
| 3 | 10 | 44 | Billy Hitchcox | unknown | Oldsmobile | 490 | 0 | Running | 48 |
| 4 | 9 | 78 | Jim Robinson | Lois Williams | Oldsmobile | 486 | 0 | Running | 47 |
| 5 | 11 | 33 | John Krebs | John Krebs | Oldsmobile | 478 | 0 | Running | 46 |
| 6 | 7 | 32 | Ruben Garcia | Fred Stoke | Chevrolet | 443 | 0 | Rear End | 45 |
| 7 | 2 | 98 | Garrett Evans | John Kieper | Pontiac | 384 | 0 | Accident | 44 |
| 8 | 15 | 97 | Mike Van Amberg | unknown | Pontiac | 384 | 0 | Running | 0 |
| 9 | 12 | 24 | Buddie Boys | Buddie Boys | Pontiac | 373 | 0 | Running | 43 |
| 10 | 3 | 99 | Mike Chase | Fred Stoke | Chvrolet | 351 | 0 | Rear End | 42 |
| 11 | 22 | 27X | Doug Rutz | unknown | Pontiac | 284 | 0 | Engine | 0 |
| 12 | 20 | 14 | Laury Cover | unknown | Ford | 252 | 0 | Engine | 0 |
| 13 | 6 | 18 | Glen Steurer | Glen Steurer | Chevrolet | 221 | 0 | Ignition | 41 |
| 14 | 16 | 41 | Jack Sellers | Sara Vincent | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | Overheating | 40 |
| 15 | 8 | 12 | Terry Petris | John & Terry Petris | Chevrolet | 175 | 0 | Accident | 39 |
| 16 | 14 | 72 | Brad Tidrick | Cindi Tidrick | Buick | 155 | 0 | Accident | 38 |
| 17 | 17 | 04 | Hershel McGriff | Gary Smith | Pontiac | 97 | 33 | Accident | 42 |
| 18 | 21 | 27 | Bobby Schukar | Dick Midgley | Chevrolet | 93 | 0 | Accident | 0 |
| 19 | 13 | 4 | Bob Howard | Bob Howard | Oldsmobile | 39 | 0 | Engine | 36 |
| 20 | 17 | 22 | St. James Davis | LaDonna Davis | Buick | 3 | 0 | Engine | 35 |
| 21 | 18 | 3 | Kenny Schmitt | Bill Schmitt | Chevrolet | 2 | 0 | Ignition | 0 |
| 22 | 19 | 6 | Chuck Little | George Jefferson | Ford | 2 | 0 | Ignition | 0 |

## Standings after the race

| Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Chad Little | 209 |
| 2 | Bill Schmitt | 202 (-7) |
| 3 | Jim Robinson | 194 (-15) |
| 4 | Terry Petris | 187 (-22) |
| 5 | Hershel McGriff | 182 (-27) |
| 6 | Glen Steurer | 182 (-27) |
| 7 | Ruben Garcia | 169 (-40) |
| 8 | John Krebs | 151 (-58) |
| 9 | Brad Tidrick | 117 (-92) |
| 10 | Ray Kelly | 114 (-95) |
* Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.