# 1986 Miller High Life 400

The 1986 Miller High Life 400 was the second stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 23, 1986, before an audience of 30,000 in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, a 0.542 miles (0.872 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete.
In what is considered to be one of the most controversial finishes in NASCAR history, Junior Johnson & Associates' Darrell Waltrip and Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt engaged in a battle for the victory. With four laps left, Waltrip made a pass on Earnhardt in the second turn, passing him on the left. However, Waltrip did not fully clear Earnhardt by the third turn. In the third turn, Earnhardt spun out Waltrip, sending the two into a crash that included numerous other cars behind them. As a result, the next driver behind the two who managed to avoid the wreck, Wood Brothers Racing's Kyle Petty, was declared the winner in improbable fashion. The victory was Petty's first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, King Racing's Joe Ruttman and the aforementioned Earnhardt finished second and third, respectively.

## Background

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 2 | Kirk Bryant | Cliff Stewart Racing | Pontiac | Spectrum Furniture |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Wrangler |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Trevor Boys | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | U.S. Racing |
| 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 7-Eleven |
| 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 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 | Phil Parsons | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 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 |
| 32 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | Terry Racing | Ford | Quincy's Steakhouse |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 41 | Ronnie Thomas | Ronnie Thomas Racing | Chevrolet | Ronnie Thomas Racing |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 48 | Ron Esau | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hylton Motorsports |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 64 | Doug Heveron | Langley Racing | Ford | Hesco Exhaust Systems |
| 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 |
| 75 | Lake Speed | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Nationwise Automotive |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 92 | Jonathan Lee Edwards | Edwards Racing | Buick | Edwards Racing |
| 94 | Eddie Bierschwale | Eller Racing | Pontiac | Kodak Film |
| 95 | Davey Allison | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Sadler Brothers Racing |
| 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was scheduled to be split into two rounds, with the first round scheduled to be held on Friday, February 21, at 3:00 PM EST, and the second round scheduled to be held on Saturday, February 22, at 11:30 AM EST. The first round would have set positions 1-20, while the second round would have set positions 21-30 for drivers who had not locked in during the first round. However, the first round was immediately cancelled due to mist. The second round was then attempted to be run, but was then also cancelled after 23 cars made runs due to rain.
As a result of qualifying being cancelled, the starting lineup was set by a rained-out procedure. Positions 1-18 were given based on the current 1986 owner's points, positions 19-20 were given to winners in the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series who had not qualified by owner's points, and positions 21-30 were given to the teams who had both had their entry blanks received by NASCAR and had checked in at the NASCAR on-track check-in hauler the earliest. In addition, one provisional was given out of the maximum two allowable. As a result of this system, Hendrick Motorsports' Geoff Bodine won the pole. Four drivers failed to qualify.

### Full starting lineup

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make |
| 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile |
| 3 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick |
| 5 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac |
| 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac |
| 7 | 75 | Lake Speed | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac |
| 8 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford |
| 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford |
| 10 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 11 | 17 | Phil Parsons | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile |
| 12 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 13 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 6 | Trevor Boys | U.S. Racing | Buick |
| 15 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 16 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford |
| 17 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick |
| 18 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet |
| Qualified via winning in the 1985 season |||||
| 19 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet |
| 20 | 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Pontiac |
| Qualified via earliest entry blank and check in at the NASCAR hauler |||||
| 21 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac |
| 22 | 64 | Doug Heveron | Langley Racing | Ford |
| 23 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick |
| 24 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet |
| 25 | 2 | Kirk Bryant | Cliff Stewart Racing | Pontiac |
| 26 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac |
| 27 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac |
| 28 | 95 | Davey Allison | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford |
| 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac |
| Provisional |||||
| 31 | 48 | Ron Esau | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| Failed to qualify |||||
| 32 | 32 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | Terry Racing | Ford |
| 33 | 41 | Ronnie Thomas | Ronnie Thomas Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | 92 | Jonathan Lee Edwards | Edwards Racing | Buick |
| 35 | 94 | Eddie Bierschwale | Eller Racing | Pontiac |
| Official starting lineup |||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 12 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 400 | 4 | running | 180 | $37,880 |
| 2 | 17 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 400 | 21 | running | 175 | $16,215 |
| 3 | 10 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 299 | running | 175 | $19,310 |
| 4 | 23 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 399 | 0 | running | 160 | $6,275 |
| 5 | 3 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 398 | 1 | crash | 160 | $14,295 |
| 6 | 4 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 398 | 0 | running | 150 | $7,240 |
| 7 | 19 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 146 | $10,055 |
| 8 | 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 397 | 59 | crash | 147 | $8,435 |
| 9 | 24 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 397 | 12 | running | 143 | $5,890 |
| 10 | 6 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 395 | 1 | running | 139 | $6,530 |
| 11 | 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 395 | 3 | running | 135 | $6,510 |
| 12 | 28 | 95 | Davey Allison | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 395 | 0 | running | 127 | $1,860 |
| 13 | 22 | 64 | Doug Heveron | Langley Racing | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 0 | $4,760 |
| 14 | 16 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 389 | 0 | running | 121 | $4,580 |
| 15 | 2 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 389 | 0 | running | 118 | $7,550 |
| 16 | 26 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 387 | 0 | running | 115 | $4,325 |
| 17 | 7 | 75 | Lake Speed | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 382 | 0 | running | 112 | $4,145 |
| 18 | 5 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 380 | 0 | running | 109 | $3,915 |
| 19 | 20 | 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Pontiac | 369 | 0 | running | 106 | $7,100 |
| 20 | 27 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 363 | 0 | running | 103 | $1,615 |
| 21 | 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 353 | 0 | running | 100 | $9,730 |
| 22 | 15 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 352 | 0 | running | 97 | $1,295 |
| 23 | 29 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 329 | 0 | running | 94 | $4,450 |
| 24 | 13 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 317 | 0 | running | 91 | $1,225 |
| 25 | 21 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 313 | 0 | head gasket | 88 | $1,790 |
| 26 | 14 | 6 | Trevor Boys | U.S. Racing | Buick | 279 | 0 | crash | 85 | $3,335 |
| 27 | 25 | 2 | Kirk Bryant | Cliff Stewart Racing | Pontiac | 88 | 0 | crash | 82 | $3,300 |
| 28 | 18 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 29 | 0 | overheating | 79 | $8,385 |
| 29 | 11 | 17 | Phil Parsons | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 17 | 0 | crash | 76 | $3,210 |
| 30 | 8 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 17 | 0 | crash | 73 | $7,715 |
| 31 | 31 | 48 | Eddie Bierschwale | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 | 0 | engine | 70 | $2,515 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 32 | | 32 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | Terry Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 33 | | 41 | Ronnie Thomas | Ronnie Thomas Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 34 | | 92 | Jonathan Lee Edwards | Edwards Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 35 | | 94 | Eddie Bierschwale | Eller Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Geoff Bodine | 332 |
| 1 | 2 | Darrell Waltrip | 330 (-2) |
| 1 | 3 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 315 (-17) |
| 10 | 4 | Dale Earnhardt | 301 (–31) |
| 11 | 5 | Kyle Petty | 295 (–37) |
| 5 | 6 | Terry Labonte | 293 (–39) |
| 2 | 7 | Rusty Wallace | 281 (–51) |
| 2 | 8 | Ron Bouchard | 259 (–73) |
| 20 | 9 | Joe Ruttman | 254 (–78) |
| | 10 | Lake Speed | 246 (–86) |
| Official driver's standings ||||