# 1986 Firecracker 400

The 1986 Firecracker 400 was the 15th stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 28th iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, July 4, 1986, before an audience of 65,000 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 160 laps to complete.
With eight laps left in the race, Dale Earnhardt blew an engine in front of the leader, Buddy Baker. Although Baker was able to avoid the wreck, in the race back to the line, Hendrick Motorsports' Tim Richmond was able to take the lead at the time of caution. On the final restart with three laps left, Richmond was able to hold off the field, securing his seventh career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Ellington Racing's Sterling Marlin and Stavola Brothers Racing's Bobby Hillin Jr. finished second and third, respectively.

## Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Doug Heveron | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | Heyward Grooms Construction |
| 1 | Sterling Marlin | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 2 | Rodney Combs | Harrington Racing | Chevrolet | Soldier Seal, Gunk |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Wrangler |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Jim Sauter | 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 | Chevrolet | TRW Automotive |
| 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 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 |
| 20 | Rick Newsom | Newsom Racing | Chevrolet | Newsom Racing |
| 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 |
| 29 | Grant Adcox | Adcox Racing | Chevrolet | Adcox Racing |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | Quincy's Steakhouse |
| 39 | Blackie Wangerin | Wangerin Racing | Ford | Wangerin Racing |
| 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 |
| 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Chevrolet | Race Hill Farm Team |
| 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hylton Motorsports |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 54 | Eddie Bierschwale | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 64 | Connie Saylor | 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 |
| 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | Circle Bar Truck Corral |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ball Motorsports |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, July 2, at 10:00 AM 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 Thursday, July 3, at 10:00 AM 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 provisionals were given.
Cale Yarborough, driving for Ranier-Lundy Racing, won the pole, setting a time of 44.222 and an average speed of 203.519 miles per hour (327.532 km/h) in the first round.
Seven drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 44.222 | 203.519 |
| 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 44.240 | 203.436 |
| 3 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 44.426 | 202.584 |
| 4 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 44.450 | 202.475 |
| 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 44.526 | 202.129 |
| 6 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 44.619 | 201.708 |
| 7 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 44.740 | 201.162 |
| 8 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 44.748 | 201.126 |
| 9 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 44.867 | 200.593 |
| 10 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 44.873 | 200.566 |
| 11 | 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 45.037 | 199.836 |
| 12 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 45.047 | 199.791 |
| 13 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 45.112 | 199.503 |
| 14 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 45.137 | 199.393 |
| 15 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 45.158 | 199.300 |
| 16 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 45.238 | 198.948 |
| 17 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 45.255 | 198.873 |
| 18 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45.310 | 198.632 |
| 19 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 45.357 | 198.426 |
| 20 | 2 | Rodney Combs | Harrington Racing | Chevrolet | 45.376 | 198.343 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 1 | Sterling Marlin | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 44.190 | 203.666 |
| 22 | 75 | Jody Ridley | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 44.755 | 201.095 |
| 23 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 45.008 | 199.964 |
| 24 | 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | 45.027 | 199.880 |
| 25 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 45.030 | 199.867 |
| 26 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 45.152 | 199.327 |
| 27 | 17 | Pancho Carter | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 45.299 | 198.680 |
| 28 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Chevrolet | 45.315 | 198.610 |
| 29 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 45.377 | 198.338 |
| 30 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 45.412 | 198.186 |
| 31 | 54 | Eddie Bierschwale | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | 45.432 | 198.098 |
| 32 | 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | 45.459 | 197.981 |
| 33 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 45.463 | 197.963 |
| 34 | 0 | Doug Heveron | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | 45.489 | 197.850 |
| 35 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 45.554 | 197.568 |
| 36 | 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45.565 | 197.520 |
| 37 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 45.607 | 197.338 |
| 38 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 45.664 | 197.092 |
| 39 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 45.684 | 197.006 |
| 40 | 29 | Grant Adcox | Adcox Racing | Chevrolet | 45.687 | 196.993 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 6 | Jim Sauter | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 42 | 64 | Connie Saylor | Langley Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 44 | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 45 | 20 | Rick Newsom | Newsom Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 46 | 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 47 | 41 | Ronnie Thomas | Ronnie Thomas Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 48 | 39 | Blackie Wangerin | Wangerin Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 49 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 9 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 18 | running | 180 | $58,655 |
| 2 | 21 | 1 | Sterling Marlin | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 6 | running | 175 | $37,700 |
| 3 | 8 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 160 | 0 | running | 165 | $24,545 |
| 4 | 23 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 160 | 2 | running | 165 | $24,750 |
| 5 | 13 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 160 | 4 | running | 160 | $19,725 |
| 6 | 33 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 150 | $17,200 |
| 7 | 29 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 160 | 0 | running | 146 | $12,300 |
| 8 | 12 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 160 | 0 | running | 142 | $14,150 |
| 9 | 11 | 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 160 | 0 | running | 138 | $7,600 |
| 10 | 32 | 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 134 | $7,600 |
| 11 | 17 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 160 | 1 | running | 135 | $13,515 |
| 12 | 38 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 127 | $9,845 |
| 13 | 22 | 75 | Jody Ridley | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 160 | 0 | running | 124 | $8,615 |
| 14 | 3 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 160 | 31 | running | 126 | $6,645 |
| 15 | 6 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 159 | 3 | running | 123 | $11,580 |
| 16 | 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 159 | 1 | running | 120 | $13,675 |
| 17 | 1 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 159 | 5 | running | 117 | $6,975 |
| 18 | 39 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 159 | 0 | running | 109 | $3,520 |
| 19 | 14 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 159 | 0 | running | 106 | $10,320 |
| 20 | 30 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 159 | 0 | running | 103 | $8,455 |
| 21 | 25 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 158 | 0 | running | 100 | $3,045 |
| 22 | 19 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 156 | 0 | running | 97 | $6,595 |
| 23 | 41 | 6 | Jim Sauter | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 155 | 0 | running | 0 | $6,210 |
| 24 | 37 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 155 | 1 | running | 96 | $5,950 |
| 25 | 35 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 154 | 0 | running | 88 | $5,790 |
| 26 | 40 | 29 | Grant Adcox | Adcox Racing | Chevrolet | 154 | 0 | running | 85 | $2,195 |
| 27 | 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 151 | 69 | accident | 92 | $14,895 |
| 28 | 27 | 17 | Pancho Carter | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | running | 79 | $5,100 |
| 29 | 18 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 16 | engine | 81 | $9,995 |
| 30 | 42 | 64 | Connie Saylor | Langley Racing | Ford | 145 | 0 | accident | 0 | $4,860 |
| 31 | 26 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | engine | 70 | $10,645 |
| 32 | 20 | 2 | Rodney Combs | Harrington Racing | Chevrolet | 130 | 0 | brakes | 67 | $2,020 |
| 33 | 34 | 0 | Doug Heveron | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | 106 | 1 | clutch | 69 | $2,045 |
| 34 | 28 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | transmission | 61 | $1,970 |
| 35 | 31 | 54 | Eddie Bierschwale | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | 83 | 0 | engine | 58 | $1,945 |
| 36 | 4 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 78 | 2 | engine | 60 | $2,120 |
| 37 | 7 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 50 | 0 | handling | 52 | $1,895 |
| 38 | 10 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33 | 0 | engine | 49 | $2,625 |
| 39 | 36 | 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 33 | 0 | accident | 46 | $1,845 |
| 40 | 24 | 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | 14 | 0 | accident | 43 | $1,870 |
| 41 | 16 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 13 | 0 | accident | 40 | $1,820 |
| 42 | 15 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 2 | 0 | engine | 37 | $1,820 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 20 | Rick Newsom | Newsom Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 99 | Brad Teague | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 41 | Ronnie Thomas | Ronnie Thomas Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 39 | Blackie Wangerin | Wangerin Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 49 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,344 |
| | 2 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,166 (-178) |
| 2 | 3 | Tim Richmond | 2,045 (-299) |
| 1 | 4 | Bill Elliott | 2,037 (–307) |
| 1 | 5 | Bobby Allison | 2,033 (–311) |
| | 6 | Rusty Wallace | 1,998 (–346) |
| | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 1,958 (–386) |
| 1 | 8 | Terry Labonte | 1,859 (–485) |
| 1 | 9 | Harry Gant | 1,858 (–486) |
| 1 | 10 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 1,815 (–529) |
| Official driver's standings ||||