# 1986 Talladega 500

The 1986 Talladega 500 was the 17th stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 27, 1986, before an audience of 105,000 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 a race plagued by high temperatures, by the final laps of the race, few cars remained. Of the ones that did, a battle for the lead between Stavola Brothers Racing's Bobby Hillin Jr., Hendrick Motorsports' Tim Richmond, and Ricky Rudd, who at the time was replaced by Rusty Wallace, was created that stretched out into the final lap of the race. At the finish, Hillin Jr. was able to defend the two, securing his only career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his only win of the season, and at the time, the record for the youngest driver to win in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. To fill out the top three, Richmond and Rudd finished second and third, respectively.

## 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 |
| 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 | D. K. Ulrich | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | U.S. Racing |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 | 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 | Jim Sauter | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Nationwise Automotive |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Chevrolet | McCord Gasket |
| 79 | Derrike Cope | Razore Racing | Ford | Peterbilt |
| 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 |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, July 24, at 2:00 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, July 25, at 2:00 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 provisionals were given.
Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, won the pole, setting a time of 45.817 and an average speed of 209.005 miles per hour (336.361 km/h) in the first round.
Four drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 45.817 | 209.005 |
| 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 46.027 | 208.052 |
| 3 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.141 | 207.538 |
| 4 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 46.171 | 207.403 |
| 5 | 1 | Sterling Marlin | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 46.218 | 207.192 |
| 6 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 46.242 | 207.084 |
| 7 | 12 | Davey Allison | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 46.408 | 206.344 |
| 8 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 46.441 | 206.197 |
| 9 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 46.466 | 206.086 |
| 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.495 | 205.958 |
| 11 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 46.519 | 205.851 |
| 12 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 46.523 | 205.834 |
| 13 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 46.537 | 205.772 |
| 14 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 46.652 | 205.265 |
| 15 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 46.665 | 205.207 |
| 16 | 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 46.677 | 205.155 |
| 17 | 2 | Rodney Combs | Harrington Racing | Chevrolet | 46.713 | 204.996 |
| 18 | 75 | Jim Sauter | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 46.763 | 204.777 |
| 19 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 46.803 | 204.602 |
| 20 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 46.852 | 204.388 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 46.905 | 204.157 |
| 22 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 46.929 | 204.053 |
| 23 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 46.971 | 203.870 |
| 24 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 47.124 | 203.209 |
| 25 | 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | 47.124 | 203.209 |
| 26 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.151 | 203.092 |
| 27 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 47.285 | 202.517 |
| 28 | 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | 47.302 | 202.444 |
| 29 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 47.344 | 202.264 |
| 30 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | 47.371 | 202.149 |
| 31 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | 47.386 | 202.085 |
| 32 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 47.442 | 201.846 |
| 33 | 17 | Pancho Carter | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 47.501 | 201.596 |
| 34 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 47.529 | 201.477 |
| 35 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 47.563 | 201.333 |
| 36 | 48 | Ronnie Thomas | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.615 | 201.113 |
| 37 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 47.616 | 201.109 |
| 38 | 54 | Eddie Bierschwale | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | 47.633 | 201.037 |
| 39 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 47.867 | 200.042 |
| 40 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Chevrolet | 47.913 | 199.862 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 41 | 6 | D. K. Ulrich | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 42 | 29 | Grant Adcox | Adcox Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 43 | 64 | Connie Saylor | Langley Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 44 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| WD | 79 | Derrike Cope | Razore Racing | Ford | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 13 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 188 | 16 | running | 180 | $60,055 |
| 2 | 3 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 19 | running | 175 | $34,345 |
| 3 | 20 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 165 | $29,255 |
| 4 | 5 | 1 | Sterling Marlin | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 9 | running | 165 | $15,750 |
| 5 | 4 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 188 | 2 | running | 160 | $12,815 |
| 6 | 14 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 188 | 0 | running | 150 | $9,170 |
| 7 | 7 | 12 | Davey Allison | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 188 | 13 | running | 151 | $17,820 |
| 8 | 23 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 188 | 0 | running | 142 | $10,495 |
| 9 | 6 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 188 | 2 | running | 143 | $12,570 |
| 10 | 21 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 187 | 2 | accident | 139 | $13,720 |
| 11 | 8 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 187 | 7 | accident | 135 | $5,040 |
| 12 | 18 | 75 | Jim Sauter | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 187 | 2 | accident | 132 | $8,835 |
| 13 | 16 | 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 187 | 1 | running | 129 | $4,350 |
| 14 | 34 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 186 | 1 | running | 126 | $4,780 |
| 15 | 39 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 184 | 1 | running | 123 | $8,380 |
| 16 | 36 | 48 | Ronnie Thomas | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 183 | 0 | running | 115 | $7,800 |
| 17 | 27 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 174 | 0 | accident | 112 | $3,730 |
| 18 | 40 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Chevrolet | 169 | 1 | accident | 114 | $3,710 |
| 19 | 17 | 2 | Rodney Combs | Harrington Racing | Chevrolet | 169 | 4 | accident | 111 | $3,710 |
| 20 | 12 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 163 | 3 | overheating | 108 | $4,130 |
| 21 | 37 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 162 | 0 | running | 100 | $6,935 |
| 22 | 32 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 159 | 5 | accident | 102 | $12,050 |
| 23 | 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 159 | 19 | accident | 99 | $11,140 |
| 24 | 19 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 159 | 0 | accident | 91 | $2,930 |
| 25 | 15 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 157 | 3 | accident | 93 | $13,670 |
| 26 | 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 153 | 54 | engine | 95 | $15,355 |
| 27 | 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 152 | 5 | valve | 87 | $15,185 |
| 28 | 25 | 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | 150 | 0 | accident | 79 | $3,625 |
| 29 | 30 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | 140 | 0 | engine | 76 | $2,565 |
| 30 | 11 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 119 | 0 | wheel bearing | 73 | $7,010 |
| 31 | 35 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 113 | 1 | engine | 75 | $7,010 |
| 32 | 28 | 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | 112 | 2 | clutch | 72 | $2,485 |
| 33 | 31 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | 100 | 2 | overheating | 0 | $3,225 |
| 34 | 26 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | engine | 61 | $2,365 |
| 35 | 22 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 70 | 0 | engine | 58 | $5,410 |
| 36 | 29 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 61 | 0 | head gasket | 55 | $5,210 |
| 37 | 24 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 51 | 5 | accident | 57 | $5,080 |
| 38 | 9 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 37 | 8 | oil pressure | 54 | $9,440 |
| 39 | 38 | 54 | Eddie Bierschwale | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | 37 | 0 | valve | 46 | $1,990 |
| 40 | 33 | 17 | Pancho Carter | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 29 | 1 | engine | 48 | $4,680 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | | 6 | D. K. Ulrich | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 42 | | 29 | Grant Adcox | Adcox Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 43 | | 64 | Connie Saylor | Langley Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| WD | | 79 | Derrike Cope | Razore Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,585 |
| | 2 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,424 (-161) |
| | 3 | Tim Richmond | 2,400 (-185) |
| | 4 | Bobby Allison | 2,327 (–258) |
| | 5 | Ricky Rudd | 2,293 (–292) |
| | 6 | Bill Elliott | 2,182 (–403) |
| | 7 | Rusty Wallace | 2,138 (–447) |
| | 8 | Terry Labonte | 2,063 (–522) |
| 1 | 9 | Harry Gant | 2,060 (–525) |
| 2 | 10 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 2,059 (–526) |
| Official driver's standings ||||