# 1986 Motorcraft 500

The 1986 Motorcraft 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 27th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 16, 1986, before an audience of 71,800 in Hampton, Georgia, at Atlanta International Raceway, a 1.522 miles (2.449 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway.
Faced with a final restart with four laps left in the race, Race Hill Farm Team's Morgan Shepherd managed to hold off the dominant driver of the day, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt in what is considered at the time to be a major upset. The victory was Shepherd's second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Earnhardt and Hagan Enterprises' Terry Labonte finished second and third, respectively.

## Background

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.522-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.
The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of 1.54-mile (2.48 km) where before it was 1.522-mile (2.449 km). The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.

### 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 |
| 2 | Kirk Bryant | Cliff Stewart Racing | Pontiac | Spectrum Furniture |
| 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 | 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 |
| 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Pontiac | 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 | Doug Heveron | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | Protecta Truck Bed Liner |
| 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 |
| 30 | Willy T. Ribbs | DiGard Motorsports | Ford | Red Roof Inn |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | Quincy's Steakhouse |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 38 | Mike Laws | Laws Racing | Chevrolet | Laws 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 |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 54 | Slick Johnson | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | Gray Racing |
| 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 57 | Jody Ridley | RahMoc Enterprises | Ford | Nationwise Automotive |
| 64 | Pancho Carter | Langley Racing | Ford | Kmart |
| 65 | Joe Booher | Booher Racing | Buick | Booher Racing |
| 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | Helen Rae Special |
| 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | Superior Piping |
| 75 | Lake Speed | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Nationwise Automotive |
| 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | Circle Bar Truck Corral |
| 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | Auto Bell Car Wash |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Crisco |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 91 | David Sosebee | Sosebee Racing | Chevrolet | Sosebee Racing |
| 94 | Eddie Bierschwale | Eller Racing | Pontiac | Kodak Film |
| 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Friday, March 14, at 1:00 PM EST. Originally, the first 20 positions were going to be determined by first round qualifying, with positions 21-40 meant to be determined later in the day at 2:00 PM EST. However, due to rain, the first round was cancelled. As a result, qualifying was both delayed for over two hours and condensed into one round for all starting grid spots in the race. 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.
Dale Earnhardt, driving for Richard Childress Racing, won the pole, setting a time of 32.096 and an average speed of 170.713 miles per hour (274.736 km/h).
Six drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 32.096 | 170.713 |
| 2 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.198 | 170.172 |
| 3 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 32.260 | 169.845 |
| 4 | 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.290 | 169.687 |
| 5 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 32.317 | 169.545 |
| 6 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 32.373 | 169.252 |
| 7 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 32.382 | 169.205 |
| 8 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 32.393 | 169.148 |
| 9 | 1 | Sterling Marlin | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 32.399 | 169.116 |
| 10 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 32.422 | 168.996 |
| 11 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 32.431 | 168.949 |
| 12 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 32.464 | 168.778 |
| 13 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 32.474 | 168.726 |
| 14 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.494 | 168.622 |
| 15 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 32.521 | 168.482 |
| 16 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 32.545 | 168.358 |
| 17 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 32.653 | 167.801 |
| 18 | 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 32.670 | 167.713 |
| 19 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 32.837 | 166.861 |
| 20 | 57 | Jody Ridley | RahMoc Enterprises | Ford | 32.852 | 166.784 |
| 21 | 75 | Lake Speed | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 32.860 | 166.744 |
| 22 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.954 | 166.268 |
| 23 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 32.981 | 166.132 |
| 24 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 33.052 | 165.775 |
| 25 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 33.055 | 165.760 |
| 26 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 33.077 | 165.650 |
| 27 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 33.081 | 165.630 |
| 28 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 33.154 | 165.265 |
| 29 | 64 | Pancho Carter | Langley Racing | Ford | 33.163 | 165.220 |
| 30 | 2 | Kirk Bryant | Cliff Stewart Racing | Pontiac | 33.206 | 165.006 |
| 31 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 33.277 | 164.654 |
| 32 | 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | 33.319 | 164.446 |
| 33 | 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | 33.504 | 163.539 |
| 34 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 33.516 | 163.480 |
| 35 | 17 | Doug Heveron | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 33.572 | 163.207 |
| 36 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 33.592 | 163.110 |
| 37 | 54 | Eddie Bierschwale | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | 33.598 | 163.081 |
| 38 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 33.646 | 162.848 |
| 39 | 6 | Trevor Boys | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 33.740 | 162.395 |
| 40 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | 33.788 | 162.164 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| 42 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||
| 43 | 94 | Eddie Bierschwale | Eller Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 44 | 65 | Joe Booher | Booher Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| 45 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 46 | 38 | Mike Laws | Laws Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 47 | 91 | David Sosebee | Sosebee Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 48 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| WD | 30 | Willy T. Ribbs | DiGard Motorsports | Ford | - | - |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 3 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 328 | 97 | running | 180 | $62,350 |
| 2 | 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 328 | 168 | running | 180 | $51,300 |
| 3 | 12 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 328 | 0 | running | 165 | $22,150 |
| 4 | 15 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 328 | 6 | running | 165 | $24,075 |
| 5 | 5 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 328 | 2 | running | 160 | $18,250 |
| 6 | 16 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 328 | 0 | running | 150 | $6,675 |
| 7 | 2 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 328 | 19 | running | 151 | $5,925 |
| 8 | 7 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 327 | 0 | running | 142 | $12,930 |
| 9 | 17 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 327 | 0 | running | 138 | $4,725 |
| 10 | 8 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 327 | 0 | running | 134 | $12,775 |
| 11 | 11 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 327 | 2 | running | 135 | $8,220 |
| 12 | 10 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 326 | 34 | running | 132 | $17,025 |
| 13 | 42 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 326 | 0 | running | 124 | $3,225 |
| 14 | 32 | 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | 325 | 0 | running | 121 | $3,525 |
| 15 | 14 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 325 | 0 | running | 118 | $3,165 |
| 16 | 41 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 324 | 0 | running | 115 | $6,900 |
| 17 | 22 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 322 | 0 | running | 112 | $2,600 |
| 18 | 18 | 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 322 | 0 | running | 109 | $2,475 |
| 19 | 31 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 319 | 0 | running | 106 | $2,775 |
| 20 | 27 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 317 | 0 | running | 103 | $6,415 |
| 21 | 24 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 314 | 0 | accident | 100 | $7,580 |
| 22 | 21 | 75 | Lake Speed | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 313 | 0 | running | 97 | $5,860 |
| 23 | 40 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | 308 | 0 | running | 94 | $1,925 |
| 24 | 39 | 6 | Trevor Boys | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 303 | 0 | running | 91 | $5,500 |
| 25 | 4 | 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 301 | 0 | running | 88 | $8,825 |
| 26 | 23 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 301 | 0 | running | 85 | $9,695 |
| 27 | 6 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | oil line | 82 | $1,665 |
| 28 | 38 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 289 | 0 | running | 79 | $8,635 |
| 29 | 20 | 57 | Jody Ridley | RahMoc Enterprises | Ford | 268 | 0 | valve | 76 | $1,605 |
| 30 | 37 | 54 | Eddie Bierschwale | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | 261 | 0 | accident | 73 | $1,575 |
| 31 | 30 | 2 | Kirk Bryant | Cliff Stewart Racing | Pontiac | 254 | 0 | accident | 70 | $5,465 |
| 32 | 9 | 1 | Sterling Marlin | Ellington Racing | Chevrolet | 220 | 0 | valve | 67 | $1,525 |
| 33 | 26 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 219 | 0 | engine | 64 | $4,705 |
| 34 | 19 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | accident | 61 | $9,880 |
| 35 | 35 | 17 | Doug Heveron | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 182 | 0 | running | 58 | $4,510 |
| 36 | 33 | 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | 175 | 0 | valve | 55 | $1,450 |
| 37 | 36 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 174 | 0 | steering | 52 | $1,435 |
| 38 | 29 | 64 | Pancho Carter | Langley Racing | Ford | 157 | 0 | clutch | 49 | $4,195 |
| 39 | 13 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 149 | 0 | valve | 46 | $1,405 |
| 40 | 25 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 140 | 0 | clutch | 43 | $4,155 |
| 41 | 34 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 82 | 0 | accident | 40 | $4,145 |
| 42 | 28 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 33 | 0 | engine | 37 | $1,390 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||||||
| 43 | | 94 | Eddie Bierschwale | Eller Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 44 | | 65 | Joe Booher | Booher Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 45 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 38 | Mike Laws | Laws Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 91 | David Sosebee | Sosebee Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| WD | | 30 | Willy T. Ribbs | DiGard Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | 655 |
| | 2 | Terry Labonte | 643 (-12) |
| | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | 628 (-27) |
| | 4 | Geoff Bodine | 574 (–81) |
| 1 | 5 | Rusty Wallace | 550 (–105) |
| 3 | 6 | Bill Elliott | 535 (–120) |
| 2 | 7 | Kyle Petty | 509 (–146) |
| 1 | 8 | Lake Speed | 482 (–173) |
| 1 | 9 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 476 (–179) |
| 6 | 10 | Tim Richmond | 471 (–184) |
| Official driver's standings ||||