# 1986 Miller American 400

The 1986 Miller American 400 was the 14th stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 15, 1986, before an audience of 80,000 in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete.
In the late laps of the race, Melling Racing's Bill Elliott, who had been a non-contender throughout most of the race, made a late race surge to contest with the leader, Mach 1 Racing's Harry Gant. The two fought for the lead for around 50 laps until lap 195, when Elliott passed Gant and managed to hold off Gant the rest of the way to secure the victory. The victory was Elliott's 16th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports' Geoff Bodine finished third.
During the race's qualifying session, Rick Baldwin, replacing the injured Buddy Arrington, was involved in a crash at the track's first turn during his qualifying lap. Baldwin's car spun, hitting the outside wall on the driver's side. As a result of the crash, Baldwin suffered head injuries that induced him into an 11-year coma that he did not recover from, dying on June 12, 1997. The incident was the first fatal accident in over a year in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series since Terry Schoonover at the 1984 Atlanta Journal 500.

## Background

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 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 |
| 08 | Butch Miller | Throop Racing | Chevrolet | Classic Chevrolet |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | Coors |
| 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 | 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 |
| 30 | Willy T. Ribbs | DiGard Motorsports | Chevrolet | Red Roof Inn |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | Quincy's Steakhouse |
| 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 |
| 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hylton Motorsports |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 64 | Eddie Bierschwale | Langley Racing | Ford | Sunny King Ford |
| 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 67 | Rick Baldwin | Arrington Racing | Ford | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 68 | Jerry Holden | Holden Racing | Ford | Holden Racing |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | Helen Rae Special |
| 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | Wawak Racing |
| 75 | Jody Ridley | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Nationwise Automotive |
| 79 | Derrike Cope | Razore Racing | Ford | Peterbilt |
| 80 | Gary Fedewa | Burke Racing | Chevrolet | Burke Racing |
| 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 |
| 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 92 | Jonathan Lee Edwards | Edwards Racing | Buick | Edwards Racing |
| 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | Valvoline |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Saturday, June 14, at 11:30 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 Saturday, 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 were given.
Tim Richmond, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, won the pole, setting a time of 41.853 and an average speed of 172.031 miles per hour (276.857 km/h) in the first round.
Five drivers failed to qualify.

### Crashes of Rick Baldwin and Mark Stahl

After Ricky Rudd made his qualifying lap, Rick Baldwin was scheduled to make his qualifying lap. Baldwin was tapped by owner-driver Buddy Arrington to qualify the car after Arrington suffered a concussion at the previous race, the 1986 Miller High Life 500. Arrington, if Baldwin had made the race, to start the race, then hand over driving duties to Baldwin so that Arrington could obtain driver's championship points for the race. Heading into the first turn of his qualifying lap, according to Detroit Free Press writer Charlie Vincent, "the car took control of the man and his fate. The car spun, slamming back-end into the wall, then the front end whipped around, smashing the driver's side of the car into the concrete... in an instant, he lost consciousness." After Baldwin wrecked, driver Mark Stahl also crashed in the first turn of his qualifying lap, suffering an ankle injury. Both drivers failed to qualify for the race. In the aftermath of Baldwin's incident, Baldwin was transported to the W. A. Foote Memorial Hospital in Jackson, Michigan where he was diagnosed with multiple head and neck injuries. Baldwin remained in a coma for 11 years, never fully recovering from his injuries and dying on June 12, 1997.
Responses from the NASCAR community to the accident displayed sympathy for Baldwin. Arrington, the driver who Baldwin replaced, stated, "I feel really bad about what happened. What else can I say?... He's a good kid." Corpus Christi Caller-Times writer Emil Tagliabue remarked Baldwin as chasing the dream to join the "clan of good ol' boys", stating, "There are those whom fate somehow seems to mock usually with no apparent good reason. Rick Baldwin is one of those."

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.853 | 172.031 |
| 2 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.015 | 171.367 |
| 3 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 42.078 | 171.111 |
| 4 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.155 | 170.798 |
| 5 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 42.176 | 170.713 |
| 6 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 42.213 | 170.564 |
| 7 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 42.245 | 170.434 |
| 8 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 42.255 | 170.394 |
| 9 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 42.305 | 170.193 |
| 10 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.337 | 170.064 |
| 11 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 42.344 | 170.036 |
| 12 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 42.537 | 169.264 |
| 13 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 42.574 | 169.117 |
| 14 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.593 | 169.042 |
| 15 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 42.632 | 168.887 |
| 16 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 42.708 | 168.587 |
| 17 | 75 | Jody Ridley | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 42.722 | 168.531 |
| 18 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 42.730 | 168.500 |
| 19 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 42.751 | 168.417 |
| 20 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 42.843 | 168.055 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.474 | 169.515 |
| 22 | 17 | Pancho Carter | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 42.586 | 169.070 |
| 23 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 42.768 | 168.350 |
| 24 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 42.806 | 168.201 |
| 25 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 42.922 | 167.746 |
| 26 | 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | 42.979 | 167.524 |
| 27 | 79 | Derrike Cope | Razore Racing | Ford | 42.980 | 167.520 |
| 28 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 42.996 | 167.457 |
| 29 | 08 | Butch Miller | Throop Racing | Chevrolet | 43.020 | 167.364 |
| 30 | 6 | D. K. Ulrich | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 43.036 | 167.302 |
| 31 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 43.088 | 167.100 |
| 32 | 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | 43.100 | 167.053 |
| 33 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 43.137 | 166.910 |
| 34 | 64 | Eddie Bierschwale | Langley Racing | Ford | 43.301 | 166.278 |
| 35 | 38 | Mike Laws | Laws Racing | Chevrolet | 43.343 | 166.117 |
| 36 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 43.424 | 165.807 |
| 37 | 30 | Willy T. Ribbs | DiGard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 43.425 | 165.803 |
| 38 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | 43.450 | 165.708 |
| 39 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 43.534 | 165.388 |
| 40 | 80 | Gary Fedewa | Burke Racing | Chevrolet | 43.802 | 164.376 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 41 | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 44.388 | 162.206 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 42 | 92 | Jonathan Lee Edwards | Edwards Racing | Chevrolet | 44.396 | 162.177 |
| 43 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 44 | 68 | Jerry Holden | Holden Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 67 | Rick Baldwin | Arrington Racing | Ford | - | - |
| 46 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | - | - |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 8 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 200 | 28 | running | 180 | $56,900 |
| 2 | 3 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 66 | running | 180 | $37,400 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 55 | running | 170 | $25,600 |
| 4 | 14 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 160 | $11,825 |
| 5 | 16 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 155 | $21,625 |
| 6 | 11 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 21 | running | 155 | $17,650 |
| 7 | 12 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 200 | 0 | running | 146 | $12,305 |
| 8 | 10 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 142 | $6,950 |
| 9 | 13 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $10,845 |
| 10 | 18 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $15,150 |
| 11 | 5 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 199 | 2 | running | 135 | $12,175 |
| 12 | 9 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 127 | $12,800 |
| 13 | 15 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 124 | $8,625 |
| 14 | 19 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 121 | $6,165 |
| 15 | 1 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 8 | running | 123 | $10,505 |
| 16 | 32 | 35 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | AK Racing | Ford | 198 | 1 | running | 120 | $4,025 |
| 17 | 22 | 17 | Pancho Carter | Hamby Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 112 | $7,135 |
| 18 | 33 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 197 | 0 | running | 109 | $3,075 |
| 19 | 7 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 195 | 0 | running | 106 | $9,860 |
| 20 | 24 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 195 | 0 | running | 103 | $7,870 |
| 21 | 29 | 08 | Butch Miller | Throop Racing | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | running | 100 | $2,500 |
| 22 | 36 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 194 | 2 | running | 102 | $2,385 |
| 23 | 40 | 80 | Gary Fedewa | Burke Racing | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 | running | 94 | $2,275 |
| 24 | 38 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 91 | $2,165 |
| 25 | 20 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 184 | 3 | accident | 93 | $11,055 |
| 26 | 26 | 81 | Chet Fillip (R) | Fillip Racing | Ford | 182 | 0 | accident | 85 | $1,970 |
| 27 | 34 | 64 | Eddie Bierschwale | Langley Racing | Ford | 180 | 0 | overheating | 82 | $5,325 |
| 28 | 27 | 79 | Derrike Cope | Razore Racing | Ford | 173 | 0 | running | 79 | $1,850 |
| 29 | 6 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 139 | 11 | transmission | 81 | $1,790 |
| 30 | 28 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 130 | 2 | accident | 78 | $1,730 |
| 31 | 35 | 38 | Mike Laws | Laws Racing | Chevrolet | 116 | 0 | timing chain | 70 | $1,675 |
| 32 | 31 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 108 | 0 | engine | 67 | $8,625 |
| 33 | 21 | 66 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 104 | 0 | engine | 64 | $2,075 |
| 34 | 17 | 75 | Jody Ridley | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 86 | 0 | engine | 61 | $4,705 |
| 35 | 39 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 83 | 1 | valve | 63 | $4,510 |
| 36 | 25 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 80 | 0 | engine | 55 | $1,435 |
| 37 | 23 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Pontiac | 79 | 0 | engine | 52 | $4,210 |
| 38 | 41 | 48 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 73 | 0 | transmission | 49 | $4,200 |
| 39 | 37 | 30 | Willy T. Ribbs | DiGard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | engine | 46 | $1,435 |
| 40 | 30 | 6 | D. K. Ulrich | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 27 | 0 | engine | 43 | $4,180 |
| 41 | 2 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 4 | 0 | engine | 40 | $2,425 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 92 | Jonathan Lee Edwards | Edwards Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 43 | | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 44 | | 68 | Jerry Holden | Holden Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 67 | Rick Baldwin | Arrington Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,252 |
| | 2 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,001 (-251) |
| 3 | 3 | Bill Elliott | 1,917 (-335) |
| 1 | 4 | Bobby Allison | 1,910 (–342) |
| | 5 | Tim Richmond | 1,865 (–387) |
| 2 | 6 | Rusty Wallace | 1,856 (–396) |
| | 7 | Ricky Rudd | 1,808 (–444) |
| 1 | 8 | Harry Gant | 1,788 (–464) |
| 1 | 9 | Terry Labonte | 1,753 (–499) |
| 1 | 10 | Geoff Bodine | 1,701 (–551) |
| Official driver's standings ||||