# 1986 Goodwrench 500

The 1986 Goodwrench 500 was the third stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 21st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 2, 1986, before an audience of 47,500 in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Motor Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 492 laps to complete.
By race's end, Hagan Enterprises' Terry Labonte managed to dominate a majority of the race, leading 306 laps and defending a late race charge by Mach 1 Racing's Harry Gant to take his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Harry Gant and owner-driver Richard Petty finished second and third, respectively.

## Background

North Carolina Motor Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 01 | Earle Canavan | Canavan Racing | Pontiac | Gates Hydraulics |
| 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 |
| 20 | Rick Newsom | Newsom Racing | Buick | 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 |
| 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 |
| 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | Race Hill Farm Team |
| 48 | Wayne Slark | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | Captain D's |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 64 | Pancho Carter | Langley Racing | Ford | Kmart |
| 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 |
| 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | Superior Piping |
| 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 split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, February 27, at 2:30 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, February 28, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-30 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 in the previous season; up to two were given.
Terry Labonte, driving for Hagan Enterprises, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 25.017 and an average speed of 146.348 miles per hour (235.524 km/h) in the first round.
No drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 25.017 | 146.348 |
| 2 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25.117 | 145.766 |
| 3 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25.264 | 144.918 |
| 4 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 25.310 | 144.654 |
| 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 25.337 | 144.500 |
| 6 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 25.401 | 144.136 |
| 7 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 25.420 | 144.028 |
| 8 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 25.493 | 143.616 |
| 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 25.532 | 143.397 |
| 10 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 25.554 | 143.273 |
| 11 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 25.574 | 143.161 |
| 12 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 25.611 | 142.954 |
| 13 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 25.627 | 142.865 |
| 14 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 25.677 | 142.587 |
| 15 | 75 | Lake Speed | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 25.699 | 142.465 |
| 16 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25.706 | 142.426 |
| 17 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 25.796 | 141.929 |
| 18 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 25.822 | 141.786 |
| 19 | 2 | Kirk Bryant | Cliff Stewart Racing | Pontiac | 25.908 | 141.315 |
| 20 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 25.926 | 141.217 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 25.367 | 144.329 |
| 22 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 25.373 | 144.295 |
| 23 | 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Pontiac | 25.572 | 143.172 |
| 24 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 25.649 | 142.742 |
| 25 | 94 | Eddie Bierschwale | Eller Racing | Pontiac | 25.839 | 141.693 |
| 26 | 95 | Davey Allison | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 25.946 | 141.108 |
| 27 | 32 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | Terry Racing | Ford | 26.041 | 140.594 |
| 28 | 17 | Phil Parsons | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 26.120 | 140.168 |
| 29 | 64 | Pancho Carter | Langley Racing | Ford | 26.197 | 139.756 |
| 30 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Buick | 26.200 | 139.740 |
| 31 | 6 | Trevor Boys | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 26.376 | 138.810 |
| 32 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | 26.505 | 138.132 |
| 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 26.507 | 138.122 |
| 34 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 26.529 | 138.007 |
| 35 | 01 | Earle Canavan | Canavan Racing | Pontiac | 26.687 | 137.190 |
| 36 | 92 | Jonathan Lee Edwards | Edwards Racing | Chevrolet | 26.755 | 136.842 |
| 37 | 41 | Ronnie Thomas | Ronnie Thomas Racing | Chevrolet | 26.808 | 136.571 |
| 38 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 26.898 | 136.114 |
| 39 | 48 | Wayne Slark | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.972 | 135.741 |
| 40 | 20 | Rick Newsom | Newsom Racing | Buick | 27.039 | 135.404 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 1 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 492 | 306 | running | 185 | $44,550 |
| 2 | 7 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 492 | 0 | running | 170 | $28,110 |
| 3 | 13 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 492 | 59 | running | 170 | $15,970 |
| 4 | 22 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Race Hill Farm Team | Buick | 491 | 0 | running | 160 | $9,255 |
| 5 | 4 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 491 | 1 | running | 160 | $18,615 |
| 6 | 10 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 490 | 0 | running | 150 | $5,410 |
| 7 | 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 490 | 0 | running | 146 | $15,560 |
| 8 | 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 490 | 69 | running | 147 | $19,510 |
| 9 | 18 | 12 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 490 | 2 | running | 143 | $12,710 |
| 10 | 15 | 75 | Lake Speed | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 489 | 4 | running | 139 | $9,965 |
| 11 | 12 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 489 | 1 | running | 135 | $10,870 |
| 12 | 20 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 487 | 0 | running | 127 | $8,165 |
| 13 | 30 | 98 | Ron Bouchard | Curb Racing | Buick | 486 | 0 | running | 124 | $7,645 |
| 14 | 16 | 18 | Tommy Ellis | Freedlander Motorsports | Chevrolet | 485 | 0 | running | 121 | $3,270 |
| 15 | 27 | 32 | Alan Kulwicki (R) | Terry Racing | Ford | 483 | 0 | running | 118 | $3,870 |
| 16 | 2 | 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 478 | 0 | running | 115 | $3,170 |
| 17 | 34 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 477 | 0 | running | 112 | $6,835 |
| 18 | 19 | 2 | Kirk Bryant | Cliff Stewart Racing | Pontiac | 476 | 0 | running | 109 | $6,575 |
| 19 | 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 476 | 0 | running | 106 | $6,305 |
| 20 | 3 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 459 | 46 | engine | 108 | $10,470 |
| 21 | 17 | 23 | Michael Waltrip (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 457 | 0 | running | 100 | $2,165 |
| 22 | 8 | 90 | Ken Schrader | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 457 | 0 | running | 97 | $6,765 |
| 23 | 29 | 64 | Pancho Carter | Langley Racing | Ford | 436 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,430 |
| 24 | 36 | 92 | Jonathan Lee Edwards | Edwards Racing | Chevrolet | 432 | 0 | running | 91 | $2,440 |
| 25 | 26 | 95 | Davey Allison | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 410 | 0 | rear end | 88 | $1,965 |
| 26 | 37 | 41 | Ronnie Thomas | Ronnie Thomas Racing | Chevrolet | 356 | 0 | rear end | 85 | $1,815 |
| 27 | 11 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 352 | 2 | engine | 87 | $4,970 |
| 28 | 14 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 315 | 0 | engine | 79 | $9,715 |
| 29 | 25 | 94 | Eddie Bierschwale | Eller Racing | Pontiac | 231 | 0 | crash | 76 | $1,665 |
| 30 | 28 | 17 | Phil Parsons | Hamby Racing | Oldsmobile | 228 | 0 | engine | 73 | $4,660 |
| 31 | 38 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 170 | 0 | engine | 70 | $4,300 |
| 32 | 35 | 01 | Earle Canavan | Canavan Racing | Pontiac | 165 | 0 | engine | 67 | $1,475 |
| 33 | 21 | 26 | Joe Ruttman | King Racing | Buick | 117 | 0 | overheating | 64 | $2,000 |
| 34 | 6 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 117 | 2 | ignition | 66 | $1,375 |
| 35 | 31 | 6 | Trevor Boys | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 101 | 0 | brakes | 58 | $4,090 |
| 36 | 39 | 48 | Wayne Slark | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | 96 | 0 | crash | 55 | $4,055 |
| 37 | 23 | 10 | Greg Sacks | DiGard Motorsports | Pontiac | 81 | 0 | handling | 52 | $8,300 |
| 38 | 32 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Chevrolet | 47 | 0 | engine | 49 | $1,250 |
| 39 | 24 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 41 | 0 | crash | 46 | $3,960 |
| 40 | 40 | 20 | Rick Newsom | Newsom Racing | Buick | 39 | 0 | crash | 43 | $1,205 |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | 490 |
| 4 | 2 | Terry Labonte | 478 (-12) |
| 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | 448 (-42) |
| 3 | 4 | Geoff Bodine | 440 (–50) |
| | 5 | Kyle Petty | 430 (–60) |
| 1 | 6 | Rusty Wallace | 408 (–82) |
| 3 | 7 | Lake Speed | 385 (–105) |
| | 8 | Ron Bouchard | 383 (–107) |
| 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | 375 (–115) |
| 7 | 10 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 361 (–129) |
| Official driver's standings ||||