The 1986 Summer 500 was the 16th stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 14th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 20, 1986, before an audience of 60,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race was shortened from its scheduled 200 laps to 150 laps due to a combination of rain, darkness, and fog.[1]
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 16 of 29 in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1986 Summer 500 program cover, featuring Darrell Waltrip. | |||
| Date | July 20, 1986 | ||
| Official name | 14th Annual Summer 500 | ||
| Location | Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 150 laps, 375 mi (603.504 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Average speed | 124.218 miles per hour (199.909 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 60,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Mach 1 Racing | ||
| Time | 58.293 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 52 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 25 | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | SETN | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jerry Punch | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
In the final laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports teammates Tim Richmond and Geoff Bodine engaged in a dogfight for the lead. As the two rubbed fenders throughout driving the last two turns, Bud Moore Engineering's Ricky Rudd was able to charge his way into the fray, and by the time all three drivers got out of the last turn, Rudd and Richmond were side-by-side for the lead. At the time, Richmond bested out Rudd by a foot, in the process managing to come back from a lap down to claim the victory. The victory was Richmond's eighth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Bodine finished third.[2][3]
Background
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The race was held at Pocono International Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.
Pocono International Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
editQualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Friday, March 14, at 10:00 AM 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 3:00 PM EST.[4] However, due to rain, the first round was cancelled. As a result, qualifying was both delayed for almost four 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.[5]
Harry Gant, driving for Mach 1 Racing, won the pole, setting a time of 58.293 and an average speed of 154.392 miles per hour (248.470 km/h).[6]
Ferdin Wallace was the only driver that failed to qualify.[5]
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editStandings after the race
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References
edit- ^ Miegoc, Joe (July 21, 1986). "Richmond doubles up at Pocono". Times Leader. pp. 1C, 5C. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (July 21, 1986). "Richmond Squeaks To Pocono Victory". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 5B. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Meixell, Ted (July 21, 1986). "Richmond's extra stop results in one-foot win". The Morning Call. pp. C1, C6. Retrieved January 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Time trials start busy schedule". Times Leader. July 19, 1986. pp. 1C, 5C. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Clark, Charles H. (July 20, 1986). "Gant Takes Pole at Pocono". Newsday. p. 384. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (July 20, 1986). "Gant Wins Pole After Strange Water Falls From Sky". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 7B. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
