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.[1]
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 17 of 29 in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1986 Talladega 500 program cover, featuring Cale Yarborough. | |||
| Date | July 27, 1986 | ||
| Official name | 18th Annual Talladega 500 | ||
| Location | Lincoln, Alabama, Alabama International Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 151.522 miles per hour (243.851 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 105,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Melling Racing | ||
| Time | 45.817 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 54 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
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.[2][3]
Background
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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
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
editQualifying 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.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6]
Four drivers failed to qualify.[7]
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editStandings after the race
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Notes
edit- ^ On the race's 116th lap, Rudd was replaced by Rusty Wallace as Rudd was suffering from the flu. Wallace had previously retired from the race on the 70th lap. As Rudd started the race, he is credited with the finishing position.[8]
- ^ Midway into the race, Combs was replaced by Alan Kulwicki as Combs reported numbness in his arm. Kulwicki had previously retired from the race on the 112th lap. As Combs started the race, he is credited with the finishing position.[9]
References
edit- ^ Fondren, Ty (July 28, 1986). "'Youngest Lion' Wins 500". Montgomery Advertiser. pp. 1B, 5B. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (July 28, 1986). "Hillin Survives Talladega". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 5D. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Williams, Chuck (July 28, 1986). "Hillin wins in bang-up finish". The Anniston Star. pp. 1B, 2B. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Shoemaker, Mack (July 24, 1986). "Drivers brace for a hot race". Birmingham Post-Herald. pp. B1. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Shoemaker, Mack (July 25, 1986). "Awesome Bill". Birmingham Post-Herald. pp. B1, B4. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Higgins, Tom (July 25, 1986). "Elliott's Fastest". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1C, 4C. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bean, Dave (July 26, 1986). "Talladega Qualifying Cools Down a Bit". Ledger-Enquirer. pp. B1, B3. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mulhurn, Mike (July 28, 1986). "Hillin Roars To Victory At Talladega". Winston-Salem Journal. pp. 15, 20. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Melick, Ray (July 5, 1986). "Hot day ends happily for Hillin". Birmingham Post-Herald. pp. B8. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
