The 1986 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 28th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 16, 1986, before an audience of 125,000 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway.
In the final laps of the race, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt and Hendrick Motorsports' Geoff Bodine engaged in a battle for the victory. However, by the final lap, Earnhardt ran out of fuel, leading Bodine to cruise to an easy victory, having dominated for a majority of the race. The victory was Bodine's fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his first victory of the season, and his only Daytona 500 victory. Hagan Enterprises' Terry Labonte and Junior Johnson & Associates' Darrell Waltrip finished second and third, respectively.
Background
Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.
Entry list
(R) denotes rookie driver.
#DriverTeamMakeSponsor0Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingChevroletHeyward Grooms Construction, Carey Hillard's Restaurants1Sterling MarlinEllington RacingChevroletBull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce2Kirk BryantCliff Stewart RacingPontiacCliff Stewart Racing02Mark MartinGunderman RacingFordLone Star Peterbilt3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletWrangler4Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobileCap'n Coty's5Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevroletLevi Garrett6Trevor BoysU.S. RacingChevroletFinky's7Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord7-Eleven07Randy LaJoieBob Johnson RacingChevroletSnellman Construction8Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingChevroletMiller American9Bill ElliottMelling RacingFordCoors10Greg SacksDiGard MotorsportsPontiacTRW Automotive11Darrell WaltripJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevroletBudweiser12Neil BonnettJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevroletBudweiser14A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt RacingOldsmobileCopenhagen15Ricky RuddBud Moore EngineeringFordMotorcraft Quality Parts17Doug HeveronHamby RacingChevroletProtecta Truck Bed Liner18Tommy EllisFreedlander MotorsportsChevroletFreedlander Financial19Bob ParkPark RacingPontiacPark Racing21Larry PearsonPearson RacingChevroletChattanooga Chew22Bobby AllisonStavola Brothers RacingBuickMiller American23Michael Waltrip (R)Bahari RacingPontiacHawaiian Punch25Tim RichmondHendrick MotorsportsChevroletFolgers26Joe RuttmanKing RacingBuickQuaker State27Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiacAlugard28Cale YarboroughRanier-Lundy RacingFordHardee's29Grant AdcoxAdcox RacingChevroletHerb Adcox Chevrolet32Alan Kulwicki (R)Terry RacingFordQuincy's Steakhouse33Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevroletSkoal Bandit39Blackie WangerinWangerin RacingFordWangerin Racing42Dick TrickleBilly Matthews RacingChevroletBill's Barbeque43Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiacSTP44Terry LabonteHagan EnterprisesOldsmobilePiedmont Airlines47Morgan ShepherdRace Hill Farm TeamChevroletRace Hill Farm Team48Ron EsauHylton MotorsportsChevroletHylton Motorsports49Ferdin WallaceH. L. Waters RacingChevroletClearfield Speedway52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiacWNDB53Donny PaulPaul RacingChevroletPaul Racing54Slick JohnsonGray RacingChevroletGray Racing55Benny ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobileCopenhagen57Jody RidleyRahMoc EnterprisesFordNationwise Automotive60Dick SkillenGoff RacingChevroletGoff Racing64Pancho CarterLangley RacingFordKmart66Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobileSkoal67Buddy ArringtonArrington RacingFordJim Peacock Ford, Pannill Sweatshirts70J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiacRumple Furniture71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingPontiacHelen Rae Special73Phil BarkdollBarkdoll RacingFordHelen Rae Special74Bobby WawakWawak RacingChevroletSuperior Piping75Lake SpeedRahMoc EnterprisesPontiacNationwise Automotive76Clark DwyerArrington RacingFordArrington Racing77Ken RaganRagan RacingChevroletMcCord Gasket81Chet Fillip (R)Fillip RacingFordCircle Bar Truck Corral82Mark StahlStahl RacingFordAuto Bell Car Wash88Buddy BakerBaker–Schiff RacingOldsmobileCrisco89Jim SauterMueller Brothers RacingPontiacEvinrude Outboard Motors90Ken SchraderDonlavey RacingFordRed Baron Frozen Pizza94Eddie BierschwaleEller RacingPontiacKodak Film95Davey AllisonSadler Brothers RacingChevroletSadler Brothers Racing98Ron BouchardCurb RacingPontiacValvoline99Connie SaylorBall MotorsportsChevroletHayes Jewelers
Qualifying Qualifying was set by the 1986 7-Eleven Twin 125s. The top two positions were set by qualifying speeds held for the Twin 125 Qualifiers held on Monday, February 10, with the top two qualifiers in the session earning the top two positions for the Daytona 500. The rest of the starting was set in the Twin 125 Qualifiers, held on Thursday, February 13, during two races. The top 14 finishers in the first race, excluding the pole position winner, set the inside row from rows two to 15, and the top 14 finishers in the second race, excluding the outside pole position winner, set the outside row from rows two to 15. The remaining non-qualifiers set positions 31-40 based on qualifying speeds from the first qualifying session held on Saturday. If needed, up to two extra provisionals were given to teams high enough in the previous season's owner's standings that did not qualify for the race by either qualifying speed or from the Twin 125 Qualifiers.
Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, won the pole, setting a time of 43.894 and an average speed of in Monday's session.
20 drivers failed to qualify.
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeReason19Bill ElliottMelling RacingFordQualified on pole25Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevroletQualified on outside pole322Bobby AllisonStavola Brothers RacingBuickSecond in Twin 125 #143Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletFirst in Twin 125 #2544Terry LabonteHagan EnterprisesOldsmobileThird in Twin 125 #1611Darrell WaltripJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevroletThird in Twin 125 #277Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFordFourth in Twin 125 #1827Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiacFifth in Twin 125 #291Sterling MarlinEllington RacingChevroletFifth in Twin 125 #11071Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingPontiacSixth in Twin 125 #21143Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiacSixth in Twin 125 #11228Cale YarboroughRanier-Lundy RacingFordSeventh in Twin 125 #21312Neil BonnettJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevroletSeventh in Twin 125 #11433Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevroletEighth in Twin 125 #21598Ron BouchardCurb RacingPontiacEighth in Twin 125 #11688Buddy BakerBaker–Schiff RacingOldsmobileNinth in Twin 125 #2174Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobileNinth in Twin 125 #1186Trevor BoysU.S. RacingChevroletTenth in Twin 125 #21966Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobileTenth in Twin 125 #12018Tommy EllisFreedlander MotorsportsChevrolet11th in Twin 125 #22114A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt RacingOldsmobile11th in Twin 125 #12221Larry PearsonPearson RacingChevrolet12th in Twin 125 #22315Ricky RuddBud Moore EngineeringFord12th in Twin 125 #1248Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingChevrolet13th in Twin 125 #22502Mark MartinGunderman RacingFord13th in Twin 125 #12689Jim SauterMueller Brothers RacingPontiac14th in Twin 125 #22710Greg SacksDiGard MotorsportsPontiac14th in Twin 125 #12864Pancho CarterLangley RacingFord15th in Twin 125 #22942Dick TrickleBilly Matthews RacingChevrolet15th in Twin 125 #13055Benny ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobileSpeed provisional (200.411)3154Slick JohnsonGray RacingChevroletSpeed provisional (200.983)322Kirk BryantCliff Stewart RacingPontiacSpeed provisional (200.196)3326Joe RuttmanKing RacingBuickSpeed provisional (200.566)3417Doug HeveronHamby RacingChevroletSpeed provisional (199.172)3557Jody RidleyRahMoc EnterprisesFordSpeed provisional (199.836)3675Lake SpeedRahMoc EnterprisesPontiacSpeed provisional (199.018)3767Buddy ArringtonArrington RacingFordSpeed provisional (199.106)Forced to start at rear3877Ken RaganRagan RacingChevroletSpeed provisional (200.906)3925Tim RichmondHendrick MotorsportsChevroletSpeed provisional (202.643)4047Morgan ShepherdRace Hill Farm TeamChevroletFourth in Twin 125 #2Provisionals4190Ken SchraderDonlavey RacingFordOwner's points provisional4252Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiacOwner's points provisionalFailed to qualify4353Donny PaulPaul RacingChevrolet16th in Twin 125 #14494Eddie BierschwaleEller RacingPontiac16th in Twin 125 #24532Alan Kulwicki (R)Terry RacingFord18th in Twin 125 #14648Ron EsauHylton MotorsportsChevrolet18th in Twin 125 #24770J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiac20th in Twin 125 #14874Bobby WawakWawak RacingChevrolet19th in Twin 125 #24976Clark DwyerArrington RacingFord21st in Twin 125 #15081Chet Fillip (R)Fillip RacingFord20th in Twin 125 #25195Davey AllisonSadler Brothers RacingChevrolet22nd in Twin 125 #15260Dick SkillenGoff RacingChevrolet21st in Twin 125 #25323Michael Waltrip (R)Bahari RacingPontiac24th in Twin 125 #15407Randy LaJoieBob Johnson RacingChevrolet22nd in Twin 125 #25582Mark StahlStahl RacingFord25th in Twin 125 #15699Connie SaylorBall MotorsportsChevrolet27th in Twin 125 #25729Grant AdcoxAdcox RacingChevrolet27th in Twin 125 #15839Blackie WangerinWangerin RacingFord29th in Twin 125 #25919Bob ParkPark RacingPontiac28th in Twin 125 #16049Ferdin WallaceH. L. Waters RacingChevrolet30th in Twin 125 #2610Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingChevrolet31st in Twin 125 #16273Phil BarkdollBarkdoll RacingFord31st in Twin 125 #2Official Twin 125s resultsOfficial starting lineup
Race results