The 1986 The Winston, the second running of the NASCAR All-Star Race, was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 11, 1986. The only time The Winston was held at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia, the 83-lap race was the second exhibition race in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Bill Elliott of Melling Racing led the most laps (82) and won the caution-free race and , along with for leading laps 20, 30, 50, and 60.

The event featured the Atlanta Invitational, a 100-lap race for drivers who did not meet the eligibility of The Winston. Benny Parsons of Jackson Brothers Motorsports won the race and and became eligible to run the 1987 The Winston. The Atlanta Invitational was held before The Winston, but due to a tape delay, ESPN aired the race after The Winston.

NASCAR's original plan for The Winston was to hold the race at a different track every year, but due to the dismal attendance of this race, The Winston was moved back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the next 32 years before Bristol Motor Speedway hosted the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race.

Background

The Winston was open to race winners from the 1985 season. Because the field was one short of the minimum requirement of 10 cars, the final spot was awarded to the highest finishing driver in the 1985 points standings without a win. The pole position was awarded to the defending Winston Cup champion while the rest of the field was determined by the total number of wins from last season, with driver's points used as the tiebreaker.

1986 The Winston drivers and eligibility Race winners in 1985 3-Dale Earnhardt (4 wins) 9-Bill Elliott (11 wins, including the 1985 Daytona 500) 10-Greg Sacks (1 win) 11-Darrell Waltrip (3 wins, defending 1985 champion) 12-Neil Bonnett (2 wins) 15-Ricky Rudd (1 win) 28-Cale Yarborough (2 wins) 33-Harry Gant (3 wins) 44-Terry Labonte (1 win)

Awarded by points 5-Geoff Bodine (5th in 1985 driver's points)

Race summary Atlanta Invitational The Atlanta Invitational was a 100-lap exhibition race featuring 14 participants that did not meet the eligibility of The Winston. Benny Parsons won the caution-free race and . The win also gave him the eligibility to run the 1987 Winston.

+ Race results Pos Grid Car Driver Owner Manufacturer Laps run Laps led 1555Benny Parsons Jackson Brothers MotorsportsOldsmobile10037 2225Tim Richmond Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet10056 338Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers RacingBuick1000 464Lake Speed Morgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobile1003 5726Joe Ruttman King RacingBuick1002 6422Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers RacingBuick1000 7843Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac1000 81088Buddy Baker Baker-Schiff RacingOldsmobile1000 9973Dave Marcis Marcis Auto RacingFord990 101167Buddy Arrington Arrington RacingFord970 111252Jimmy Means Means RacingPontiac940 1217Kyle Petty Wood Brothers RacingFord692 131470J. D. McDuffie McDuffie RacingPontiac370 14136Trevor Boys U.S. RacingChevrolet240

The Winston The Winston was an 83-lap exhibition race with a combined purse of . The earnings were as follows:

The Winston earningsFirst placeSecond placeThird placeFourth placeFifth placeSixth placeSeventh placeEighth placeNinth placeTenth place

In addition, a purse bonus of was given to the drivers who led laps 20, 30, 50, and 60.

Chevrolet Monte Carlo driver Darrell Waltrip and Ford Thunderbird driver Bill Elliott led the field on the green flag. Despite being the pole sitter, Waltrip lost momentum as Elliott and Dale Earnhardt passed him before the first lap. Prior to the first pit stop, Waltrip struggled with an ill-handling car as he dropped below the top five while Cale Yarborough and Harry Gant battled for third and Neil Bonnett and Geoff Bodine fought for fifth place. With no one close enough to challenge him, Elliott earned by leading laps 20 and 30. The two-tire pit stop began on lap 40. After changing left-side tires, Elliott passed Earnhardt at full speed to regain the lead. He once again collected for leading laps 50 and 60. Elliott dominated the race and took the checkered flag to win with Earnhardt, Gant, Waltrip, and Yarborough wrapping up the top five.

+ Race results Pos Grid Car Driver Owner Manufacturer Laps run Laps led 129Bill Elliott Melling RacingFord8382 233Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress RacingChevrolet831 3433Harry Gant Mach 1 RacingChevrolet830 4111Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet830 5628Cale Yarborough Rainier-Lundy RacingFord830 6512Neil Bonnett Junior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet830 7105Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet830 8715Ricky Rudd Bud Moore EngineeringFord820 9844Terry Labonte Hagan RacingChevrolet820 10910Greg Sacks DiGard MotorsportsChevrolet820

References

External links Official video