The 1986 Valleydale 500 was the fifth stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 6, 1986, before an audience of 34,200 in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol International Raceway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack.

By race's end, Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace managed to dominate the late stages of the race, leading the final 101 laps to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Bud Moore Engineering's Ricky Rudd and Junior Johnson & Associates' Darrell Waltrip finished second and third, respectively.

Background

The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.

Entry list

(R) denotes rookie driver.

#DriverTeamMakeSponsor01Earle CanavanCanavan RacingPontiacGates Hydraulics3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletWrangler4Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobileCap'n Coty's, Bewley Oldsmobile5Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevroletLevi Garrett6Trevor BoysU.S. RacingChevroletU.S. Racing7Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord7-Eleven8Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingChevroletMiller American08Butch MillerThroop RacingBuickClassic Chevrolet9Bill ElliottMelling RacingFordCoors11Darrell WaltripJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevroletBudweiser12Neil BonnettJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevroletBudweiser15Ricky RuddBud Moore EngineeringFordMotorcraft Quality Parts17Doug HeveronHamby RacingChevroletProtecta Truck Bed Liner18Tommy EllisFreedlander MotorsportsChevroletFreedlander Financial22Bobby AllisonStavola Brothers RacingBuickMiller American23Michael Waltrip (R)Bahari RacingPontiacHawaiian Punch25Tim RichmondHendrick MotorsportsChevroletFolgers26Joe RuttmanKing RacingBuickQuaker State27Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiacAlugard30Willy T. RibbsDiGard MotorsportsPontiacRed Roof Inn33Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevroletSkoal Bandit35Alan Kulwicki (R)AK RacingFordQuincy's Steakhouse41Ronnie ThomasRonnie Thomas RacingChevroletRonnie Thomas Racing43Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiacSTP44Terry LabonteHagan EnterprisesOldsmobilePiedmont Airlines48James HyltonHylton MotorsportsChevroletHylton Motorsports52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiacJimmy Means Racing64Morgan ShepherdLangley RacingFordSunny King Ford67Buddy ArringtonArrington RacingFordPannill Sweatshirts70J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiacRumple Furniture71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingPontiacHelen Rae Special75Jody RidleyRahMoc EnterprisesFordNationwise Automotive81Chet Fillip (R)Fillip RacingFordCircle Bar Truck Corral90Ken SchraderDonlavey RacingFordRed Baron Frozen Pizza92Jonathan Lee EdwardsEdwards RacingChevroletEdwards Racing94Eddie BierschwaleEller RacingPontiacKodak Film95Davey AllisonSadler Brothers RacingChevroletSadler Brothers Racing98Ron BouchardCurb RacingPontiacValvoline

Qualifying Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 4, at 4:00 pm EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 15 drivers in the round would be 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 Saturday, April 5, at 12:30 pm EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 16-30 would be 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 were given.

Geoff Bodine, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, won the pole, setting a time of 16.707 and an average speed of in the first round.

Six drivers failed to qualify.

Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed15Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet16.707114.850212Neil BonnettJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet16.899113.545325Tim RichmondHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet16.906113.498444Terry LabonteHagan EnterprisesOldsmobile16.907113.491533Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevrolet16.924113.37763Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet16.942113.257711Darrell WaltripJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet16.968113.083815Ricky RuddBud Moore EngineeringFord16.975113.037926Joe RuttmanKing RacingBuick16.976113.0301022Bobby AllisonStavola Brothers RacingBuick17.022112.7251143Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac17.039112.612129Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord17.064112.447134Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobile17.064112.4471427Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac17.064112.4471571Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet17.103112.191Failed to lock in the first round168Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick17.107112.165177Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord17.156111.8441894Eddie BierschwaleEller RacingPontiac17.162111.8051975Jody RidleyRahMoc EnterprisesPontiac17.174111.7272090Ken SchraderDonlavey RacingFord17.201111.5522108Butch MillerThroop RacingBuick17.213111.4742235Alan Kulwicki (R)AK RacingFord17.235111.3322317Doug HeveronHamby RacingChevrolet17.249111.2412423Michael Waltrip (R)Bahari RacingBuick17.289110.9842581Chet Fillip (R)Fillip RacingFord17.340110.6572698Ron BouchardCurb RacingPontiac17.348110.6062741Ronnie ThomasRonnie Thomas RacingChevrolet17.370110.4662818Tommy EllisFreedlander MotorsportsChevrolet17.400110.2762995Davey AllisonSadler Brothers RacingChevrolet17.471109.8283064Morgan ShepherdLangley RacingFord17.536109.421Provisionals3167Buddy ArringtonArrington RacingFord -* -*326Trevor BoysU.S. RacingChevrolet -* -*Failed to qualify (results unknown)3301Earle CanavanCanavan RacingPontiac -* -*3430Willy T. RibbsDiGard MotorsportsPontiac -* -*3548James HyltonHylton MotorsportsChevrolet -* -*3652Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac -* -*3770J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiac -* -*3892Jonathan Lee EdwardsEdwards RacingChevrolet -* -*Official first round qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup

Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings11427Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac500174running185$34,7602815Ricky RuddBud Moore EngineeringFord5000running170$20,1253711Darrell WaltripJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet50084running170$17,8254533Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevrolet4990running160$11,7705129Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord4990running155$12,05061022Bobby AllisonStavola Brothers RacingBuick4992running155$2,9007444Terry LabonteHagan EnterprisesOldsmobile49847running151$8,2508325Tim RichmondHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4980running142$2,5509177Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord4970running138$7,7501063Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet497106running139$10,650112818Tommy EllisFreedlander MotorsportsChevrolet4960running130$1,75012134Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobile4940running127$2,100132090Ken SchraderDonlavey RacingFord4920running124$5,130141143Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac4910running121$4,760152235Alan Kulwicki (R)AK RacingFord4830running118$2,000162108Butch MillerThroop RacingBuick4820running0$1,260173167Buddy ArringtonArrington RacingFord4770running112$4,37018326Trevor BoysU.S. RacingChevrolet4660running109$4,26019926Joe RuttmanKing RacingBuick4430running106$1,140202995Davey AllisonSadler Brothers RacingChevrolet4410running103$1,350212317Doug HeveronHamby RacingChevrolet3510engine100$4,030222581Chet Fillip (R)Fillip RacingFord3190engine97$1,020231975Jody RidleyRahMoc EnterprisesPontiac2560engine94$3,8402415Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet23823engine96$8,640252698Ron BouchardCurb RacingPontiac1830axle88$3,750262741Ronnie ThomasRonnie Thomas RacingChevrolet1570accident85$1,370271571Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet1030accident82$3,48028168Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick1031accident84$3,790291894Eddie BierschwaleEller RacingPontiac1020accident76$78030212Neil BonnettJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet7463accident78$8,350313064Morgan ShepherdLangley RacingFord220engine70$2,940322423Michael Waltrip (R)Bahari RacingBuick220engine67$750Failed to qualify (results unknown)3301Earle CanavanCanavan RacingPontiac3430Willy T. RibbsDiGard MotorsportsPontiac3548James HyltonHylton MotorsportsChevrolet3652Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac3770J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiac3892Jonathan Lee EdwardsEdwards RacingChevroletOfficial race results

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Darrell Waltrip 825 2 Terry Labonte 794 (-31) 3 Dale Earnhardt 767 (-58) 1 4 Rusty Wallace 735 (–90) 1 5 Bill Elliott 690 (–135) 2 6 Geoff Bodine 670 (–155) 7 Kyle Petty 647 (–178) 4 8 Harry Gant 614 (–211) 1 9 Tim Richmond 613 (–212) 1 10 Richard Petty 584 (–241)Official driver's standings Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.

References