Official name Delaware 500 | ||
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Date September 14, 1986 (1986-September-14) Course Permanent racing facility1.000 mi (1.609 km) Distance 500 laps, 500.0 mi (804.6 km) Weather Temperatures reaching up to 73.9 °F (23.3 °C); wind speeds up to 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h) | ||
The 1986 Delaware 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on September 14, 1986, at Dover Downs International Speedway in Dover, Delaware.
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Background
Dover Downs International Speedway, now called Dover International Speedway, is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway. The NASCAR race makes use of the track's standard configuration, a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mile (1.6 km) long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, and both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the backstretch are banked at nine degrees.
Summary
There were 41 drivers who originally qualified for this race; only George Wiltshire failed to make the final 40-car starting grid. All but one of the drivers were born in the United States of America; Cliff Hucul was born in Canada.
This race lasted 500-laps or four hours and twenty-two minutes. Mike Potter received the last-place finish of this race due to problems with his engine on lap 22. Ricky Rudd would end up defeating Neil Bonnet by slightly more than five seconds. His one-lap penalty for driving past the pace car was eventually relegated to a "slap on the wrist" for Rudd; as his Ford Thunderbird performed like a flawless machine from lap 200 to the checkered flag. Out of the 56 racing events that Ricky Rudd did at Dover International Speedway, his average start was 13th place while his average finish was 14th place with four confirmed victories. The pole position of the race would end up going to Geoffrey Bodine for travelling up to 146.205 miles per hour (235.294 km/h) during his solo qualifying runs. Tim Richmond ended up being the lowest-place driver to actually make it through the race. Only Ricky Rudd, Neil Bonnett, and Kyle Petty would finish the race in the lead lap.
Terry Labonte's engine problem would eliminate him from the race on lap 461 but would guarantee him a finish in the "top twenty." However, Labonte would have to earn this middle-of-the-road finish by dueling against Ricky Rudd for 138 laps. Bryan Baker, Roy Lee Hendrick, and Howard Rose would make their only appearances during this event while Cliff Hucul would retire from NASCAR Cup Series racing competition after the end of the racing event.
Winnings for this racing event varied from a then-awesome $51,500 ($112,521.40 when adjusted for inflation) to a humble $850 ($1,857.15 when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse for this racing event totalled at exactly $314,000 ($686,052.82 when adjusted for inflation).