Official name Firecracker 400 | ||
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Date July 4, 1986 (1986-July-04) Course Permanent racing facility2.000 mi (3.218 km) Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643 km) Weather Temperatures reaching up to 87.1 °F (30.6 °C); wind speeds approaching 13.00 miles per hour (20.92 km/h) | ||
The 1986 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on July 4, 1986, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Contents
Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.
Summary
It took three hours and one minute for Tim Richmond to defeat Sterling Marlin by 1.35 seconds after 160 laps of racing action on a paved oval track spanning 2.500 miles (4.023 km). Cale Yarborough would earn the pole position with a top speed of 203.519 miles per hour (327.532 km/h). Eight cautions were handed out by NASCAR officials for 51 laps; making the average speed of the race 131.916 miles per hour (212.298 km/h). There would be a live attendance of 78000 racing fans; they would witness A.J. Foyt's last-place finish due to an engine problem on lap 2. Other notable drivers at the race included: Sterling Marlin, Darrell Waltrip, Kyle Petty, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, and Bill Elliott. All of the 42 drivers on the racing grid were born in the United States of America.
Richard Petty would make his 1000th start in this race; making him one of the most durable figures in NASCAR history. Sterling Marlin would get his first "top five" finish here and in several other races before going on to win the 1994 Daytona 500. Yarborough would make one of his last pole position starts in his NASCAR career in this race. Jody Ridley would retire from NASCAR after this race. Dale Earnhardt would make his final DNF in this race due to a crash until the August 1994 race at Michigan International Speedway.
Drivers who failed qualify for this race were Phil Barkdoll, Blackie Wangerin, Ronnie Thomas, James Hylton, Harold Marks, J.D. McDuffie and Brad Teague.