1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

The 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season was the 38th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 15th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on February 16 and ended November 16. Dale Earnhardt of RCR Enterprises won his second championship this year.

1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Previous:	1985	Next:	1987

This was the last season without Ernie Irvan until 2000.

1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers

Make	Team	No.	Driver	Crew Chief
Buick	King Racing	26	Joe Ruttman	Larry McReynolds
	Stavola Brothers Racing	8	Bobby Hillin Jr.	Ron Puryear
	Stavola Brothers Racing	22	Bobby Allison	Bobby Hudson[1]
Chevrolet	Ellington Racing	1	Sterling Marlin
	Freelander Motorsports	18	Tommy Ellis
	Hendrick Motorsports	5	Geoffrey Bodine	Gary Nelson
	Hendrick Motorsports	25	Tim Richmond	Harry Hyde
	Jackson Brothers Motorsports	55	Benny Parsons	Cliff Champion
	Jackson Brothers Motorsports	66	Phil Parsons	Marv Acton
	Junior Johnson & Associates	11	Darrell Waltrip	Jeff Hammond
		12	Neil Bonnett28	Tim Brewer
		12	Davey Allison1	Tim Brewer
	Mach 1 Racing	33	Harry Gant	Travis Carter
	Marcis Auto Racing	71	Dave Marcis
	Richard Childress Racing	3	Dale Earnhardt	Kirk Shelmerdine
Ford	AK Racing	35	Alan Kulwicki(R)	Mike Beat
	Arrington Racing	67	Buddy Arrington	Joey Arrington[2]
	Bud Moore Engineering	15	Ricky Rudd	Bud Moore
	Circle Bar Racing	81	Chet Fillip (R)
	Donlavey Racing	90	Ken Schrader	Junie Donlavey
	Melling Racing	9	Bill Elliott	Ernie Elliott
	Ranier-Lundy Racing	28	Cale Yarborough	Joey Knuckles
	Wood Brothers Racing	7	Kyle Petty	Eddie Wood
Oldsmobile	Baker-Schiff Racing	88	Buddy Baker28	Doug Richert
	Baker-Schiff Racing	88	Al Unser1	Doug Richert
	Hagan Racing	44	Terry Labonte	Steve Hmiel
	Hamby Motorsports	17	Eddie Bierschwale
	Morgan-McClure Motorsports	4	Rick Wilson	Tony Glover
Pontiac	Bahari Racing	23	Michael Waltrip (R)
	Blue Max Racing	27	Rusty Wallace	Barry Dodson
	Curb Racing	98	Ron Bouchard	Mike Beam
	McDuffie Racing	70	J. D. McDuffie	Jeff McDuffie
	Means Racing	52	Jimmy Means
	Petty Enterprises	43	Richard Petty	Dale Inman
	RahMoc Enterprises	75	Morgan Shepherd	Robin Pemberton

Schedule

No.	Race Title	Track	Date
	Busch Clash	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	February 9
	7-Eleven Twin 125's		February 13
1	Daytona 500		February 16
2	Miller High Life 400	Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, Richmond	February 23
3	Goodwrench 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham	March 2
4	Motorcraft 500	Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton	March 16
5	Valleydale 500	Bristol International Raceway, Bristol	April 6
6	TranSouth 500	Darlington Raceway, Darlington	April 13
7	First Union 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro	April 20
8	Sovran Bank 500	Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway	April 27
9	Winston 500	Alabama International Motor Speedway, Talladega	May 4
	Atlanta Invitational	Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton	May 11
	The Winston	Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton	May 11
10	Budweiser 500	Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover	May 18
11	Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord	May 25
12	Budweiser 400	Riverside International Raceway, Riverside	June 1
13	Miller High Life 500	Pocono International Raceway, Long Pond	June 8
14	Miller American 400	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn	June 15
15	Firecracker 400	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	July 4
16	Summer 500	Pocono International Raceway, Long Pond	July 20
17	Talladega 500	Alabama International Motor Speedway, Talladega	July 27
18	Budweiser At The Glen	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen	August 10
19	Champion Spark Plug 400	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn	August 17
20	Busch 500	Bristol International Raceway, Bristol	August 23
21	Southern 500	Darlington Raceway, Darlington	August 31
22	Wrangler Jeans Indigo 400	Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, Richmond	September 7
23	Delaware 500	Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover	September 14
24	Goody's 500	Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway	September 21
25	Holly Farms 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro	September 28
26	Oakwood Homes 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord	October 5
27	Nationwise 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham	October 19
28	Atlanta Journal 500	Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton	November 2
29	Winston Western 500	Riverside International Raceway, Riverside	November 16

Busch Clash

The 8th annual Busch Clash was held on February 9 at Daytona International Speedway. Harry Gant drew for the pole. Only eight drivers ran.

Full Results

Finish	Grid	Car no.	Driver	Car Make	Laps	Status	Laps Led
1	4	3	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	20	0:15:19	15
2	6	9	Bill Elliott	Ford Thunderbird	20	-2 car lengths
3	2	12	Neil Bonnett	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	20	Flagged	5
4	7	5	Geoffrey Bodine	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	20	Flagged
5	8	44	Terry Labonte	Oldsmobile Delta 88	20	Flagged
6	3	27	Rusty Wallace	Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2	20	Flagged
7	1	33	Harry Gant	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	20	Flagged
8	5	11	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	20	Flagged

Average speed: 195.865 mph

Caution flags (caution flag laps do not count in this race)
From Lap	To Lap	Reason
6	6	#5 Bodine spin, turn 4

Lap Leader Breakdown
From Lap	To Lap	Total Laps	Driver
1	5	5	Neil Bonnett
6	20	15	Dale Earnhardt

7-Eleven Twin 125's

The 7-Eleven Twin 125's, a pair of qualifying races for the Daytona 500, were held February 13 at Daytona International Speedway. Bill Elliott and Geoffrey Bodine won the poles for both races, respectively.

Race One Top Ten Results

Race Two Top Ten Results

Daytona 500

Top Ten Results

5 - Geoffrey Bodine
44 - Terry Labonte
11 - Darrell Waltrip
8 - Bobby Hillin Jr.
55 - Benny Parsons -1 Lap
98 - Ron Bouchard -1 Lap
4 - Rick Wilson -1 Lap
27 - Rusty Wallace -1 Lap
1 - Sterling Marlin -2 Laps (DNF: Engine)
75 - Lake Speed -2 Laps

Miller High Life 400

The Miller High Life 400 was held February 23 at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway. Geoffrey Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

7-Kyle Petty*
26-Joe Ruttman
3-Dale Earnhardt
22-Bobby Allison -1 lap
11-Darrell Waltrip -2 laps
8-Bobby Hillin Jr. -2 laps
12-Neil Bonnett -2 laps
5-Geoffrey Bodine -3 laps
71-Dave Marcis -3 laps
27-Rusty Wallace -5 laps

This was Petty's first career Winston Cup win.
Petty won this race as the direct result of Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip wrecking while racing for the lead with 2 laps to go. Going into Turn 3, Earnhardt hooked the right rear corner of Waltrip's car and turned him head on into the wall. Geoffrey Bodine and Joe Ruttman, running 3rd and 4th at the time then proceeded to pile in behind Earnhardt and Waltrip. Petty, who was running 5th at the time of the caution, was the first lead lap car through the mess, and thus was gifted his first career victory.
With his victory, Petty became NASCAR's first third generation winner.
In the 1990 film Days of Thunder, a clip of the incident between Earnhardt and Waltrip appears on the TV set that Cole Trickle and Harry Hogge are watching in the scene where they are riding in a transporter.

Goodwrench 500

The Goodwrench 500 was held March 2 at North Carolina Motor Speedway. Terry Labonte won the pole.

Top Ten Results

44-Terry Labonte
33-Harry Gant
43-Richard Petty
47-Morgan Shepherd -1 lap
11-Darrell Waltrip -1 lap
28-Cale Yarborough -2 laps
9-Bill Elliott -2 laps
3-Dale Earnhardt -2 laps
12-Neil Bonnett -2 laps
75-Lake Speed -3 laps

The win proved to be Labonte's last with Billy Hagan.

Motorcraft 500

The Motorcraft 500 was held March 16 at Atlanta International Raceway. Dale Earnhardt won the pole.

Top Ten Results

47-Morgan Shepherd
3-Dale Earnhardt
44-Terry Labonte
11-Darrell Waltrip
9-Bill Elliott
55-Benny Parsons
25-Tim Richmond
27-Rusty Wallace -1 lap
22-Bobby Allison -1 lap
5-Geoffrey Bodine -1 lap

This was Morgan's 1st victory since 1981.

Valleydale 500

The Valleydale 500 was held April 6 at Bristol International Raceway. the No. 5 of Geoffrey Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

27-Rusty Wallace*
15-Ricky Rudd
11-Darrell Waltrip
33-Harry Gant -1 lap
9-Bill Elliott -1 lap
22-Bobby Allison -1 lap
44-Terry Labonte -2 laps
25-Tim Richmond -2 laps
7-Kyle Petty -3 laps
3-Dale Earnhardt -3 laps

This was Rusty Wallace's 1st career Winston Cup victory.

TranSouth 500

The TranSouth 500 was held April 13 at Darlington Raceway. the No. 5 of Geoffrey Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

3-Dale Earnhardt
11-Darrell Waltrip
22-Bobby Allison -1 lap
12-Neil Bonnett -1 lap
25-Tim Richmond -3 laps
27-Rusty Wallace -3 laps
43-Richard Petty -3 laps
9-Bill Elliott -5 laps
7-Kyle Petty -6 laps
90-Ken Schrader -11 laps

First Union 400

The First Union 400 was held April 20 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Geoffrey Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

This race marked the 1st career Winston Cup start for Willy T. Ribbs, best known for being the 1st African-American to start the Indianapolis 500 in 1991. Ribbs struggled during the race, spinning out twice on his way to a 22nd-place finish, 13 laps down.
The No. 6 of Trevor Boys smacked the wall in Turn 3 on Lap 89 and came to a stop at the entrance of pit road, blocking it. Instead of throwing a caution, the tow truck was sent out to tow the D. K. Ulrich-owned car to his pit stall/hauler (until the September 1988 event at the track, race team haulers were literally parked right behind their chosen pit stall) while the rest of the cars continued around the track at full speed.
This race included two caution periods around halfway due to rain. However, the race was not red flagged either time the caution was thrown for the rain showers.

Sovran Bank 500

The Sovran Bank 500 was held April 27 at Martinsville Speedway. No. 25 of Tim Richmond won the pole.

Top Ten Results

15-Ricky Rudd*
26-Joe Ruttman -1 lap
44-Terry Labonte -4 laps
35-Alan Kulwicki (R) -4 laps
7-Kyle Petty -4 laps
8-Bobby Hillin Jr. -5 laps
90-Ken Schrader -7 laps
22-Bobby Allison -8 laps
79-Derrike Cope (R) -11 laps
75-Jody Ridley -13 laps

Ricky Rudd's official margin of victory in the race was 1 lap, and an additional 6 seconds.
According to Bill Elliott's book, Awesome Bill From Dawsonville, Elliott suffered his first engine failure in 3 years in this race.
This race marked the first career Winston Cup start for Mike Skinner. Skinner finished 22nd, 156 laps behind.
First career top 5 for Alan Kulwicki.

Winston 500

The Winston 500 was held May 4 at Alabama International Motor Speedway. the No. 9 of Bill Elliott won the pole.

Top Ten Results

Failed to Qualify: 35-Alan Kulwicki (R), 60-Dick Skillen, 70-J. D. McDuffie, 77-Ken Ragan, 95-Davey Allison, 02-Mark Martin, Steve Moore

This race is most notable for the fact that a drunken fan stole the pace car before the race started and drove a lap around the track. Local Sheriff's Deputies and track workers quickly set up a road block at the exit of Turn 4. When the fan stopped the Pontiac Firebird, the sheriffs opened the door, pulled the driver out and detained him.
The whole field qualified over 200 miles per hour with several upcoming stars failing to qualify.

The Winston

The second edition of The Winston, an all-start event for previous NASCAR winners, was held at Atlanta International Raceway on May 11.

This was the only time the race was run at Atlanta, and featured a 200-kilometer (83 lap) format, with a mandatory green flag pit stop. Because there were only nine race winners, the highest placed non-winner from the 1985 point standings was also invited.

Top Ten Results

A non-winner's race, the Atlanta Invitational, was added, and was Benny Parsons' last NASCAR-sanctioned win in his career when he won the 100-lap, 152.2 mile race.
While only 18,500 attended the event, and only 23 cars featured (10 in The Winston, 13 in the Atlanta Invitational), the all-star weekend format of having a non-winners race and a winners race would be a permanent part of the weekend afterwards, although NASCAR made the non-winner's race the next year and afterwards a "last chance" race to make the winner's race.

Budweiser 500

The Budweiser 500 was held May 18 at Dover International Speedway. Ricky Rudd won the pole.

Top Ten Results

5-Geoffrey Bodine
22-Bobby Allison
3-Dale Earnhardt -1 lap
15-Ricky Rudd -2 laps
11-Darrell Waltrip -2 laps
43-Richard Petty -6 laps
9-Bill Elliott -7 laps
8-Bobby Hillin Jr. -7 laps
18-Tommy Ellis -7 laps
90-Ken Schrader -7 laps

Coca-Cola 600

The Coca-Cola 600 was held May 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. the No. 5 of Geoffrey Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

3 - Dale Earnhardt
25 - Tim Richmond
28 - Cale Yarborough
33 - Harry Gant
11 - Darrell Waltrip
9 - Bill Elliott
1 - Sterling Marlin -1 Lap
15 - Ricky Rudd -1 Lap
47 - Morgan Shepherd -1 Lap
27 - Rusty Wallace -2 Laps

Richard Petty was not allowed to bring out a backup car after crashing his #43 Pontiac in practice. As a result, Petty Enterprises bought the lime green-and-white #6 Chevrolet, and raced that car. Petty finished 38th as a result of a blown engine after completing 123 laps.
This was the 1st career Winston Cup start for Brett Bodine, who drove a Hendrick Motorsports #2 Chevrolet to an 18th-place finish, 6 laps down.
This race insured there would be no Winston Million winner in 1986. The bonus for winning 2 out of 4 races was still alive for the Southern 500 later in the season.

Budweiser 400

The Budweiser 400 was held on June 1 at Riverside International Raceway. Darrell Waltrip won the pole.

Top Ten Results

This was the 1st career Winston Cup start for Chad Little, who was then a regular in the Winston West series. Little finished 13th, 3 laps down in the race after starting 25th.
This the final time was Darrell Waltrip wins from the pole.

Miller High Life 500

The Miller High Life 500 was held June 8 at Pocono International Raceway. Geoffrey Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

The race ended under caution when Morgan Shepherd, Harry Gant, and Buddy Arrington were involved in a violent crash with four laps to go in turn one.
The win was Richmond's first since April 1984 and the first for Harry Hyde since November 1984.

Miller American 400

The Miller American 400 was held June 15 at Michigan International Speedway. Tim Richmond won the pole.

During qualifying, 31-year-old ARCA driver Rick Baldwin, in the Buddy Arrington No. 67 Ford Thunderbird, suffered a severe crash in qualifying that resulted in the car hitting the wall flush with the driver's side, knocking him unconscious into a coma from the massive head injuries, from which he would succumb eleven years later.

Top Ten Results

Firecracker 400

The Firecracker 400 was held on July 4 at Daytona International Speedway. Cale Yarborough won the pole.

Top Ten Results

This race marked Richard Petty's 1000th career start in the Winston Cup Series, dating all the way back to 1958. As of 2020, he is the only driver to compete in 1,000+ races.

Summer 500

The Summer 500 was held July 20 at Pocono International Raceway. Harry Gant won the pole.

Top Ten Results

25-Tim Richmond
15-Ricky Rudd
5-Geoffrey Bodine
11-Darrell Waltrip
22-Bobby Allison
44-Terry Labonte
3-Dale Earnhardt
7-Kyle Petty -1 lap
18-Tommy Ellis -2 laps
4-Rick Wilson -2 laps

This race was shortened to 150 laps (375 miles) due to a combination of rain, fog and darkness.
On Lap 121 Tim Richmond, racing with Geoffrey Bodine and Neil Bonnett, spun out and was hit by Richard Petty coming out of the Tunnel Turn (Turn 2). His car had both front tires flattened and was in a position so that he could not drive it forwards. Richmond backed the car out, then drove it in reverse the nearly 1 mile to his pit. At that point, his crew fixed the car so that he could go forward, but only in high gear (4th). He lost a lap but raced with the leaders until Dale Earnhardt crashed around Lap 140; he beat the leaders to the flag and thus got his lap back. It was at this point that NASCAR announced the impending end of the race due to darkness. Richmond got tires and then charged through the field after the restart; he passed Bodine on the final lap, but Bodine dove back alongside and the two raced through Turn Three; Bodine got loose and Ricky Rudd stormed three abreast; Richmond won in a photo finish. A modified version of this incident was featured in the 1990 movie Days of Thunder.

Talladega 500

The Talladega 500 was held July 27 at Alabama International Motor Speedway. the No. 9 of Bill Elliott won the pole.

Top Ten Results

This was Bobby Hillin Jr.'s only career Winston Cup victory.
The lead changed a season-high 49 times. The race set a motorsports record with 26 leaders, a record broken in 2008.
Among the race's 26 leaders were Richard Petty, Bill Elliott, Darrell Waltrip, Rodney Combs, Buddy Baker, and Rick Wilson. Cale Yarborough took the lead on the backstretch on Lap 107 but Dale Earnhardt beat him to the stripe.
Ricky Rudd was relieved during the race by Rusty Wallace, who had blown an engine earlier.
Davey Allison drove the race in place of Neil Bonnett, who was injured in a multi-car wreck at Pocono the previous week; Bonnett worked with CBS Sports as a second color analyst on the telecast of the race.
Hillin was involved in a five-car crash down the backstretch with 25 laps to go when he was drafting race leader Harry Gant; Gant was spun into Phil Parsons and the wreck swept up Darrell Waltrip, Geoffrey Bodine, and Cale Yarborough.
Bobby Allison was eliminated while racing Richmond for third; he was hooked by Sterling Marlin and spun into traffic in Turn One; Richmond passed Wallace subbing for Rudd for second while Marlin finished fourth.

The Budweiser At The Glen

The Budweiser At The Glen was held August 10 at Watkins Glen International. Tim Richmond won the pole. It was the first time a NASCAR race had been run at the track since 1965 but this was an entirely new configuration.

Top Ten Results

Withdrew: 30-Willy T. Ribbs[3]

Ribbs withdrew as he blew up 4 engines during practice and qualifying so the team did not have any spares.
This was Richmond's 4th victory of the season.
Neil Bonnett returns after sitting out the previous race due to broken ribs. Junior Johnson had Doug Heveron on standby to take over if Bonnett could not run the full race. He would run the full race, running as high as 2nd but eventually settling for 5th.
Rusty Wallace had to earn his finishing spot the hard way. After taking the lead for 3 laps from laps 17 to 19, Wallace was black-flagged by NASCAR for leaking oil onto the track. Rejoining the field at the tail-end, Wallace would cut a tire after making contact with the wall, then spun out in turn 5 to bring out a full course caution flag. Despite the setbacks, Wallace would rally to finish 6th.

Champion Spark Plug 400

The Champion Spark Plug 400 was held August 17 at Michigan International Speedway. The No. 55 of Benny Parsons won the final pole of his hall of fame career.

Top Ten Results

9-Bill Elliott
25-Tim Richmond
11-Darrell Waltrip
5-Geoffrey Bodine
3-Dale Earnhardt -1 lap
27-Rusty Wallace -1 lap
28-Cale Yarborough -1 lap
33-Harry Gant -1 lap
66-Phil Parsons -1 lap
21-David Pearson* -1 lap

With this win, Bill Elliott became the 1st driver in NASCAR history to win 4 straight races at one Superspeedway.
This was David Pearson's last Winston Cup start. He ran as high as 3rd place at one point in the race.
Buddy Arrington returned to the track where rookie Rick Baldwin, driving Arrington's #67, had suffered fatal injuries in a crash during qualifying for the June event. Arrington would finish 6 laps down in 19th.

Busch 500

The Busch 500 was held August 23 at Bristol International Raceway. Geoffrey Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

11-Darrell Waltrip
44-Terry Labonte
5-Geoffrey Bodine -1 lap
3-Dale Earnhardt -1 lap
33-Harry Gant -1 lap
25-Tim Richmond -2 laps
43-Richard Petty -3 laps
22-Bobby Allison -4 laps
8-Bobby Hillin Jr. -5 laps
35-Alan Kulwicki (R) -6 laps

This was the final race for owner of the #35 car Bill Terry. His driver Alan Kulwicki would buy out the team before the next race and be the sports newest owner/driver
Darrell Waltrip scores his record 10th victory at Bristol.

Southern 500

The Southern 500 was held August 31 at Darlington Raceway. Tim Richmond won the pole.

Top Ten Results

This race was plagued by rain, to the point of the race running on a damp surface and the drivers having to race as if Darlington Raceway was a dirt track.
Before this race, rookie Alan Kulwicki bought out his owner Bill Terry and became the owner/driver of the #35 car. He would finish in 12th place, 7 laps down in his first owner/driver outing.
This race insured no one would win the Winston bonus for winning 2 out of 4 crown jewel races.

Wrangler Jeans Indigo 400

The Wrangler Jeans Indigo 400 was held September 7 at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway. Harry Gant won the pole.

Top Ten Results

Morgan Shepherd was hired by RahMoc Enterprises as the driver of the No. 75 Pontiac.
Tim Richmond had to survive a late race restart because on lap 395 the caution flag flew when Michael Waltrip's entire driveshaft fell out of the car. The race went back under the green flag with 2 laps remaining. Richmond held on by 3 car lengths.
This was the last Cup Series race to feature less than a 30 car field.

Delaware 500

The Delaware 500 was held September 14 at Dover Downs International Speedway. the No. 5 of Geoffrey Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

15-Ricky Rudd
12-Neil Bonnett
7-Kyle Petty
88-Buddy Baker -1 lap
71-Dave Marcis -2 laps
26-Joe Ruttman -2 laps
35-Alan Kulwicki (R) -3 laps
18-Tommy Ellis -4 laps
8-Bobby Hillin Jr. -5 laps
75-Morgan Shepherd -7 laps

This was Rudd's 1st win on an oval that was 1 mile in length or longer.
This race saw Dave Marcis' final top 5 finish.

Goody's 500

The Goody's 500 was held September 21 at Martinsville Speedway. Geoffrey Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

27-Rusty Wallace
5-Geoffrey Bodine
33-Harry Gant
11-Darrell Waltrip -1 lap
26-Joe Ruttman -1 lap
7-Kyle Petty -1 lap
90-Ken Schrader -2 laps
12-Neil Bonnett -3 laps
71-Dave Marcis -3 laps
25-Tim Richmond -4 laps

This was Pontiac's 2nd & final victory for 1986.

Holly Farms 400

The Holly Farms 400 was held September 28 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. the No. 25 of Tim Richmond won the pole.

Top Ten Results

11-Darrell Waltrip
5-Geoffrey Bodine
43-Richard Petty
27-Rusty Wallace
33-Harry Gant
26-Joe Ruttman -1 lap
15-Ricky Rudd -1 lap
71-Dave Marcis -1 lap
3-Dale Earnhardt -2 laps
44-Terry Labonte -2 laps

Geoffrey Bodine had the dominant car leading the most laps (218) but faded late, losing the lead at lap 390 to Darrell Waltrip, he would pull away to a 1.21 second lead for his final victory of 1986.
The win was also Waltrip's final race victory with Junior Johnson.

Oakwood Homes 500

The Oakwood Homes 500 was held on October 5 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. the No. 25 of Tim Richmond won the pole.

Top Ten Results

3-Dale Earnhardt
33-Harry Gant
12-Neil Bonnett -1 lap
15-Ricky Rudd -1 lap
88-Buddy Baker -1 lap
5-Geoffrey Bodine -1 lap
9-Bill Elliott -1 lap
27-Rusty Wallace -2 laps
11-Darrell Waltrip -2 laps
66-Phil Parsons -3 laps

Earnhardt had to work hard for this victory as he at one point in the race lost 2 laps due to separate tire issues.

Nationwise 500

The Nationwise 500 was held on October 19 at North Carolina Motor Speedway. the No. 25 of Tim Richmond won the pole.

Top Ten Results

12-Neil Bonnett
15-Ricky Rudd
11-Darrell Waltrip
33-Harry Gant
88-Buddy Baker
3-Dale Earnhardt -1 lap
9-Bill Elliott -1 lap
43-Richard Petty -1 lap
26-Joe Ruttman -2 laps
7-Kyle Petty -3 laps

The win was Bonnett's last with Junior Johnson, as he was tabbed to drive for RahMoc Enterprises in 1987.

Atlanta Journal 500

The Atlanta Journal 500 was held November 2 at Atlanta International Raceway. Bill Elliott won the pole.

Top Ten Results

3-Dale Earnhardt*
43-Richard Petty -1 lap
9-Bill Elliott -1 lap
25-Tim Richmond -1 lap
88-Buddy Baker -1 lap
12-Neil Bonnett -1 lap
7-Kyle Petty -2 laps
44-Terry Labonte -2 laps
26-Joe Ruttman -2 laps
66-Phil Parsons -2 laps

Dale Earnhardt's official margin of victory was 1 lap and an additional 3 seconds.
By virtue of Darrell Waltrip blowing an engine finishing 39th and Dale Earnhardt winning the race while leading the most laps, Earnhardt clinched his 2nd Winston Cup Championship.

Winston Western 500

The Winston Western 500 was held on November 16 at Riverside International Raceway. Tim Richmond won the pole.

Top Ten Results

Going into the race, Dale Earnhardt had already clinched the Winston Cup championship. The attention shifted to the battle for second in the championship. Polesitter Tim Richmond needed to finish five positions higher than Darrell Waltrip to move into second. Richmond went on to win the race. However, Waltrip managed 4th place, which secured himself second in the championship, by 6 points over Richmond.
This was the last race that both Darrell Waltrip and Neil Bonnett drove for Junior Johnson. Waltrip would drive the #17 Tide sponsored Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 1987, while Bonnett returned to RahMoc Enterprises to pilot the #75 Valvoline Pontiac after having previously driven for them during the 1983 season. Terry Labonte replaced Waltrip in the #11 car while the #12 team was dissolved and would reappear in 1991 as the #22 Maxwell House Ford Thunderbird with then journeyman driver Sterling Marlin behind the wheel.

Final points standings

Dale Earnhardt – 4468
Darrell Waltrip – 4180
Tim Richmond – 4174
Bill Elliott – 3844
Ricky Rudd – 3823
Rusty Wallace – 3762
Bobby Allison – 3698
Geoffrey Bodine – 3678
Bobby Hillin Jr. – 3546
Kyle Petty – 3537
Harry Gant – 3498
Terry Labonte – 3473
Neil Bonnett – 3369
Richard Petty – 3314
Joe Ruttman – 3295
Ken Schrader – 3052
Dave Marcis – 2912
Morgan Shepherd – 2896
Michael Waltrip (R) – 2853
Buddy Arrington – 2776
Alan Kulwicki (R) – 2705
Jimmy Means – 2495
Tommy Ellis – 2393
Buddy Baker – 1924
Eddie Bierschwale – 1860
J. D. McDuffie – 1825
Phil Parsons – 1742
Rick Wilson – 1698
Cale Yarborough – 1642
Benny Parsons – 1555
Ron Bouchard – 1553
Chet Fillip (R) – 1433
Jody Ridley – 1213
Trevor Boys – 1064
Doug Heveron – 1052
Sterling Marlin – 989
D. K. Ulrich – 804
Pancho Carter (R) – 706
Ken Ragan – 627
Lake Speed – 608
Greg Sacks – 579
Ronnie Thomas – 504
Bobby Wawak – 480
Rodney Combs – 421
Derrike Cope (R) – 400
James Hylton – 386
Davey Allison – 364
Mark Martin – 364
Jim Sauter (R) – 361
A. J. Foyt – 355

Winston Cup Final Standings

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by final practice results or 1985 Owner's points. * – Most laps led.

Pos.	#	Driver	Make	DAY	RCH	CAR	ATL	BRI	DAR	NWS	MAR	TAL	DOV	CLT	RSD	POC	MCH	DAY	POC	TAL	GLN	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	ATL	RSD	Pts
1	3	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet	14	3*	8	2*	10	1*	1*	21	2	3	1	5	2	6	27	7	26*	3	5	4	9	2	21	12	9	1	6	1*	2	4468
2	11	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet	3	5	5	4	3	2	4	27	34	5	5	1	40	5	4	4	25	2	3	1*	5	29	14	4	1	9	3	39	4	4180
3	25	Tim Richmond	Chevrolet	20	22	16	7	8	5	12	20	12	32	2	2	1*	15	1	1	2	1	2	6	1*	1	26	10	11	27*	20	4	1	4174
4	9	Bill Elliott	Ford	13	21	7	5	5	8	9	31	24	7	6	11	5	1	16	35	27	4	1	19	3	9	27	11	16	7	7	3	23	3844
5	15	Ricky Rudd	Ford	11	30	28	26	2	26	2	1	36	4	8	3	4	10	6	2	3	7	21	23	6	24	1	28	7	4	2	25	19	3823
6	2	Rusty Wallace	Pontiac	8	10	12	8	1	6	10	30	13	26	10	4	6	19	8	27	35	6	6	14	23	19	13	1	4	8	19	13	8	3762
7	22	Bobby Allison	Buick	42	4	34	9	6	3	6	8	1	2	12	7	13	11	15	5	10	12	24	8	2	8	20	21	22	41	25	16	7	3698
8	5	Geoffrey Bodine	Chevrolet	1*	8	20	10	24	40	3	17	27	1	31	39	9	3	29	3*	23	19*	4	3	8	13	28	2*	2*	6	32	38	3*	3678
9	8	Bobby Hillin Jr.	Buick	4	6	39	16	28	38	13	6	4	8	15	32	10	7	3	33	1	28	13	9	7	10	9	17	15	26	11	15	6	3546
10	7	Kyle Petty	Ford	16	1	11	28	9	9	8	5	31	19	20	41	8	32	5	8	9	9	28	30	14	20	3	6	14	13	10	7	15	3537
11	33	Harry Gant	Chevrolet	30	28	2	12	4	14	7	25	21	14	4	9	26	2	31	30	22	34	8	5	27	7	35	3	5	2	4	28	37	3498
12	44	Terry Labonte	Oldsmobile	2	15	1	3	7	32	27	3	29	17	11	12	35	12	19	6	38	32	12	2	21	18	19	15	10	15	31	8	10	3473
13	12	Neil Bonnett	Chevrolet	32	7	9	34	30	4	11	26	40	28	13	8	23	25	11	31		5	34	11	24	5	2	8	12	3	1	6	9	3369
14	43	Richard Petty	Pontiac	36	20	3	11	14	7	29	28	7	6	38	6	19	13	22	34	37	10	18	7	40	4	12	16	3	35	8	2	21	3314
15	26	Joe Ruttman	Oldsmobile	28	2	33	42	19	21	5	2	17	11	32	42	7	9	7	38	8	33	30	17	38	6	6	5	6	25	9	9	5	3295
16	90	Ken Schrader	Ford	33	23	22	21	13	10	14	7	26	10	23	17	27	20	12	23	31	16	11	28	36	25	22	7	18	28	14	17	11	3052
17	71	Dave Marcis	Chevrolet	38	9	27	33	27	27	25	16	11	21	16	38	14	37	20	24	36	13	35	15	11	23	5	9	8	11	34	33	12	2912
18	47	Morgan Shepherd	Buick	22		4	1	31	23	19	19	6		9	27	18	29	37	32	6	11	36	22	4	3	10	29	25	32	24*	27	38	2896
19	23	Michael Waltrip (R)	Pontiac		25	21	19	32	13	26	11	35	12	26	25	39	22	18	11	14	17	32	13	16	14	16	14	23	19	13	20	31	2853
20	67	Buddy Arrington	Ford	23	14	17	20	17		21	15	22	15		19	21		25	17	21	24	19	16	20	12	15	19	19	22	17	21	18	2776
21	32	Alan Kulwicki (R)	Ford			15	14	15	11	18	4		23	27			16	10	22	32		14	10	12	15	7	13	17	14	12	18	24	109
22	52	Jimmy Means	Pontiac	39	11	19	41		25	20	12	16	24		22	22		24	13	15	21	25	27	15	26	24	22	27	18	22	29	17	2495
23	18	Tommy Ellis	Chevrolet	19	24	14	13	11	29		24	32	9	35		15	14	38	9	34		39	12		21	8	26	13	31	35	12		2393
24	88	Buddy Baker	Oldsmobile	26			15		30			3		17		36	4	14	36	20		41		19		4			5	5	5	29	1924
25	54	Eddie Bierschwale	Chevrolet	31	31	29	30	29	34			30		29		32	27	35	15	39	30	16	18	25	11	25	24	20	24	16	23		1860
26	70	J. D. McDuffie	Pontiac		16	31			17	28	18		20		14	16	35		19		25	31	24	34	28	37	20	26	20	21			1825
27	66	Phil Parsons	Oldsmobile	24	29	30	18		31			5		24		31	33	9	37	13	14	9		22					10		10		1742
28	4	Rick Wilson	Oldsmobile	7			39	12	15			8						8	21	10	11	23	40	26	28		32		29		14	40	1698
29	28	Cale Yarborough	Ford	27		6	27		22			37		3		3	30	17	25	24		7		10					36	33	34		1642
30	55	Benny Parsons	Oldsmobile	5			6		28			20		34		33	41	36	29	5	8	26		31					30		11	27	1555
31	98	Ron Bouchard	Pontiac	6	18	13	40	25	37	17		9	27	19		12	36	41		17				30					21		42		1553
Pos.	#	Driver	Make																														Pts

Rookie of the Year

Alan Kulwicki, a future hall of famer (see Class of 2019 hall of fame) driving for a team that had only one car (which he would buy out before the Southern 500 and become an owner/driver), won the Rookie of the Year award in 1986 despite skipping 6 races (3 of those he failed to qualify for, rounds 1, 2, and 9), finishing in the top-ten four times. Of the rest of the candidates, only runner-up Michael Waltrip ran a complete schedule.

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References

External links

Winston Cup Standings and Statistics for 1986

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[1] ttps://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/allisbo01/1986/W

[2] ttps://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/arrinbu01/1986/W

[3] ttps://www.racing-reference.info/race/1986_The_Budweiser_At_The_Glen/W