1985 Winston 500
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 28 in the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Bill Elliott (in victory circle) after winning the 1985 Winston 500 | |||
| Date | May 5, 1985 | ||
| Official name | Winston 500 | ||
| Location | Alabama International Motor Speedway, Talladega, Alabama | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.660 mi (4.280 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures approaching 81 °F (27 °C); average wind speeds of 4.1 miles per hour (6.6 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 186.288 miles per hour (299.801 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 122,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Melling Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | |
| Laps | 97 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers |
Paul Page Gary Gerould Johnny Rutherford | ||
The 1985 Winston 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 5, 1985, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama.
Prior to this event, two-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip complained to NASCAR about how Bill Elliott was ruining the parity of the sport and he needed to be slowed down.[3] As a result, NASCAR raised the height of the Ford vehicles by half an inch.[3] The roof of the GM race cars was lowered by the same amount in order to improve their speed performance.[3]
Background
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.[4]
Summary
There were 39 drivers who qualified for this race; the pole position winner was Bill Elliott who qualified at the break-neck speed of 209.398 miles per hour (336.993 km/h) in a Ford Thunderbird.[3][2][5] He would go on to beat Kyle Petty by nearly two seconds while racing at speeds up to 186.288 miles per hour (299.801 km/h) during the race;[2][5] even though the record would broken again at the 1997 Winston 500 by Mark Martin. A broken oil fitting, however, would knock Elliott two laps out of the lead laps before he managed his comeback. Elliott would return to the track and begin consistently running laps near 205 mph. He would make up the two laps lost due to the broken oil fitting without the aide of a yellow flag or the draft.[6] At the end of the year, Elliott would go on to become the first Winston Million winner.[7]
More than 100,000 live spectators would see more than two and a half hours of racing with two cautions periods (lasting for only eight laps).[2] This relatively clean race would see 28 different lead changes.[2][5] Canadian driver Trevor Boys would finish in last place due to a problem with the engine on lap 6 of this 188-lap race.[2][5] Bosco Lowe and Dick Skillen would exit NASCAR after this race while Geoff Bodine would lose the championship points lead to Terry Labonte.[5] The cars being used for NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing back then were closer to the production models and no common templates were used.
Bill Elliott, despite leading the NASCAR Winston Cup Series with 11 hard-earned wins on superspeedways, would end up losing the championship that year to Darrell Waltrip.[8]
DNQs
- Eldon Dotson
- Delma Cowart
Top ten finishers
| Pos[2] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Ford | 188 |
| 2 | 4 | 7 | Kyle Petty | Ford | 188 |
| 3 | 2 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ford | 188 |
| 4 | 17 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Buick | 187 |
| 5 | 15 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Ford | 187 |
| 6 | 32 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Oldsmobile | 185 |
| 7 | 3 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 185 |
| 8 | 18 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Chevrolet | 185 |
| 9 | 7 | 8 | Bobby Hillin, Jr. | Chevrolet | 184 |
| 10 | 20 | 75 | Lake Speed | Pontiac | 183 |
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terry Labonte | 1355 | 0 |
| 2 | Geoffrey Bodine | 1343 | -12 |
| 3 | Bill Elliott | 1312 | -43 |
| 4 | Neil Bonnett | 1279 | -76 |
| 5 | Ricky Rudd | 1228 | -127 |
| 6 | Lake Speed | 1215 | -140 |
| 7 | Darrell Waltrip | 1208 | -147 |
| 8 | Kyle Petty | 1197 | -158 |
| 9 | Bobby Allison | 1187 | -168 |
| 10 | Dale Earnhardt | 1150 | -205 |
References
- ↑ 1985 Winston 500 weather conditions at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1985 Winston 500 at Racing Reference
- 1 2 3 4 Elliott Was Awesome At Talladega In 1985 at GeorgiaRacingHistory.com
- ↑ "Track Facts". talladegasuperspeedway.com. Talladega Superspeedway. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 1985 Winston 500 at Race Database
- ↑ 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Recap at Auto.Howstuffworks.com
- ↑ "Bill Elliott". The Crittenden Automotive Library. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
- ↑ Elliott wins 1985 Winston 500 at Talladega; races closer to becoming "Million Dollar Bill" at Ford.com
| Preceded by 1985 Sovran Bank 500 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1985 |
Succeeded by 1985 Budweiser 500 |
| Preceded by 1984 |
Winston 500 races 1985 |
Succeeded by 1986 |