Race report
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 was the first victim of engine failure on lap 22. Ricky Rudd finally gets a win on a big track, leading 141 laps en route to victory by defeating Neil Bonnet.[4] Neil Bonnett scored his best result of the season so far in second, leading 12 laps.[4] Buddy Baker scored his first of 5 straight top-5 finishes for the #88 team to close out the season, finishing a lap down in fourth.[4] Alan Kulwicki recovered from an early crash and capitalized on attrition to finish in seventh, three laps off the pace.[4] Bobby Hillin Jr. continued his methodical pace that had become custom throughout the season, finishing five laps down in ninth.[4]
Morgan Shepherd had another strong run with the RahMoc #75, leading 36 laps but fading towards the end. He came home seven laps down in tenth.[4] Richard Petty ran midpack much of the day, finishing seven laps down in twelfth.[4] Rusty Wallace led 39 laps and ran with the leaders all day until a late crash knocked him out of contention. He would crawl home nine laps down in thirteenth.[4] Darrell Waltrip struggled with mechanical issues all race, yet still finished ahead of his other title contenders in fourteenth, 10 laps off the pace.[4] Buddy Arrington scored a second straight top-15 finish, coming home 16 laps down in fourteenth.[4] Michael Waltrip never really recovered from an early spin, finishing sixteenth, 29 laps down.[4]
Johnny Coy Jr. made his first start of the 1986 season in James Hylton's #48 entry.[4] He was incredibly slow, finishing 31 laps down in seventeenth. This would ultimately be his best career finish.[4]
Joe Booher made his second start of the season in the #6 D.K. Ulrich entry.[4] He was easily the slowest car on track, finishing 35 laps down in eighteenth.[4] Dale Earnhardt was knocked out of contention by a late crash, finishing 68 laps down in twenty-first.[4] He did manage to lead three laps, which was crucial in the points chase.[4]
Rudd's Ford Thunderbird performed like a flawless machine from lap 200 to the checkered flag.[5] 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. Rudd was also proficient at the road courses in addition to Rockingham and Pocono.[6]
Bobby Allison was stuck in the garage for many laps after an early crash, ultimately coming home 39 laps down in twentieth.[4]
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-placed driver to actually make it through the race.[4] Only Ricky Rudd, Neil Bonnett, and Kyle Petty would finish the race in the lead lap. Kyle Petty also surprised many with his strong third-place run; leading four laps in the process.[4] Tommy Ellis turned in a solid run and finishes eighth, the second-best finish of his Cup career.[4] This was his best run during his tenure in Eric Freedlander's #18 Freedlander Financial Chevrolet.[4] ASA star Mark Martin made his third start of the 1986 season and scored his best finish in eleventh, 7 laps down.[4]
Notable crew chiefs who actively participated in the race included Junie Donlavey, Robin Pemberton, Joey Arrington, Dale Inman, Larry McReynolds, Harry Hyde, Bud Moore, Kirk Shelmerdine among others.[7]
Terry Labonte's led 85 laps and looked assured for a top-10 until a blown engine sidelined him after 461 laps. However, Labonte would have to earn this middle-of-the-road finish by dueling against Ricky Rudd for 138 laps.[8] Bryan Baker, Roy Lee Hendrick, and Howard Rose would make their only appearances during this event.[9] Cliff Hucul makes his second and final Cup series start and it results in the former USAC Champ Car racer's best finish with a 31st.[10]
Winnings for this racing event varied from a then-awesome $51,500 ($151,264 when adjusted for inflation) to a humble $850 ($2,497 when adjusted for inflation).[4] The total prize purse for this racing event totalled at exactly $314,000 ($922,268 when adjusted for inflation).[11]
