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.

This was the last season without Ernie Irvan until 2000.

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

Full Results

Cautions (caution laps do not count in this race)

Lap Leader Breakdown

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 Geoff Bodine won the poles for both races, respectively.

Race One Top Ten Results


 * 1) 9-Bill Elliott
 * 2) 22-Bobby Allison
 * 3) 44-Terry Labonte
 * 4) 7-Kyle Petty
 * 5) 1-Sterling Marlin
 * 6) 43-Richard Petty
 * 7) 12-Neil Bonnett
 * 8) 98-Ron Bouchard
 * 9) 4-Rick Wilson
 * 10) 66-Phil Parsons

Race Two Top Ten Results


 * 1) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 2) 5-Geoff Bodine
 * 3) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 4) 47-Morgan Shepherd
 * 5) 27-Rusty Wallace
 * 6) 71-Dave Marcis
 * 7) 28-Cale Yarborough
 * 8) 33-Harry Gant
 * 9) 88-Buddy Baker
 * 10) 6-Trevor Boys

Daytona 500
Top Ten Results
 * 1) 5 - Geoffrey Bodine
 * 2) 44 - Terry Labonte
 * 3) 11 - Darrell Waltrip
 * 4) 8 - Bobby Hillin, Jr.
 * 5) 55 - Benny Parsons -1 Lap
 * 6) 98 - Ron Bouchard -1 Lap
 * 7) 4 - Rick Wilson -1 Lap
 * 8) 27 - Rusty Wallace -1 Lap
 * 9) 1 - Sterling Marlin -2 Laps (DNF: Engine)
 * 10) 75 - Lake Speed -2 Laps

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

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 7-Kyle Petty*
 * 2) 26-Joe Ruttman
 * 3) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 4) 22-Bobby Allison 1 lap down
 * 5) 11-Darrell Waltrip 2 laps down
 * 6) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr. 2 laps down
 * 7) 12-Neil Bonnett 2 laps down
 * 8) 5-Geoff Bodine 3 laps down
 * 9) 71-Dave Marcis 3 laps down
 * 10) 27-Rusty Wallace 5 laps down


 * 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.  Geoff 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


 * 1) 44-Terry Labonte
 * 2) 33-Harry Gant
 * 3) 43-Richard Petty
 * 4) 47-Morgan Shepherd 1 lap down
 * 5) 11-Darrell Waltrip 1 lap down
 * 6) 28-Cale Yarborough 2 laps down
 * 7) 9-Bill Elliott 2 laps down
 * 8) 3-Dale Earnhardt 2 laps down
 * 9) 12-Neil Bonnett 2 laps down
 * 10) 75-Lake Speed 3 laps down


 * 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


 * 1) 47-Morgan Shepherd
 * 2) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 3) 44-Terry Labonte
 * 4) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 5) 9-Bill Elliott
 * 6) 55-Benny Parsons
 * 7) 25-Tim Richmond
 * 8) 27-Rusty Wallace 1 lap down
 * 9) 22-Bobby Allison 1 lap down
 * 10) 5-Geoff Bodine 1 lap down

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

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 27-Rusty Wallace*
 * 2) 15-Ricky Rudd
 * 3) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 4) 33-Harry Gant 1 lap down
 * 5) 9-Bill Elliott 1 lap down
 * 6) 22-Bobby Allison 1 lap down
 * 7) 44-Terry Labonte 2 laps down
 * 8) 25-Tim Richmond 2 laps down
 * 9) 7-Kyle Petty 3 laps down
 * 10) 3-Dale Earnhardt 3 laps down


 * 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 Geoff Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 2) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 3) 22-Bobby Allison 1 lap down
 * 4) 12-Neil Bonnett 1 lap down
 * 5) 25-Tim Richmond 3 laps down
 * 6) 27-Rusty Wallace 3 laps down
 * 7) 43-Richard Petty 3 laps down
 * 8) 9-Bill Elliott 5 laps down
 * 9) 7-Kyle Petty 6 laps down
 * 10) 90-Ken Schrader 11 laps down

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

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 2) 15-Ricky Rudd
 * 3) 5-Geoff Bodine
 * 4) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 5) 26-Joe Ruttman
 * 6) 22-Bobby Allison
 * 7) 33-Harry Gant
 * 8) 7-Kyle Petty
 * 9) 9-Bill Elliott
 * 10) 27-Rusty Wallace 1 lap down


 * 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. the No. 25 of Tim Richmond won the pole.

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 15-Ricky Rudd*
 * 2) 26-Joe Ruttman 1 lap down
 * 3) 44-Terry Labonte 4 laps down
 * 4) 35-Alan Kulwicki 4 laps down
 * 5) 7-Kyle Petty 4 laps down
 * 6) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr. 5 laps down
 * 7) 90-Ken Schrader 7 laps down
 * 8) 22-Bobby Allison 8 laps down
 * 9) 79-Derrike Cope 11 laps down
 * 10) 75-Jody Ridley 13 laps down


 * 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.

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


 * 1) 22-Bobby Allison
 * 2) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 3) 88-Buddy Baker
 * 4) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr.
 * 5) 55-Phil Parsons
 * 6) 47-Morgan Shepherd
 * 7) 43-Richard Petty
 * 8) 4-Rick Wilson
 * 9) 98-Ron Bouchard
 * 10) 10-Greg Sacks

Failed to Qualify: 35-Alan Kulwicki, 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.

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
 * 1) 9-Bill Elliott
 * 2) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 3) 33-Harry Gant
 * 4) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 5) 28-Cale Yarborough
 * 6) 12-Neil Bonnett
 * 7) 5-Geoff Bodine
 * 8) 15-Ricky Rudd
 * 9) 44-Terry Labonte
 * 10) 10-Greg Sacks

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


 * 1) 5-Geoff Bodine
 * 2) 22-Bobby Allison
 * 3) 3-Dale Earnhardt 1 lap down
 * 4) 15-Ricky Rudd 2 laps down
 * 5) 11-Darrell Waltrip 2 laps down
 * 6) 43-Richard Petty 6 laps down
 * 7) 9-Bill Elliott 7 laps down
 * 8) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr. 7 laps down
 * 9) 18-Tommy Ellis 7 laps down
 * 10) 90-Ken Schrader 7 laps down

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

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 3 - Dale Earnhardt
 * 2) 25 - Tim Richmond
 * 3) 28 - Cale Yarborough
 * 4) 33 - Harry Gant
 * 5) 11 - Darrell Waltrip
 * 6) 9 - Bill Elliott
 * 7) 1 - Sterling Marlin -1 Lap
 * 8) 15 - Ricky Rudd -1 Lap
 * 9) 47 - Morgan Shepherd -1 Lap
 * 10) 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 or a winner for winning 2 out of 4 races either

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

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 2) 25-Tim Richmond
 * 3) 15-Ricky Rudd
 * 4) 27-Rusty Wallace
 * 5) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 6) 43-Richard Petty
 * 7) 22-Bobby Allison
 * 8) 12-Neil Bonnett
 * 9) 33-Harry Gant
 * 10) 18-Glen Steurer 1 lap down


 * 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. Geoff Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 25-Tim Richmond
 * 2) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 3) 28-Cale Yarborough
 * 4) 15-Ricky Rudd
 * 5) 9-Bill Elliott
 * 6) 27-Rusty Wallace
 * 7) 26-Joe Ruttman
 * 8) 7-Kyle Petty
 * 9) 5-Geoff Bodine
 * 10) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr. 1 lap down


 * 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


 * 1) 9-Bill Elliott
 * 2) 33-Harry Gant
 * 3) 5-Geoff Bodine
 * 4) 88-Buddy Baker
 * 5) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 6) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 7) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr.
 * 8) 4-Rick Wilson
 * 9) 26-Joe Ruttman
 * 10) 15-Ricky Rudd

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

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 25-Tim Richmond
 * 2) 1-Sterling Marlin
 * 3) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr.
 * 4) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 5) 7-Kyle Petty
 * 6) 15-Ricky Rudd
 * 7) 26-Joe Ruttman
 * 8) 2-Rusty Wallace
 * 9) 66-Phil Parsons
 * 10) 35-Alan Kulwicki


 * This race marked Richard Petty's 1000th career start in the Winston Cup Series, dating all the way back to 1958. As of 2019, 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


 * 1) 25-Tim Richmond
 * 2) 15-Ricky Rudd
 * 3) 5-Geoff Bodine
 * 4) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 5) 22-Bobby Allison
 * 6) 44-Terry Labonte
 * 7) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 8) 7-Kyle Petty 1 lap down
 * 9) 18-Tommy Ellis 2 laps down
 * 10) 4-Rick Wilson 2 laps down


 * 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 Geoff 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


 * 1) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr.*
 * 2) 25-Tim Richmond
 * 3) 15-Ricky Rudd*
 * 4) 1-Sterling Marlin
 * 5) 55-Benny Parsons
 * 6) 47-Morgan Shepherd
 * 7) 12-Davey Allison*
 * 8) 26-Joe Ruttman
 * 9) 7-Kyle Petty
 * 10) 22-Bobby Allison 1 lap down


 * 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, Geoff 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.

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 25-Tim Richmond
 * 2) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 3) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 4) 9-Bill Elliott
 * 5) 12-Neil Bonnett
 * 6) 27-Rusty Wallace
 * 7) 15-Ricky Rudd
 * 8) 55-Benny Parsons
 * 9) 7-Kyle Petty
 * 10) 43-Richard Petty

Failed to Qualify: 30-Willy T. Ribbs

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 pole.

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 9-Bill Elliott
 * 2) 25-Tim Richmond
 * 3) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 4) 5-Geoff Bodine
 * 5) 3-Dale Earnhardt 1 lap down
 * 6) 27-Rusty Wallace 1 lap down
 * 7) 28-Cale Yarborough 1 lap down
 * 8) 33-Harry Gant 1 lap down
 * 9) 66-Phil Parsons 1 lap down
 * 10) 21-David Pearson* 1 lap down


 * 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.

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

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 2) 44-Terry Labonte
 * 3) 5-Geoff Bodine 1 lap down
 * 4) 3-Dale Earnhardt 1 lap down
 * 5) 33-Harry Gant 1 lap down
 * 6) 25-Tim Richmond 2 laps down
 * 7) 43-Richard Petty 3 laps down
 * 8) 22-Bobby Allison 4 laps down
 * 9) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr. 5 laps down
 * 10) 35-Alan Kulwicki 6 laps down

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

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 25-Tim Richmond
 * 2) 22-Bobby Allison
 * 3) 9-Bill Elliott
 * 4) 47-Morgan Shepherd
 * 5) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 6) 15-Ricky Rudd
 * 7) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr.
 * 8) 5-Geoff Bodine
 * 9) 3-Dale Earnhardt 1 lap down
 * 10) 28-Cale Yarborough 1 lap down


 * 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.

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


 * 1) 25-Tim Richmond
 * 2) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 3) 75-Morgan Shepherd*
 * 4) 43-Richard Petty
 * 5) 12-Neil Bonnett
 * 6) 26-Joe Ruttman
 * 7) 33-Harry Gant
 * 8) 22-Bobby Allison
 * 9) 9-Bill Elliott 1 lap down
 * 10) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr. 3 laps down


 * Morgan Shepherd was hired by RahMoc Enterprises as the driver of the No. 75 Pontiac.

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

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 15-Ricky Rudd
 * 2) 12-Neil Bonnett
 * 3) 7-Kyle Petty
 * 4) 88-Buddy Baker 1 lap down
 * 5) 71-Dave Marcis 2 laps down
 * 6) 26-Joe Ruttman 2 laps down
 * 7) 35-Alan Kulwicki 3 laps down
 * 8) 18-Tommy Ellis 4 laps down
 * 9) 8-Bobby Hillin, Jr. 5 laps down
 * 10) 75-Morgan Shepherd 7 laps down


 * Dave Marcis' Final Top 5 Finish.

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

Top Ten Results


 * 1) 27-Rusty Wallace
 * 2) 5-Geoff Bodine
 * 3) 33-Harry Gant
 * 4) 11-Darrell Waltrip 1 lap down
 * 5) 26-Joe Ruttman 1 lap down
 * 6) 7-Kyle Petty 1 lap down
 * 7) 90-Ken Schrader 2 laps down
 * 8) 12-Neil Bonnett 3 laps down
 * 9) 71-Dave Marcis 3 laps down
 * 10) 25-Tim Richmond 4 laps down

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


 * 1) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 2) 5-Geoff Bodine
 * 3) 43-Richard Petty
 * 4) 27-Rusty Wallace
 * 5) 33-Harry Gant
 * 6) 26-Joe Ruttman 1 lap down
 * 7) 15-Ricky Rudd 1 lap down
 * 8) 71-Dave Marcis 1 lap down
 * 9) 3-Dale Earnhardt 2 laps down
 * 10) 44-Terry Labonte 2 laps down

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


 * 1) 3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 2) 33-Harry Gant
 * 3) 12-Neil Bonnett 1 lap down
 * 4) 15-Ricky Rudd 1 lap down
 * 5) 88-Buddy Baker 1 lap down
 * 6) 5-Geoff Bodine 1 lap down
 * 7) 9-Bill Elliott 1 lap down
 * 8) 27-Rusty Wallace 2 laps down
 * 9) 11-Darrell Waltrip 2 laps down
 * 10) 66-Phil Parsons 3 laps down

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


 * 1) 12-Neil Bonnett
 * 2) 15-Ricky Rudd
 * 3) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 4) 33-Harry Gant
 * 5) 88-Buddy Baker
 * 6) 3-Dale Earnhardt 1 lap down
 * 7) 9-Bill Elliott 1 lap down
 * 8) 43-Richard Petty 1 lap down
 * 9) 26-Joe Ruttman 2 laps down
 * 10) 7-Kyle Petty 3 laps down


 * 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


 * 1) 3-Dale Earnhardt*
 * 2) 43-Richard Petty 1 lap down
 * 3) 9-Bill Elliott 1 lap down
 * 4) 25-Tim Richmond 1 lap down
 * 5) 88-Buddy Baker 1 lap down
 * 6) 12-Neil Bonnett 1 lap down
 * 7) 7-Kyle Petty 2 laps down
 * 8) 44-Terry Labonte 2 laps down
 * 9) 26-Joe Ruttman 2 laps down
 * 10) 66-Phil Parsons 2 laps down


 * Dale Earnhardt's official margin of victory was 1 lap and an additional 3 seconds. By virtue of Waltrip blowing an engine finishing 39th and Earnhardt winning the race, 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


 * 1) 25-Tim Richmond
 * 2)  3-Dale Earnhardt
 * 3)  5-Geoff Bodine
 * 4) 11-Darrell Waltrip
 * 5) 26-Joe Ruttman
 * 6)  8-Bobby Hillin, Jr.
 * 7) 22-Bobby Allison
 * 8) 27-Rusty Wallace
 * 9) 12-Neil Bonnett 1 lap down
 * 10) 44-Terry Labonte 1 lap down


 * 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

 * 1) Dale Earnhardt – 4468
 * 2) Darrell Waltrip – 4180
 * 3) Tim Richmond – 4174
 * 4) Bill Elliott – 3844
 * 5) Ricky Rudd – 3823
 * 6) Rusty Wallace – 3762
 * 7) Bobby Allison – 3698
 * 8) Geoff Bodine – 3678
 * 9) Bobby Hillin, Jr. – 3546
 * 10) Kyle Petty – 3537
 * 11) Harry Gant – 3498
 * 12) Terry Labonte – 3473
 * 13) Neil Bonnett – 3369
 * 14) Richard Petty – 3314
 * 15) Joe Ruttman – 3295
 * 16) Ken Schrader – 3052
 * 17) Dave Marcis – 2912
 * 18) Morgan Shepherd – 2896
 * 19) Michael Waltrip – 2853
 * 20) Buddy Arrington – 2776
 * 21) Alan Kulwicki – 2705
 * 22) Jimmy Means – 2495
 * 23) Tommy Ellis – 2393
 * 24) Buddy Baker – 1924
 * 25) Eddie Bierschwale – 1860
 * 26) J. D. McDuffie – 1825
 * 27) Phil Parsons – 1742
 * 28) Rick Wilson – 1698
 * 29) Cale Yarborough – 1642
 * 30) Benny Parsons – 1555
 * 31) Ron Bouchard – 1553
 * 32) Chet Fillip – 1433
 * 33) Jody Ridley – 1213
 * 34) Trevor Boys – 1064
 * 35) Doug Heveron – 1052
 * 36) Sterling Marlin – 989
 * 37) D.K. Ulrich – 804
 * 38) Pancho Carter – 706
 * 39) Ken Ragan – 627
 * 40) Lake Speed – 608
 * 41) Greg Sacks – 579
 * 42) Ronnie Thomas – 504
 * 43) Bobby Wawak – 480
 * 44) Rodney Combs – 421
 * 45) Derrike Cope – 400
 * 46) James Hylton – 386
 * 47) Davey Allison – 364
 * 48) Mark Martin – 364
 * 49) Jim Sauter – 361
 * 50) A. J. Foyt – 355

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

Rookie of the Year
Alan Kulwicki, driving for a team that had only one car, won the Rookie of the Year award in 1986, finishing in the top-ten four times. Of the rest of the candidates, only runner-up Michael Waltrip ran a complete schedule.