1985 Winston Western 500

1985 Winston Western 500
Race details[1]
Race 28 of 28 in the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season

Layout of Riverside International Raceway
Date November 17, 1985 (1985-November-17)
Official name Winston Western 500
Location Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California
Course Permanent racing facility
2.700 mi (4.345 km)
Distance 119 laps, 311.8 mi (501.7 km)
Weather Chilly with temperatures approaching 66 °F (19 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
Average speed 105.065 miles per hour (169.086 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Hagan Enterprises
Time 1:20.658
Most laps led
Driver Terry Labonte Hagan Enterprises
Laps 78
Winner
No. 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering
Television in the United States
Network TBS
Announcers Ken Squier
Benny Parsons

The 1985 Winston Western 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on November 17, 1985, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.

Summary

With one race remaining in the championship, Bill Elliott, who won 11 races, trailed Darrell Waltrip by 20 points (between 4-7 positions depending on order of finish -- the equivalent of 4-7 points under the 2011 scoring system).

Qualifying was held on Friday, and Terry Labonte scored the pole with a time of 1:20.658.

The 500-kilometer race, lasting 119 laps, would have the championship battle come down to the first six laps of the race. The gearshift lever on Elliott's car broke on the sixth lap, necessitating repairs that lasted thirty minutes, or roughly 22 laps of the race. It would prove costly. Waltrip finished seventh and locked down the championship on Lap 99.[2] Pit strategy effectively determined the race. On the penultimate pit stop, Labonte's Billy Hagan pit crew changed two tires, while Ricky Rudd's Bud Moore Engineering Ford team changed four tires. On the final round of pit stops, the opposite took place, allowing Rudd to defeat Labonte by almost half a second in front of 40000 live audience members.[3] Three cautions were given for 11 laps; allowing for 14 changes in the first-place position.[3]

The short track program cars that Elliott drove in 1985 were certainly a huge part of the problem. If Elliot had Ricky Rudd's short track Thunderbirds in 1985, he would have easily won the 1985 championship.

Top twenty finishers

  1. Ricky Rudd (No. 15)
  2. Terry Labonte (No. 44)
  3. Neil Bonnett (No. 12)
  4. Harry Gant (No. 33)
  5. Dale Earnhardt (No. 3)
  6. Geoffrey Bodine (No. 5)
  7. Darrell Waltrip (No. 11)
  8. Richard Petty (No. 43)
  9. Lake Speed (No. 75)
  10. Ron Bouchard (No. 47)
  11. Glen Steurer (No. 18)
  12. Jim Robinson (No. 78)
  13. Bobby Hillin, Jr. (No. 8)
  14. Ruben Garcia (No. 32)
  15. Bill Schmitt (No. 73)
  16. Jim Bown (No. 98)
  17. Bobby Allison (No. 22)
  18. Dave Marcis (No. 71)
  19. Derrike Cope (No. 07)
  20. Jimmy Means (No. 52)

Timeline

Standings after the race

Pos Driver Points[3] Differential
1 Darrell Waltrip 4292 0
2 Bill Elliott 4191 -101
3 Harry Gant 4028 -264
4 Neil Bonnett 3897 -395
5 Geoffrey Bodine 3862 -430
6 Ricky Rudd 3857 -435
7 Terry Labonte 3683 -609
8 Dale Earnhardt 3561 -731
9 Kyle Petty 3532 -769
10 Lake Speed 3507 -785

References

  1. ↑ Weather information for the 1985 Winston Western 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. ↑ New York Times: Waltrip Wins NASCAR Title from Elliott
  3. 1 2 3 1985 Winston Western 500 racing information at Racing Reference
Preceded by
1985 Atlanta Journal 500		 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1985-6 		Succeeded by
1986 Daytona 500
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