Flashback '86 Daytona
Geoff in Victory Lane - 1986 Daytona 500
by Jon
Palmer
Inside Lane.net
Geoff Bodine pulled off his most impressive
victory of his career as he held off Terry Labonte
to win the 1986 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt appeared
to be Bodine's biggest threat in the final laps but Earnhardt ran out of gas with only a few laps remaining.
The race featured 28 lead changes among 12 different drivers, which is a bit less than most people are accustomed to.
Bill Elliott, the dominant factor in the 1985 season, won a 125-mile qualifier and the pole position at 205.039 mph, but was able to lead only two laps in
the 500. For most of the afternoon, Elliott's Ford
was tucked in tight traffic well behind the front-runners. His day came to a virtual end when he was involved in a thundering crash on lap 116. Neil Bonnett's Chevrolet lurched sideways after a wheel broke. Joe Ruttman nailed the wall head-on when he tried to maneuver around Bonnett. Cale Yarborough, Harry Gant and Buddy Baker were all eliminated in the melee.
Richard Petty, who was returning to action in a Petty Enterprises car, couldn't find the handle of his new slope-backed Pontiac. He slapped the wall twice and broke his shoulder when he hit the wall in the 63rd lap.
As the final restart of the day came out, Bodine and Earnhardt had separated themselves from the rest of the field and were poised for a two-car showdown. Earnhardt was riding in Bodine's draft when the fuel tank ran dry in the RCR Enterprises Chevrolet. He had to pit with three laps to go.
To make things worse for Earnhardt, his engine blew when he peeled out of pit road and was left with a disappointing 13th place finish.
"I knew Dale had a strong car," said Bodine. "He was trying all kinds of tricks behind me to make my car loose and he was doing a good job of it. "When he ran out of gas, I was relieved," Bodine added.
Bodine swept under the checkered flag 11.26-seconds ahead of runner-up Terry Labonte to pocket the $192,715 first prize. Darrell Waltrip finished third for the third year in a row. Bobby Hillin, Jr. came in fourth place with Benny Parsons fifth.
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