1985 Summer 500
Race details[1][2]
Race 16 of 28 in the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Pocono Raceway, the race track where the race was held.
Pocono Raceway, the race track where the race was held.
Date July 21, 1985 (1985-July-21)
Official name Summer 500
Location Pocono International Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Course Permanent racing facility
2.500 mi (3.400 km)
Distance 200 laps, 501.0 mi (804 km)
Weather Very hot with temperatures of 86.0 °F (30.0 °C); wind speeds of 6.10 miles per hour (9.82 km/h)
Average speed 134.008 miles per hour (215.665 km/h)
Attendance 65,000[3]
Pole position
Driver
Junior Johnson & Associates
Most laps led
Driver Neil Bonnett Junior Johnson & Associates
Laps 72
Winner
No. 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins
Larry Nuber

The 1985 Summer 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on July 21, 1985, at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

Background

Pocono Raceway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races; the others are Daytona International Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Talladega Superspeedway.[4] The standard track at Pocono Raceway is a three-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[5] The track's turns are banked differently; the first is banked at 14°, the second turn at 8°, and the final turn with 6°. However, each of the three straightaways is banked at 2°.[5]

Race report

Two hundred laps were completed spanning 500 miles (800 km). David Pearson would lead the final two laps of his career at this race.[3][1][6] In a racing-style that is reminiscent of the 1974 Daytona 500, this race had the most lead changes all season at only 36 compared to 75 in the 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.[3][1] Mike Stolarcyk would make his only NASCAR Winston Cup Series start at this event; he was from Whitney Point, New York. While Stolaryck started the race in 37th-place; he would only improve his finishing position to 32nd-place.[7]

The race took three hours and forty-two seconds to complete with Bill Elliott defeating Neil Bonnett by five seconds.[3][1] There were six cautions for 24 laps.[3] Bill Elliott won the pole with a qualifying speed of 151.973 miles per hour (244.577 km/h) while the average speed of the race was 134.008 miles per hour (215.665 km/h).[3][1][8] Elliott's 1985 Thunderbird was the same size as Rudd's, Kyle Petty's and Cale's Thunderbirds. They all fit the 1985 Thunderbird NASCAR templates that were standard for the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.

Notable crew chiefs who participated in this race included Junie Donlavey, Robin Pemberton, Joey Arrington, Jake Elder, Waddell Wilson, Bud Moore, Harry Hyde, Kirk Shelmerdine and Darrell Bryant.[9] The most dominant drivers in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series during the 1980s were Bill Elliott, Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Bobby Allison and Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt blew up his vehicle after 11 laps during the course of the race, thus threatening his dominance of NASCAR during the 1985 season in favor of Bill Elliott and Darrell Waltrip.[3][1]

Geoff Bodine was the first driver to win the pole, but was stripped of his time shortly after first round qualifying for having illegal fuel. Darrell Waltrip would inherit the award but was stripped for using illegal fuel two weeks after the race was finished. Bill Elliott ended up getting the award instead.[1] There were 40 drivers in the race;[1][8] 39 of them were American-born while Trevor Boys was born in Canada.[3]

J.D. McDuffie would finish last due to an engine problem on lap 10.[3][1][6][8] This would be one of three starts that year for J.D. McDuffie in a Ford, who rarely ran anything but GM products from 1972 onwards.[3][1][6][8] Bill Elliott's win for Melling Racing would earn him $44,025 in total winnings ($119,788 when adjusted for inflation) while last-place finisher McDuffie would walk away with $2,675 for McDuffie Racing ($7,278 when adjusted for inflation).[1][6]

Qualifying

Grid[3] No. Driver Manufacturer Owner
1 11Darrell WaltripChevroletJunior Johnson
2 9Bill ElliottFordHarry Melling
3 28Cale YarboroughFordHarry Ranier
4 55Benny ParsonsChevroletLeo Jackson / Richard Jackson
5 44Terry LabonteChevroletBilly Hagan
6 27Tim RichmondPontiacRaymond Beadle
7 33Harry GantChevroletHal Needham
8 47Ron BouchardBuickJack Beebe
9 8Bobby Hillin, Jr.ChevroletStavola Brothers
10 15Ricky RuddFordBud Moore

Failed to qualify: Steve Gray (racing driver), Mike Potter (#68), George Wiltshire, Bob Park (#19), Bill Scott (#53)[10]

Top 20 finishers

Pos No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps led Time/Status
1 9Bill ElliottFord200583:43:52
2 12Neil BonnettChevrolet20072+5 seconds
3 11Darrell WaltripChevrolet2003Lead lap under green flag
4 5Geoffrey BodineChevrolet20029Lead lap under green flag
5 33Harry GantChevrolet2006Lead lap under green flag
6 55Benny ParsonsChevrolet2001Lead lap under green flag
7 7Kyle PettyFord2000Lead lap under green flag
8 66Phil ParsonsChevrolet1990+1 lap
9 47Ron BouchardBuick1990+1 lap
10 88Buddy BakerOldsmobile1990+1 lap
11 75Lake SpeedPontiac1980+2 laps
12 22Bobby AllisonBuick1981+2 laps
13 17Lennie PondChevrolet1980+2 laps
14 15Ricky RuddFord1970+3 laps
15 90Ken SchraderFord1970+3 laps
16 64Clark DwyerFord1950+5 laps
17 6Eddie BierschwaleChevrolet1950+5 laps
18 67Buddy ArringtonFord1950+5 laps
19 51Doug HeveronFord1940+6 laps
20 49Trevor BoysChevrolet1930+7 laps

Standings after the race

Pos Driver Points[3] Differential
1 Bill Elliott 2486 0
2 Darrell Waltrip 2375 -111
3 Increase Geoffrey Bodine 2286 -200
4 Increase Neil Bonnett 2240 -246
5 Ricky Rudd 2231 -255
6 Decrease Terry Labonte 2223 -263
7 Kyle Petty 2197 -289
8 Increase Harry Gant 2184 -302
9 Decrease Bobby Allison 2180 -306
10 Lake Speed 1983 -503

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1985 Summer 500 racing information at Ultimate Racing History
  2. ↑ 1985 Summer 500 weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1985 Summer 500 racing information Archived 2014-05-17 at the Wayback Machine at Racing Reference
  4. ↑ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Pocono Raceway". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 1985 Summer 500 information Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine at Driver Averages
  7. ↑ Career information for Mike Stolarcyk at Racing Reference
  8. 1 2 3 4 1985 Summer 500 information at Database Racing
  9. ↑ 1985 Summer 500 crew chiefs at Racing Reference
  10. ↑ Qualifying information for the 1985 Summer 500 at Racing Reference
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