| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 29 in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1986 Winston 500 program cover, featuring Bill Elliott. | |||
| Date | May 4, 1986 | ||
| Official name | 17th Annual Winston 500 | ||
| Location | Lincoln, Alabama, Alabama International Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 157.698 miles per hour (253.790 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 130,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Melling Racing | ||
| Time | 45.121 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
| Laps | 116 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Larry Nuber | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 1986 Winston 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 17th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 4, 1986, before an audience of 130,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Alabama International Motor Speedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete.
In the final laps of the race, Stavola Brothers Racing's Bobby Allison made a late-race charge to the lead, passing with six laps left in the race. Allison then defended a last-lap move by Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt in the final turns of the race, securing his 82nd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Earnhardt and owner-driver Buddy Baker finished second and third, respectively.[1][2]
The race is notable for an incident in which a fan stole the pace car for the event, resulting in a short lived police chase occurring on the track. The fan was later arrested for the incident.[3]
- ^ Higgins, Tom (May 5, 1986). "Allison Wins At Talladega". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 4B. Retrieved December 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Williams, Chuck (May 5, 1986). "Gulp! It's Allison!". The Anniston Star. pp. 1B, 5B. Retrieved December 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ https://tasteofcountry.com/talladega-pace-care-stolen-drunk-nascar-1986/
