1985 Winston Western 500
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Race details[1] | |||
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Race 28 of 28 in the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
![]() Layout of Riverside International Raceway
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Date | November 17, 1985 | ||
Official name | Winston Western 500 | ||
Location | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California | ||
Course | Permanent racing facility 2.700 mi (4.345 km) |
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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]
Top twenty finishers
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Standings after the race
Pos | Driver | Points[3] |
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1 | Darrell Waltrip | 4292 |
2 | Bill Elliott | 4191 |
3 | Harry Gant | 4028 |
4 | Neil Bonnett | 3897 |
5 | Geoffrey Bodine | 3862 |
References
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Preceded by | NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1985-6 |
Succeeded by 1986 Daytona 500 |
- ↑ Weather information for the 1985 Winston Western 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ↑ [1] New York Times: Waltrip Wins NASCAR Title from Elliott
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 1985 Winston Western 500 racing information at Racing Reference