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.

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

Background

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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

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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 ($124,719 when adjusted for inflation) while last-place finisher McDuffie would walk away with $2,675 for McDuffie Racing ($7,578 when adjusted for inflation).[1][6]

Qualifying

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Grid[3] No. Driver Manufacturer Owner
1 11 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet Junior Johnson
2 9 Bill Elliott Ford Harry Melling
3 28 Cale Yarborough Ford Harry Ranier
4 55 Benny Parsons Chevrolet Leo Jackson / Richard Jackson
5 44 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Billy Hagan
6 27 Tim Richmond Pontiac Raymond Beadle
7 33 Harry Gant Chevrolet Hal Needham
8 47 Ron Bouchard Buick Jack Beebe
9 8 Bobby Hillin, Jr. Chevrolet Stavola Brothers
10 15 Ricky Rudd Ford Bud Moore

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

Top 20 finishers

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Pos No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps led Time/Status
1 9 Bill Elliott Ford 200 58 3:43:52
2 12 Neil Bonnett Chevrolet 200 72 +5 seconds
3 11 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet 200 3 Lead lap under green flag
4 5 Geoffrey Bodine Chevrolet 200 29 Lead lap under green flag
5 33 Harry Gant Chevrolet 200 6 Lead lap under green flag
6 55 Benny Parsons Chevrolet 200 1 Lead lap under green flag
7 7 Kyle Petty Ford 200 0 Lead lap under green flag
8 66 Phil Parsons Chevrolet 199 0 +1 lap
9 47 Ron Bouchard Buick 199 0 +1 lap
10 88 Buddy Baker Oldsmobile 199 0 +1 lap
11 75 Lake Speed Pontiac 198 0 +2 laps
12 22 Bobby Allison Buick 198 1 +2 laps
13 17 Lennie Pond Chevrolet 198 0 +2 laps
14 15 Ricky Rudd Ford 197 0 +3 laps
15 90 Ken Schrader Ford 197 0 +3 laps
16 64 Clark Dwyer Ford 195 0 +5 laps
17 6 Eddie Bierschwale Chevrolet 195 0 +5 laps
18 67 Buddy Arrington Ford 195 0 +5 laps
19 51 Doug Heveron Ford 194 0 +6 laps
20 49 Trevor Boys Chevrolet 193 0 +7 laps

Standings after the race

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

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 1985 Summer 500 racing information at Ultimate Racing History
  2. ^ 1985 Summer 500 weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. ^ a b "Pocono Raceway". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c d 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
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1985
Succeeded by