|| *Comments on the 1986 Talladega 500:* View the most recent comment <#38> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Hal Imrie posted: 12.06.2003 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (4) (0) I was at this race and it was very hot with temperatures reaching nearly 105 degrees in the shade. This was one of the last non-restrictor plate races to be heald at Talladega and it was action packed. There were 42 cars starting the race and there was no clear favorite. Crashes, engine failures and odd circumstances took out most of the field. There was a late race caution and the remaining 12 cars on the lead lap duked it out. On the final lap, Sterling Marlin, running fifth, tagged Bobby Allison in the first turn, taking out most of the remaining cars on the track. Bobby Hillin Jr beat Tim Richmond and Rusty Wallace(relief driving for Ricky Rudd) to the line by mere fractions of a second for his first and only Winston Cup Series win. 2. Jon posted: 11.17.2005 - 7:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) One of my favorite races of all-time. 3. Steve posted: 06.07.2006 - 6:39 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Bobby Hillin Jr in winning his only career race prevented the late Tim Richmond from winning 4 in a row. He had won the last two races, at Daytona and Pocono, and then in the following race at Watkins Glen. 4. myself posted: 03.15.2007 - 2:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) All season long in 86', my dad, a lifelong Nascar fan, kept saying, "Bobby Hillin's gonna be good." After he won this race, I started thinking that maybe my dad was onto something. Uh.....NO! Blind squirrels find nuts some times! 5. Darrell posted: 05.24.2007 - 10:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not sure what happened with Hillin. Maybe equipment was part of the problem, but he was out of the sport by the time he was 34, which is unheard of. He was a great guy though. 6. Destiny posted: 09.19.2007 - 12:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why is Davey Allison fills with Neil Bonnett, and Why is Rusty Wallace relief on Ricky Rudd? 7. Anonymous posted: 10.20.2007 - 5:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Davey Allison filled in for Neil Bonnett because Bonnett injured his shoulder at Pocono the week before. Rusty Wallace drove in relief of Ricky Rudd because it was a hot day and of course, Rudd must have been overcome by the heat (Wallace had been out since early in the race after blowing his engine) and Rusty finished the race in the #15 Ford. 8. SK posted: 12.10.2007 - 4:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Davey led his first career laps in Winston Cup competition in this event, one year after making his Cup debut in the '85 Talladega 500. 9. Bill posted: 01.29.2008 - 1:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm actually watching this race now (for work) and Rudd has the flu. 10. Bill posted: 01.29.2008 - 1:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DW had a decent car in this race but lost a lap by running out of fuel and then got spun into the wall because of a pit road accident with Rick Wilson. Earnhardt and Bodine looked like the men to beat today until their problems. At one point, the two hooked up and ran away from the the field. 11. Bill Meade posted: 01.30.2008 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And to follow it up even further, after Earnhardt lost his engine he came down pit road, spun in his own oil and hit the inside wall, just missing Harry Gant's pit crew. Waltrip and Bodine were eliminated when Phil Parsons and Harry Gant started to hit into each other in front of the whole field. This followed by a shot to Gant's rear bumper from Hillin sent him spinning. DW and Bodine had nowhere to go and both plowed into him, followed by Cale Yarborough hitting Bodine in the infield. 12. Destiny posted: 05.09.2008 - 8:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I forgot, It was Phil Barkdoll climb out the car and Dave Marcis climb inside the car. Here is a clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MItL4LGwdWU 13. Wayne posted: 10.30.2008 - 5:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was on YouTube but has since been yanked for "terms of use violation." At least the whole race wasn't posted. I actually enjoyed watching this race on there before it got taken down :-( 14. Jeff Wagoner posted: 07.17.2009 - 3:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Starting lineup for this race: http://hscr.topcities.com/Lineups/Cup_Lineups/1986_Talladega_500_Lineup.html 15. Jim posted: 09.10.2009 - 3:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dirt tracker Rodney Combs even led this race in the Gunk sponsored Chevrolet 16. LITTLE JOE posted: 05.17.2010 - 4:02 pm Rate this comment: (2) (1) I WAS THERE FROM FRIDAY NIGHT AT 7PM TILL THE ENTIRE PARKING LOTS WERE EMPTY ON LATE SUNDAY AND IT WAS "HOT", THEY BROUGHT IN FIRE TRUCKS AND HOSED DOWN THE PEOPLE TO HELP COOL THINGS OFF AND MADE BIG MUD SLIDES FOR THE GIRLS TO PLAY IN....WHAT A FANTASTIC WEEKEND.....I WAS IN THE GRANDSTAND AND DOWN BYTHE TRACK AND WAS THE FIRST HAPPY FACE THEY SAW AS THEY WENT BY AT 200 MILES AN HR...I WAS HIT WITH ALOT OF RUBBER....LOVED IT COMING OUT OF TURN 4..JOE PS GREAT RACE BOBBY 17. SRT posted: 10.16.2013 - 3:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To the back: Dave Marcis He crashed his car in practice after qualifying 18. J Louis Frey posted: 10.30.2013 - 9:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bobby Hillin became the youngest Cup winner at that time. He was 22 years, 1 month, and 22 days old. 19. SRT posted: 01.28.2014 - 10:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Another DNQ was Derrike Cope. Don't know the car # or make. 20. Smiff_2 posted: 05.19.2014 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here's a link the full race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUDEJ_4lHvI 21. Ryan posted: 07.08.2014 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DNQ Updates: Connie Saylor: #64 Sunny King Ford, Ford 22. numbah10hatah posted: 07.13.2014 - 3:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DNQ Update: JD McDuffie drove the #70 owner was J.D. McDuffie 23. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 07.18.2014 - 1:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DNQ Updates #70 sponsor was Winkle and car was a Pontiac Grant Adcox drove a #29 owned by Herb Adcox (Car was a Chevy) Derrike Cope drove a #79 owned by Warren Razore (Sponsor was Western Peterbilt and car was a Ford) Crew Chief was Jackie Johnson Owner of #64 was Elmo Langley 24. saltsburgtrojanfan posted: 07.19.2014 - 5:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Caution 1: Lap 21-24: competition Caution 2: Lap 31-36 : #17 spin turn 4 Caution 3: Lap 41-44 : oil on track Caution 4: Lap 52-56 : #43 accident tri-oval Caution 5: Lap 102-106: #71 engine failure Caution 6: Lap 115-119: #27 engine failure Caution 7: Lap 156-159: #81 accident turn 2 Caution 8: Lap 161-167: #,5,11,28,33,66,88 accident backstretch Caution 9: Lap 171-174: #2,26,77 accident turn 2 25. 28DaveyAllison28 posted: 10.17.2015 - 12:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On the first caution, Dave Marcis pulled his #71 in the garage and ordered his second car he entered driven by Phil Barkdoll #73 pull in the pits. Marcis jumped in the 73 and left the 71 sitting in the garage for Barkdoll to drive, if he wanted bc the 71 was much a faster ca. Never knew this until watching this race on YouTube yesterday 26. Opie posted: 02.11.2016 - 1:27 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) What a crazy race. This race set the record for number of different leaders (26), a record that stood until 2008. There were 49 official lead changes, and God knows how many unofficial ones. Bobby Hillin was involved in a 5-car crash with 25 to go, and still won the race. 27. nascar_vd / racing-reference.info posted: 12.10.2016 - 10:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Note: Rookie Standings after this race: 1) Michael Waltrip = 158 points 2) Alan Kulwicki = 142 3) Chet Fillip = 99 4) Pancho Carter = 79 5) Krk Bryant = 43 6) Derrike Cope = 43 7) Jerry Cranmer = 30 8) Rick Baldwin = 19 9) Jonathan Lee Edwards = 16 10) Wayne Slark = 5 Manufacturer Standings: 1) Chevrolet = 121 points (9 wins) 2) Ford = 88 (3) 3) Buick = 86 (3) 4) Pontiac = 56 (1) 5) Oldsmobile = 55 (1) 28. Greg9ChaseFan posted: 05.01.2018 - 10:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #25, sure it wasn't the other way around? I watched it and I think Marcis wanted the faster car. haha 29. zuel660 posted: 05.11.2018 - 12:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just watching this race on YouTube, & your rundown needs a correction...it's not Davey, but Bobby Allison leading laps 175-176 ;) 30. Nascargavin8 posted: 01.24.2020 - 7:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Phil Parsons spun into the grass and flew into the air on the backstretch crash just after the restart - TV cameras completely missed it as he went out of frame. Do any photos exist of Parson's airtime? 31. SweetRich posted: 02.20.2020 - 4:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Commentators For The Race Were Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett And Neil Bonnett. The Pit Road Reporters Were Chris Economaki And Mike Joy. 32. Timothy_Eklund posted: 02.20.2020 - 5:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) As an Alabama resident, I will never understand why they ran a race here in July. It may only get up to 96-98 degrees but the heat index is usually in the 110-115 area. 33. RaceFanX posted: 02.25.2020 - 2:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Stavola Brothers had a great big setup for the future plate tracks in 1986 as they swept the Talladega racers, Bobby Allison won in May and Bobby Hillin, Jr. won here in July. Hillin had four top-5s in 1986 and they all came on the big tracks as he was fourth in Daytona 500, fourth in Winston 500, and third in the Firecracker 400 leading up to his big win here. 34. RaceFanX posted: 06.14.2020 - 8:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sterling Marlin backs up his runner-up run at the Firecracker 400 with another top-5 run here at Talladega. These big track successes were his only top-5s of the year. 35. NewGuyOnTheBlock posted: 06.21.2020 - 1:41 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) CBS broadcast this race. Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett, and Neil Bonnett were in the booth with Chris Economaki and Mike Joy in the pits. This may have been the most chaotic non-restrictor plate race at Talladega of all time, with 26 different leaders, 3 big crashes, and only 14 of the 40 starters finishing the race. To top it all off, Bobby Hillin Jr. scored his only career Winston Cup victory. Bill Elliott won his fourth consecutive Talladega pole but was never a factor as he fell out of the top 10 almost immediately at the start. Sterling Marlin, Dale Earnhardt, and Geoff Bodine would duel for the lead in the opening laps before Terry Labonte pulled ahead on lap 13. Labonte would lead up until a scheduled competition caution on lap 20 that NASCAR had planned due to expected tire issues. Turns out this was a good idea, as several drivers had suffered blistering on their tires during the opening stint. Earnhardt would lead the field back to green on lap 25, while Labonte was forced to restart deep in the field after being penalized by NASCAR for not slowing down during the competition caution. Earnhardt was immediately passed on the restart by Sterling Marlin and Benny Parsons, who quickly drafted away from Big E. Pancho Carter would bring out the second caution of the day when he blew his engine on lap 31, spinning into the turn 3 grass. The whole field pitted for fresh tires, as nobody was willing to stay out on track and risk blowing an old tire. Richard Petty would inherit the lead off of pit road. Petty and Earnhardt battled on the restart, along with young Davey Allison who was driving the #12 Budweiser Chevy for Junior Johnson. That #12 was usually driven by Neil Bonnett, but not this week as Bonnett had suffered injuries at Pocono that kept him out of the driver's seat. Allison made it three-wide for the lead but was unable to get around the two legends ahead of him. Meanwhile, Terry Labonte had made it back up to the top-10 but suddenly blew a tire in turn 4, cutting an oil line in the process and oiling down the track. The caution would come out for the third time, with Earnhardt opting to stay out. Earnhardt led the field back to green, now joined at the front by Phil Parsons, Rick Wilson, Joe Ruttman, and others who had decided to stay out. But the green flag would not stay for long, as Richard Petty blew his engine on lap 52 and slid down into the infield, crashing into the barriers that Mark Martin would crash into 8 years later. The drivers who had stayed out under the previous caution came in for their stops, with Davey Allison inheriting the race lead. These were the first of many laps he would lead during his career. The restart on lap 57 proved to be a wild one, with Phil Parsons, Bobby Allison, Tim Richmond, and Bill Elliott each taking turns drafting to the front to lead. Even dirt racer Rodney Combs managed to lead for a lap, showing just how much the draft evened out the competition. After several laps of back-and-forth between various drivers, the lead would return to Earnhardt, who began to pull away along with Richmond and Bodine. The Hendrick teammates eventually would pull around Earnhardt for the race lead on lap 77, with Richmond taking over the top spot. Green flag pitstops began around lap 82, with Sterling Marlin the first of the leaders to pit. Bodine and Richmond attempted to push their fuel tanks to the limit, staying out much longer than the rest of the field. This would backfire, as Richmond ran out of fuel while leading on lap 90, bringing both himself and Bodine into the pits. Darrell Waltrip would inherit the lead, only to fall a lap down when he too ran out of fuel. Waltrip had lost radio contact with his team and was unable to hear them calling him in. Sterling Marlin would cycle around as the race leader. Dave Marcis, driving teammate Phil Barkdoll's car, slowed with overheating issues on lap 102, bringing out the days fifth caution. After a brief yellow period, the race resumed with Dale Earnhardt leading the field ahead of Geoff Bodine and Cale Yarborough. A mad scramble for the lead broke out, with Buddy Baker coming out of nowhere to secure first place in a wild three-wide move. Meanwhile, Rusty Wallace had retired from the race with engine problems but was now back out on track. His return lasted just a few laps as he suffered his second engine failure of the day, bringing out another caution. The leaders would pit under the caution, with Geoff Bodine inheriting the race lead. Under the caution, Wallace replaced an ill Ricky Rudd in the #15, while Alan Kulwicki relieved Rodney Combs in the #2. Following the caution, another long green-flag run broke out, with Rick Wilson leading his first laps of the day on the restart. Earnhardt and Bodine drafted past Wilson into the lead on lap 125 and began to pull away from the rest of the pack. During the run, Bill Elliott would retire from the race with mechanical troubles, ending what had been a miserable day. Another round of green-flag pitstops began around lap 147, with Rick Wilson, Kyle Petty, and Harry Gant each taking turns at the lead. The cycle was interrupted on lap 156 when Chet Fillip slapped the wall off turn 2. Under the caution, Dale Earnhardt, the dominant car of the day, suddenly slowed on the apron with a blown engine. With Earnhardt out, the race was suddenly wide open. Harry Gant led the field back to green, but on the backstretch, chaos occurred. Gant was side-by-side with the lapped car of Phil Parsons when Bobby Hillin, running in second place, gave Gant a bad bump. Gant lost control, slammed into the side of Parsons, then turned right in front of the field. Darrell Waltrip, Geoff Bodine, Buddy Baker, and Cale Yarborough were collected in the melee, with several others suffering damage as well. Davey Allison avoided the chaos and took over the lead of the race. Hillin passed Allison on the restart to take the lead, becoming the 26th different leader of the race. Another caution would slow the field as Joe Ruttman cut a tire, causing Jim Sauter to turn Ken Ragan while avoiding the #26. Alan Kulwicki was also caught up in the accident. Hillin led the field back to green, only for the lead to change three times on the next lap, with Bobby Allison taking the top spot. Allison, Tim Richmond, and Hillin would duel for the lead, with Hillin retaking the lead on lap 180. Rusty Wallace had moved into the picture now, taking the #15 up to second place behind Hillin. With one lap to go, another multi-car crash occurred in turn 1. Bobby Allison tried to go low to pass Tim Richmond for third, only to turn himself on the nose of Sterling Marlin. Allison spun up the track, collecting Kyle Petty, Joe Ruttman, Rick Wilson, and Jim Sauter in the crash. With the entire field pretty much wrecked, Hillin cruised to victory, with Richmond sniping Wallace for second at the line. 36. ThomasNester posted: 09.26.2020 - 7:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 26 different lap leaders including two sets of father/son (Allison/Petty) and 2 sets of brothers (Parsons/Waltrip) 37. HD11 posted: 01.15.2021 - 12:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Even though Awesome Bill started on the pole, he did not lead until the 1/3 mark of the race and was at that time the 19th different leader. Cale Yarborough came within a few feet of being a lap leader near halfway but never did get back to the front. Bobby Hillin ironically was the 26th and final leader of the day enroute to his only career win. Sterling Marlin and Rick Wilson ran up front most of the day providing a glimpse into both being strong on the superspeedways in the coming years. 38. HD11 posted: 01.16.2021 - 7:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, this would be the final unrestricted race ran to its conclusion at Talladega. Bobby Allison's history changing crash in the 1987 Winston 500 resulted in the race being shortened due to darkness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: