1985 The Winston

1985 The Winston
Race details[1]
Race 2 of 2 exhibition races in the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Date May 25, 1985 (1985-05-25)
Location Concord, North Carolina
Course Charlotte Motor Speedway
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 70 laps, 105 mi (169 km)
Weather Temperatures around 64.8 °F (18.2 °C), with winds gusting to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h)[2]
Average speed 161.184 mph (259.401 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Hagan Racing
Most laps led
Driver Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing
Laps 31
Winner
No. 11 Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates
Television in the United States
Network Jefferson-Pilot
Announcers Mike Joy and Kyle Petty

The 1985 The Winston, the inaugural running of the NASCAR All-Star Race, was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 25, 1985. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 70-lap race was the second exhibition race in the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Defending 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Terry Labonte of Hagan Racing was awarded the pole position while Darrell Waltrip of Junior Johnson & Associates won the race and US$200,000.[3]

The race featured one two-tire pit stop between laps 30 and 40, and was held the day before the 1985 Coca-Cola World 600. Both Labonte and Harry Gant won a purse bonus of US$10,000 for leading the twentieth and fiftieth lap of the race.

Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held.

The Winston was open to race winners from the 1984 season. The pole position was awarded to the defending Winston Cup champion while the rest of the field was determined by the total number of wins from last season, with driver's points used as the tiebreaker.

1985 The Winston drivers and eligibility

Race winners in 1984

Race summary

The Winston was a 70-lap exhibition race with a combined purse of US$500,000. The earnings were as follows:

The Winston earnings
First place US$200,000
Second place US$75,000
Third place US$50,000
Fourth place US$40,000
Fifth place US$30,000
Sixth place US$15,000
Seventh place US$13,000
Eighth place US$12,500
Ninth place US$12,000
Tenth place US$11,500
Eleventh place US$11,000
Twelfth place US$10,000

In addition, a purse bonus of US$10,000 was given to the drivers who led laps 20 and 55.

Chevrolet Monte Carlo drivers Terry Labonte and Darrell Waltrip led the field on the green flag. Despite having an advantage in aerodynamics, the Ford Thunderbird drivers struggled to keep up with the Chevys, which were in the top five. By lap 8, Dale Earnhardt slipped out of the top five as Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison passed him while Waltrip and Labonte battled for the lead. On lap 14, Geoff Bodine entered pit road and retired from the race due to engine failure, becoming the only DNF in the race. Labonte passed Waltrip on the start/finish line to lead lap 20 and earn US$10,000 before surrendering the lead back to Waltrip. Harry Gant caught up with Waltrip before the two-tire pit stops began on lap 30. By lap 38, Gant took the lead from Waltrip and earned US$10,000 for leading lap 50. Gant dominated the race by leading 31 laps, but Waltrip regained momentum and took back the lead on lap 69 to win the race and US$200,000 just before his engine expired.

Race results
Pos Grid Car Driver Owner Manufacturer Laps run Laps led
1 2 11 Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 70 27
2 3 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 70 31
3 1 44 Terry Labonte Hagan Racing Chevrolet 70 12
4 6 28 Cale Yarborough Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 70 0
5 11 27 Tim Richmond Blue Max Racing Pontiac 70 0
6 8 22 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 70 0
7 4 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 70 0
8 10 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 70 0
9 12 55 Benny Parsons Jackson Brothers Motorsports Chevrolet 70 0
10 7 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 70 0
11 9 43 Richard Petty Curb Racing Pontiac 70 0
12 5 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14 0
Source:[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "1985 The Winston". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  2. ^ "Weather information for the 1985 The Winston". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  3. ^ Jensen, Tom (May 19, 2023). "10 Historic NASCAR All-Star Races". NASCAR Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 27, 2023.