1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series - Summer 500

Summer 500

The Summer 500 was held July 20 at Pocono International Raceway. Harry Gant won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. 25-Tim Richmond
2. 15-Ricky Rudd
3. 5-Geoff Bodine
4. 11-Darrell Waltrip
5. 22-Bobby Allison
6. 44-Terry Labonte
7. 3-Dale Earnhardt
8. 7-Kyle Petty 1 lap down
9. 18-Tommy Ellis 2 laps down
10. 4-Rick Wilson 2 laps down

• This race was shortened to 150 laps (375 miles) due to a combination of rain, fog and darkness.

• On Lap 121 Tim Richmond, racing with Geoff Bodine and Neil Bonnett, spun out and was hit by Richard Petty coming out of the Tunnel Turn (Turn 2). His car had both front tires flattened and was in a position so that he could not drive it forwards. Richmond backed the car out, then drove it in reverse the nearly 1 mile to his pit. At that point, his crew fixed the car so that he could go forward, but only in high gear (4th). He lost a lap but raced with the leaders until Dale Earnhardt crashed around Lap 140; he beat the leaders to the flag and thus got his lap back. It was at this point that NASCAR announced the impending end of the race due to darkness. Richmond got tires and then charged through the field after the restart; he passed Bodine on the final lap, but Bodine dove back alongside and the two raced through Turn Three; Bodine got loose and Ricky Rudd stormed three abreast; Richard won in a photo finish. A modified version of this incident was featured in the 1990 movie Days of Thunder.