1985 Daytona 500
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 28 in the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Track map of Daytona International Speedway showing mainly the speedway. | |||
| Date | February 17, 1985 | ||
| Location |
Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.023 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (800 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 73 °F (23 °C); wind speeds approaching 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)[2] | ||
| Average speed | 172.265 miles per hour (277.234 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Melling Racing | ||
| Qualifying race winners | |||
| Duel 1 Winner | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
| Duel 2 Winner | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
| Laps | 136 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier, David Hobbs, and Ned Jarrett | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
8.3/23 (9.8 million viewers) | ||
The 1985 Daytona 500, the 27th running of the event, was held on February 17, 1985 at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bill Elliott won the pole at a then-record speed of 205.114 mph. After a mediocre run in the Busch Clash, Elliott nearly lapped the field in his 125-mile qualifying race, then thoroughly dominated the Daytona 500, leading 136 of the 200 laps in his #9 Coors/Melling Ford Thunderbird. The race restarted on the last lap after a Neil Bonnett spin out with less than four laps to go; Bonnett got out of his car and was credited for a 10th-place finish. The race saw a number of engine problems, which knocked many of the contenders, including former Daytona 500 winners David Pearson, AJ Foyt, Benny Parsons, Bobby Allison, and two-time defending race winner Cale Yarborough, who was trying to win his third straight Daytona 500 victory.[3]
Results
Top 10 Results
- 9 – Bill Elliott[4] (polesitter)
- 75 – Lake Speed[4]
- 11 – Darrell Waltrip[4]
- 88 – Buddy Baker[4]
- 15 – Ricky Rudd[4]
- 51 – Greg Sacks[4]
- 5 – Geoffrey Bodine[4]
- 2 – Rusty Wallace[4]
- 8 – Bobby Hillin, Jr.[4]
- 12 – Neil Bonnett[4]
References
- ↑ "1985 Daytona 500". Racing-Reference.info. 1985-02-17. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
- ↑ "Weather of the 1985 Daytona 500". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Archived from the original on 2013-07-02. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
- ↑ Mark Aumann, Turner Sports Interactive (2003-01-29). "1985: Absolutely awesome – January 29, 2003". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 2011-02-25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "1985 DAYTONA 500 Results". daytonainternationalspeedway.com. Retrieved 2011-02-25.