The 1986 Miller High Life 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that was held on February 23, 1986, at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway (now Richmond Raceway) in Richmond, Virginia.
Almost the entire grid was born in the United States of America; Canadian Trevor Boys was the only foreigner. Individual winnings for this event ranged from the winner's share of $37,880 ($ when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place share of $2,515 ($ when adjusted for inflation); the total prize purse stood at $225,435 ($ when adjusted for inflation).
Richmond was a .542 symmetrical oval until 1988. Just after the Pontiac Excitement 400, the first big steps were taken to transform RIR into the 3/4-mile tri-oval we know today. That's why the grandstands were so far away from guardrail; reconfiguration had already begun.
Background
In 1953, Richmond International Raceway began hosting the Grand National Series with Lee Petty winning that first race in Richmond. The original track was paved in 1968. In 1988, the track was re-designed into its present D-shaped configuration.
The name for the raceway complex was "Strawberry Hill" until the Virginia State Fairgrounds site was bought out in 1999 and renamed the "Richmond International Raceway".
Race report
31 of 35 entered drivers qualified for this race. The drivers who failed to qualify were: Johnathan Lee Edwards, Alan Kulwicki, and Ronnie Thomas. Eddie Bierschwale would be the first car out of the race. Kyle Petty would defeat Joe Ruttman in his 1986 Ford Thunderbird, finishing under caution in front of twenty-five thousand fans. On the final lap, Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt tangled, causing a 5-car pileup. Running second at the time was Ruttman, who led for 100 feet before spinning out due to hitting the apron while trying to avoid the pile-up. This allowed Kyle to prevail. It was a win that was oddly similar to his father's 1979 Daytona 500 win in that the two competitors running 1-2 wrecked and the winner capitalized. This was also the only time since 1968 that a Wood Brothers car visited victory lane without the famed #21 vehicle.
Despite having the most wins at the track, Petty vigorously disliked the half-mile and preferred the more traditional short track racing venues of the 1960s and the 1970s. Richard Petty would finish in 20th place at this race despite qualifying in 27th place.
Earnhardt dominated the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1986 to 1995; and his third-place finish at this race proved that he could be dominant on almost any track during the 1980s and the 1990s. Looking at the wins after this wreck between Dale and Darrell, this was the turning point of their "rivalry". Earnhardt took off and never looked back while Waltrip's competitiveness dwindled up until his retirement in 2000.
Considered to be a classic short track race typical of the 1980s, it had a great finish as well as a first-time winner. Dale Earnhardt dominated the middle section of the race by leading for 128 laps, but crashed with Darrell Waltrip in the closing laps after a controversial fender-banging duel. Earnhardt and Waltrip's battle was considered daring enough for Dale to stick Darrell's car head-on into the guardrail. Dale Earnhardt was really hounding Geoff Bodine for the lead early in this race. At one point Earnhardt got the dirt off Turn 2 and the back end kicked out on him but he held on and not only didn't spin the Wrangler #3 Chevy but saved it, didn't lose a spot, and didn't really lose a spot as he went right back to hunting Bodine.
NASCAR was more about raw skill, determination, and grit during the 1980s instead of luck-based strategies. Even if some of the changes made to NASCAR during the 21st century weren't implemented, the natural evolution of the sport would make it look vastly different compared to the 1980s. This race had no pit road speed, race back to the caution, and was still scored by hand. Richard Childress was a minor figure in NASCAR history until Dale Earnhardt came along and provided him with this powerful performance to make him a dominant team owner in NASCAR.