1986 Budweiser 400
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 12 of 29 in the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
|
The 1986 Budweiser 400 program cover, featuring Darrell Waltrip. | |||
| Date | June 1, 1986 | ||
| Official name | 18th Annual Budweiser 400 | ||
| Location | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.62 miles (4.216 km) | ||
| Distance | 95 laps, 248.9 mi (400.565 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 95 laps, 248.9 mi (400.565 km) | ||
| Average speed | 105.083 miles per hour (169.115 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 45,126 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
| Time | 1:20.611 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tim Richmond | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 43 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN (via American Sports Cavalcade) | ||
| Announcers | Steve Evans, Brock Yates | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 1986 Budweiser 400 was the 12th stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the second race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston West Series, and the 18th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 1, 1986, before an audience of 45,126 in Riverside, California, at the short layout of Riverside International Raceway, a 2.62 miles (4.22 km) permanent road course layout at the track. The race took the scheduled 95 laps to complete.
With two laps left in the race, a caution flag was called for a four car wreck. The top two at the time, Hendrick Motorsports' Tim Richmond and Junior Johnson & Associates' Darrell Waltrip, raced back to the line, with the driver leading by the start of the next lap essentially being guaranteed the victory. In the final turn of the track, Waltrip was able to pass Richmond exiting the turn, giving Waltrip the lead and the victory. The victory was Waltrip's 68th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Bud Moore Engineering's Ricky Rudd finished third.