1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500

1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500
Race details— [1] [2]
	Race 13 of 28 in the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
	Pocono Raceway, the race track where the race was held.
Date	June 9, 1985
Location	Pocono International Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Course	Permanent racing facility; 2.5 mi (4.02336 km)
Distance	200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Weather	Warm with temperatures reaching up to 81 °F (27 °C); average wind speeds of 5.5 miles per hour (8.9 km/h)
Average speed	138.974 miles per hour (223.657 km/h)
Attendance	62,000 [3]
Pole position
Most laps led
Laps	154
Winner
Television in the United States
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Bob Jenkins ; Larry Nuber
Radio in the United States
Radio	MRN [4]
Booth Announcers	Mike Joy and Barney Hall
Turn Announcers	Turn 1: Eli Gold; Turn 2: Mark Garrow; Turn 3: Dave Sotherland

Last updated July 03, 2020

The 1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on June 9, 1985, at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

Background

Pocono Raceway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races; the others are Daytona International Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.^[5] The standard track at Pocono Raceway is a three-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.^[6] The track's turns are banked differently; the first is banked at 14°, the second turn at 8° and the final turn with 6°. However, each of the three straightaways are banked at 2°.^[6]

Race report

Two hundred laps were completed in three hours and thirty-five minutes.^[3]^[2]^[7] There were three cautions for ten laps.^[3] Because there were no caution flags until the 177th lap, the drivers of the race were considered to be the most skilled drivers of the mid-1980s.^[3] Bill Elliott defeated Harry Gant by 0.2 seconds in front of 62000 spectators.^[3]^[7] He earned the pole position with a speed of 152.563 miles per hour (245.526 km/h) while the average speed of the race was 138.974 miles per hour (223.657 km/h).^[3]^[7]

Other notable drivers at this event were: Darrell Waltrip (currently a NASCAR on Fox announcer), Neil Bonnett, Ricky Rudd, Benny Parsons, Rusty Wallace, Richard Petty (son of Lee Petty), Kyle Petty (son of Richard Petty and the father of Adam Petty), and J.D. McDuffie.^[3]^[2]^[7] The majority of the vehicles in the field were Chevrolet automobiles.^[3]^[2]^[7] Geoff Bodine almost won the race but a late pit stop cost him the victory; he ended up in fourth place.^[3]^[2]^[7] Steve Gray would retire after this race; his lone attempt to return to NASCAR for the 1985 running of the Summer 500 (now Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500) resulted in failing to qualify.

Phil Good was the sole representative for the Dodge brand for the race; he would qualify in 39th-place but would improve his position to 30th-place. Good could not continue the race after lap 105 due to an oil leak in his vehicle.^[3]

Local jeweler Tommy Van Scoy wanted to sponsor this race to get his son into NASCAR; but it didn't work out as planned. Van Scoy's son eventually inherited the jewelry business after his father retired eight years after this race. Ronnie Thomas (who was sponsored by the local country music radio station WXTU) would finish in last place by virtue of an engine problem on the first lap of the race.^[3]^[2]^[7] He would earn $1,175 in race winnings ($2,793.17 when adjusted for inflation).^[8] Dale Earnhardt would drop out of the race on lap 3 due to an engine problem.^[3]^[2]^[7]

Qualifying

Grid	No.	Driver	Manufacturer
1	9	Bill Elliott	Ford
2	33	Harry Gant	Chevrolet
3	11	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet
4	3	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet
5	5	Geoffrey Bodine	Chevrolet
6	44	Terry Labonte	Chevrolet
7	55	Benny Parsons	Chevrolet
8	12	Neil Bonnett	Chevrolet
9	15	Ricky Rudd	Ford
10	66	Phil Parsons	Chevrolet

Timeline

Section reference:^[3]

Start of race: Bill Elliott started the race with the pole position.
Lap 3: Dale Earnhardt's engine blew; causing him to be sidelined for the rest of the race.
Lap 8: Geoffrey Bodine took over the lead from Bill Elliott.
Lap 10: Rick Newsome's oil pump acted funny; bringing his race weekend to an end.
Lap 11: Jerry Bowman noticed that his engine overheated.
Lap 34: Darrell Waltrip took over the lead from Geoffrey Bodine.
Lap 39: Geoffrey Bodine took over the lead from Darrell Waltrip.
Lap 47: Eddie Bierschwale's faulty oil pump forced him into the sidelines for the day.
Lap 67: A valve problem forced Richard Petty out of the race.
Lap 71: Bill Scott had to leave the race due his vehicle not having a rear end anymore.
Lap 80: Geoffrey Bodine took over the lead from Bill Elliott.
Lap 86: Bobby Gerhart's saw his vehicle's rear end fly off.
Lap 105: An oil leak sent Phil Good off the track for the day; Ron Bouchard had difficulties with his camshaft.
Lap 109: Terry Labonte's engine blew during this lap.
Lap 111: Darrell Waltrip took over the lead from Bill Elliott.
Lap 113: Geoffrey Bodine took over the lead from Darrell Waltrip.
Lap 147: Bill Elliott took over the lead from Darrell Waltrip.
Lap 148: The ball joint on Dave Marcis' vehicle started acting unusually.
Lap 150: Darrell Waltrip took over the lead from Bill Elliott.
Lap 151: Steve Gray's engine blew; meaning that he could not race for the rest of the day.
Lap 152: Geoffrey Bodine took over the lead from Darrell Waltrip.
Lap 176: Cale Yarborough managed to lose a valve while he was racing.
Lap 177: Caution flag given out for four laps due to Steve Gray developing engine problems.
Lap 181: Bobby Wawak had a terminal crash; forcing him to leave the race.
Lap 182: Caution flag given out for two laps due to debris.
Lap 185: Harry Gant took over the lead from Geoffrey Bodine.
Lap 186: Caution flag given out for three laps due to an incident involving Kyle Petty, Bobby Hillin, Jr. and Lennie Pond on turn two.
Lap 190: Bill Elliott took over the lead from Harry Gant.
Finish: Bill Elliott was officially declared the winner of the event.

Standings after the race

Pos	Driver	Points^[3]	Differential
1	Bill Elliott	1946	0
2	Terry Labonte	1894	-52
3	Geoffrey Bodine	1865	-81
4	Darrell Waltrip	1860	-86
5	Ricky Rudd	1818	-128
6	Harry Gant	1813	-133
7	Bobby Allison	1789	-157
8	Neil Bonnett	1781	-165
9	Kyle Petty	1764	-182
10	Lake Speed	1671	-275

Related Research Articles

The Pocono 350 is the second of two NASCAR Cup Series stock car races held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, the other being the Pocono Organics 325 the day before. Starting in 2007, the race was moved from its traditional July date into August, swapping dates with the Brickyard 400. Denny Hamlin is the defending winner of the event.

The 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup was the 42nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 19th modern-era Cup Series. It began on Sunday, February 11, and ended on Sunday, November 18. Because of a highly controversial penalty to Mark Martin early in the season, Dale Earnhardt with Richard Childress Racing was crowned the Winston Cup champion for the fourth time, edging out Martin by 26 points.

The 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season was the 49th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 26th modern-era NASCAR Cup series. It began on February 9 and ended on November 16. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won his second Cup championship at the end of the season.

The 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 46th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 23rd modern-era Cup series. The season began on Sunday, February 20, and ended on Sunday, November 13. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing was crowned champion at season's end, winning consecutive Winston Cups for the third time in his career and tying Richard Petty for the record of most top-level NASCAR championships with seven. It was also the 7th and final NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championship for Dale Earnhardt before his death 7 years later in 2001, this was also the final season for 18-time Winston Cup winner Harry Gant.

The 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 44th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 21st modern-era Cup season. The season began on February 9, 1992, and ended on November 15, 1992. Independent owner/driver Alan Kulwicki of AK Racing won the Winston Cup championship.

The 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Season was the 43rd of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 20th modern-era Cup Season. It began February 10 and ended November 17. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing won his fifth Cup championship at the end of the season.

The 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Season was the 41st season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 18th modern-era Cup season. It began February 12 and ended November 19. Rusty Wallace of Blue Max Racing won the championship. This was the first year that every Winston Cup race had flag-to-flag coverage, with almost all of them being televised live.

The 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Season was the 40th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 17th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 7 at Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 20 at the Atlanta International Speedway. Bill Elliott of Melling Racing won the championship.

The 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season was the 39th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 16th modern-era cup series. The season began on February 8 and ended on November 22. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing won the championship for the third time.

The 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season was the 38th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 15th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on February 16 and ended November 16. Dale Earnhardt of RCR Enterprises won his second championship this year.

1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series 37th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Season was the 37th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 14th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Sunday, February 10 and ended on Sunday, November 17. Darrell Waltrip, driving for Junior Johnson, was crowned champion at the end of the season. Bill Elliott, driving for Harry Melling, had won 11 races in 1985, but lost the title by 101 points to three-time race winner Waltrip. This was the first season where all races were televised in some form.

The 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Season was the 36th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 13th modern-era Cup series season. It began on Sunday February 19 and ended on Sunday November 18. Terry Labonte was crowned champion at the end of the season. This was the final year for Chrysler until Dodge returned in 2001.

The 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup season was the 34th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 11th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 14 At the Daytona International Speedway and concluded on November 21 at Riverside International Raceway. Darrell Waltrip took his second straight championship driving for Junior Johnson by 72 points over Bobby Allison.

The 1985 Summer 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on July 21, 1985, at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

The 1986 Winston 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 4, 1986, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama.

The 1986 Miller High Life 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that was held on February 23, 1986, at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.

The 1983 Like Cola 500, the 10th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event held on July 24, 1983, at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

The 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event held on July 16, 1995, at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

The 1987 edition of The Winston was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 17, 1987. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 135-lap race was an exhibition race in the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Bill Elliott of Melling Racing won the pole and led the most laps (121), but it was Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing who won the race in a move that would be known in NASCAR history as the "pass in the grass."

The 1988 edition of The Winston was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 22, 1988. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 135-lap race was an exhibition race in the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Darrell Waltrip of Hendrick Motorsports won the pole and led the most laps (50), but it was Terry Labonte of Junior Johnson & Associates who won the race.

References

↑ "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 racing information (second reference)". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2010-07-23. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 racing information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
↑ https://www.mrn.com/shows/mrn-classic-race-1985-van-scoy-diamond-mine-500/
↑ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
1 2 "Pocono Raceway". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 racing information (fourth reference)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
↑ "Last place winnings at the 1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500". Everything Stock Car. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved 2011-02-03.

Preceded by 1985 Budweiser 400	NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1985	Succeeded by 1985 Miller 400

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[race_weather-1] "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-02-04.

[driveraverages-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 racing information (second reference)". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2010-07-23. Retrieved 2011-02-03.

[1985vcdm500-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 racing information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-02-03.

[4] ttps://www.mrn.com/shows/mrn-classic-race-1985-van-scoy-diamond-mine-500/

[tacksnascar-5] "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2011.

[nascarpoconotrack-6] 1 2 "Pocono Raceway". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2012.

[ultimateracinghistory-7] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 racing information (fourth reference)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2011-02-03.

[8] "Last place winnings at the 1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500". Everything Stock Car. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved 2011-02-03.