1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500

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. The standard track at Pocono Raceway is a three-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 mi long. 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°.

Race report

Two hundred laps were completed in three hours and thirty-five minutes. There were three cautions for ten laps. 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. Bill Elliott defeated Harry Gant by 0.2 seconds in front of 62000 spectators. He earned the pole position with a speed of 152.563 mph while the average speed of the race was 138.974 mph.

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. The majority of the vehicles in the field were Chevrolet automobiles. Geoff Bodine almost won the race but a late pit stop cost him the victory; he ended up in fourth place. 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.

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. He would earn $1,175 in race winnings ($ when adjusted for inflation). Dale Earnhardt would drop out of the race on lap 3 due to an engine problem.

Qualifying

Timeline

Section reference:

• 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

References

References

1. "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac.
2. "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 racing information (second reference)". Driver Averages.
3. "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 racing information". Racing Reference.
4. "MRN Classic Race: 1985 van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 at Pocono".
5. "NASCAR Race Tracks". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
6. "Pocono Raceway". Turner Sports.
7. "1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 racing information (fourth reference)". Ultimate Racing History.
8. "Last place winnings at the 1985 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500". Everything Stock Car.