| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 2 exhibition races in the1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
| Date | May 25, 1985 (1985-05-25) | ||
| Location | Concord, North Carolina | ||
| Course | Charlotte Motor Speedway | ||
| Course length | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 70 laps, 105 mi (169 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures around 64.8 °F (18.2 °C), with winds gusting to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h)[2] | ||
| Average speed | 161.184 mph (259.401 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hagan Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | |
| Laps | 31 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Jefferson-Pilot | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy andKyle Petty | ||
The1985 The Winston, the inaugural running of theNASCARAll-Star Race, was astock car racing competition that took place on May 25, 1985. Held atCharlotte Motor Speedway inConcord, North Carolina, the 70-lap race was the second exhibition race in the1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Defending1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Series ChampionTerry Labonte ofHagan Racing was awarded the pole position whileDarrell Waltrip ofJunior Johnson & Associates won the race andUS$200,000.[3]
The race featured one two-tirepit stop between laps 30 and 40, and was held the day before the1985 Coca-Cola World 600. Both Labonte andHarry Gant won apurse bonus ofUS$10,000 for leading the twentieth and fiftieth lap of the race.
The Winston was open to race winners from the 1984 season. The pole position was awarded to the defending Winston Cup champion while the rest of the field was determined by the total number of wins from last season, with driver's points used as the tiebreaker.
The Winston was a 70-lap exhibition race with a combined purse ofUS$500,000. The earnings were as follows:
| The Winston earnings | |
| First place | US$200,000 |
| Second place | US$75,000 |
| Third place | US$50,000 |
| Fourth place | US$40,000 |
| Fifth place | US$30,000 |
| Sixth place | US$15,000 |
| Seventh place | US$13,000 |
| Eighth place | US$12,500 |
| Ninth place | US$12,000 |
| Tenth place | US$11,500 |
| Eleventh place | US$11,000 |
| Twelfth place | US$10,000 |
In addition, a purse bonus ofUS$10,000 was given to the drivers who led laps 20 and 55.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo driversTerry Labonte andDarrell Waltrip led the field on the green flag. Despite having an advantage in aerodynamics, theFord Thunderbird drivers struggled to keep up with the Chevys, which were in the top five. By lap 8,Dale Earnhardt slipped out of the top five asCale Yarborough andBobby Allison passed him while Waltrip and Labonte battled for the lead. On lap 14,Geoff Bodine entered pit road and retired from the race due to engine failure, becoming the only DNF in the race. Labonte passed Waltrip on the start/finish line to lead lap 20 and earnUS$10,000 before surrendering the lead back to Waltrip.Harry Gant caught up with Waltrip before the two-tire pit stops began on lap 30. By lap 38, Gant took the lead from Waltrip and earnedUS$10,000 for leading lap 50. Gant dominated the race by leading 31 laps, but Waltrip regained momentum and took back the lead on lap 69 to win the race andUS$200,000 just before his engine expired.
| Pos | Grid | Car | Driver | Owner | Manufacturer | Laps run | Laps led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 70 | 27 |
| 2 | 3 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 70 | 31 |
| 3 | 1 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Hagan Racing | Chevrolet | 70 | 12 |
| 4 | 6 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 70 | 0 |
| 5 | 11 | 27 | Tim Richmond | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 70 | 0 |
| 6 | 8 | 22 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 70 | 0 |
| 7 | 4 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 70 | 0 |
| 8 | 10 | 15 | Ricky Rudd | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 70 | 0 |
| 9 | 12 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Jackson Brothers Motorsports | Chevrolet | 70 | 0 |
| 10 | 7 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 70 | 0 |
| 11 | 9 | 43 | Richard Petty | Curb Racing | Pontiac | 70 | 0 |
| 12 | 5 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 14 | 0 |
Source:[1] | |||||||