1985 Daytona 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 28 in the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
Track map of Daytona International Speedway showing mainly the speedway.
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| Date | February 17, 1985 | ||
| Location |
Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. |
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| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.023 km) |
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| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (800 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 73 °F (23 °C); wind speeds approaching 14 miles per hour (23 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 172.265 miles per hour (277.234 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Melling Racing | ||
| Qualifying race winners | |||
| Duel 1 Winner | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
| Duel 2 Winner | Cale Yarborough | Ranier-Lundy | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
| Laps | 136 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier, David Hobbs, and Ned Jarrett | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 8.3/23 (9.8 million viewers) |
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The 1985 Daytona 500, the 27th running of the event, was held on February 17, 1985, at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bill Elliott won the pole at a then-record speed of 205.114 mph. After a mediocre run in the Busch Clash, Elliott nearly lapped the field in his 125-mile qualifying race, then thoroughly dominated the Daytona 500, leading 136 of the 200 laps in his #9 Coors/Melling Ford Thunderbird. The race restarted on the last lap after a Neil Bonnett spin out with less than four laps to go; Bonnett got out of his car and was credited for a 10th-place finish. The race saw a number of engine problems, which knocked many of the contenders, including former Daytona 500 winners David Pearson, AJ Foyt, Benny Parsons, Bobby Allison, and two-time defending race winner Cale Yarborough, who was trying to win his third straight Daytona 500 victory.
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