Auto race held at Pocono Raceway in 1985
Motor car race
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. The standard track at Pocono Raceway is a three-turn superspeedway that is 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 while the average speed of the race was .
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.
References.
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