| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 20 of 28 in the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 1985 Southern 500 program cover | |||
| Date | September 1, 1985 | ||
| Official name | Southern 500 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.500 km) | ||
| Weather |
Very hot with temperatures of 84 °F (29 °C); wind speeds of 5.87 miles per hour (9.45 km/h) | ||
| Average speed |
121.254 mph (195.139 km/h) 4 hours, 8 minutes, 02 seconds | ||
| Attendance | 80,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver |
| Melling Racing | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 147 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers |
Lap-by-lap: Larry Nuber Pit Reporter: Jack Arute | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Barney Hall, Mike Joy | ||
| Turn Announcers |
Turns 1 and 2: Eli Gold Turns 3 and 4: Mark Garrow | ||
The 1985 Southern 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 1, 1985, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. It was race number 20 of 28 of the 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Bill Elliott made history by winning the race and with it the Winston Million bonus; it was then the richest single race payday in motorsports history.
- ^ 1985 Southern 500 weather conditions at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ "Ferrel Harris racing information". Racing Reference. 2011-05-26.