Classic NASCAR 1986

The Miller 400

Michigan International Speedway

June 15th 1986

(Richard Petty's 1000th career Nascar start)

Pole winner : Tim Richmond (172.031 mph)

Race winner : Bill Elliott 

CBS Sports live flag-to-flag coverage hosted by Ken Squier and Ned Jarrett with Chris Economaki and Mike Joy in the pits.

Magazine Cover of the Week

TIME

January 27th 1986

Your Calvin and Hobbes of the Day (June 8th 2016)

Sports Illustrated Cover of the Week

March 3rd 1986

Celebrating his 59th birthday 

December 7th 2015

Larry Bird

3 time NBA Champion (1981,1984,1986)

2 time NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986)

3 time NBA MVP (1984,1985,1986)

NBA Rookie of the Year (1980)

NBA Coach of the Year (Indiana Pacers 1998)

Naismith College Player of the Year (Indiana State 1979)

1986 Nascar Firecracker 400

The 1986 Firecracker 400 (now the Coke Zero 400) was run on Friday July 4th and was won by the very popular and controversial Tim Richmond.  Richmond had won the 1980 Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500 and then moved to Nascar later in 1980. 
The 1986 stock car season was Tim's best year in NASCAR as he finished 3rd in points and had 7 wins, the most for any driver in 1986.

28th Grammy Awards

The 28th annual Grammy Awards, held February 25th 1986.  Celebrating the music of 1985

Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male

Boys of Summer

Don Henley

(reached #5 on the Hot 100 and #12 on the UK Official Chart)

Happy Birthday Buck!

Today is the birthday of my friend and podcaster elite Buck Benny!  Lets all head over to his site, Buck Benny Podcast,, and follow his podcast and send a little donation his way to make it a great birthday.

Today I would like to highlight a new favorite of mine that Buck helped me get hooked on...Suspense!

I had been listening to Suspense since my friend Rick recommended it but I just wasn't all that into it, but then Buck started posted episodes and giving a little podcast for them now and again and lo and behold now I am addicted to them have been downloading and listening to them every day.   So thanks to Rick and Buck for getting me hooked on Suspense.

Here from the Ray Bradbury life celebration is the Suspense episode from November 25th 1948,
The Screaming Woman



 Here is the version from Ray Bradbury Theater aired February 22nd 1986 (Episode 5)

Top 5

Here are the Top 5 Movies this week in 1986

5 - White Nights

starring Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines and Helen Mirren.   This movie also gave 2 of the years biggest songs of 1985 with the Academy Award winning "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie and the nominated "Separate Live" performed by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin and written by Stephen Bishop.

4 - Spies Like Us

starring Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase and directed by John Landis.

3 - Out of Africa 

The winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1986 as well as Best Director for Sydney Pollack.  Nominations for Best actress, Meryl Streep and Best Supporting Actor, Klaus Maria Brandauer.  Also starring was Robert Redford.

2 - The Jewel of the Nile 

the sequel to the 1984 blockbuster "Romancing The Stone", starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny Devito.

1 - Rocky IV

the fourth and most financial successful of the Rocky franchise bringing in $127.8 million in the US and Canada and $300 million worldwide.   This really introduced the world to Dolph Lundgren and Brigitte Neilsen who played and Ivan Drago and his wife Ludmilla.

Kentucky Derby - 1968

The 1968 race was won by Dancer's Image (pictured above) but he was disqualified to last place after traces of phenylbutazone were discovered in the mandatory post-race urinalysis.  Phenylbutazone is a drug that was commonly give to relieve inflammation in the horse's joints.  It is legal at many tracks but not at Churchill Downs.  A post race appeal was filed and the race awarded to 2nd place finisher Forward Pass.

here is a video from the author of the recent book : 

Dancer's Image: The Forgotten Story of the 1968 Kentucky Derby 

Here is a montage of Kentucky Derby Winners from 1968 (Dancer's Image) to 1986 (Ferdinand)

Challenger 01/28/1986

Today is the 25th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster. The Shuttle exploded during its flight and killing all 7 astronauts on board.
A personal note on this day. I was in my first and only year of college at Indiana University at Kokomo and had just got home from my class that day and was sitting at the kitchen table doing homework listening to the radio. I had on WFBQ as usual and listening to some music when on air DJ Jay Baker came said there was an accident during the lift off of the space shuttle in florida and if you could get to a tv everyone needed to tune in and watch. I did of course, but I had missed the accident live but watch endless replays and spent the next several hours watching in sadness as we lost 7 brave human beings doing what they love and wanted to do, travel to the heavens.


That night I along with millions of others watch President Ronald Reagan give one of the greatest, comforting speeches (or thoughts) on this disaster that will be remember for as long as people remember him and this sad day.

Today in Baseball History

October 25th 1986, Game 6 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets.

I can remember sitting in the floor and sometimes on my knees begging the Mets to start getting some hits and I couldn't believe what I was watching, I was not and still not a Red Sox fan.