The 1986 Valleydale 500 was the fifth stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 26th iteration of the event.

The race was held on Sunday, April 6, 1986, before an audience of 34,200 in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol International Raceway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack.

Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating.

For this specific race, positions 16-30 would be decided on time,[3] and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; up to two were given.

Geoff Bodine, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, won the pole, setting a time of 16.707 and an average speed of 114.850 miles per hour (184.833 km/h) in the first round.