The 1985 Southern 500 was a Winston Cup Series (now Nextel Cup) event held at Darlington Speedway on September 1, 1985. Bill Elliott won the first Winston Million, leading 100 laps in route to a six-tenths of a second victory on Cale Yarborough. Elliott continued to lead the points, holding a 206-point margin on Darrell Waltrip (17th).