1979 Southeastern 500: Difference between revisions
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The '''''1979 [[Southeastern 500]]''''' was a [[NASCAR]] [[Sprint Cup Series|Winston Cup Series]] racing event that took place on April 1, 1979, at [[Bristol Motor Speedway]] in the American community of [[Bristol, Tennessee|Bristol]], [[Tennessee]]. |
The '''''1979 [[Southeastern 500]]''''' was a [[NASCAR]] [[Sprint Cup Series|Winston Cup Series]] racing event that took place on April 1, 1979, at [[Bristol Motor Speedway]] in the American community of [[Bristol, Tennessee|Bristol]], [[Tennessee]]. Rookie [[Dale Earnhardt]] got his first win of his very successful career in this race. |
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By [[1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|the following season]], NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore. |
By [[1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|the following season]], NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore. |
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Revision as of 22:52, 8 September 2015
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 31 in the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
| Date | April 1, 1979 | ||
| Official name | Southeastern 500 | ||
| Location | Bristol International Speedway (Bristol, Tennessee) | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.857 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.8 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching a maximum of 71.1 °F (21.7 °C); wind speeds approaching 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 91.033 miles per hour (146.503 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ranier Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt | Osterlund Motorsports | |
| Laps | 163 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Dale Earnhardt | Osterlund Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1979 Southeastern 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on April 1, 1979, at Bristol Motor Speedway in the American community of Bristol, Tennessee. Rookie Dale Earnhardt got his first win of his very successful career in this race.
By the following season, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.
Summary
Five hundred laps were completed on a paved oval track spanning 0.533 miles (0.858 km) in only two hours and fifty-five minutes.[2] Six cautions were given out by NASCAR for 44 laps.[2] Twenty-six thousand people attended this live event to see Dale Earnhardt defeat Bobby Allison by a time of three seconds.[2][3] Jake Elder was Earnhardt's crew chief at that time; his nickname was "Suitcase" because he would help a NASCAR driver achieve glory and then leave him for another driver the following season. The notable speeds were: 91.033 miles per hour (146.503 km/h) for the average speed[4] and 111.668 miles per hour (179.712 km/h) for the pole position speed achieved by Buddy Baker.[2]
Chevrolet vehicles made up the majority of the 30-car racing grid.[2] Corporate sponsors for the drivers included: Gatorade, STP, Hawaiian Tropic, and Shoney's.[2] This race would be notable for starting the Earnhardt family's legacy of winning. Millikan would catch something in his eye and would have to report to hospital; J.D. McDuffie ended up being the substitute driver for him.
Many souvenirs were cheap back then with a Richard Petty hat costing $5 USD ($20.99 when adjusted for inflation) and a ticket to the race costing $16 USD ($67.17 when adjusted for inflation). The winner of the race would receive a purse of $19,800 ($83,121.87 when adjusted for inflation).[5] Ralph Jones (a driver-owner) was the last-place finisher of this race; he was forced to end his participation in the race due to brake issues on lap 31. There were three terminal crashes in the race along with three engine failures, one quitter along with a driver with a water pump issues in his vehicle and a driver with a defective rear end on his vehicle.[2]
Top ten finishers
- Dale Earnhardt – #2
- Bobby Allison – #15
- Darrell Waltrip – #88; he would lose the race lead to Earnhardt with only 27 laps to go[6]
- Richard Petty – #43
- Benny Parsons – #27
- Donnie Allison – #1
- Terry Labonte – #44
- Joe Millikan – #72
- James Hylton – #78
- Ricky Rudd – #90
Timeline
- Start of race: Buddy Baker had the pole position to begin the event
- Lap 139: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Buddy Baker
- Lap 141: Donnie Allison took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt
- Lap 142: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Donnie Allison
- Lap 143: Darrell Waltrip took over the lead from Cale Yarborough
- Lap 213: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Darrell Waltrip
- Lap 255: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Bobby Allison
- Lap 389: Darrell Waltrip took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt
- Lap 474: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Darrell Waltrip
- End of race: Dale Earnhardt managed to win the event
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Allison | 1146 |
| 2 | Darrell Waltrip | 1132 |
| 3 | Cale Yarborough | 1028 |
| 4 | Benny Parsons | 978 |
| 5 | Dale Earnhardt | 975 |
References
- ^ "Weather at the 1979 Southeastern 500 race". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i "1979 Southeastern 500 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Dale Earnhardt's 1st Win Statistics". Decades of Racing. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Average Speed (1979 Southeastern 500)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Dale Earnhardt's First Victory Purse". Hardcore Fans. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "The Earnhardt-Waltrip Fiasco". How Stuff Works. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help)