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Goodyear 400

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The Real Heroes 400
NASCAR Cup Series
VenueDarlington Raceway
LocationDarlington, South Carolina, United States
Corporate sponsorThe Real Heroes Project
First race1952 (1952)
1957 (1957) (NASCAR Convertible)
Distance400.238 miles (644.121 km)
Laps293 (Stage 1: 90
Stage 2: 95
Final stage: 108)
Previous namesUnknown (1952)
Rebel 300 (1957–1965)
Rebel 400 (1966–1972)
Rebel 500 (1973, 1975–1978)
Rebel 450 (1974)
CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 (1979–1982)
TranSouth 500 (1983–1993)
TranSouth Financial 400 (1994–1999)
Mall.com 400 (2000)
Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 (2001−2004)
The Real Heroes 400 (2020)
Most wins (driver)David Pearson (7)
Most wins (team)Holman-Moody (7)
Most wins (manufacturer)Ford (17)
Circuit information
SurfaceAsphalt
Length1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Turns4

The Real Heroes 400 is the NASCAR Cup Series race held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, USA. A 100-mile (160 km) race was held in May at the track in 1952, however the event did not become a regular one on the NASCAR schedule until 1957, as a 300 miles (480 km) race in the Convertible Division, known as the Rebel 300. In 1966, the race was expanded to 400 miles (640 km), and in 1973 to 500 miles (800 km). For a time, the race was held on or around Confederate Memorial Day, which is observed on May 10 in the state of South Carolina.

In 1994, the race was returned to 400 miles. In 2005, as part of the settlement of the Ferko lawsuit and as part of a schedule realignment, Darlington was forced to give up its spring weekend.

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR announced it would be running two Darlington races in May (the fall Southern 500 date still stood), marking the return of spring Darlington racing.[1]

Notable races

  • 1960: Johnny Allen goes up the race track and tears open the guardrail and then driving on the dirt banking on the outside of the track into a press grandstand. No one was seriously injured.
  • 1970: Richard Petty hit the outside wall hard and then the inside wall even harder, causing his car to flip. The rag Petty would put in his mouth came out, and was mistaken by ABC as a gruesome death. Petty was seriously injured, but survived. During the roll, Petty's head hit the track surface several times, causing NASCAR to mandate the use of the Petty-developed door nets. These remain in use today.
  • 1975: The finish shook into a bizarre sequence. In the final twenty laps Benny Parsons and David Pearson went after the lead; they raced side by side into Turn One and hammered the wall. Bobby Allison, who'd been a lap down, unlapped himself and raced into the lead with Darrell Waltrip and Donnie Allison hot on his heels. Bobby led them to the win, his second of the season and first at Darlington since 1972.
  • 1977: A crash with five laps to go set up a wild finish. Darrell Waltrip shot past Bobby Allison, who was driving in relief of his brother Donnie, and Richard Petty charged into the fray; they hit the line three abreast and Waltrip was declared the winner as the final laps ran under caution.
  • 1979: In a race that was seen on ABC's Wide World of Sports, Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty hooked horns in a memorable duel. The lead changed four times between them on Lap 365 and three times on the final lap; Waltrip prevailed over Petty when he cleared Petty in Turn Three and Donnie Allison tried to shoot the gap, instead getting hung alongside Petty. During the race, David Pearson made a pit stop, and thought the Wood brothers were going to change only two tires. With the lug nuts loosened all the way around, Pearson sped out of the pits after two tires had been replaced. The loose inside wheels flew off near the pit road, ending Pearson's day. A week later, Pearson and the Wood Brothers split, despite scoring 43 wins from 1972 to 1978 with the Virginia-based team.
  • 1980: David Pearson was now driving for Hoss Ellington Racing's #1 car, replacing Donnie Allison for the 1980 season. Despite the fact that the race was plagued by constant rain, and incoming darkness (the track did not have lights installed until the 2004 Southern 500, which finished after darkness), Pearson dominated the race and won after the race was called five laps after it was an official race with 189 complete. However, this would be Pearson's 105th and final Cup Win, and his 10th at Darlington in his storied career.
  • 1981: Darrell Waltrip beat Harry Gant by a car length for his third Rebel 500 win in the event's previous five runnings, while Gant finished second in his debut ride in a #33 Pontiac with car owners Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds.
  • 1982: Dale Earnhardt, driving Bud Moore's #15 Ford, grabbed the first of nine Darlington wins when he led 181 laps but had to hold off a last-lap challenge from Cale Yarborough. Tim Richmond finished a lap down in fifth after a NASCAR penalty on pit road; Richmond was making his debut in Jim Stacy's #2.
  • 1984 Darrell Waltrip led 251 laps as crashes galore thinned out the field. The crashing began when pole-sitter Benny Parsons hit the second-turn wall on the first lap; later there were back-to-back four-car crashes, and halfway through the race a multicar melee erupted involving Rusty Wallace, Dick Brooks, and D.K. Ulrich where Ulrich climbed another car; some 28 of 38 entries were involved in crashes.
  • 1987: Bill Elliott ran out of fuel on the final lap, and coasted out of turn 4, allowing Dale Earnhardt to sweep by and take the victory. Two vicious crashes erupted; in one Terry Labonte was injured ion a hard hit by a spinning Ricky Rudd, while later rookie Davey Allison hit a guardrail and his Ford's fuel cell erupted in flame.
  • 1988: Lake Speed escaped a multicar wreck in the opening laps and breezed to one of the sport's most dramatic upset wins. It was his only Sprint Cup win.
  • 1990: Dale Earnhardt took the win, but the story of the race was a massive accident between Ernie Irvan and Ken Schrader; Irvan was ten laps down yet racing nose-to-nose with Schrader as if for the lead, and lost control in Four; several cars collided in the ensuring melee and Sterling Marlin spun off the wall and hammered Neil Bonnett; Bonnett suffered severe memory loss and was lost for three seasons as a driver.
  • 2003: Before a national television audience, Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch fought a memorable duel that came down to the final turn, when Craven edged out Busch by 0.002 seconds (about 1-2 inches) in the joint closest finish in NASCAR history since NASCAR started using electronic transponders to determine scoring (along with the Aaron's 499 at Talladega in Spring 2011 where Jimmie Johnson edged out Clint Bowyer at the flag). The finish is thought to have saved the track from being eliminated from the Cup Series schedule. NASCAR did after the season move the prestigious Southern 500 from second before the new end of regular season cutoff to second from the end of the new playoff, but that race was eliminated a year later by litigation that many fans still despise to this day.
  • 2020: This race on May 17 was the first race since March 8. NASCAR cancelled multiple races in between the Fan Shield 500 and this one due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The race operated under heavy restrictions to follow social distancing guidelines, including not allowing fans to attend.[2]

Past winners

Year Date No. Driver Team Manufacturer Race distance Race time Average speed
(mph) 		Report
Laps Miles (km)
1952 May 10 120 Dick Rathmann Walt Chapman Hudson 80 100 (160.934) 1:11:35 83.318 Report
1953
–
1956 		Not held
1957 May 12* 22 Fireball Roberts Pete DePaolo Ford 219 301.125 (484.613) 2:47:23 107.941 Report
1958 May 10 26 Curtis Turner Holman-Moody Ford 219 301.125 (484.613) 2:44:08 109.624 Report
1959 May 9 22 Fireball Roberts Frank Strickland Chevrolet 219 301.125 (484.613) 2:36:00 115.817 Report
1960 May 14 12 Joe Weatherly Holman-Moody Ford 219 301.125 (484.613) 2:56:01 102.64 Report
1961 May 6 28 Fred Lorenzen Holman-Moody Ford 219 301.125 (484.613) 2:31:10 119.52 Report
1962 May 12 29 Nelson Stacy Holman-Moody Ford 219 301.125 (484.613) 2:33:17 117.429 Report
1963 May 11 8 Joe Weatherly Bud Moore Engineering Ford 2 x 110 2 X 151.25 (243.413) Report
1964 May 9 28 Fred Lorenzen Holman-Moody Ford 219 301.125 (484.613) 2:18:51 130.013 Report
1965 May 8 26 Junior Johnson Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 219 301.125 (484.613) 2:41:32 111.849 Report
1966 April 30 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Plymouth 291 400.125 (643.938) 3:01:53 131.993 Report
1967 May 13 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Plymouth 291 400.125 (643.938) 3:10:56 125.738 Report
1968 May 11 17 David Pearson Holman-Moody Ford 291 400.125 (643.938) 3:00:54 132.699 Report
1969 May 10 98 LeeRoy Yarbrough Junior Johnson & Associates Mercury 291 400.125 (643.938) 3:02:28 131.572 Report
1970 May 9 17 David Pearson Holman-Moody Ford 291 400.125 (643.938) 3:05:07 129.688 Report
1971 May 2 11 Buddy Baker Petty Enterprises Dodge 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:03:46 130.678 Report
1972 April 16 21 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:13:00 124.406 Report
1973 April 15 21 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 367 501.322 (806.799) 4:04:14 122.655 Report
1974 April 7 21 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 330 450.78 (725.460) 3:50:06 117.543 Report
1975 April 13 16 Bobby Allison Penske Racing Matador 367 501.322 (806.799) 4:15:41 117.597 Report
1976 April 11 21 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 367 501.322 (806.799) 4:04:36 122.973 Report
1977 April 3 88 Darrell Waltrip DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet 367 501.322 (806.799) 3:53:18 128.817 Report
1978 April 9 72 Benny Parsons L.G. DeWitt Chevrolet 367 501.322 (806.799) 3:55:50 127.544 Report
1979 April 8 88 Darrell Waltrip DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet 367 501.322 (806.799) 4:06:59 121.721 Report
1980 April 13 1 David Pearson Ellington Racing Chevrolet 189* 258.174 (415.49) 2:23:49 112.397 Report
1981 April 12 11 Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates Buick 367 501.322 (806.799) 3:57:24 126.703 Report
1982 April 4 15 Dale Earnhardt Bud Moore Engineering Ford 367 501.322 (806.799) 4:03:27 123.554 Report
1983 April 10 33 Harry Gant Hal Needham Buick 367 501.322 (806.799) 3:50:05 130.406 Report
1984 April 15 11 Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 367 501.322 (806.799) 4:18:16 119.925 Report
1985 April 14 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 367 501.322 (806.799) 3:58:08 126.295 Report
1986 April 13 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 367 501.322 (806.799) 3:53:11 128.994 Report
1987 March 29 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 367 501.322 (806.799) 4:05:28 122.54 Report
1988 March 27 83 Lake Speed Lake Speed Oldsmobile 367 501.322 (806.799) 3:49:07 131.284 Report
1989 April 2 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Racing Oldsmobile 367 501.322 (806.799) 4:20:29 115.475 Report
1990 April 1 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 367 501.322 (806.799) 4:02:26 124.073 Report
1991 April 7 5 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 367 501.322 (806.799) 3:41:50 135.594 Report
1992 March 29 11 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 367 501.322 (806.799) 3:35:50 139.364 Report
1993 March 28 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 367 501.322 (806.799) 3:33:29 139.958 Report
1994 March 27 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:01:20 132.432 Report
1995 March 26 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:35:35 111.392 Report
1996 March 24 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:12:26 124.792 Report
1997 March 23 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:18:12 121.162 Report
1998 March 22 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:07:40 127.962 Report
1999 March 21 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 164* 224.024 (360.531) 1:50:49 121.294 Report
2000 March 19 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:07:30 128.076 Report
2001 March 18 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:09:45 126.557 Report
2002 March 17 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:10:29 126.07 Report
2003 March 16 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Pontiac 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:10:16 126.214 Report
2004 March 21 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 293 400.238 (644.12) 3:30:39 114.001 Report
2005
–
2019 		Not held
2020 May 17 293 400.238 (644.12) Report
May 20 228 311.448 (501.12) Report

Notes

  • 1957: Race postponed due to rain.
  • 1957–62: Race was for convertibles.
  • 1963: Two 150-mile race format similar to motocross, best average score wins. Weatherly won the first race, Richard Petty won the second race. Weatherly (1/2) won the Rebel 300 with best overall finish.[3]
  • 1980 & 1999: Race shortened due to rain.
  • 2020: Ran due to travel limitations from COVID-19.

Track length notes

  • 1952: 1.25 mile course
  • 1957–1970: 1.375 mile course
  • 1971–2004: 1.366 mile course

Multiple winners (drivers)

# Wins Driver Years Won
7 David Pearson 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1980
6 Dale Earnhardt 1982, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1994
4 Darrell Waltrip 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984
3 Dale Jarrett 1997, 1998, 2001
2 Fireball Roberts 1957, 1959
Joe Weatherly 1960, 1963
Fred Lorenzen 1961, 1964
Richard Petty 1966, 1967
Harry Gant 1983, 1989
Bill Elliott 1985, 1992
Sterling Marlin 1995, 2002

Multiple winners (teams)

# Wins Team Years Won
7 Holman-Moody 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1968, 1970
5 Junior Johnson & Associates 1965, 1969, 1981, 1984, 1992
Richard Childress Racing 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1994
4 Wood Brothers Racing 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976
3 Petty Enterprises 1966, 1967, 1971
Hendrick Motorsports 1991, 1996, 2004
Robert Yates Racing 1997, 1998, 2001
2 Bud Moore Engineering 1963, 1982
DiGard Motorsports 1977, 1979

Manufacturer wins

# Wins Manufacturer Years Won
17 Ford 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1982, 1985, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001
15 Chevrolet 1959, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2004
5 Mercury 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976
2 Plymouth 1966, 1967
Buick 1981, 1983
Oldsmobile 1988, 1989
Dodge 1971, 2002
Pontiac 2000, 2003
1 Hudson 1952
AMC 1975

Television broadcasters

From 1984–1995 and again in 1999 and 2000, this race opened ESPN's annual NASCAR Winston Cup racing coverage.

Year Network Lap-by-lap Color commentator(s)
1965 ABC Jim McKay
1966
1967 Chris Economaki Fred Lorenzen
1968 Bill Flemming
1969 Chris Economaki
1970 Jim McKay Ned Jarrett
1971 Keith Jackson Chris Economaki
1972 Bill Flemming Donnie Allison
1975 Keith Jackson
1976
1977
1978 Bill Flemming
1979 Jim McKay Jackie Stewart
1980 Keith Jackson
1981 Al Michaels
1982
1983 Keith Jackson
1984 ESPN Bob Jenkins Larry Nuber
1985
1986
1987 Jerry Punch
1988 Bob Jenkins Ned Jarrett
1989 Benny Parsons and Ned Jarrett
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000 Jerry Punch
2001 Fox Mike Joy Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds
2002
2003
2004
2020 Fox Sun
FS1 Wed 		Jeff Gordon

References

  1. ^ Norris, Brad. "NASCAR announces revised May schedule as racing returns beginning at Darlington Raceway". NASCAR.com. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  2. ^ "Here's what to expect at NASCAR's The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway". Fox News. Associated Press. 17 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  3. ^ Two Little Rebels, Hemmings Motor News, July 2011
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