In 1983, Cale Yarborough was the first driver to run a qualifying lap of more than 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) at the 1983 Daytona 500 in his #28 Hardees Chevrolet Monte Carlo. However, on his second of two qualifying laps, Yarborough crashed and flipped his car in turn four. The car had to be withdrawn, and the lap did not count. Despite the crash, Yarborough drove a back-up car (a Pontiac LeMans) and made the field.
Ricky Rudd wound up with the pole, driving Richard Childress' Chevrolet. The early laps were a battle between Geoff Bodine, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Kyle Petty, and a resurgent Dick Brooks. Richard broke away from the field before his engine failed after 47 laps and the race became a showdown between Bodine, Yarborough, Joe Ruttman, Brooks, Neil Bonnett, Buddy Baker, and little-noticed Bill Elliott, while former Talladega 500 winner Ron Bouchard was also in contention.
When Earnhardt blew his engine Brooks was the leader and the field slowed down coming back to the yellow. Two cars, though, tried to get their lap back - Lake Speed passed Brooks in Turn Four and then chopped hard into his path; Brooks slammed his brakes and Darrell Waltrip spun to avoid hitting Brooks; Waltrip's Chevrolet hammered the inside guardrail and flew backwards back onto the racetrack, nearly collecting Yarborough, Bodine, and Ruttman. Waltrip survived the wreck but suffered a concussion.
As the race went on the lead bounced back and forth, and Bobby Allison, who'd lost a lap, crowded the leaders most of the day. Past halfway Kyle Petty blew his engine and a tire issue dropped Bonnett off the lead lap; when Mark Martin hit the wall Ruttman swerved to stop Bonnett from getting his lap back as they raced through a group of lapped cars. Bonnett got his lap back later but blew his engine in the final twenty laps while Brooks cut a tire and lost a lap.
On the final lap Baker led Yarborough, Ruttman, and Elliott. Cale stormed past Baker on the backstretch and Ruttman drafted into second; Baker dove under Ruttman and Elliott snookered them both on the highside in a three-abreast photo finish for second.
The win was Cale's third in the 500 and was also the first time that an in-car camera of a car went into victory lane before a national CBS Sports audience (this tradition would eventually continue into the present day).
The lead changed 58 times among 11 drivers.
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