1979 Southeastern 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 31 in the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
| Date | April 1, 1979 | ||
| 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)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 91.033 miles per hour (146.503 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Buddy Baker | 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.[2]
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; leading up to Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s most recent victory at the 2014 Gobowling.com 400. 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 ($16.25 when adjusted for inflation) and a ticket to the race costing $16 USD ($51.99 when adjusted for inflation). The winner of the race would receive a purse of $19,800 ($64,338.65 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.[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
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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "1979 Southeastern 500 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
- ↑ "Dale Earnhardt's 1st Win Statistics". Decades of Racing. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- ↑ "Average Speed (1979 Southeastern 500)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- ↑ "Dale Earnhardt's First Victory Purse". Hardcore Fans. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
- ↑ "The Earnhardt-Waltrip Fiasco". How Stuff Works. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
| Preceded by 1979 Northwestern Bank 400 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1979 |
Succeeded by 1979 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 |