1979 Southeastern 500
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| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 31 in the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
Map of the Bristol Motor Speedway
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| Date | April 1, 1979 | ||
| Official name | Southeastern 500 | ||
| Location | Bristol International Raceway, Bristol, Tennessee | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.857 km) |
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| Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.8 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with 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) | ||
| Attendance | 26,000 | ||
| 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][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 ($16.3 when adjusted for inflation) and a ticket to the race costing $16 USD ($52.17 when adjusted for inflation). The winner of the race would receive a purse of $19,800 ($64,556.53 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 31: Ralph Jones' brakes became problematic; forcing him out of the event
- Lap 33: Bobby Wawak chose to quit the race
- Lap 100: Jimmy Means managed to blow his engine
- Lap 139: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Buddy Baker
- Lap 141: Donnie Allison took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt; Dick May managed to blow his engine
- Lap 142: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Donnie Allison
- Lap 143: Darrell Waltrip took over the lead from Cale Yarborough
- Lap 197: J.D. McDuffie lost the rear end of his vehicle, forcing an early exit due to safety concerns
- Lap 211: Buddy Baker had a terminal crash
- Lap 213: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Darrell Waltrip
- Lap 216: Cale Yarborough had a terminal crash
- Lap 255: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Bobby Allison
- Lap 335: Ronnie Thomas had a terminal crash
- Lap 366: Dick Brooks had to leave the event due to his vehicle having a faulty water pump
- Lap 385: Harry Gant managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 389: Darrell Waltrip took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt
- Lap 474: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Darrell Waltrip
- Finish: Dale Earnhardt was officially declared the winner of 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
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| Preceded by | NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1979 |
Succeeded by 1979 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 |
