| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 20 of 31 in the1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Talladega Superspeedway | |||
| Date | August 5, 1979 (1979-08-05) | ||
| Official name | Talladega 500 | ||
| Location | Alabama International Motor Speedway,Talladega, Alabama | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.660 miles (4.280 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures of 90.9 °F (32.7 °C); wind speeds of 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 161.229 miles per hour (259.473 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 80,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Darrell Waltrip | DiGard Motorsports | |
| Laps | 102 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Darrell Waltrip | DiGard Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier Lee Petty | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
| Booth announcers | Jack Arute andBarney Hall | ||
| Turn announcers | Turns 1 & 2:Eli Gold Backstreatch & Turn 3: Hal Hamrick Turn 4 & Tri-Oval:Mike Joy Pit Reporter:Darel Dieringer Garage Area: Joe Alloy | ||
The1979 Talladega 500 was aNASCARWinston Cup Series race that took place on August 5, 1979, atAlabama International Motor Speedway inTalladega, Alabama.
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known asAlabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is amotorsports complex located north ofTalladega, Alabama. It is located on the formerAnniston Air Force Base in the small city ofLincoln. The track is aTri-oval and was constructed byInternational Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by theFrance Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts theNASCAR series such as theCup Series,Xfinity Series, and theCraftsman Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longestNASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had aseating capacity of 175,000 spectators.[3]
There were 41 American-born drivers on the starting grid; 21 of them failed to finish the race. Most of the problems were engine failures. After 188 laps and five caution flags,Darrell Waltrip would defeatDavid Pearson by a minute and two seconds in front of a crowd of eighty thousand fans. After many lead changes, Waltrip lead the final 55 laps.[2]
The race averaged 161.229 miles per hour (259.473 km/h) for the 500 miles whileNeil Bonnett would earn hispole position in qualifying with a speed of 193.6 miles per hour (311.6 km/h).[2]Kyle Petty would earn ninth place in his inaugural Winston Cup race after starting 18th.Bob Burcham andAl Holbert would make this race their individual swan songs.[4] The total prize purse at this event was $205,680 ($891,091 when adjusted for inflation). While the winner would collect $32,325 of this purse ($140,045 when adjusted for inflation), the last-place finisher,Dick May, would collect $1,050 ($4,549 when adjusted for inflation).[5]
Oldsmobile would rack up their 100th victory in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series.
| Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Mercury | Wood Brothers |
| 2 | 2 | David Pearson | Oldsmobile | Rod Osterlund |
| 3 | 30 | Tighe Scott | Buick | Walter Ballard |
| 4 | 28 | Buddy Baker | Oldsmobile | Harry Ranier |
| 5 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Oldsmobile | Junior Johnson |
| 6 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Dodge | Buddy Arrington |
| 7 | 41 | Grant Adcox | Oldsmobile | Herb Adcox |
| 8 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Oldsmobile | DiGard Racing |
| 9 | 79 | Frank Warren | Dodge | Frank Warren |
| 10 | 50 | Bruce Hill | Oldsmobile | Walter Ballard |
| 11 | 90 | Ricky Rudd | Mercury | Junie Donlavey |
| 12 | 27 | Benny Parsons | Oldsmobile | M.C. Anderson |
| 13 | 43 | Richard Petty | Oldsmobile | Petty Enterprises |
| 14 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Chevrolet | Dave Marcis |
| 15 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Buick | Billy Hagan |
| 16 | 12 | Jack Ingram | Oldsmobile | Kennie Childers |
| 17 | 7 | Al Holbert | Oldsmobile | Al Holbert |
| 18 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Dodge | Petty Enterprises |
| 19 | 15 | Bobby Allison | Ford | Bud Moore |
| 20 | 3 | Richard Childress | Oldsmobile | Richard Childress |
| 21 | 47 | Harry Gant | Oldsmobile | Jack Beebe |
| 22 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Mercury | George Elliott |
| 23 | 1 | Donnie Allison | Chevrolet | Hoss Ellington |
| 24 | 05 | Dick Brooks | Oldsmobile | Nelson Malloch |
| 25 | 77 | Jody Ridley | Mercury | Junie Donlavey |
Section reference:[2]
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Darrell Waltrip | 3246 | 0 |
| 2 | Richard Petty | 3017 | -229 |
| 3 | Cale Yarborough | 2946 | -300 |
| 4 | Bobby Allison | 2924 | -322 |
5 | Benny Parsons | 2662 | -584 |
6 | Dale Earnhardt | 2588 | -658 |
| 7 | Joe Millikan | 2564 | -682 |
| 8 | Richard Childress | 2390 | -856 |
| 9 | J.D. McDuffie | 2372 | -874 |
| 10 | Buddy Arrington | 2312 | -934 |
| Preceded by | NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1979 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Talladega 500 races 1979 | Succeeded by |