1979 Southeastern 500
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1979 Southeastern 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 31 in the 1979 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season | |||
 The beginning of the Earnhardt family's winning dynasty in NASCAR |
|||
| 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 | Partly cloudy with a high around 54 °F (12 °C); wind at 3.57 miles per hour (5.75 km/h)[1] | ||
| Avg Speed | 91.033 miles per hour (146.503 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Buddy Baker | Harry Ranier | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt | Rod Osterlund | |
| Laps | 163 | ||
| Winner | |||
| 2 |
Dale Earnhardt |
Rod Osterlund | |
| Television | |||
| 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]
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] The other top ten finishers were: Darrell Waltrip (who would lose the race lead to Earnhardt with only 27 laps to go[5]), Richard Petty, Benny Parsons, Donnie Allison, Terry Labonte, Joe Millikan, James Hylton, and Ricky Rudd.[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.
Many souvenirs were cheap back then with a Richard Petty hat costing $5 USD ($15.13 in today's money) and a ticket to the race costing $16 USD ($48.41 in today's money). The winner of the race would receive a purse of $19,800 ($59,910.03 in today's money).[6] 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]
References
- ^ "Weather at the 1979 Southeastern 500 race". Almanac. http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/TN/Bristol/1979-04-01. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "1979 Southeastern 500 racing results". Racing Reference. http://www.racing-reference.info/race/1979_Southeastern_500/W. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
- ^ "Dale Earnhardt's 1st Win Statistics". Decades of Racing. http://www.decadesofracing.net/FirstWins2.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- ^ "Average Speed (1979 Southeastern 500)". Ultimate Racing History. http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=10021. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- ^ "The Earnhardt-Waltrip Fiasco". How Stuff Works. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-racing/nascar/season-recaps/1970s/1979-nascar.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- ^ "Dale Earnhardt's First Victory Purse". Hardcore Fans. http://hardcoreracefans.com/nascar-cup-news/4580-1979-southeastern-500-bristol-intl-raceway. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
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