1980 Talladega 500
The 1980 Talladega 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on August 3, 1980, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama, USA.
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 20 of 31 in the 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
| Layout of Talladega Superspeedway | |||
| Date | August 3, 1980 | ||
| Official name | Talladega 500 | ||
| Location | Alabama International Motor Speedway, Talladega, Alabama | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.660 mi (4.280 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures of 97.9 °F (36.6 °C); wind speeds of 11.8 miles per hour (19.0 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 166.894 miles per hour (268.590 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 70,000[3] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ranier Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Buddy Baker | Ranier Racing | |
| Laps | 56 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier Ned Jarrett | ||
The NASCAR Winston Cup Series was also plagued with top teams running big engines and finishing in third place to avoid inspection around the early-1980s.
Background edit
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France 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 the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.[4]
Race report edit
The race consisted of 188 laps for a total of 500.1 miles (804.8 km).[3][2] The race took two hours and fifty-nine minutes in complete.[3][5] Neil Bonnett defeated Cale Yarborough by six car lengths in front of 70000 spectators.[3] Five cautions slowed the field for 25 laps while the average speed was 166.894 miles per hour (268.590 km/h).[3][2][5]
Buddy Baker would qualify for the pole with a speed of 198.545 miles per hour (319.527 km/h).[3] Bruce Hill would finish last due to an engine issue on lap 12. There were a lot of failures in the race as seven of the top ten starters all blew engines; the last top ten starting driver would end his day on lap 174. [3]
Hill would make $1,050 in race winnings ($3,729 when adjusted for inflation) while Bonnett would earn $35,675 ($126,707 when adjusted for inflation).[6]
Mercury would score its last NASCAR Cup victory in this race. Coo Coo Marlin would retire from NASCAR after this race while Tennessee's Harry Dinwiddle would make his only NASCAR Cup Series appearance here. Country music singing legend and NASCAR Cup Series driver Marty Robbins would start 37th and finish the race in 13th while driving his 1978 Dodge Magnum number 6.[7]
Qualifying edit
| Grid[3] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Buddy Baker | Oldsmobile | Harry Ranier |
| 2 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Mercury | Wood Brothers |
| 3 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Oldsmobile | Junior Johnson |
| 4 | 30 | Tighe Scott | Oldsmobile | Walter Ballard |
| 5 | 43 | Richard Petty | Oldsmobile | Petty Enterprises |
| 6 | 68 | Lennie Pond | Oldsmobile | Jim Testa |
| 7 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Oldsmobile | DiGard |
| 8 | 27 | Benny Parsons | Oldsmobile | M.C. Anderson |
| 9 | 12 | Donnie Allison | Oldsmobile | Kennie Childers |
| 10 | 1 | David Pearson | Oldsmobile | Hoss Ellington |
Finishing order edit
Section reference: [3]
- Neil Bonnett†
- Cale Yarborough
- Dale Earnhardt†
- Benny Parsons†
- Harry Gant
- Richard Childress
- Bill Elliott
- Lake Speed
- Kyle Petty
- Dick May†
- Darrell Waltrip*
- Hary Dinwiddle
- Marty Robbins†
- James Hylton†
- Jimmy Means
- Billie Harvey*†
- David Pearson*†
- Richard Petty*
- Slick Johnson†
- Ricky Rudd
- Ronnie Thomas*
- Roger Hamby
- Cecil Gordon†
- Bobby Wawak†
- J.D. McDuffie*†
- Donnie Allison*
- Baxter Price
- Lennie Pond*†
- Tommy Gale*†
- Jody Ridley*
- Terry Labonte*
- Buddy Baker*†
- Frank Warren*
- Tighe Scott*
- Bobby Allison*
- Rick Wilson*
- Coo Coo Marlin*†
- Buddy Arrington*
- Dave Marcis*
- Ferrel Harris*†
- Bruce Hill*
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race
Standings after the race edit
| Pos | Driver | Points[3] | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3072 | 0 |
| 2 | Cale Yarborough | 2902 | -150 |
| 3 | Richard Petty | 2872 | -200 |
| 4 | Benny Parsons | 2787 | -285 |
| 5 | Darrell Waltrip | 2709 | -363 |
References edit
- ^ Weather information for the 1980 Talladega 500 at The Old Farmer's Almanac
- ^ a b c 1980 Talladega 500 race information at Database Racing
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j 1980 Talladega 500 race information at Racing Reference
- ^ . talladegasuperspeedway.com. Talladega Superspeedway. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ^ a b 1980 Talladega 500 information at Decades of Racing
- ^ 1980 Talladega 500 information at Everything Stock Car
- ^ 1980 Talladega 500 2012-03-16 at the Wayback Machine information at MartyRobbins.net