Racing HIstory Minute - July 30, 1979

Today's History Minute comes from the 1979 season, must more contemporary than most Minutes, but an interesting race I think. Actually, had the race not been postponed a day due to rain on the scheduled July 29th date, I would have had to look elsewhere for a History Minute for this date. The track is Pocono, where we will be with the Cup boys again very soon.

Thirty-nine cars would start the race on this Monday before a crowd of 40,000. Harry Gant would start on the pole for the first time in his rookie career. It is noted that Harry was using McCreary tires which were excellent for qualifying but didn't hold up long at race speeds. Harry was driving the Race Hill Farms Chevrolet. Cale Yarborough would start second in the Junior Johnson Chevrolet. Dale Earnhardt started Rod Osterlund's Chevy third with Bobby Allison in Bud Moore's Ford fourth. Benny Parsons rolled off fifth in the M.C. Anderson Chevrolet.

Cale would lead lap one before Dale Earnhardt powered his way to the front for 14 laps. Then Darrell Waltrip took the lead in Al Rudd's Chevrolet. D.W. had crashed his DiGard ride in practice on Saturday and wrangled the Rudd ride in an effort to gain points in the season long points battle. The lead would change hands 57 times between 11 drivers including Neil Bonnett, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, Harry Gant, and Buddy Baker.

While leading on lap 98, Dale Earnhardt's car blew a tire and crashed, driver's side first, into the steel barriers in turn two. Dalewas admitted into intensive care in the local hospital with fractures of both collar bonesalong with several cuts and bruises.An Osterlund spokesman said Dale would "probably miss up to six weeks" while recovering. AlHolbert and Roger Hamby were involved in a fiery crash on lap one but both exited their cars before injury.

Cale Yarborough was leading by 3 seconds over D.W. with a hand full of laps to go when Nelson Oswald, running several laps behind, blew an engine in the third turn, bringing out the caution. Second place D.W. and third place Neil Bonnett both hit the pits for fresh tires, certain the race would go green with one or two laps left on the almost flat triangular track which would greatly benefit the cars on fresh tires. Junior Johnson, Cale's owner, elected to leave Cale on the track. Junior knew, fresh tires or not, trying to past Cale in the last lap would not be an easy thing to do.

But, alas, the green flag never came back out as NASCAR allowed the race to finish under the caution with Cale creeping along behind the pace car with Richard Petty holding down second. The 40,000 assembled fans erupted in loud "boos" as the checkered flag was displayed to Cale. D.W., who finished seventh, blasted NASCAR saying "They could have given the green and white flags together, they have done that before". Buddy Parrot, crew chief for D.W. was extremely angry as he said "NASCAR wanted anybody but No. 22 (car D.W. was driving for Al Rudd) to win the race".

Harry Gant, the pole winner on McCreary tires, found the tires were fast, but would last only a few laps before blistering. He would end up in 15th place five laps off the pace.

Top five finishers were:

1. Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson Chevrolet, winning $21,465.00

2. Richard Petty, Petty Enterprises Chevrolet, winning $15,465.00

3. Buddy Baker, Harry Ranier Chevrolet, winning $8,490.00

4, Benny Parsons, M.C. Anderson Chevrolet, winning $7,765.00

5. Ricky Rudd, Junie Donlavey Mercury, winning $6.215.00

Sixth through tenth were Joe Milliken, Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, Bobby Allison and Tighe Scott.

D.K. Ulrich would finish 11th, Richard Childress 12th, J.D. McDuffie 13th, and Ronnie Thomas 14th. Cecil Gordon finished 18th, Frank Warren 19th, Buddy Arrington 22nd, James Hylton 33rd and Lennie Pond 34th. Finishing in 39th and last place, completing only one lap before being involved in the crash with Holbert and Hamby, was Steve Gray driving the Henley Gray owned Chevrolet.

Now, in this day of three attempts at the green-white-checker finishes, the outcome of this race may have been different. But, having watched Cale for so many years, I can only imagine a repeat of that last lap action that happened at Daytona in February, 1979. It would have been quite a finish!

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.

Qualifying news and race preview - including mention of why DW was racing Rudd's 22 car.

Source: Wilmington NC Star-News

A couple of race reports - I enjoyed the crack back from Cale on DW.

Source: Toledo Blade

And from The Free Lance Star

Cale making a stop (from Richard Guido collection)

Earnhardt being airlifted after his accident.

Program and ticket stub (thanks for images ebay!)

What was it worth to DW and DiGard to start the race and stay in the points hunt?

Source: Reading Eagle

We need to find someone with a 1980 Pocono program. I'm betting it has a picture of Waltrip's 22 Rudd-owned ride.

The Earnhardt wreck at Pocono led to David Pearson winning the 1979 Southern 500 at Darlington as Earnhardt's replacement in the #2 Rod Osterlund car. Ironically, Pearson won the race when Darrell Waltrip, who had a very big lead, literally went to sleep at the wheel and spun out on the repaved Darlington track, almost giving the new Darlington concrete retaining wall in turns 1-2 a test!

The week prior to Darlington, the Cup guys raced on a muggy night in Bristol. Pearson - driving in place of Dale - needed some relief help of his own. So Lennie Pond drove in relief of the relief driver as shown in this David Allio photo that Dave Fulton posted here about a year ago.

The Pearson/Pond relief driving team still managed a 7th place finish (credited to Pearson) at Bristol, just 4 laps down.

Pearson's other three 1979 relief starts for Earnhardt in the Osterlaund #2 after Earnhardt's Pocono injuries resulted in finishes of 2nd at Talladega and 4th at Michigan (starting from the pole) before Pearson's win at Darlington on Labor Day. Pearson posted 4 top-10s, 3 top-5s and 1 win in 4 relief starts.

When Earnhardt returned the week following the 1979 Southern 500, he put the #2 Osterlund Monte Carlo on the Richmond pole and drove to a 4th place finish.

The 1979 Osterlund team was a stout outfit.

When all else fails, turn to Russ Thompson. Good things are bound to happen when a request is lobbed his way. Here is DW piloting Al Rudd's 22, originally qualified by Ricky.

Tim, it hardly ever fails that your racing History Minutes either teach me something(s) I didn't know or rekindle nearly lost memories.

Scanning through the full results for the Pocono race, I came upon Tommy Gale in 17th place driving Elmo Langley's #64 Ford.

Tommy Gale (R) & Elmo Langley (L) wait in the truck in the Nashville infield in 1981 - David Allio photo

I hadn't thought about Tommy Gale of McKeesport, Pennsylvania in a long time. Tommy passed in 1999 at the young age of 65. A nicer gray haired guy never sat down next to you at a motel bar near a NASCAR Cup venue on race weekend. He was just a good fellow to listen to as he told stories that would make you laugh and make you think. Tommy made 246 Winston Cup starts. He was usually called a "journeyman" or "independent" if he made the copy of a race report.

Tommy reminded me a lot of Dick May, right down to the black boots he drove in. Like Dick May, he'd run a car however hard it needed to be run. He was capable of running harder than he usually did, due to financial constraints.

Anyhow, Tim, it was nice to remember because of your story one of the truly nice folks I met at the NASCAR tracks back in the day. Tommy Gale was pleasant company and a good driver.

In 1987, writer Dave Molinari of The Pittsburgh Press did a series of "Whatever Became Of?" stories about Western Pennsylvania sports figures. On July 13, 1987, his subject was Tommy Gale. I hope you enjoy the story. I did.

Had to read it twice Chase. Still can't figure out where DW was when his '78 Monte Carlo spun ans struck the first turn wall. Glad he wasn't hurt, wherever he was.

Cale in victory lane with Miss Winston - NBC

Why have drivers always been willing to race hurt? Then and even now? This column published in the Free Lance Star a couple of weeks after the Pocono race kind of encapsulates it. Even EARNHARDT was not above being rumored to be losing his ride because of an injury. Some were suggesting Pearson would get the Osterlund 2 car permanently, and the team had to ensure everyone realized that simply wasn't the case.

Dave Fulton - also thought it interesting in the 'notes' part of the column about Paul Sawyer's and Ken Campbell's plan in 1979 to explore the building of a 1.25 mile superspeedway.

Source: Free Lance Star

(Click article to enlarge for easier reading.)

The King giving Cale all he could handle late in the race before that final caution. - Reading Eagle

Photo was taken by Emil Schazenbach Jr. who I learned passed away in August 2013, about a month after Tim's post here about the anniversary of the 79 Pocono race a year ago.

http://www.lutzfuneralhome.com/2013/08/27/emil-buddy-schanzenbach-jr/

Yep, Chase... that was the Dinwiddie County project which came after the Prince George County project but before the Isle of Wight County 1.75-mile project in which Smithfield Foods and Gwaltney (current sponsors of car #43) were heavily involved. As we all know, none of those came to fruition and the Richmond track was eventually enlarged after Paul Sawyer purchased the fairgrounds property.

Ricky was driving for Junie Donlavey. I believe RIcky's brother AJ qualified this car.

Ricky did indeed qualify and pilot Junie's #90 at Pocono. I have a very clear memory of the first time I was introduced to AJ... by Ricky.

I had arranged for Ricky to meet with me and Bud Moore in October 1983 to discuss the vacancy in Bud's Wrangler sponsored ride for 1984 with Dale Earnhardt returning to Richard Childress.

Ricky flew into our Blue Bell Aviation complex at the Greensboro, NC airport in a 4 seater late in the afternoon from Chesapeake, Va. to pick me up and fly on down to Spartanburg, SC to meet with Bud.

Ricky's brother, AJ was piloting the small plane. After we took off, Ricky allowed to me that he hoped we got to Spartanburg before dark because AJ couldn't fly after nightfall! That was the last time I ever flew in a small plane.

A little more on DW driving the Al Rudd, Jr. car from the Fredericksburg, Va. paper: