Racing History Minute - May 20, 1979

Today, we return to Dover Downs International Speedway for a 500 mile event on the one mile paved track. The field was open to 36 qualifiers, but only 31 cars showed up to race.

Darrell Waltrip, in the DiGard Chevrolet qualified on the pole with Buddy Baker in the Harry Ranier Chevrolet qualifying second. Darrell took the lead at the start but was blown away by a hard charging Buddy Baker on lap 25. Buddy would lead for 30 laps then yield to Cale Yarborough. There would be 27 lead changes during the race between between 9 drivers. In addition to Buddy, Darrell, and Cale, Ricky Rudd, J.D. McDuffie, Joe Milliken, Bobby Allison, and Neil Bonnett would all have their turns out front.

Lap two of the event saw a three car crash involving Richard Petty, Jimmy Means and Richard Childress which eliminated all three cars. Childress was transported to a local hospital for observation but was released after it was determined he was fine.

The sixth and final caution flag came with 8 laps to go when Ricky Rudd blew a tire right in front of J.D. McDuffie, who was running 9th at the time, and J.D. hit the wall to avoidRudd . At the time, Cale Yarborough was in front by 10.6 seconds with only Neil Bonnett on the lead lap with him. Neil was driving for the Wood Brothers who called their driver in for four fresh tires. Cale stayed out. When the green waved again, the new tires proved just what Neil needed to finish two car lengths ahead of a disgruntled Cale Yarborough. Neil said afterwards that he "just did what the Wood Brothers told him" and credited that decision for his win.

This is the race in which D.W. blew an engine in his Chevy and his crew changed the engine in 18 minutes and returned him to the track where he would finish 18th, only 38 laps behind on a one mile track. That is still impressive today but NASCAR no longer allows such engine changes. Thanks to D.W.'s problems, Bobby Allison came out of Dover with a 30 point lead in the Winston Cup Standings.

Top five finishers were:

1. Neil Bonnett, Wood Brothers Mercury, winning $17,750.00

2. Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson Chevrolet, winning $14,800.00

3. Buddy Baker, Harry Ranier Chevrolet, winning $10,650.00

4. Bobby Allison, Bud Moore Ford, winning $8,100.00

5. Dale Earnhardt, Rod Osterlund Chevrolet, winning $7,750.00

Sixth through tenth were, Terry Labonte, Benny Parson, Joe Millikan, Lennie Pond and Buddy Arrington. D.K.Ulrich finished 12th, J.D. McDuffie 13th, Ricky Rudd 14th, Ronnie Thomas 16th, James Hylton 17th, Harry Gant 25th, Joey Arrington 26th, Elmo Langley 28th, Richard Childress 29th, Richard Petty 30th and Jimmy Means 31st.

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

Lee Greenawalt  has shared many cool photos from this race. Here are a few of them:

Richard Petty's OLDSMOBILE that only lasted 2 laps. He returned in the fall with a Monte Carlo and won the CRC Chemicals 500 on his way to his 7th Cup/GN championship.

The winner!

DW's Gatorade Chevy Caprice (or Impala depending on who you ask). Interesting to see the mix of models in the race - even from the GM camp.

Buddy Arrington still solidering in his Dodge Magnum - the brand that The King finally bailed on in mid 1978. The Dover race was 2 weeks after Buddy earned a popular 3rd place finish in the Winston 500 at Talladega.

A couple of rookies who would go on to have modicum of success in the Cup series - Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte.

Qualifying was postponed because of rain. As it turns out, the one day delayed may have changed the course of Bonnett's career from May 1979 until his career and life were tragically ended at Daytona in 1994.

Imagine what would have happened had these plans unfolded. The Wood Brothers parted ways with David Pearson earlier in the spring. Throughout much of the 70s, the team and driver dominated qualifying for the Charlotte races. If Neil had indeed skipped the 600 for Indy, we're left to wonder who Leonard and Glen would have called to race their car. Think they could have patched things up with the Silver Fox for the one weekend? As it turns out, Neil DID go to Charlotte and the 21 team DID nab the pole as usual and as expected.

Source: The Evening Independent

Race report printed in The Reading Eagle .

And eventual winner Bonnett battling Cale Yarborough...

Bonnett takes the checkers in only his 3rd start with the Woods!

Source: Birmingham News

The race program (thanks ebay lister!)

If you'd like to hear the 1979 Mason-Dixon 500 MRN broadcast again, visit MRN's webpage beginning May 30th. The full, original broadcast can be streamed and/or downloaded. You can also subscribe to MRN Classic Races on iTunes and get it there for FREE as well (a true rarity of getting anything free from NASCAR.)

http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/MRN-Radio/Shows/MRN-Throwback-Thursday/2013/May-30.aspx

These stories and the stories behind the stories continue to be verey entertaining and enlightening. I remember all the hoopla over Junior Johnson's team changing cale's engine at Martinsville, but the DW/datorade engine swap was buried in the memory bank. I have no recollection of it. I think NASCAR did make a good call when it curbed thta practice. Too amny opportunities to injure crew during the changes or competitors when a fitting or other part might not be secure.

Had to look it up, but it was the April 23, 1978 Virginia 500 at Martinsville when Cale qualified his Junior Johnson Olds 2nd, led 133 laps and blew up. Crew completed an engine change and Cale finished "Running" in 16th place in the 30 car field, 57 laps down. Cale & Junior would go on to win the 1978 points title.