1979 Texas 400

The 1979 Texas 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on June 3, 1979, at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas.

1979 Texas 400
Race details[1]
Race 14 of 31 in the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Layout of Texas World Speedway
Layout of Texas World Speedway
Date June 9, 1979 (1979-June-09)
Official name Texas 400
Location Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas
Course Permanent racing facility
2.000 mi (3.218 km)
Distance 200 laps, 400 mi (643.738 km)
Weather Hot with temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C); wind speeds of 11.8 miles per hour (19.0 km/h)
Average speed 156.216 miles per hour (251.405 km/h)
Attendance 11,500[2]
Pole position
Driver
Ranier Racing
Most laps led
Driver Darrell Waltrip DiGard Motorsports
Laps 155
Winner
No. 88 Darrell Waltrip DiGard Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

Race report

Two hundred laps took place on an oval track spanning 2.0 miles (3.2 km).[2] Darrell Waltrip won the race; beating Bobby Allison by 60 seconds.[2] Eleven thousand and five hundred fans would attend this live race with lasted more than two hours and thirty-three minutes; making it the least attended race in NASCAR's modern era even when comparing races from after the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.[2] Waltrip's overall speed for the race was 156.216 miles per hour (251.405 km/h) while Buddy Baker achieved the pole position for the race with a speed of 167.903 miles per hour (270.214 km/h).[2] Total winnings for this race were $161,250 ($650,175.38 when considering inflation); Darrell would receive $21,750 of the total purse ($87,698.07 when considering inflation).

Dale Earnhardt was Waltrip's top challenger before he crashed late in the race. Waltrip had a lap lead but Allison, Baker, and Yarborough had a one-lap dash for second. Allison got second by about two feet over Baker, who was about four feet back.[2] Some of the more notable names to make an appearance here were: Dale Earnhardt, Richard Childress, Cale Yarborough, Terry Labonte, Richard Petty, and J. D. McDuffie.[2]

Notable crew chiefs in attendance for this race were Buddy Parrott, Joey Arrington, Kirk Shelmerdine, Darrell Bryant, Dale Inman, Bud Moore, Tim Brewer, and Jake Elder.[3]

While Jim Hurlbert and John Rezek would make their NASCAR Cup Series debut, Billy Hagan would make his grand exit after this race along with three other drivers. Bill Meazel would make his only NASCAR appearance during this event.[4]

Qualifying
Grid No. Driver Manufacturer
1 28Buddy BakerChevrolet
2 44Terry LabonteChevrolet
3 2Dale EarnhardtChevrolet
4 88Darrell WaltripChevrolet
5 11Cale YarboroughChevrolet
6 15Bobby AllisonFord
7 90Ricky RuddMercury
8 27Benny ParsonsChevrolet
9 43Richard PettyChevrolet
10 72Joe MillikanChevrolet
11 12Lennie PondChevrolet
12 40D.K. UlrichBuick
13 50Bruce HillBuick
14 64Tommy GaleFord
15 25Ronnie ThomasChevrolet
16 48James HyltonChevrolet
17 67Buddy ArringtonDodge
18 79Frank WarrenDodge
19 3Richard ChildressOldsmobile
20 45Baxter PriceChevrolet
21 70J.D. McDuffieChevrolet
22 19Billy HaganChevrolet
23 52Jimmy MeansChevrolet
24 31John RezekOldsmobile
25 36H.B. BaileyPontiac

Finishing order
  1. Darrell Waltrip (No. 88)
  2. Bobby Allison (No. 15)
  3. Buddy Baker† (No. 28)
  4. Cale Yarborough (No. 11)
  5. Terry Labonte (No. 44)
  6. Richard Petty (No. 43)
  7. Richard Childress (No. 3)
  8. Joe Millikan (No. 72)
  9. Buddy Arrington (No. 67)
  10. James Hylton† (No. 48)
  11. John Rezek (No. 31)
  12. Dale Earnhardt*† (No. 2)
  13. Bruce Hill (No. 50)
  14. J. D. McDuffie† (No. 70)
  15. D. K. Ulrich (No. 40)
  16. H. B. Bailey† (No. 36)
  17. Billy Hagan† (No. 19)
  18. Earle Canavan† (No. 01)
  19. Frank Warren (No. 79)
  20. Tommy Gale† (No. 64)
  21. Cecil Gordon† (No. 24)
  22. Mike Potter (No. 76)
  23. Jimmy Means (No. 52)
  24. Jim Hurlbert (No. 96)
  25. Benny Parsons*† (No. 27)
  26. Ronnie Thomas* (No. 25)
  27. Baxter Price* (No. 45)
  28. Ricky Rudd* (No. 90)
  29. Mike Kempton (No. 69)
  30. Dick May*† (No. 09)
  31. Lennie Pond*† (No. 12)
  32. Bill Meazell* (No. 55)
  33. John Haver* (No. 58)
  34. Jimmy Finger* (No. 32)

† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race

Timeline

Section reference:[2]

  • Start: Terry Labonte was leading the other drivers as the green flag was waved in the air.
  • Lap 5: Jimmy Finger fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 36: John Haver fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 46: Bill Meazel fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 70: Lennie Pond fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 113: Dick May fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 135: Ricky Rudd fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 139: Baxter Price's vehicle developed a problematic transmission.
  • Lap 140: The wheel on Ronnie Thomas' vehicle became non-functional.
  • Lap 143: The spindle on Benny Parsons' vehicle developed problems.
  • Lap 194: Caution due to Dale Earnhardt's accident on turn three; caution ended on lap 198.
  • Finish: Darrell Waltrip was officially declared the winner of the event.

Standings after the race
Pos Driver Points[2] Differential
1 Darrell Waltrip 2251 0
2 Bobby Allison 2183 -68
3 Cale Yarborough 2057 -194
4 Richard Petty 2037 -214
5 Dale Earnhardt 1888 -363
6 Increase Joe Millikan 1872 -379
7 Decrease Benny Parsons 1837 -414
8 Increase Terry Labonte 1736 -515
9 Increase Buddy Baker 1704 -547
10 Decrease D.K. Ulrich 1700 -551

References
  1. "1979 Texas 400 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
  2. "1979 Texas 400 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
  3. "1979 Texas 400 crew chiefs information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
  4. "Notable events at the 1979 Texas 400". Race Database. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
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