# 1979 Talladega 500

The 1979 Talladega 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on August 5, 1979, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama.

## Background

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 Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Craftsman 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.

## Race report

There were 41 American-born drivers on the starting grid; 21 of them failed to finish the race. Most of the problems were engine failures. After 188 laps and five caution flags, Darrell Waltrip would defeat David Pearson by a minute and two seconds in front of a crowd of eighty thousand fans. After many lead changes, Waltrip lead the final 55 laps.
The race averaged 161.229 miles per hour (259.473 km/h) for the 500 miles while Neil Bonnett would earn his pole position in qualifying with a speed of 193.6 miles per hour (311.6 km/h). Kyle Petty would earn ninth place in his inaugural Winston Cup race after starting 18th. Bob Burcham and Al Holbert would make this race their individual swan songs. The total prize purse at this event was $205,680 ($863,460 when adjusted for inflation). While the winner would collect $32,325 of this purse ($135,703 when adjusted for inflation), the last-place finisher, Dick May, would collect $1,050 ($4,408 when adjusted for inflation).
Oldsmobile would rack up their 100th victory in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series.

### Qualifying

| Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
| 1 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Mercury | Wood Brothers |
| 2 | 2 | David Pearson | Oldsmobile | Rod Osterlund |
| 3 | 30 | Tighe Scott | Buick | Walter Ballard |
| 4 | 28 | Buddy Baker | Oldsmobile | Harry Ranier |
| 5 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Oldsmobile | Junior Johnson |
| 6 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Dodge | Buddy Arrington |
| 7 | 41 | Grant Adcox | Oldsmobile | Herb Adcox |
| 8 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Oldsmobile | DiGard Racing |
| 9 | 79 | Frank Warren | Dodge | Frank Warren |
| 10 | 50 | Bruce Hill | Oldsmobile | Walter Ballard |
| 11 | 90 | Ricky Rudd | Mercury | Junie Donlavey |
| 12 | 27 | Benny Parsons | Oldsmobile | M.C. Anderson |
| 13 | 43 | Richard Petty | Oldsmobile | Petty Enterprises |
| 14 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Chevrolet | Dave Marcis |
| 15 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Buick | Billy Hagan |
| 16 | 12 | Jack Ingram | Oldsmobile | Kennie Childers |
| 17 | 7 | Al Holbert | Oldsmobile | Al Holbert |
| 18 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Dodge | Petty Enterprises |
| 19 | 15 | Bobby Allison | Ford | Bud Moore |
| 20 | 3 | Richard Childress | Oldsmobile | Richard Childress |
| 21 | 47 | Harry Gant | Oldsmobile | Jack Beebe |
| 22 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Mercury | George Elliott |
| 23 | 1 | Donnie Allison | Chevrolet | Hoss Ellington |
| 24 | 05 | Dick Brooks | Oldsmobile | Nelson Malloch |
| 25 | 77 | Jody Ridley | Mercury | Junie Donlavey |

## Finishing order

Section reference:
* Darrell Waltrip
* David Pearson†
* Ricky Rudd
* Richard Petty
* Jody Ridley
* Tighe Scott
* Harry Gant
* Buddy Arrington
* Kyle Petty
* Richard Childress
* Dick Brooks†
* Bill Elliott
* Jimmy Means
* Bob Burcham†
* Rick Newsom†
* Bruce Hill*
* Steve Moore
* J.D. McDuffie†
* Grant Adcox†
* James Hylton†
* Benny Parsons*†
* Ronnie Thomas*
* Frank Warren
* Cale Yarborough*
* Joe Millikan*
* Baxter Price*
* D.K. Ulrich*
* Bobby Allison*
* Coo Coo Marlin*†
* Donnie Allison*
* Dave Marcis*
* Marty Robbins*†
* Terry Labonte*
* Neil Bonnett*†
* Jack Ingram*
* Tommy Gale*†
* Blackie Wangerin*
* Al Holbert*†
* Buddy Baker*†
* Cecil Gordon*†
* Dick May*†
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race

## Standings after the race

| Pos | Driver | Points | Differential |
| 1 | Darrell Waltrip | 3246 | 0 |
| 2 | Richard Petty | 3017 | -229 |
| 3 | Cale Yarborough | 2946 | -300 |
| 4 | Bobby Allison | 2924 | -322 |
| 5 | Benny Parsons | 2662 | -584 |
| 6 | Dale Earnhardt | 2588 | -658 |
| 7 | Joe Millikan | 2564 | -682 |
| 8 | Richard Childress | 2390 | -856 |
| 9 | J.D. McDuffie | 2372 | -874 |
| 10 | Buddy Arrington | 2312 | -934 |