1984 Winston 500

1984 Winston 500
Race details[1]
Race 9 of 30 in the 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Layout of Talladega Superspeedway
Layout of Talladega Superspeedway
Date May 6, 1984 (1984-May-06)
Official name Winston 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 Very hot with temperatures of 88 °F (31 °C); wind speeds of 8.8 miles per hour (14.2 km/h)
Average speed 172.988 mph (278.397 km/h)
Attendance 115,000[2]
Pole position
Driver
Ranier-Lundy Racing
Most laps led
Driver Benny Parsons Johnny Hayes
Laps 56
Winner
No. 28 Cale Yarborough Ranier-Lundy Racing
Television in the United States
Network NBC
Announcers Paul Page
Gary Gerould
Johnny Rutherford

The 1984 Winston 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 6, 1984, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama. [3]

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 Monster Energy 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

Forty drivers competed in this 188-lap race; 39 of them were born in the United States while Trevor Boys was born in Canada.[2] The pole position was won by Yarborough with a speed of 202.692 miles per hour (326.201 km/h); one of the times where the qualifying speed exceeded 200 miles per hour (320 km/h).[2][5] This race featured 75 lead changes and laps exceeding 200 mph with unrestricted engines. The NBC TV coverage featured Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn Jenner) as the pit reporter.

Notable crew chiefs in this race were Kenny Wallace, Junie Donlavey, Darrell Bryant, Joey Arrington, Cecil Gordon, Dale Inman, Waddell Wilson, Jake Elder, Harry Hyde, and Kirk Shelmerdine.[6]

The average speed of the race was 172.988 miles per hour (278.397 km/h).[2][5] Four cautions covered 17 laps.[2][5] Chevrolet was the manufacturer for the majority of the grid.[2][5] Cale Yarborough defeated Harry Gant by two car lengths after nearly three hours of racing in front of more than 110000 spectators; marking the 80th race win in Yarborough's NASCAR Winston Cup Series career.[2][5] 75 lead changes occurred; the most ever in NASCAR Cup Series history.[2][5]

It would exceed the record set by the 1978 Talladega 500 for the number of leader changes in the race. This record would eventually be broken at the 2010 Aaron's 499 and be tied at the 2011 Aaron's 499. [7]

Jimmy Means suffered an oil pressure problem on the sixth lap and ended up in last place.[2][5] Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, and David Pearson all took turns leading.[2][5] Phil Barkdoll would make his NASCAR debut in this race.[5]

Qualifying

Grid[2] No. Driver Manufacturer Owner
1 28 Cale Yarborough Chevrolet Harry Ranier
2 9 Bill Elliott Ford Harry Melling
3 44 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Bill Hagan
4 55 Benny Parsons Chevrolet Johnny Hayes
5 3 Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet Richard Childress
6 16 David Pearson Chevrolet Bobby Hawkins
7 21 Buddy Baker Ford Wood Brothers
8 5 Geoffrey Bodine Chevrolet Rick Hendrick
9 11 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet Junior Johnson
10 15 Ricky Rudd Ford Bud Moore
11 33 Harry Gant Chevrolet Hal Needham
12 1 Lake Speed Chevrolet Hoss Ellington
13 43 Richard Petty Pontiac Mike Curb
14 22 Bobby Allison Buick DiGard Racing
15 12 Neil Bonnett Chevrolet Junior Johnson
16 38 Phil Barkdoll Chevrolet Phil Barkdoll
17 17 Clark Dwyer Chevrolet Roger Hamby
18 8 Bobby Hillin, Jr. Chevrolet Stavola Brothers
19 47 Ron Bouchard Buick Jack Beebe
20 84 Jody Ridley Chevrolet Robert McEntyre
21 66 Phil Parsons Chevrolet Johnny Hayes
22 4 Tommy Ellis Chevrolet Larry McClure
23 75 Dave Marcis Pontiac RahMoc Enterprises
24 98 Joe Ruttman Chevrolet Ron Benfield
25 90 Dick Brooks Ford Junie Donlavey

Top 20 finishers

Pos No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps led Time/Status
1 28 Cale Yarborough Chevrolet 188 19 2:53:27
2 33 Harry Gant Chevrolet 188 14 +2 car lengths
3 21 Buddy Baker Ford 188 43 Lead lap under green flag
4 22 Bobby Allison Buick 188 13 Lead lap under green flag
5 55 Benny Parsons Chevrolet 188 56 Lead lap under green flag
6 43 Richard Petty Pontiac 187 18 +1 lap
7 66 Phil Parsons Chevrolet 187 4 +1 lap
8 75 Dave Marcis Pontiac 187 0 +1 lap
9 9 Bill Elliott Ford 187 1 +1 lap
10 47 Ron Bouchard Buick 186 3 +2 laps
11 8 Bobby Hillin, Jr. Chevrolet 186 0 +2 laps
12 95 Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 186 0 +2 laps
13 4 Tommy Ellis Chevrolet 185 0 +3 laps
14 51 Greg Sacks Chevrolet 185 0 +3 laps
15 7 Kyle Petty Ford 184 0 +4 laps
16 84 Jody Ridley Chevrolet 182 0 +6 laps
17 71 Mike Alexander Oldsmobile 181 0 +7 laps
18 48 Trevor Boys Chevrolet 179 0 +9 laps
19 64 Tommy Gale Ford 177 0 +11 laps
20 41 Ronnie Thomas Chevrolet 177 0 +11 laps

Standings after the race

Pos Driver Points[2] Differential
1 Darrell Waltrip 1357 0
2 Increase Bill Elliott 1328 -29
3 Decrease Terry Labonte 1327 -30
4 Decrease Dale Earnhardt 1299 -58
5 Decrease Ricky Rudd 1293 -64
6 Harry Gant 1266 -91
7 Richard Petty 1215 -142
8 Neil Bonnett 1129 -228
9 Bobby Allison 1125 -232
10 Ron Bouchard 1122 -235

References

  1. ^ 1984 Winston 500 weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 1984 Winston 500 racing information at Racing Reference
  3. ^ Talladega Superspeedway at the Encyclopedia of Alabama
  4. ^ "Track Facts". talladegasuperspeedway.com. Talladega Superspeedway. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i 1984 Winston 500 racing information at Race Database
  6. ^ 1984 Winston 500 crew chiefs at Racing Reference
  7. ^ Lead, lead or get out of the way Archived 2013-03-01 at the Wayback Machine at All About Racin'
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1984 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winston 500 races
1984 		Succeeded by