1984 Winston 500
Auto race held at Talladega Superspeedway in 1984
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 9 of 30 in the 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 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 | ||
Motor car race
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 druvers 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  | Bill Elliott | 1328 | -29 |
3  | Terry Labonte | 1327 | -30 |
| 4 | Dale Earnhardt | 1299 | -58 |
| 5 | 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
- ^ 1984 Winston 500 weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 1984 Winston 500 racing information at Racing Reference
- ^ Talladega Superspeedway at the Encyclopedia of Alabama
- ^ "Track Facts". talladegasuperspeedway.com. Talladega Superspeedway. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 1984 Winston 500 racing information at Race Database
- ^ 1984 Winston 500 crew chiefs at Racing Reference
- ^ Lead, lead or get out of the way Archived 2013-03-01 at the Wayback Machine at All About Racin'
| Preceded by 1984 Sovran Bank 500 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1984 | Succeeded by 1984 Coors 420 |
| Preceded by | Winston 500 races 1984 | Succeeded by |
