Race details [1] [2] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 26 of 31 in the 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
Date | September 21, 1980 | ||
Official name | Holly Farms 400 | ||
Location | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina | ||
Course | Permanent racing facility 0.625 mi (1.005 km) | ||
Distance | 400 laps, 250 mi (402 km) | ||
Weather | Temperatures between 68 °F (20 °C) and 89.1 °F (31.7 °C); average wind speeds of 3.5 miles per hour (5.6 km/h) | ||
Average speed | 75.51 miles per hour (121.52 km/h) | ||
Attendance | 25,000 [3] | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Bobby Allison | Bud Moore Engineering | |
Laps | 166 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 15 | Bobby Allison | Bud Moore Engineering | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | untelevised | ||
Announcers | unknown |
The 1980 Holly Farms 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 21, 1980, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Its total prize purse was finalized as $105,515 ($390,184 when adjusted for inflation); with the winner taking home $17,725 ($65,545 when adjusted for inflation).
By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.
The NASCAR Winston Cup Series was also plagued with top teams running big engines and finishing in third place to avoid inspection around the early-1980s.
During the 1980s, North Wilkesboro Speedway was noticeably lagging behind other speedways on the NASCAR circuit, but the fans were more interested in the great racing action between the legendary drivers. Enoch's focus was more on the fans' enjoyment rather than on building large suites and new facilities. Attendance and total purse for races at the track were the lowest in NASCAR, but the events continued to sell out and attract more fans each year.
Just months prior to the race, a new kind of asphalt was placed but did not get a chance to completely solve the disintegration problem. [4] The racetrack developed a slick surface; that made qualifying speeds 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h) slower and the cars more likely to spin and crash with each other. [4] Conditions for the race would become very poor by the standards of the early 1980s; causing the pace car to crash into a parked car getting back into pit lane.
Richard Childress, the current owner of Richard Childress Racing, would compete as a driver. [3] There were 30 American-born drivers on the racing grid; no foreigners or women competed in this race. [3] Bobby Allison managed to defeat Darrell Waltrip by half a second after more than three hours of racing. [3] Cale Yarborough would acquire the pole position through driving his qualifying session at an incredible top speed of almost 112 miles per hour (180 km/h). [3]
Bobby Allison scores his last win for Bud Moore and his last in a Ford Motor Company product. [3] This was his fourth win of 1980. [3] Future 2-time Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion Junior Miller scores his best Winston Cup finish in 13th. [3] Slick Johnson scores a career-best 8th place finish, he'd later match it at Rockingham three races later. [3]
This was the last win for Ford at North Wilkesboro until the 1990 Tyson Holly Farms 400. [5]
D.K. Ulrich received credit for the last-place finish due to an oil pressure problem on the second lap of this 400-lap race. [3] Nine drivers failed to complete the race; including J.D. McDuffie, Lake Speed and Lennie Pond. [3] Bub Strickler would retire from NASCAR after this race. [6] Dale Earnhardt would maintain his championship points lead after this event. [6]
Two months after the race, the track was treated again. [4] The disintegration issue managed to solve itself throughout the harsh winter months and was completely prepared for the 1981 season. [4]
Notable crew chiefs who participated in the race were Junie Donlavey, Buddy Parrott, Joey Arrington, Darrell Bryant, Dale Inman, Bud Moore, Tim Brewer, and Kirk Shelmerdine. [7]
Grid [3] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Chevrolet | Junior Johnson |
2 | 15 | Bobby Allison | Ford | Bud Moore |
3 | 68 | Lennie Pond | Chevrolet | Jim Testa |
4 | 27 | Benny Parsons | Chevrolet | M.C. Anderson |
5 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet | DiGard Racing |
6 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Chevrolet | Dave Marcis |
7 | 47 | Harry Gant | Chevrolet | Jack Beebe |
8 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | Rod Osterlund |
9 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | Billy Hagan |
10 | 90 | Jody Ridley | Ford | Junie Donlavey |
11 | 79 | Junior Miller | Chevrolet | Junior Miller |
12 | 40 | D.K. Ulrich | Chevrolet | D.K. Ulrich |
13 | 25 | Ronnie Thomas | Chevrolet | Don Robertson |
14 | 43 | Richard Petty | Chevrolet | Petty Enterprises |
15 | 7 | Lake Speed | Chevrolet | Nelson Malloch |
16 | 3 | Richard Childress | Chevrolet | Richard Childress |
17 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | Chevrolet | J.D. McDuffie |
18 | 19 | John Anderson | Chevrolet | Henley Gray |
19 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | Oldsmobile | Cecil Gordon |
20 | 17 | Roger Hamby | Chevrolet | Roger Hamby |
21 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Chevrolet | Jimmy Means |
22 | 64 | Tommy Gale | Ford | Elmo Langley |
23 | 07 | Jeff McDuffie | Buick | J.D. McDuffie |
24 | 53 | Slick Johnson | Chevrolet | J.D. Johnson |
25 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Dodge | Buddy Arrington |
Pos [3] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Laps led | Points | Time/Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 15 | Bobby Allison | Ford | 400 | 166 | 185 | 3:18:39 |
2 | 5 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet | 400 | 131 | 175 | +0.5 seconds |
3 | 6 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Chevrolet | 400 | 4 | 170 | Lead lap under green flag |
4 | 7 | 47 | Harry Gant | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | 160 | +1 lap |
5 | 8 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | 155 | +1 lap |
6 | 4 | 27 | Benny Parsons | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | 150 | +1 lap |
7 | 9 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | 146 | +1 lap |
8 | 24 | 53 | Slick Johnson | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | 142 | +9 laps |
9 | 10 | 90 | Jody Ridley | Ford | 390 | 0 | 138 | +10 laps |
10 | 1 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Chevrolet | 389 | 54 | 139 | +11 laps |
Pos | Driver | Points [3] | Differential |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Dale Earnhardt | 3847 | 0 |
2 | Cale Yarborough | 3757 | -90 |
3 | Richard Petty | 3741 | -106 |
4 | Benny Parsons | 3708 | -139 |
5 | Darrell Waltrip | 3662 | -185 |
6 | Bobby Allison | 3537 | -310 |
7 | Jody Ridley | 3273 | -574 |
8 | Harry Gant | 3242 | -605 |
9 | Richard Childress | 3125 | -722 |
10 | Dave Marcis | 3099 | -748 |
Darrell Lee Waltrip is an American motorsports analyst, author as well as a former national television broadcaster and stock car driver. He raced from 1972 to 2000 in the NASCAR Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 11 Chevrolet for Junior Johnson. Waltrip is a three-time Cup Series champion.
Lake Chambers Speed is an American retired stock car racing driver. He formerly competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, scoring one career win in 402 starts.
The 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 37th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 14th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Sunday, February 10 and ended on Sunday, November 17. Darrell Waltrip, driving for Junior Johnson, was crowned champion at the end of the season. Bill Elliott, driving for Harry Melling, had won 11 races in 1985, but lost the title by 101 points to three-time race winner Waltrip. This was the first season where all races were televised in some form.
The 2007 Sylvania 300 was the 27th race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season and the first of the ten-race 2007 Chase for the Nextel Cup championship series.
The 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 31st season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 8th modern-era Cup series. It began on Sunday, January 14, and ended on Sunday, November 18. Richard Petty won his seventh and final Winston Cup championship, winning by 11 points over Darrell Waltrip. Dale Earnhardt was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year.
The 1989 Holly Farms 400 was the 26th stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 40th iteration of the event. The race was originally scheduled to be held on Sunday, October 1, 1989, but due to rain throughout the race's weekend, the race was postponed until Sunday, October 15. The race was held in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. On the final lap of the race, a battle between Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and King Racing driver Ricky Rudd that had been culminating since the final restart of the race on lap 398 came to a head. Heading into the first turn, Rudd would dive-bomb Earnhardt, which led Rudd into Earnhardt's car, spinning both cars. As a result of the spin, the third place driver at the time, Hendrick Motorsports driver Geoff Bodine, would manage to avoid the wreck and take the victory. The victory was Bodine's seventh career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. Rudd and Earnhardt would finish ninth and tenth, respectively.
The 1980 CRC Chemicals 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 14, 1980, at Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover, Delaware. The NASCAR Winston Cup Series was also plagued with top teams running big engines and finishing in third place to avoid inspection around the early-1980s.
The 1976 Gwyn Staley 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held on April 4, 1976, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Contested over 400 laps, it was the seventh race of the 30-event 1976 season. Cale Yarborough of Junior Johnson Motorsports took his second win of the season, while Richard Petty finished second and Bobby Allison third. Benny Parsons left the event with the season points lead.
The 1979 Northwestern Bank 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on March 25, 1979, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
The 1977 Wilkes 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on October 2, 1977, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
The 1978 World 600, the 19th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on May 28, 1978, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
The 1987 Holly Farms 400 was the 25th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 4, 1987, before an audience of 32,500 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete.
The 1996 Tyson Holly Farms 400 was the twenty-seventh stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on September 29, 1996 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in Wilkes County, North Carolina. The 400-lap race was won by Jeff Gordon of the Hendrick Motorsports team after he started from second position. Dale Earnhardt finished second and Dale Jarrett came in third.
The 1990 First Union 400 was the seventh stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 40th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 22, 1990, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, King Racing driver Brett Bodine would benefit from a late race caution and pull away in the late stages of the race to take his first and only career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Hendrick Motorsports driver Darrell Waltrip and Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1995 Tyson Holly Farms 400 was the 27th stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 46th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 1, 1995, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1994 Tyson Holly Farms 400 was the 27th stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 45th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 2, 1994, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. In a dominant performance, owner-driver Geoff Bodine would manage to lap the entire field at race's end to take his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and Precision Products Racing driver Rick Mast would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1993 Tyson Holly Farms 400 was the 26th stock car race of the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 44th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 3, 1993, before an audience of 45,500 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 29th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his eighth victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1991 First Union 400 was the seventh stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 21, 1991, before an audience of 41,500 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, owner-driver Darrell Waltrip would manage to get his car away from the chaotic nature of the race, leading the final 52 laps to take his 80th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Travis Carter Enterprises driver Jimmy Spencer would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1991 Tyson Holly Farms 400 was the 25th stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 29, 1991, before an audience of 43,500 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, taking advantage of a brake failure of the dominant driver of the day, Leo Jackson Motorsports driver Harry Gant, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would mount a late-race charge to the lead, passing Gant with nine laps to go in the race to take the victory, breaking Gant's streak of four consecutive victories. The victory was Earnhardt's 52nd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Harry Gant and Bud Moore Engineering driver Morgan Shepherd would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1990 Tyson Holly Farms 400 was the 25th stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 30, 1990, before an audience of 39,000 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to mount a late-race charge to maintain his driver's championship lead over second-place finisher and driver in the driver's championship, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt. The victory was Martin's fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and third and final victory of the season.