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Switching between an Oldsmobile and a Chevrolet, Richard Petty added a seventh NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy to his collection. Petty won five times and had 27-top-10 finishes in 31 starts.
The 1979 Cup Series season proved to be one of NASCAR’s most exciting, even though officials of the sport didn’t anticipate such a fate prior to the start of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 18.
That race, however, ended with a fight between Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough after they crashed out while battling for the lead on the final lap. Allison’s older brother, Bobby, joined the fray and a national TV audience, many trapped in their homes by a massive east coast snowstorm, was introduced to the world of NASCAR.
Petty won his sixth of seven Daytona 500s in storybook fashion over Darrell Waltrip and A.J. Foyt. Petty had just undergone major stomach surgery two weeks earlier and was told by his doctors not to race.
Also during the season, rookie-of-the-year Dale Earnhardt made his presence known and David Pearson split from Wood Brothers Racing following an unceremonious miscue on pit road at Darlington Raceway in the spring. Subbing for the injured Earnhardt in Rod Osterlund’s No. 2 Chevrolet during the Southern 500 at Darlington in September, Pearson claimed his third victory in the prestigious race.
Petty emerged with a record seventh NASCAR Cup Series championship, besting Waltrip and DiGard Racing in the final race of the season at Ontario Motor Speedway by a mere 13 points. Petty’s fifth-place finish in the final race to Waltrip’s eighth-place run secured the title.
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GALLON OF GAS: 90 CENTS
POP CULTURE: THE DUKES OF HAZARD AIRED ON CBS, SPANNED OVER SEVEN SEASONS, AND AT ONE POINT, WAS RANKED SECOND ONLY TO THE PRIME-TIME SOAP OPERA DALLAS. CALE YARBOROUGH GUEST STARRED ON THE SHOW.
Driving the No. 43 Petty Enterprises entry, Richard Petty logged five NASCAR Cup Series victories and 27- top-10 results en route to his seventh series championship. At age 42, Petty was still at the top of his game, winning races and contending for NASCAR’s top prize. He and crew chief Dale Inman placed the famed Petty blue and fluorescent red machine at the front to lead 1,149 laps during the 1979 season.
No question, the 1979 Daytona 500 introduced NASCAR racing to millions of first-time viewers who watched the flag-to-flag coverage on CBS. A massive east coast snowstorm and the outcome of the race combined to expose the sport to a sizeable new audience. Initially considered a blackeye for NASCAR, the fight among Cale Yarborough, Donnie Allison and Bobby Allison at the end of the race was a milestone moment for the sport.
Richard Petty’s No. 43 Petty Enterprises Oldsmobile/Chevrolet won five races and notched 27 top-10 results in 31 starts.
Darrell Waltrip’s No. 88 DiGard Racing Oldsmobile/Chevrolet went to Victory Lane seven times and had 22 top-10 finishes.
DATE | LOCATION | WINNER
Jan. 14 | Riverside International Raceway | Darrell Waltrip
Feb. 18 | Daytona International Speedway | Richard Petty
March 4 | Rockingham Speedway | Bobby Allison
March 11 | Richmond Raceway | Cale Yarborough
March 18 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | Buddy Baker
March 25 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | Bobby Allison
April 1 | Bristol Motor Speedway | Dale Earnhardt
April 8 | Darlington Raceway | Darrell Waltrip
April 22 | Martinsville Speedway | Richard Petty
May 6 | Talladega Superspeedway | Bobby Allison
May 12 | Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville | Cale Yarborough
May 20 | Dover Motor Speedway | Neil Bonnett
May 27 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Darrell Waltrip
June 3 | Texas World Speedway | Darrell Waltrip
June 10 | Riverside International Raceway | Bobby Allison
June 17 | Michigan International Speedway | Buddy Baker
July 4 | Daytona International Speedway | Neil Bonnett
July 14 | Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville | Darrell Waltrip
July 30 | Pocono Raceway | Cale Yarborough
Aug. 5 | Talladega Superspeedway | Darrell Waltrip
Aug. 19 | Michigan International Speedway | Richard Petty
Aug. 25 | Bristol Motor Speedway | Darrell Waltrip
Sept. 3 | Darlington Raceway | David Pearson
Sept. 9 | Richmond Raceway | Bobby Allison
Sep. 16 | Dover Motor Speedway | Richard Petty
Sept. 23 | Martinsville Speedway | Richard Petty
Oct. 7 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Cale Yarborough
Oct.14 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | Benny Parsons
Oct. 21 | Rockingham Speedway | Richard Petty
Nov. 4 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | Neil Bonnett
Nov. 18 | Ontario Motor Speedway | Benny Parsons
