Links for this race (some data may be unavailable): Race Results Qualifying Results Loop Data Stats Pit Stops Comments (26) Video Links (3) Crew Chiefs

1979 Southern 500 Previous race results / Next race results                     Previous at this track / Next at this track     Post NASCAR Winston Cup race number 23 of 31 Monday, September 3, 1979 at Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC 367 laps on a 1.366 mile paved track (501.322 miles) Time of race: 3:58:14 Average speed: 126.259 mph Pole speed: 154.88 mph Cautions: 9 for 52 laps Margin of victory: 2 lp 4 sec Attendance: 60000 Lead changes: 18 Glossary    1979 NASCAR Winston Cup results   /   1979 standings

Pos St # Driver Sponsor / Owner Car Laps Money Status Led Pts 1 5 2   David Pearson Rod Osterlund Chevrolet 367 29925 running 74 180 2 6 17   Bill Elliott Kings Inn   (George Elliott) Mercury 365 19235 running 6 175 3 16 44   Terry Labonte Stratagraph   (Billy Hagan) Chevrolet 365 13460 running 0 165 4 10 28   Buddy Baker W.I.N.   (Harry Ranier) Chevrolet 365 7975 running 1 165 5 13 27   Benny Parsons M.C. Anderson Chevrolet 364 8915 running 0 155 6 19 71   Dave Marcis Shoney's   (Dave Marcis) Chevrolet 362 5650 running 0 150 7 8 05   Dick Brooks Dubie Corp.   (Nelson Malloch) Chevrolet 361 4900 running 0 146 8 14 90   Ricky Rudd Truxmore   (Junie Donlavey) Mercury 361 7105 running 0 142 9 4 43   Richard Petty STP   (Petty Enterprises) Chevrolet 361 7800 running 0 138 10 1 15   Bobby Allison Hodgdon / Moore   (Bud Moore) Ford 356 10950 running 37 139 11 3 88   Darrell Waltrip Gatorade   (DiGard Racing) Chevrolet 355 12200 running 165 140 12 7 47   Harry Gant Race Hill Farm   (Jack Beebe) Chevrolet 352 4100 running 0 127 13 17 40   D.K. Ulrich U.S. Army   (D.K. Ulrich) Buick 350 5595 running 0 124 14 22 67   Buddy Arrington Reid Trailer Sales   (Buddy Arrington) Dodge 347 5375 running 0 121 15 12 72   Joe Millikan Appliance Wheels   (L.G. DeWitt) Chevrolet 347 7000 running 0 118 16 24 52   Jimmy Means Mr. Transmission   (Jimmy Means) Chevrolet 345 5015 running 0 115 17 21 68   Chuck Bown Kings Mountain Truck Plaza   (Jim Testa) Buick 342 3100 running 0 112 18 38 70   J.D. McDuffie Bailey Excavating   (J.D. McDuffie) Chevrolet 341 4530 running 0 109 19 11 11   Cale Yarborough Busch   (Junior Johnson) Chevrolet 336 8000 running 0 106 20 33 8   Ed Negre Dick Brooks Honda   (Ed Negre) Chrysler 333 2850 running 0 103 21 30 64   Tommy Gale Sunny King Ford & Honda   (Elmo Langley) Ford 332 3845 running 0 100 22 32 79   Frank Warren Native Tan   (Frank Warren) Dodge 331 3585 running 0 97 23 35 45   Baxter Price Iron Peddlers   (Baxter Price) Chevrolet 324 3300 running 0 94 24 28 25   Ronnie Thomas Stone's Cafeteria   (Don Robertson) Chevrolet 310 4215 running 0 91 25 15 19   Lennie Pond Belden Asphalt   (Henley Gray) Chevrolet 281 3280 running 0 88 26 31 24   Cecil Gordon Gordon Racing   (Cecil Gordon) Oldsmobile 246 2885 running 0 85 27 36 36   H.B. Bailey Almeda Auto Parts   (H.B. Bailey) Pontiac 244 1825 overheating 0 82 28 26 9   Jim Vandiver Kings Inn   (Roger Hamby) Chevrolet 240 1800 running 0 79 29 25 3   Richard Childress CRC Chemicals   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 224 2200 engine 0 76 30 20 12   Jack Ingram Kencoal Mining   (Kennie Childers) Oldsmobile 206 1650 engine 0 73 31 2 1   Donnie Allison Hawaiian Tropic   (Hoss Ellington) Chevrolet 195 4550 engine 82 75 32 9 21   Neil Bonnett Purolator   (Wood Brothers) Mercury 185 2150 steering 2 72 33 39 10   Billy Smith Tidewater Glass   (Bill Champion) Ford 179 1575 driveshaft 0 64 34 23 65   Dick May Spohn's Body Shop   (Ron Spohn) Ford 148 1450 crash 0   35 29 30   Tighe Scott Russ Togs   (Walter Ballard) Buick 133 2400 crash 0 58 36 18 14   Coo Coo Marlin Cunningham-Kelley   (H.B. Cunningham) Chevrolet 112 1300 engine 0 55 37 40 98   Ralph Jones Jones Racing   (Ralph Jones) Ford 83 1275 engine 0 52 38 27 48   James Hylton Palatine Automotive Parts   (James Hylton) Chevrolet 46 1750 engine 0 49 39 37 01   Earle Canavan Earle Canavan Dodge 17 1225 oil leak 0 46 40 34 96   Ferrel Harris Will Cronkrite Ford 2 1260 flagged 0

Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes: Pos Name Nbr Sponsor Owner Car WD Jan Opperman 96 Will Cronkrite Ford Caution flag breakdown: Condition From Lap To Lap # Of Laps Reason Free Pass 1 55 55     56 62 7   #47,72 accident turn 4   63 68 6     69 72 4   #15 accident turn 3   73 82 10     83 88 6   #9,65 spun turn 3   89 89 1     90 92 3   #47 spun turn 3   93 115 23     116 121 6   #14 spun turn 3   122 141 20     142 149 8   #30,90 spun turn 1   150 159 10     160 165 6   #65 spun turn 3   166 295 130     296 303 8   #88 accident turn 1   304 305 2     306 309 4   #88 spun turn 2   310 367 58       Percent of race run under caution: 14.2%             Average green flag run: 31.5 laps Lap leader breakdown: Leader From Lap To Lap # Of Laps   Donnie Allison 1 26 26   Bobby Allison 27 62 36   Darrell Waltrip 63 83 21   Donnie Allison 84 116 33   Bobby Allison 117 117 1   Bill Elliott 118 121 4   Donnie Allison 122 137 16   Darrell Waltrip 138 142 5   Donnie Allison 143 149 7   Darrell Waltrip 150 160 11   Buddy Baker 161 161 1   Bill Elliott 162 163 2   Darrell Waltrip 164 165 2   Neil Bonnett 166 167 2   Darrell Waltrip 168 230 63   David Pearson 231 234 4   Darrell Waltrip 235 297 63   David Pearson 298 367 70 Points Standings after this race: Rank Driver Points Diff 1   Darrell Waltrip 3672     2   Richard Petty 3510   -162   3   Bobby Allison 3332   -340   4   Cale Yarborough 3324   -348   5   Benny Parsons 3152   -520   6   Joe Millikan 2987   -685   7   Richard Childress 2730   -942   8   J.D. McDuffie 2704   -968   9   Buddy Arrington 2657   -1015   10   Terry Labonte 2652   -1020   11   D.K. Ulrich 2609   -1063   12   Dale Earnhardt 2588   -1084   13   James Hylton 2536   -1136   14   Buddy Baker 2516   -1156   15   Ricky Rudd 2511   -1161   16   Frank Warren 2420   -1252   17   Ronnie Thomas 2126   -1546   18   Tommy Gale 2022   -1650   19   Cecil Gordon 1994   -1678   20   Dick Brooks 1965   -1707   21   Jimmy Means 1935   -1737