The Race That Changed NASCAR Forever: 1979s Historic Daytona 500

With high stakes on the table, the legendary Cale Yarborough geared up for his fourth consecutive title in 1979. But little did he know that the historic Daytona 500 would bring him utter disappointment, that too on the final lap of the race. As Yarborough and Donnie Allison were going neck-to-neck for over 20 laps straight, things took a wild turn. 

During the final lap, Allison’s move to block Yarborough’s #11 Oldsmobile backfired, with both ending up on the side grass in the muddy field. But the disappointment was far from over as the drivers did something that changed the perception of NASCAR forever.

What went down at the fiasco-filled 1979 Daytona 500

Apart from being a crown jewel that it has always been, the 1979 Daytona 500 was also the first live, start-to-finish superspeedway event televised by a major network. And what the cameras caught changed the definition of NASCAR.

The night before the race, rain poured all over the Daytona International Speedway. The track was wet, slippery, and not perfect for racing. However, the deal with CBS Sports didn’t come easily. So to avoid the contract from getting lapsed, NASCAR founder Bill France decided to begin the race. Darrell Waltrip underwent a test lap to check the track conditions and gave the green signal. Upon getting the go sign from Waltrip, the green flag was shown, but the full-fledged action didn’t start before 15 laps of under-caution driving.

On Lap 31 of the 200-lap race, Yarborough and Allison got stuck with the slow runners and witnessed a stark drop in their positions. However, having the fastest cars on the field came in handy for the two as they swooped past the field to take back the dominating position. With around 20 laps remaining for the historic race to lay down the checkered flag, Yarborough and Allison got into an ugly wreck, that ended both their run. And what happened next blew the community’s minds. 

Soon after the crash, Cale and Donnie came out of their cars and started lashing out, which further resulted in a fierce altercation between the two. Both threw punches at each other and vented out their anger in every way possible. Since this incident was being televised to the world, this fight became the first impression that people got about NASCAR.

The wild run and the boundless rivalry between the two didn’t end well. However, that very moment was probably one of the best for the driver who was over 17 seconds behind the leaders and went on to claim the title.

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The wreck that caused turmoil in Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison’s race outcome proved to be a blessing in disguise for the 200x NASCAR Cup Series winner Richard Petty. But how?

Petty, Waltrip, and A.J. Foyt were the pack that was trailing 17 seconds behind the leaders. But the wreck cleared the track for them. Wasting no time, Petty gunned towards the finish line and claimed the victory, followed by Waltrip in P2 and Foyt in P3. 

The moment was utterly shocking and surreal for Petty as he would’ve never thought that a mishap 17 seconds ahead on the track would pave the way for his 7th and last NASCAR Cup Series championship title.

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The 1979 Daytona 500 race was no doubt a race to ponder back on. Which part of the race excited you the most? The Ugly Wreck or Richard Petty’s best use of the moment?