1980 Coca-Cola 500
The 1980 Coca-Cola 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on July 27, 1980, at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.[2]
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 31 in the 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Neil Bonnett in the winner's circle after winning the 1980 Coca-Cola 500 | |||
| Date | July 27, 1980 | ||
| Official name | Coca-Cola 500 | ||
| Location | Pocono International Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.500 mi (3.400 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 501.0 mi (804 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures of 79 °F (26 °C); wind speeds of 6.6 miles per hour (10.6 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 124.395 miles per hour (200.194 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 75,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
| Time | less than 60.000 seconds | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Laps | 59 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 | Neil Bonnett | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers |
Chris Economaki Jackie Stewart | ||
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. Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.
Background
Pocono Raceway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races; the others are Daytona International Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.[3] The standard track at Pocono Raceway is a three-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[4] The track's turns are banked differently; the first is banked at 14°, the second turn at 8° and the final turn with 6°. However, each of the three straightaways are banked at 2°.[4]
Summary
It took four hours and one minute to complete 200 laps; Neil Bonnett defeated Buddy Baker by six-tenths of a second.[2][5] The drivers in the race were so fast that typical lap times for the race were slightly over a minute. Qualifying times for this NASCAR were less than 60 seconds; gradually evolving through the years to the 30-second times found in most current qualifying sessions. Even today, Formula One has lap times that are more than 60 seconds due to the complicated features of the race.
There were 19 lead changes in the final 56 laps, with nearly all the lead changes occurring between Baker and Bonnett. The two drivers exchanged the lead nine times in the last 22 laps before Bonnett took the lead for good with four laps remaining in the race.[6]
Bonnett's victory would mark both his first victory of the 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the penultimate one for Mercury as a brand in NASCAR Cup competition.[2]
There were forty American born drivers in the race.[2] Travis Tiller achieved the last-place finish of the race due to a problem in the ignition system during the pace laps of the race.[2] Five cautions slowed the race for 26 laps while 49 lead changes took place from the green flag to the checkered flag.[2][5] The other drivers who finished in the top ten were: Cale Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt, Harry Gant, Terry Labonte, Kyle Petty, Dave Marcis, Richard Childress (now the owner of Richard Childress Racing), and Ricky Rudd.[2][5] Most of the drivers competed with the Chevrolet marquee.[2] Kenny Hemphill, Tim Richmond (12th-place finish), and Bob Riley would start their NASCAR Cup Series career at this race while Janet Guthrie and Nelson Oswald would make this race into their swan songs.[5]
Richard Petty broke his neck as a result of a crash on lap 57.[2][7]
He managed to successfully rehab his serious injury. Guthrie would race fast and furiously with the male competitors until her engine failed after 134 laps.[8] Legendary driver and current NASCAR on Fox personality Darrell Waltrip competed in this race; he started in 7th and finished in 26th place in his #88 Chevrolet machine owned by DiGard Motorsports.[2]
Notable crew chiefs in attendance for this race were Junie Donlavey, Joey Arrington, Darel Dieringer, Dale Inman, Darrell Bryant, D.K. Ulrich, Harry Hyde, Waddell Wilson, and Kirk Shelmerdine.[9]
Twenty lead changes were accomplished during the last 58 laps of the race.[5]
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] |
|---|---|---|
1  |
Dale Earnhardt | 2902 |
| 2 |
Richard Petty | 2758 |
| 3 |
Cale Yarborough | 2724 |
| 4 |
Benny Parsons | 2627 |
5  |
Darrell Waltrip | 2574 |
6  |
Bobby Allison | 2570 |
| 7 |
Jody Ridley | 2455 |
| 8 |
Richard Childress | 2330 |
| 9 |
Harry Gant | 2291 |
| 10 |
Terry Labonte | 2237 |
References
- "1980 Coca-Cola 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
- "1980 Coca-Cola 500 racing information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
- "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
- "Pocono Raceway". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
- "1980 Coca-Cola 500 racing information". Race Database. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
- "Bonnett Weaved His Way to a 1980 Win at Pocono". Wood Brothers Racing. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
- "1980 Coca-Cola 500 - Richard Petty Crash". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
- "POCONO LOOK BACK: 1980 Coca-Cola 500". The Times-Tribune. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
- "1980 Coca-Cola 500 crew chiefs information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
| Preceded by 1980 Busch Nashville 420 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1980 |
Succeeded by 1980 Talladega 500 |
| Preceded by 1979 |
Coca-Cola 500 races 1980 |
Succeeded by none |