Official name Talladega 500 | ||
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Date August 3, 1980 (1980-August-03) Location Alabama International Motor Speedway, Talladega, Alabama Course Permanent racing facility
2.660 mi (4.280 km) Distance 188 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km) Weather Hot with temperatures approaching 97.9 °F (36.6 °C); wind speeds up to 11.8 miles per hour (19.0 km/h) | ||
The 1980 Talladega 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on August 3, 1980, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in the American community of Talladega, Alabama.
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Background
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.
Summary
188 laps were done on a paved oval track spanning 2.660 miles (4.281 km) for a grand total of 500.1 miles (804.8 km). This race took two hours and fifty-nine minutes in order to resolve itself. Neil Bonnett managed to defeat Cale Yarborough by six car lengths in front of 70000 live spectators. Five cautions were given out by NASCAR officials for 25 laps while the average racing speed was 166.894 miles per hour (268.590 km/h). Buddy Baker would qualify for the pole position with the speed of 198.545 miles per hour (319.527 km/h). Bruce Hill would finish the race in last place due to an engine issue on lap 12. He would only make $1,050 in race winnings ($3,052.04 when adjusted for inflation) while Bonnett would earn most of the prize money with $35,675 ($103,696.68 when adjusted for inflation).
Mercury would make its last ever victory in this race. Coo Coo Marlin would retire from NASCAR after this race while Tennessee's Harry Dinwiddle would make his only NASCAR Cup Series appearance here. Country music singing legend and NASCAR Cup Series driver Marty Robbins would start the race in 37th and finish the race in 13th while driving a 1978 Dodge Magnum using the racing number 6.
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.
Finishing order
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race