 | ||
Date April 25, 1982 (1982-April-25) Official name Virginia National Bank 500 Location Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia Course Permanent racing facility
0.525 mi (0.844 km) Distance 500 laps, 262.5 mi (442.4 km) Weather Mild with temperatures approaching 74.8 °F (23.8 °C); wind speeds up to 12.8 miles per hour (20.6 km/h) | ||
The 1982 Virginia National Bank 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was set on April 25, 1982, at Martinsville Speedway in the American community of Martinsville, Virginia.
Contents
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
Martinsville Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races. The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.526 miles (0.847 km) long. The track's turns are banked at eleven degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at zero degrees. The back stretch also has a zero degree banking.
Summary
A total starting grid of 31 drivers competed for three and a half hours in this 500-lap racing competition. D.K. Ulrich was involved in a crash on lap 14; leading to his last-place finish. An audience consisting of 36,500 live spectators eventually got to see Harry Gant defeat Butch Lindley by a distance of slightly more than a lap.
The majority of the field was driving Buick vehicles while participating in the event. Terry Labonte and Ricky Rudd would dominate the first one hundred laps of this race while Harry Gant would monopolize the closing laps of this race with a 1-lap lead over everyone else. Joe Ruttman would be the lowest finishing driver to complete the race; albeit more than 50 laps behind the only driver on the lead lap, who was Harry Gant. This would be his first victory ever in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The pole position earned was Terry Labonte with his amazing solo qualifying speed of 89.998 miles per hour (144.838 km/h); actual racing speeds for this event averaged around 75.073 miles per hour (120.818 km/h). Winnings for this event ranged from the winner's share of $26,795 ($66,497.80 when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place finisher's share of $1,300 ($3,226.24 when adjusted for inflation). The overall prize purse for this racing event added up to $170,500 ($423,133.97 when adjusted for inflation).