1979 Daytona 500

[caseyreavis]

"... and then he proceded to beatin on my fist with his nose." - Bobby Allison

[billferguson0422]

This was when Nascar racing was real racing, folks, not like today. No such thing as "green, white, checkered", or pit row speed limits, or restrictor plates, or politically correct racing. These guys raced hard, and raced for for real. Darrell Waltrip should have won this race after the Yarborough, Allison crash,, but was on 7 cylinders the last several laps. Still, this is a classic Nascar race, second only to the 1976 Daytona 500....

[rswartz003]

Donny was the real winner that day..........The Hoss Ellington OLDS was the fastest all day and Donnie should have been the WINNER!!!

[Fania54]

Cale was right..."The wreck was Bobby's fault!" ;)

[C0LL1N]

when people watched this on tv they had never seen anything like this before, and it ensured a permanent place for nascar on the sunday tv broadcasts.

[thekennady]

Best Finish in NASCAR History Period. I was not even alive when this happend but it still gives me goose bumps just watching it. Ken Squier sounded so young too. Great call and Finish

[kmtdog1]

Obviously this is what put nascar on the map! REAL RACING!!! RUBBINS RACING!!! Its dead now.

[iwannabeasinger12]

The worst ending of a race, was that at the Daytona 500 in 2001

[Nascarking24]

@iwannabeasinger12 It was a very good race though.

[pathicks28]

Richard put a champions block on Darrel coming to the line. So smooth, yet ruined any of Waltrip's momentum.

[stonewall01]

@mchngwa63 I disagree Allison essentially pushed him into the grass. Once he hit the grass/mud Cale lost control and as he tried to adjust it he runs into Allison. It was Allison's fault but I do not disagree with what he did. They were going for the win after all.

[jamdawg]

Best ever ending to a race. And it's the original CBS Broadcast, too. Great Video.

[Motorsport1999]

1960's-1990's were the best days of Nascar

[bobdolecult]

what the hell was he doing forcing cale into the grass? good for petty though.

[Mr75bp]

I think nascar sucks now I miss the old days. My dad and I never missed a race on tv for 20yrs untill they changed the cars. My father has since passed away so I really dont watch raceing anymore.That was a thing him and I shared.

[plymouthroadrunner1]

Sweet justice after finishing 2nd in 1976!

Nascar was so much better than it is now.

[Fania54]

Cale was right, the wreck was Bobby's fault.

[RodThaBod]

The only reason Petty won was cause Waltrip was running on seven cylinders.Waltrip was infront of Petty most of the way untill he droped a cylinder.

[ctrailfan07]

who cares? winning is winning. too many people like yourself seem to get WAY too preocupied with style points for all sports. ALL THAT MATTERS IS WINNING!

[RodThaBod]

Style? Fact is DW was in third untill he droped a cylinder and Petty passed him. Hell , Waltrip still almost passed Petty.

[markjoachen]

all that matters is taking part mate look at tallegda nights ricky hell it dont matter where you come you come 2 3 4 5 hell even last all that matters is that you love it and taking part

[DC322]

Petty was way back in third when Yarborough and Donnie crashed each other out of the race. Three big legends finished the '79 Daytona 500 were Petty, DW and Foyt.

[rlgodbold]

He was also sponsored by Texas Oil in his first couple of races in that old Mercury he had.

[XemokidX1991X]

ah the good ole days

[chrisuncleahmad]

Little ironic that Yarborough's follow-up to his three-peat was this famous crash...

Also, how many different car sponsors has Darrell Waltrip had?

[LusterPurge94]

too many to name... gatorade, budweiser, mountain dew, tide... the list goes on.

[PYLrulz1984]

Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Tide, Budweiser, Western Auto, and KMart

[AutoRacer5]

Don't forget Pennzoil from when he drove at DEI substituting for Steve Park.

[Redneck13Leon13]

Builders square, and Tabasco

[PYLrulz1984]

Ok, I remember Tabasco (I think that was a part time deal), but when was DW sponsored by Builders Square?!?

[Redneck13Leon13]

1998 the first 4 maybe 5 races. then he folded his operation cause Builders Square didnt pay their bills, Darrel then went and drove the #1 Pennzoil car for DEL, then when that ended he finished out the season for Tim Beverly in the #35 Tobasco car.

if you want to split hairs, darrel also was sponsored by Toyota in a truck series race at Martinsville. He also had DieHard on his truck for 1996 and 1997 when Rich Bickle drive for him. KFC also put up a 2nd Waltrip car at Indy in 1997.

[PYLrulz1984]

Ok, yeah, I vaguely remember that now. I remember him folding his team, but I thought it was lack of sponsorship, not a sponsor paying its bills.

[Redneck13Leon13]

he also had Pepsi for a while

[Redneck13Leon13]

but that was way back in the days of Junior Johnson's #11

[DC322]

Don't forget the Kmart Ford for Carter back in '99 and '00 which will be his last ride before retiring from the Cup series.

[cfoster81]

For DW, Late 70's & I think 1980 : Gatorade with DiGard. 1981-83 with Junior Johnson: Mountain Dew (1981 & '82/Pepsi (1983). 1984-86 with Junior Johnson: Budweiser/KFC. 1987-90 with Hendrick, Tide. 1991-96 with his own team, Western Auto.

[12121149]

Nascar should give these guys,a trillion dollars.The "fight" got tv fans interested in this great sport.

[renegademax]

Man, those were the days!

[racermac1988]

The turn 1 camera in my opinion is a CBS landmark!

[phantomlord54]

Undoubtedly the most dramatic and thrilling call the great Ken Squier has ever made.

[rebelracing88]

Man I wish Cale had won. If he had just shown a little more patience. What a shame.

[newjersey421]

When Donnie Allison secured the bottom line, Cale tried to sling-shot, at the bottom of the track. Cale should have done the right thing and tucked in behind Donnie. Cale could have attempted to pass Donnie again between turns 3 and 4. The shame of it was, Donnie Allison never won a 500, while Cale had 2 victories in the 500 at the time.

[e521soediv]

i love CBS'S camera that shows them coming out of the tri-oval and there amazing audio you can hear them engines so loud just how i like it instead of ABC-ESPN covering them up.

[cgdale]

You know, I don't think Yarborough's car actually touched the wall.

[LusterPurge94]

actually, i'm pretty sure the front bumper brushed the wall, if you look closely during the collision

[chadloflin20]

The first race that was covered live from green to checkered; and there's a fight. Wow!

[markpde]

I live in Scotland, and I was listening to this 'live' in 1979 on the American Forces Network on the radio, but I lost the signal on the last lap! Yarborough was leading... then when the signal came back, Petty was crossing the line to win! This is the first time I've actually seen (and heard!) what happened - 29 years later!!! :)

[wolves16]

It took you nearly 30 years to see this? You must not have tried very hard.

[Friedchicken80]

Until the internet era, it was very hard know many things about Nascar if you didn't live in USA. I'm not american, I'm a nascar fan and its really hard even today watch nascar races because you can't watch them in TV, except in some TV private channels.

[sawboss17]

Brother I feel the same way about F1.I was at the Fire Cracker (PEPSI) 400 at DAYTONA IN 1970! I just moved down from Alabama. As my little brother and I would run up against the turn 4 fence, even the big boys didn't want to catch THE CRAP IN THEIR FACE THAT WE DID! $ 10.00 tickets never tasted so good!

[XC0688]

Those were the good ole days

[RacinFreek2448]

been wantin to see the whole thing... what is the text used in the begining(not from the race) and where can I download it?

[sxw]

The end of the race put NASCAR on the national map. The fight and Petty winning his 6th Daytona 500. The fight afterwards helped as well. This was also the first Daytona race for a rookie named Dale Earnhart.

[Brian211978]

Yeah. this race was also the first FULL 500 mile race ever on national TV

[AbdullahTheNecro]

what they need to do, well, not really, but it'd be cool to see a 'throw-back the clock' race, but have it count for points...use the old cars...that'd be cool...

[NateAl24]

Thank God for Restrictor Plates! Lapping cars at Daytona retarded

[dalejrgamer]

Even with plates, lapping cars is still possible. You just need to lose the draft.

[teenscream49]

lol good old fashion racing

[EnduroCrazedManiac]

AMEN, Those were REAL cars compared to the ricerockets on steroids COT cars they are running this year...

[teenscream49]

yeah its like watching tanks

[perrybdk03]

I don't know if it's been said or not, but actually Donnie backed off. The 15 car in the helicopter shot is Bobby Allison, and it was BOBBY and Cale who got into the brawl there.

[madisondanton]

I wish that they would bring ken squier and Ned Jarrett back. David Hobbs still announces for F1

[timbilly7]

this would go green-white-checker nowadays

[OA276]

no they wouldnt its the last lap

[sawblade5]

Nope as the leader has already taken the white flag so therefore the race would end under caution and the field would be frozen with Petty in the lead as he was the next leading car after the 2 lead cars wrecked into each other and therefore was unable to keep a pace speed.

[Nascar235]

Can't Beat the old skool racing.This is real racing at its best.

[makai818]

douchebags

[Ruddfan1997]

Bring Back Ken Squier and David Hobbs!!

[Azznbad]

Cars without restrictor plates who could actually pass at Daytona, fist fights, and Junior Johnson running moon shine. Now that was racing! lol

[Elwo0d]

From Wikipedia: "Ken Squier coined the term "The Great American Race" for the Daytona 500, and developed the in-car camera for the 1982 Daytona 500"

[zuel660]

I know it's impossible, but instead of NASCAR going to the "car of tomorrow", they should go back to these model cars! Much better racing.

[timbilly7]

except when, you know, they die

[GreenPantsguy]

Too bad racing isnt like that anymore. Drivers arent allowed to think or act the way they are, they're almost in human, structured by today's politically correct nascar. This race was true showing of what drivers were truely like. There could be races like that today if the cars weren't so nerf (overly safe)

[PYLrulz1984]

I know. Imagine if 2 drivers did that today. NASCAR would be in a hissyfit, all because they are scared of a few jokers out there saying that "theres those hillbillies acting up again".

[RDarth]

Without a doubt, the greatest moment in the history of stock car racing.

[higgy04]

I like Ken Squier's "And there's A FIGHT!!!" quote. Probably the best quote ever used to describe the end of a car race.

[Junkie133343]

i argee

[newjersey421]

I always loved Bobby Allison...!

I loved him even more, after he whipped Cale's butt...!

[newjersey421]

I always loved Bobby Allison...!

I loved him even more, after he whipped Cale's butt...!

[newjersey421]

PETTY WINS IT...!

[RichRich530]

Ken Squier is one hell of a commentator, i wish he was broadcasting today for sure, him, ned jarrett, and Benny Parsons i think were all great

[ryannewman12fan]

that race will always be remembered in nascar history thanks

[JBird30761]

What a finish to the first-ever Daytona 500 nationally televised! Thanks for uploading, I love Ken Squier's commentary.

[3fan4eva]

Dude I love Ken Squier's comentary too I always think that he is the voice of Nascar. Ive always wondered how quickly NASCAR woulda been on TV if it wasnt for this race

[meatmarket]

I loved how cool the cars sounded back then. Ken Squier is the best!

[ieatham]

Great moment in Daytona history. That was racing for the win at it's finest. Thanks for uploading man:)