1979 Daytona 500

Richard Petty wins in one of the most exciting Daytona 500 finishes in history. Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough are running 1-2 at the white flag lap but tangle down the backstretch, giving Richard his 6th Daytona 500 victory. This was the first live flag-to-flag coverage of the Daytona 500 and a national audience saw the drama unfold as Cale and Donnie's brother Bobby fight after the crash. This was also the first Daytona 500 start for Dale Earnhardt, finishing a respectable 8th place position and leading 10 laps throughout the race.

Time of race: 3:28:22
Average Speed: 143.977 mph
Pole Speed: 196.049 mph
Cautions: 7 for 57 laps
Margin of Victory: 1 car length
Attendance: 120,000
Purse: $73,900

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Daytona
• 500's

[gbpckr34]

am i hearing david hobbs at the finish?? if so he should def get back to commentating nascar when f1 is off. great voice

[vccstudents]

Richard Petty joked about this on ESPN. He was involved in the two most famous endings to the 500. He lost the '76 race on a last lap accident with David Pearson, a race he said he should have won, and he won this one, a race he said he shouldn't have won. Things have a way of evening out!

[ItsSkaTV]

@xEKALBx I tolerate Brad. Not one of my top drivers, but not someone I hate.

[xEKALBx]

@ItsSkaTV lol, i get teased for my favorite driver, mines Brad Keselowski

[ItsSkaTV]

@xEKALBx yeah, my family teases me A LOT because I'm a Cope fan.

[xEKALBx]

@ItsSkaTV No Hope Cope

[twonine3]

Those 442's are really some of the best looking race cars ever.

[ianyodr]

what was the top speed of a car like that?

[ItsSkaTV]

One of my favorite Daytona's ever after the 1990 one.

(Derrike Cope fan)

[HadesRacing]

The greatest Daytona 500 of the all of time!!