Wikipedia

1982 Winston 500

The 1982 Winston 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place May 2, 1982, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama.

1982 Winston 500
Race details[1][2]
Race 9 of 30 in the 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
The program from the 1982 Winston 500.
The program from the 1982 Winston 500.
Date May 2, 1982 (1982-May-02)
Official name Winston 500
Location Alabama International Motor Speedway, Talladega, Alabama
Course 2.660 mi (4.280 km)
Distance 188 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km)
Weather Cloudy with temperatures of 81.0 °F (27.2 °C); wind speeds averaging 3.3 miles per hour (5.3 km/h)
Average speed 156.597 miles per hour (252.018 km/h)
Attendance 100,000[3]
Pole position
Driver
Ranier-Lundy Racing
Most laps led
Driver Benny Parsons Ranier-Lundy Racing
Laps 84
Winner
No. 11 Darrell Waltrip Johnson Hodgdon Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins
Larry Nuber

The makes of the cars in the race were 1 Oldsmobile, 9 Pontiacs, 5 Fords, 1 Chevrolet, 1 Dodge, and 24 Buicks.[2][4]

Background

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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.[5]

Qualifying

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Benny Parsons won the pole position with a qualifying speed of 200.176 miles per hour (322.152 km/h);[3] the first 200+ MPH qualifying speed in NASCAR history.[2][6] It broke the previous qualifying record of 199.658 miles per hour (321.318 km/h) set in 1970 by Bobby Isaac.

Grid[3] No. Driver Qual. speed
1 28 Benny Parsons 200.176
2 11 Darrell Waltrip 199.446
3 3 Ricky Rudd 199.388
4 44 Terry Labonte 197.860
5 50 Geoffrey Bodine 197.497
6 27 Cale Yarborough 197.379
7 9 Bill Elliott 196.609
8 47 Ron Bouchard 196.343
9 43 Richard Petty 195.993
10 71 Dave Marcis 195.705
11 02 Mark Martin 195.673
12 88 Bobby Allison 195.481
13 1 Buddy Baker 195.166
14 33 Harry Gant 195.035
15 42 Kyle Petty 194.686
16 98 Morgan Shepherd 194.473
17 37 Donnie Allison 194.181
18 96 Elliott Forbes-Robinson 193.749
19 21 Neil Bonnett 193.422
20 15 Dale Earnhardt 192.797
21 75 Joe Ruttman 194.200
22 62 Rick Wilson 194.098
23 24 Lennie Pond 191.559
24 2 Tim Richmond 191.555
25 99 Phillip Duffie 191.482
26 66 Lowell Cowell 191.444
27 73 Steve Moore 191.218
28 17 Lake Speed 190.719
29 54 David Simko 190.537
30 19 John Anderson 189.452
31 6 Dick May1 189.141
32 67 Buddy Arrington 188.984
33 52 Jimmy Means 188.672
34 90 Jody Ridley 188.660
35 94 Tommy Gale 187.434
36 34 L.W. Wright 187.379
37 48 Slick Johnson 187.251
38 70 J.D. McDuffie 187.087
39 07 Bill Scott 186.824
40 40 Ferrell Harris 185.899

Race report

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There were 40 drivers on the grid; all of them were American-born.[3] Darrell Waltrip defeated Terry Labonte by approximately three car lengths even though Labonte had a fender under Waltrip coming to the finish line.[7] Waltrip earned $44,250 for winning the race ($139,708 when adjusted for inflation).[3][2][4] In the final laps before the checkered flag, the race became a battle between Benny Parsons, Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte and Kyle Petty. Parsons would lead seven of those laps while Waltrip led 13 followed by Labonte leading two.[3] The green flag was waved at 1:00 P.M. while the checkered flag was waved at approximately 4:19 P.M.; There were eight cautions for 39 laps.[3][2] There were 51 lead changes and the average speed of the race was 156.597 miles per hour (252.018 km/h).[3][2] The race covered 188 laps of the 2.660-mile (4.281 km) track, totaling 500.1 miles (804.8 km).[3] Attendance was announced at 100,000 spectators.[3]

David Simko crashed his vehicle on lap 4 while L. W. Wright blew his engine on lap 13. Further engine failures would be caused by Jody Ridley on lap 16, Cale Yarborough on lap 17 and Ron Bouchard on lap 23. Steve Moore's vehicle developed problems with its clutch that forced Moore out of the race on lap 32. Lake Speed blew his engine on lap 39 while Geoffrey Bodine did the same thing on lap 53. A valve sidelined Rick Wilson on lap 57. Lennie Pond would cause terminal damage to his vehicle on lap 66 while Dave Marcis blew his engine on the same lap. Elliott Forbes-Robinson would be relegated to the sidelines due to a nonworking engine on lap 73 while a problematic piston took Bill Scott out of the race on lap 75.[3]

Richard Petty had an issue with his vehicle's fuel pump that would knock him out of the race on lap 82 while transmission problems took out Bill Elliott on lap 100. Buddy Baker developed steering problems with his vehicle on lap 109; forcing his early exit from the race. An engine issue took out Joe Ruttman on lap 159 and John Anderson on lap 164.[3]

Terry Labonte took the championship lead after this race.[3] Ferrel Harris would retire after this race with a 23rd-place finish.[3][2] One-time NASCAR driver L. W. Wright would race his only professional stock car event on this day.[8] The sole Chevrolet driver on the grid, L. W. Wright was a con artist who managed to swindle people into financing him getting a ride for this race, as well as an attempt at another at the next race where he failed to make the grid.[9] His credentials as a licensed NASCAR driver were not requested during the early 1980s.

Results

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Pos Grid Car No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Laps Led Time/Retired Pts.
1 2 11 Darrell Waltrip Johnson Hodgdon Racing Buick 188 54 3:11:19 180
2 4 44 Terry Labonte Hagan Enterprises Buick 188 21 +1 car length 175
3 1 28 Benny Parsons Ranier-Lundy Racing Pontiac 188 84 +3 car lengths 175
4 15 42 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 188 0 +4 car lengths 160
5 16 98 Morgan Shepherd Benfield Racing Buick 188 5 lead lap 160
6 17 37 Donnie Allison Rogers Racing Buick 186 1 +2 laps 155
7 24 2 Tim Richmond Jim Stacy Racing Buick 186 0 +2 laps 0
8 20 15 Dale Earnhardt Bud Moore Engineering Ford 186 3 +2 laps 147
9 33 52 Jimmy Means Means Racing Buick 184 0 +4 laps 138
10 11 02 Mark Martin Bud Reeder Racing Buick 184 0 +4 laps 134
11 32 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Dodge 184 1 +4 laps 135
12 37 48 Slick Johnson Hylton Engineering Buick 183 0 +5 laps 0
13 12 88 Bobby Allison DiGard Motorsports Buick 182 8 +6 laps 129
14 14 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Buick 182 4 +6 laps 126
15 31 6 Dick May1 Buick 181 0 +7 laps 118
16 35 94 Tommy Gale Langley Racing Ford 180 0 +8 laps 115
17 25 99 Phillip Duffie (R) Duffie Racing Buick 179 0 +9 laps 112
18 38 70 J.D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac 177 0 +11 laps 109
19 19 21 Neil Bonnett Wood Brothers Racing Ford 165 1 +13 laps 111
20 30 19 John Anderson Gray Racing Buick 164 0 Engine 103
21 26 66 Lowell Cowell Hamby Racing Buick 161 0 +27 laps 100
22 21 75 Joe Ruttman RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 159 0 Engine 97
23 40 40 Ferrel Harris Ulrich Racing Buick 146 0 +42 laps 0
24 3 3 Ricky Rudd Richard Childress Racing Pontiac 116 1 +72 laps 96
25 13 1 Buddy Baker Ellington Racing Buick 109 0 Steering 88
26 7 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 100 0 Transmission 85
27 9 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 82 0 Fuel pump 82
28 39 07 Bill Scott (R) Brown Racing Buick 75 0 Piston 79
29 18 96 Elliott Forbes-Robinson Cronkrite Racing Buick 73 0 Engine 76
30 10 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Buick 66 0 Contact 73
31 23 24 Lennie Pond Gordon Racing Buick 66 1 Contact 75
32 22 62 Rick Wilson Wilson Racing Oldsmobile 57 0 Valves 67
33 5 50 Geoffrey Bodine Cliff Stewart Racing Pontiac 53 0 Engine 0
34 26 17 Lake Speed Hamby Racing Buick 39 0 Engine 61
35 27 73 Steve Moore Moore Racing Pontiac 32 4 Clutch 63
36 8 47 Ron Bouchard Race Hill Farm Team Buick 23 0 Engine 55
37 6 27 Cale Yarborough M. C. Anderson Racing Buick 17 0 Engine 52
38 34 90 Jody Ridley Donlavey Racing Ford 16 0 Engine 49
39 36 34 L. W. Wright (R) Music City Racing Chevrolet 13 0 Engine 02
40 29 54 David Simko (R) Simko Racing Pontiac 4 0 Contact 43
Sources:[3][10]

Notes

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  • ^1 Sources conflict as to whether Dick May or D. K. Ulrich raced in the 1982 Winston 500.
  • ^2 L. W. Wright did not receive any driver points, as a late entrant to the race.

Standings after the race

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Pos Driver Points[3] Differential
1   Terry Labonte 1410 0
2   Darrell Waltrip 1335 -75
3   Benny Parsons 1309 -101
4   Harry Gant 1258 -162
5   Bobby Allison 1225 -185
6   Morgan Shepherd 1189 -221
7   Dale Earnhardt 1183 -227
8   Buddy Arrington 1150 -260
9   Richard Petty 1101 -309
10   Jimmy Means 1064 -346

References

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  1. ^ "1982 Winston 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. 2012-03-10.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "1982 Winston 500 racing information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. 2011-08-12.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "1982 Winston 500 racing information". Racing Reference. 2011-07-19.
  4. ^ a b "1982 Winston 500 racing information". Driver Averages. 2011-08-10. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  5. ^ "Track Facts". talladegasuperspeedway.com. Talladega Superspeedway. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "1982 Winston 500 qualifying information". How Stuff Works. 2011-08-10. Archived from the original on 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  7. ^ "1982 Winston 500 - Finish". YouTube. 2015-06-29.
  8. ^ "L.W. Wright's Only NASCAR Race". Race Database. 2015-06-29.
  9. ^ "Ridley Heads List Of Second-Round Qualifiers". Grand National Scene. May 13, 1982. p. 9. Two drivers, Bob Schact and L.W. Wright, were not fast enough and failed to make the field.
  10. ^ "NASCAR Race Results at Talladega - May 2, 1982 [Winston 500]". www.driveraverages.com. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1982 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winston 500 races
1982 		Succeeded by
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