1980 CRC Chemicals 500

Background

Dover Downs International Speedway, now called Dover International Speedway, is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway. The NASCAR race makes use of the track's standard configuration, a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mi long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, and both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the backstretch are banked at nine degrees.

Race report

Twenty-nine lead changes were noticed amongst 11 different drivers. Kenny Hemphill, in his penultimate start, leads a Cup race for the only time.

A combination of racing veterans and relative newcomers to the sport made the 1980 NASCAR Cup Series racing amongst the closest ever seen within the 1970s and 1980s decades. The 1980 NASCAR season was also a rare period in time where the "little teams" could compete almost on a completely equal level against the "big organizations" of stock car racing. Today, independent organizations like NEMCO Motorsports and Robby Gordon Motorsports have a very harsh degree of difficulty to overcome when trying to overtake powerhouses like Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing. The approximate time it took to complete the race was four hours and fourteen minutes using 500 laps of racing. Eight yellow flags slowed the race for 39 laps while Darrell Waltrip defeated Harry Gant by almost ½ of a second. The attendance for this paved oval track race was 35,500 live audience members. Waltrip would earn $22,900 just by winning this race ($ when adjusted for inflation).

Frank Warren would retire from NASCAR after this race along with Eddie Dickerson. Meanwhile, John Callis and Joel Stowe used this racing event to make their respective NASCAR debuts. Steve Gray was the last-place driver with a head gasket incident; earning only a meager prize amount of $450 for his 35 laps of racing ($ when adjusted for inflation). Speeds for this race were: 116.024 mph as the average racing speed and 137.583 mph for the pole position winner Cale Yarborough. This would be one of the few races where Bobby Allison didn't win at the track that is now known as Dover International Speedway. Dale Earnhardt would have the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship after this race. This would eventually lead to his 1980 NASCAR championship.

Top 10 finishers

Standings after the race

References

before = 1980 Capital City 400| after = 1980 Holly Farms 400| title = NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season| years = 1980 |

References

1. "1980 CRC Chemicals 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac.
2. "1980 CRC Chemicals 500 racing information". Racing Reference.
3. "NASCAR Race Tracks". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
4. "NASCAR Tracks—The Dover International Speedway". Dover International Speedway.
5. "General summary of the 1980 NASCAR Cup Series season". Dover Speedway.
6. "1980 CRC Chemicals 500 racing information (second reference)". Everything Stock Car.
7. "1980 CRC Chemicals 500 racing information (third reference)". Ultimate Racing History.
8. "People entering/exiting NSACAR after the 1980 CRC Chemicals 500 race w/ other information". Race Database.
9. "Dale Earnhardt's championship hopes". Driver Averages.
10. "Dale Earnhardt's 1980 Championship Win". Driver Averages.