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1980 Daytona 500

Auto race held at Daytona International Speedway in 1980

Field	Value
Year	1980
Details ref
Type	NASWINSTON
Race_No	2
Season_No	31
Image	1980_Daytona_500_program_cover_and_logo.jpg
Caption	1980 Daytona 500 program cover
Fulldate
Distance_laps	200
Distance_mi	500
Distance_km	804.672
Weather	Temperatures of 77 F; wind speeds of 19.4 mph
Avg	177.602 mi/h
Pole_Driver	Buddy Baker
Pole_Team	Ranier-Lundy Racing
Pole_Time	46.368
Duel1	Neil Bonnett
One_Team	Wood Brothers Racing
Duel2	Donnie Allison
Two_Team	Hoss Ellington
Most_Driver	Buddy Baker
Most_Team	Ranier-Lundy Racing
Most_laps	143
Car	28
First_Driver	Buddy Baker
First_Team	Ranier-Lundy Racing
Network	CBS
Announcers	Lap-by-lap: Ken Squier
Driver analyst: David Hobbs
Pit reporter: Ned Jarrett
Pit reporter: Brock Yates

Driver analyst: David Hobbs Pit reporter: Ned Jarrett Pit reporter: Brock Yates

The 22nd annual Daytona 500 was held February 17, 1980, at Daytona International Speedway. Buddy Baker started the decade by winning the fastest Daytona 500 in history, at 177.602 mi/h, it was Baker's only 500 win and did so in his 18th start, the longest until Dale Earnhardt in 1998.

Race report

The 1980 Daytona Speedweeks was marred by the death of Ricky Knotts, who was killed in a crash during the heat races that determine the starting field, as a result of a broken seat mount. The field of 40 cars was determined by the format consisting of the top two speeds in qualifying, top 14 non-qualified cars in each heat race, and the top ten cars on qualifying speed among cars that did not finish in the top 15 in their heat. The top two owners of 1979 among non-qualified cars (provisional starters) that made an attempt filled the field to 42.

Buddy Baker scored a dominant victory, leading 150 of 200 laps. Bonnett was on the lead lap in the final lap when his engine failed. By rule, he finished ahead of Earnhardt, who was one lap down and since Bonnett started his 200th lap, could not be caught for third. The fast pace of the race contributed to many engine failures. Earnhardt started his 20 years of Daytona 500 misfortune when, while running a close 2nd behind Baker, his team left one lugnut off a wheel on the final pit stop which forced Earnhardt to pit again, dropping a lap off the pace.

Dave Marcis drove this race with a broken rib after a crash at the end of the Sportsman 300 the day before this race; ultimately finishing in 22nd place.

Race results

Pos	Grid	No.	Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Laps	Time/Retired	Led
1	28	Buddy Baker	Ranier-Lundy Racing	Oldsmobile	200	2:48:55	143	185
9	15	Bobby Allison	Bud Moore Engineering	Mercury	200	Lead lap, under caution	9	175
3	21	Neil Bonnett	Wood Brothers Racing	Mercury	199	Engine	8	170
32	2	Dale Earnhardt	Rod Osterlund Racing	Oldsmobile	199	+1 Lap	10	165
14	27	Benny Parsons	M. C. Anderson Racing	Oldsmobile	197	+3 Laps	0	155
17	44	Terry Labonte	Hagan Racing	Oldsmobile	197	+3 Laps	0	150
2	1	Donnie Allison	Ellington Racing	Oldsmobile	195	+5 Laps	2	151
36	14	Sterling Marlin	Cunningham-Kelley Racing	Chevrolet	194	+6 Laps	0	142
12	75	Lennie Pond	RahMoc Enterprises	Buick	194	+6 Laps	0	138
27	90	Jody Ridley	Donlavey Racing	Mercury	194	+6 Laps	0	134
18	82	Janet Guthrie	Rod Osterlund Racing	Chevrolet	193	+7 Laps	0	130
24	9	Bill Elliott	Elliott Racing	Mercury	192	+8 Laps	0	127
22	3	Richard Childress	Richard Childress Racing	Oldsmobile	190	+10 Laps	0	124
39	53	Slick Johnson	Johnson Racing	Chevrolet	189	+11 Laps	0	121
26	52	Jimmy Means	Jimmy Means Racing	Buick	188	+12 Laps	0	118
23	17	Don Whittington	Hamby Motorsports	Chevrolet	187	+13 Laps	0	115
28	74	Joe Booher	Wawak Racing	Buick	186	+14 Laps	0	–
6	33	John Anderson	Draime Enterprises	Oldsmobile	183	Vibration	0	109
5	11	Cale Yarborough	Junior Johnson & Associates	Oldsmobile	183	+17 Laps	24	111
29	64	Tommy Gale	Langley Racing	Ford	176	+24 Laps	0	103
19	24	Cecil Gordon	Gordon Racing	Oldsmobile	176	+24 Laps	0	100
13	71	Dave Marcis	Marcis Auto Racing	Oldsmobile	174	+26 Laps	0	97
20	73	Bill Schmitt	Schmitt Motorsports	Oldsmobile	172	Engine	0	94
38	05	Bill Elswick	RahMoc Enterprises	Oldsmobile	161	Engine	0	91
4	43	Richard Petty	Petty Enterprises	Oldsmobile	157	Clutch	4	93
37	48	James Hylton	Hylton Motorsports	Oldsmobile	155	+45 Laps	0	85
25	19	J. D. McDuffie	Gray Racing	Buick	150	Engine	0	82
34	00	John Utsman	Ed Whitaker	Chevrolet	149	+51 Laps	0	79
33	25	Ronnie Thomas	Robertson Racing	Buick	134	Engine	0	76
21	8	Kevin Housby	Housby Racing	Oldsmobile	80	Engine	0	73
11	51	A. J. Foyt	A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Oldsmobile	69	Quit	0	70
42	40	Bill Whittington	Ulrich Racing	Buick	66	Engine	0	67
35	50	Bruce Hill	Ballard Racing	Oldsmobile	57	Engine	0	64
8	72	Joe Millikan	DeWitt Racing	Oldsmobile	52	Engine	0	61
15	68	Chuck Bown	Testa Racing	Oldsmobile	50	Clutch	0	58
41	7	Dick Brooks	Nelson Malloch Racing	Oldsmobile	44	Axle	0	55
40	89	Jim Vandiver	O. L. Nixon	Oldsmobile	38	Transmission	0	52
30	79	Jim Hurlbert	Warren Racing	Dodge	33	Clutch	0	49
16	30	Tighe Scott	Ballard Racing	Buick	24	Engine	0	46
7	88	Darrell Waltrip	DiGard Racing	Oldsmobile	20	Engine	0	43
31	67	Buddy Arrington	Arrington Racing	Dodge	17	Engine	0	40
10	47	Harry Gant	Race Hill Farm Team	Oldsmobile	15	Engine	0	37

References

"1980 Daytona 500". Racing-Reference.info.
[https://www.almanac.com/weather/history/FL/Daytona%20Beach/1980-02-17 Weather information for the ''1980 Daytona 500''] at Old Farmers Almanac
Aumann, Mark. (January 26, 2005). "Daytona Countdown: '80". Turner Sports.
(February 14, 1987). "Driver Young dies in crash at Daytona". [[Chicago Sun-Times]].
Holliman, Ray. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19800215&id=NPALAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L1oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2312,5996055 Desire for success kills Ricky Knotts], ''St. Petersburg Times'', February 15, 1980, Retrieved 2010-06-25
[https://www.racing-reference.info/race/1980-02/W 1980 Daytona 500]

Info: Wikipedia Source

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