|| *Comments on the 1979 Coca-Cola 500:* View the most recent comment <#24> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. MASH_guy posted: 06.14.2005 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) There were 56 lead changes in this race - a Pocono record, and one of the few races with 50+ that wasn't at Talladega. 2. Matt posted: 12.17.2005 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Earnhardt was injured in this race and missed the next four races. 3. je24go posted: 02.28.2006 - 8:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anyone know why DW drove the 22 and not the 88? 4. Steve posted: 05.05.2006 - 5:16 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, there was a race a few years later for which Richard Petty's car was disqualified for. He bought a ride from D.K. Ulrich to start the race. This may have been the same sort of deal. 5. nascarman posted: 05.26.2006 - 1:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Darrell's car was owned by Al Rudd not Digard so I guess he didn't qualify in the Digard car and bought the 22 car. 6. Michael posted: 01.10.2007 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Was this race postponed from the previous day because of rain ? I have a ticket dated July 29th, and the race was run on the 30th. Thank you. 7. Destiny posted: 09.21.2007 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First start for Henley Gray's son Steve. 8. SK posted: 11.18.2007 - 8:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It took 62 starts, but Ricky Rudd finally collects his first lead-lap finish in Winston Cup, nevertheless managing to collect 20 top-10s prior to this event. These WERE quite different times... 9. SK posted: 12.15.2007 - 11:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And Harry Gant earns his first career pole. 10. bechtel posted: 01.14.2009 - 1:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DW wrecked in practice and had to buy his way into the race since he didn't have a backup car. and yes, it was rained out and run on monday. 11. stricklinfan82 posted: 01.15.2009 - 11:48 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Darrell Waltrip was running 2nd when the caution came out with 5 laps to go. He and Neil Bonnett ducked into the pits and changed tires to make a run for the win. Unfortunately for them, NASCAR decided not to restart the race and allowed the final 4 laps to be run out behind the pace car. The 24 points Waltrip lost by dropping from 2nd to 7th proved costly when you consider he ended up losing the championship by a mere 11 points. 12. Anonymous posted: 11.16.2010 - 1:31 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) Only 39 cars showed up for this race, so no one DNQ'd for this event. During qualifying an unnamed driver dared James Hylton to turn the slowest lap he could while qualifying. Hylton turned in a blistering 45 mph average for the lap, and NASCAR officials promptly fined him $500. 13. Richard Guido posted: 06.13.2011 - 1:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I had forgotten the last caution but remember listening this race on the radio. This event has to be one of the most competitive races in the last 30 plus years. Listening to Barney Hall call this one was incredible with a freight train of cars drafting and swapping positions for a majority of the even. Not the same theses days for sure. 14. Tracey Gilbert Dallow posted: 04.26.2013 - 9:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) I believe that the race would have had forty entries, counting Darrell Waltrip's #88 that couldn't start the race. 15. Jonathan posted: 06.21.2013 - 6:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think what lead to such a competitive race was the big cars punching such a big hole in the air, similar to the Trucks nowadays. I wish we had a longer wheelbase Cup car, not only to fit the current production models that run in NASCAR, but to improve competition and make cars harder to handle. 16. The Great Dave posted: 07.13.2013 - 6:32 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Harry Gant won the pole because he used McCreary Tires. 17. Steve posted: 03.23.2014 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Most recent Cup race with no Wisconsin drivers in the field. This 1119 race streak (as of the end of 2013) is now the longest among actively represented states. 18. 23andJoe posted: 04.02.2014 - 6:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #47 crew chief: Bob Johnson 19. Rob posted: 07.04.2017 - 3:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The race was run on Monday. I remember having to go to work as the race started. 20. Scott B posted: 12.18.2017 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only Cup race where Jocko Maggiacomo was running at the finish in his self-owned car. He was also RAF in two later starts for Jim Rosenblum, leaving him a dismal 3 for 23 overall. AFAIK, none of those were planned start & parks. 21. Anonymous posted: 09.24.2018 - 7:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There's a bit more to that James Hylton story. Richard Childress was the other driver and they actually had a bet about who could run the slowest lap. Childress won the bet with the slower lap, and both drivers were fined. 22. Ivan Balakhonov posted: 10.26.2018 - 12:58 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Just found the article in GNS about James Hylton's qualifying attempt. Before the qualifying NASCAR decided to check the height of every car in the line. Hylton's car was among the ones that was found to be too low. James was sent to the end of the qualifying line, however he observed that some teams were permitted to make adjustments on the spot without losing the place in the line. Since there were 40 cars for a 40-car field, there was no risk to miss the race so in a kind of a protest to the officials' decision, James declared that he would qualify at 93.650 mph, turning only 4,000 RPMs. He bet three people $5 each and won $15. Gene Granger in his article didn't name who participated in the betting. NASCAR found this detrimental to the sport and fined Hylton $250. He had no intention to pay the fine but how this story ended I don't know yet. Still, this is another example of NASCAR roughing the small guys while big names were getting away with murder. 23. Ryan posted: 09.15.2019 - 10:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Unbelievable that there were 56 lead changes in this race. The most anyone led in one setting was 22 laps and that was by Dale Earnhardt, and after that it was 12. This race Earnhardt had a bad crash and set out four races during his rookie season. Darrell Waltrip pretty much lost the championship pitting late like he did. 24. MSportRev posted: 05.17.2020 - 2:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Darrell Waltrip qualified 3rd, but DiGard withdrew the car after he crash in practice. DC: Al Rudd Jr. No. 22 Chevrolet. WD: Darrell Waltrip No. 88 Gatorade Chevrolet Source: Ultimate Racing History ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: