1980 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500

The 1980 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on April 13, 1980, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

1980 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500

Race details[1][2]
Race 7 of 31 in the 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Layout of Darlington Raceway
Date	April 13, 1980 (1980-April-13)
Official name	CRC Chemicals Rebel 500
Location	Darlington Raceway (Darlington, South Carolina)
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Distance	189 laps, 258.2 mi (415.4 km)
Scheduled Distance	367 laps, 501.3 mi (806.7 km)
Weather	Warm with temperatures of 79.9 °F (26.6 °C); wind speeds up to 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h); exactly 0.31 inches (7.9 mm) of rain and hail interrupted the race
Average speed	112.397 miles per hour (180.885 km/h)
Attendance	45,000[3]
Pole position
Driver	Benny Parsons	M.C. Anderson Racing
Most laps led
Driver	David Pearson	Ellington Racing
Laps	99
Winner
No. 1	David Pearson	Ellington Racing
Television in the United States
Network	ABC
Announcers	Keith Jackson Jackie Stewart

The NASCAR Winston Cup Series was also plagued with top teams running big engines and finishing in third place to avoid inspection around the early-1980s.

Forty-five thousand fans would attend the event, interrupted by 0.31 inches or 7.9 millimetres of precipitation, shortened to the shortest race in what is now the Cup Series by percentage in Darlington history (51.50%, 189 laps, which is six laps more than an official race, which would be 184 laps), as the race was shortened because of impending darkness (Darlington did not add lights until the 2004 Southern 500).

Race report

There were 36 American-born drivers on the grid for this event. A multiple-car crash where Ricky Rudd and Richard Petty collided in Turn 1 collected numerous cars, with Neil Bonnett never completing the first lap. David Pearson would earn his final victory ever as a NASCAR Cup Series driver as defeated Benny Parsons by three seconds. Lake Speed would finish in the top ten only three races after his Cup Series debut.[3]

Most of the cars used in this racing event were Chevrolets. The race took two hours and twenty-three minutes to complete. Almost the entire "top ten" grid were driving Chevrolet vehicles. Harry Gant would achieve his first top five finish in this event; marking a precedence for more than 100 top five finishes. Winnings for this race varied from $21,340 for the winner ($66,218 when adjusted for inflation) to $1,800 for the last-place finisher ($5,585 when adjusted for inflation). [3] The total purse was $173,565 ($538,570 when adjusted for inflation).[4]

Melvin Revis would retire from NASCAR Cup Series competition after this race while David Pearson would not win again.[5]

Notable crew chiefs for this event were Junie Donlavey, Joey Arrington, Darrell Bryant, Dale Inman, D.K. Ulrich, Waddell Wilson, Kirk Shelmerdine, Jake Elder among others.[6]

Qualifying

Grid[3]	No.	Driver	Manufacturer
1	27	Benny Parsons	Chevrolet
2	1	David Pearson	Chevrolet
3	11	Cale Yarborough	Chevrolet
4	40	Ricky Rudd	Chevrolet
5	2	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet
6	28	Buddy Baker	Chevrolet
7	43	Richard Petty	Chevrolet
8	71	Dave Marcis	Chevrolet
9	44	Terry Labonte	Chevrolet
10	47	Harry Gant	Chevrolet
11	21	Neil Bonnett	Mercury
12	15	Bobby Allison	Ford
13	68	Lennie Pond	Chevrolet
14	64	Tommy Gale	Ford
15	7	Dick Brooks	Chevrolet

Finishing order

Section reference: [3]

1. David Pearson (No. 1)
2. Benny Parsons (No. 27)
3. Harry Gant (No. 47)
4. Darrell Waltrip (No. 88)
5. Dick Brooks (No. 7)
6. Lennie Pond (No. 68)
7. Joe Millikan (No. 72)
8. Lake Speed (No. 66)
9. Richard Petty (No. 43)
10. Jody Ridley (No. 90)
11. Sterling Marlin (No. 5)
12. Cale Yarborough* (No. 11)
13. Bobby Wawak (No. 74)
14. Buddy Arrington (No. 67)
15. Tommy Gale (No. 64)
16. Roger Hamby (No. 17)
17. John Anderson (No. 19)
18. James Hylton (No. 48)
19. Ricky Rudd (No. 40)
20. Bill Elswick (No. 75)
21. Richard Childress (No. 3)
22. J.D. McDuffie (No. 70)
23. Dave Marcis* (No. 71)
24. Dick May (No. 99)
25. Slick Johnson (No. 53)
26. Ronnie Thomas* (No. 25)
27. Buck Simmons* (No. 12)
28. Jimmy Means (No. 25)
29. Dale Earnhardt* (No. 2)
30. Bobby Allison* (No. 15)
31. Baxter Price* (No. 45)
32. Terry Labonte* (No. 44)
33. Melvin Revis* (No. 59)
34. Cecil Gordon* (No. 82)
35. Buddy Baker* (No. 28)
36. Neil Bonnett* (No. 21)

* Driver failed to finish race

Timeline

Section reference: [3]

• Start of race: David Pearson was leading the racing grid as the green flag was waved.
• Lap 14: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from David Pearson.
• Lap 28: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt.
• Lap 29: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
• Lap 32: Dale Earnhardt took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
• Lap 33: David Pearson took over the lead from Dale Earnhardt.
• Lap 87: Lennie Pond took over the lead from David Pearson.
• Lap 88: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
• Lap 123: Benny Parsons took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
• Lap 135: Darrell Waltrip took over the lead from Benny Parsons.
• Lap 150: Benny Parsons took over the lead from Darrell Waltrip.
• Lap 158: David Pearson took over the lead from Benny Parsons.
• Finish: David Pearson was pronounced the winner of the event.

Standings after the race

Pos	Driver	Points[3]	Differential
1	Dale Earnhardt	1106	0
2	Bobby Allison	1013	-93
3	Darrell Waltrip	1002	-104
4	Richard Petty	962	-144
5	Cale Yarborough	927	-179

References

1. 1980 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
2. Amount of precipitation that ended the 1980 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
3. 1980 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 racing information at Racing Reference
4. 1980 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
5. 1980 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 racing information at Race Database
6. 1980 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 crew chiefs at Racing Reference

Preceded by 1980 Valleydale Southeastern 500	NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1980	Succeeded by 1980 Northeastern Bank 400