The 1979 Coca-Cola 500 was a NASCAR

NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on July 30, 1979 at Pocono International Raceway

Pocono Raceway

Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...

 in Long Pond

Long Pond, Pennsylvania

Long Pond is an unincorporated community in Monroe County in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania, a part of the Appalachian Mountains. The zip code is 18334....

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

.

Summary

While originally scheduled for July 29, 1979, it was postponed one day due to rain.

Two hundred laps were completed in four hours and twenty minutes. Seven cautions flags were given out by NASCAR for 49 laps; Cale Yarborough

Cale Yarborough

William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...

 eventually defeated Richard Petty

Richard Petty

Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...

 under the race's final yellow flag. This would result in Yarborough's third win of the year. Forty thousand fans attended a live racing event where the average speed of the vehicles would be 115.207 miles per hour (185.4 km/h). Harry Gant

Harry Gant

Harry Phil Gant is a retired American racecar driver best known for driving the #33 Skoal Bandit car on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit during the 1980s and 1990s.-Nicknames:...

 qualified for the pole position with a speed of 148.711 miles per hour (239.3 km/h). The majority of the vehicles involved in the race had Chevrolet

Chevrolet

Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 as their manufacturer. Steve Gray

Steve Gray (NASCAR driver)

Steve Gray is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver who competed from 1979 to 1985 in six different races. Gray has competed in 1321 laps while leading none of them. His average start is 32nd place and his average finish is 29th place; making him finish races generally better than he started...

 would make his NASCAR debut that resulted in a last-place finish. He crashed on the very first lap of the race with Roger Hamby and Al Holbert

Al Holbert

Alvah Robert "Al" Holbert was an American automobile racing driver who was a five-time champion of the IMSA Camel GT series.- Life and career :...

; taking home only $1,305 in winnings ($ in today's money).

Cale Yarborough would take home $21,465 in winnings for finishing first in the race ($ in today's money). More than 50 lead changes were recorded in the race; a rarity outside Talladega Superspeedway

Talladega Superspeedway

Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...

. Dale Earnhardt

Dale Earnhardt

Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...

 fractured both of his clavicle

Clavicle

In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...

s by crashing into a wall on lap 98 of this race. As a result, he had to miss the next four races (re-emerging at the 1979 running of the Capital City 400). All of the 39 drivers that qualified for the race were American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

-born males.