1980 Warner W. Hodgdon 400
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 15 of 31 in the 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Riverside International Raceway | |||
| Date | June 8, 1980 | ||
| Official name | Warner W. Hodgdon 400 | ||
| Location | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.700 mi (4.345 km) | ||
| Distance | 119 laps, 211.8 mi (401.7 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures approaching 87.1 °F (30.6 °C); wind speeds up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 101.846 miles per hour (163.905 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 18,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Junior Johnson | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver |
Darrell Waltrip/Bobby Allison (tied) | DiGard/Bud Moore | |
| Laps | 23 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Darrell Waltrip | DiGard | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Untelevised | ||
| Announcers | None | ||
The 1980 Warner W. Hodgdon 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on June 8, 1980, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.
By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore. Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day. Road courses were one of the more attractive features for NASCAR during the 1980 Winston Cup Series season. NASCAR would develop a "fetish" for mile and a half tracks by the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
Summary
Darrell Waltrip would beat Neil Bonnett by less than half a second in front of 18000 fans in attendance.[2] There were 18 different changes in the first-place position while there would be five different caution periods for 15 laps.[2][3] Cale Yarborough would qualify for the pole position with a qualifying speed of 113.792 miles per hour (183.130 km/h) while the average speed of the race would be 101.846 miles per hour (163.905 km/h).[2][3] Cecil Gordon would earn his last top-ten finish at this race.[2] Other famous drivers who raced here included: Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, Terry Labonte, and Richard Childress (now the owner of Richard Childress Racing).[2][3]
D.K. Ulrich would finish last in the race due to an engine issue on the pace laps of this 95-lap race.[2][4] He would make $1,000 just for qualifying ($2,871.97 when adjusted for inflation) while Waltrip went home with an extra $22,100 in his bank account ($63,470.56 when adjusted for inflation).[2][4][5]
The race was named after famous race team owner/sponsor, owner of 12 race tracks, local city redeveloper, and philanthropist Warner Hodgdon.
Roy Smith was the only Canadian to appear in a 36-driver grid of mostly American-born competitors.[2] He would drive for NASCAR team owner Robert Beadle.[2] Don Waterman would make his NASCAR Winston Cup Series debut at this race.[3] The only driver who failed to qualify for the race was Gene Thoensen; an independent driver who was the driver of the unsponsored #77 machine.[2]
Top twenty finishers
- Darrell Waltrip
- Neil Bonnett
- Benny Parsons
- Cale Yarborough
- Dale Earnhardt
- Dave Marcis, 1 lap down
- Harry Gant, 1 lap down
- Richard Petty, 2 laps down
- J.D. McDuffie, 2 laps down
- Cecil Gordon, 2 laps down
- Jody Ridley, 3 laps down
- James Hylton, 3 laps down
- Bill Schmitt, 3 laps down
- Buddy Arrington, 3 laps down
- Bobby Allison, 4 laps down
- Ronnie Thomas, 4 laps down
- Don Puskarich, 5 laps down
- Richard Childress, 6 laps down
- Joe Booher, 12 laps down
- Jim Robinson, 13 laps down
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 2255 |
| 2 | Richard Petty | 2219 |
| 3 | Cale Yarborough | 2174 |
| 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 2159 |
| 5 | Bobby Allison | 2027 |
References
- ↑ Weather information for the 1980 Warner W. Hodgdon 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1980 Warner W. Hodgdon 400 race information at Racing-Reference.info
- 1 2 3 4 1980 Warner W. Hodgdon 400 race information at Race-Database.com
- 1 2 1980 Warner W. Hodgdon 400 racing information at FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
- ↑ 1980 Warner W. Hodgdon 400 race information at DriverAverages.com
| Preceded by 1980 NASCAR 400 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1980 |
Succeeded by 1980 Gabriel 400 |