1979 World 600
# 1979 World 600

The 1979 World 600, the 20th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that was held on May 27, 1979, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

Before the performance, a skydiver was brought in to bring thrills to the audience; he would parachute into one of the turns. There was also an invocation service followed by the national anthem.

## Race report

Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt would fight it out on the closing laps of this race; Richard Petty would make a comeback and lose to Darrell Waltrip by six seconds.

Dick Brooks had terminal damage to his vehicle on lap 10. Blackie Wangerin would spin his vehicle out on lap 29 but would ultimately finish the race. Bill Elliott blew his engine on lap 36. Connie Saylor ended up crashing his vehicle on lap 114 while Bobby Fisher's race would end on lap 136. Glenn Jarrett spun his vehicle out on lap 167. Bobby Allison's had engine problems on lap 186 but he would finish the race.

While Earnhardt led 122 laps, Waltrip would mount an incredible racing strategy; leading at the most opportune times in the race. While Bobby Allison had engine problems, Tighe Scott had a tie rod issue on lap 372. Ron Hutcherson and Chuck Bown would fail to start the race due to various issues with their vehicle. There were 41 drivers on the starting grid. The duration of this race was 263 minutes with an audience of 136,000 in attendance for what would become a race loaded with lead changes. Chevrolet vehicles dominated the starting grid.

Winnings for this event ranged from the winner's portion of $55,400 ($223,378 when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place of $1,165 ($4,697 when adjusted for inflation). from a grand total of $321,780 ($1,297,448 when adjusted for inflation).

On May 16, 18-year-old Kyle Petty crashed twice during private tests. Two Dodges were badly damaged and his father Richard withdrew him from the race because he was not ready.

### Qualifying

| Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Mercury |
| 2 | 43 | Richard Petty | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 27 | Benny Parsons | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Oldsmobile |
| 6 | 1 | Donnie Allison | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 15 | Bobby Allison | Ford |
| 8 | 28 | Buddy Baker | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Mercury |
| 10 | 90 | Ricky Rudd | Mercury |
| 11 | 72 | Joe Millikan | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 14 | Coo Coo Marlin | Chevrolet |
| 13 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet |
| 15 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet |

Withdrew from race: Kyle Petty

## Finishing order

Section reference:

* Darrell Waltrip
* Richard Petty
* Dale Earnhardt
* Cale Yarborough
* Benny Parsons
* Ricky Rudd
* Terry Labonte
* Al Holbert
* Lennie Pond
* Richard Childress
* Grant Adcox
* Buddy Arrington
* J.D. McDuffie
* Ronnie Thomas
* Blackie Wangerin
* Tighe Scott
* Cecil Gordon
* D.K. Ulrich
* Jim Vandiver
* Tommy Gale
* Frank Warren
* Bobby Allison
* Harry Gant
* Bruce Hill
* Neil Bonnett
* Dave Marcis
* Joe Millikan
* Bill Dennis
* Glenn Jarrett
* Coo Coo Marlin
* Bobby Fisher
* Skip Manning
* James Hylton
* Connie Saylor
* Travis Tiller
* Buddy Baker
* Donnie Allison
* Bill Elliott
* Dick Brooks
* Chuck Bown
* Ron Hutcherson

## Standings after the race

| Pos | Driver | Points | Differential |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Darrell Waltrip | 2066 | 0 |
| 2 | Bobby Allison | 2013 | -53 |
| 3 | Cale Yarborough | 1897 | -169 |
| 4 | Richard Petty | 1887 | -179 |
| 5 | Dale Earnhardt | 1756 | -310 |
| 6 | Benny Parsons | 1749 | -317 |
| 7 | Joe Millikan | 1730 | -336 |
| 8 | D.K. Ulrich | 1582 | -484 |
| 9 | Terry Labonte | 1576 | -490 |
| 10 | Richard Childress | 1541 | -525 |
