1983 Talladega 500
# 1983 Talladega 500

The 1983 Talladega 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event on July 31, 1983, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.

## Qualifying

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 28 | Cale Yarborough | | | 201.744 |
| 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | | Ford | 199.675 |
| 3 | 55 | Benny Parsons | | Chevrolet | |
| 4 | 15 | Dale Earnhardt | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 199.309 |
| 5 | 90 | Dick Brooks | | | |
| 6 | 21 | Buddy Baker | | | |
| 7 | 44 | Terry Labonte | | | |
| 8 | 4 | Mark Martin | | | |
| 9 | 88 | Geoff Bodine | | | |
| 10 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 198.322 |
| 11 | 1 | Lake Speed | | | |
| 12 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 196.737 |
| 13 | 7 | Kyle Petty | | | |
| 14 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | | | |
| 15 | 16 | David Pearson | | | |
| 16 | 29 | Grant Adcox | | | |
| 17 | 3 | Ricky Rudd | | | |
| 18 | 27 | Tim Richmond | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 196.145 |
| 19 | 47 | Ron Bouchard | | | |
| 20 | 84 | Jody Ridley | | | |
| 21 | 98 | Joe Ruttman | | | |
| 22 | 17 | Sterling Marlin | | | |
| 23 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Buick | 195.090 |
| 24 | 22 | Bobby Allison | | Buick | |
| 25 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | | Chrysler | |
| 26 | 48 | Trevor Boys | | | |
| 27 | 74 | Bobby Wawak | | | |
| 28 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | | | |
| 29 | 77 | Ken Ragan | | | |
| 30 | 31 | Billie Harvey | | | |
| 31 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | | | |
| 32 | 2 | Morgan Sheperd | | | |
| 33 | 6 | Al Elmore | | | |
| 34 | 64 | Tommy Gale | | | |
| 35 | 76 | Mike Potter | | | |
| 36 | 71 | Dave Marcis | | | |
| 37 | 41 | Ronnie Thomas | | | |
| 38 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | | | |
| 39 | 78 | Dick Skillen | | | |
| 40 | 46 | Travis Tiller | | | |

## Race

Forty drivers made the grid; Trevor Boys was the only driver not to be born in the United States. The race lasted almost three hours for the scheduled 188 laps. Dick Skillen was the last-place finisher due to a crash on the first lap with Travis Tiller, Tommy Gale, Billie Harvey, Grant Adcox, and Neil Bonnett. J.D. McDuffie was the lowest-finishing driver to finish the race; he was 44 laps behind the leaders. 95,000 people attended this race. Neil Bonnett was leading the race with 12 laps to go when he pitted for fuel only. The car stalled and it took long enough to get it re-fired that Earnhardt and Waltrip were able to get by.

Cale Yarborough would qualify for the pole position with a speed of 201.744 miles per hour (324.675 km/h). Dale Earnhardt would defeat Darrell Waltrip by four car lengths in this race; securing his last victory for an owner other than Richard Childress. Harvey and Tiller would retire from NASCAR after this race. Individual earnings for each driver ranged from the winner's share of $46,950 ($137,947.98 when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place finisher's share of $1,450 ($4,260.37 when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse was $316,700 ($930,524.49 when adjusted for inflation).

### Race results

| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 4 | 15 | Dale Earnhardt | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 188 | 185 |
| 2 | 10 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 188 | 175 |
| 3 | 18 | 27 | Neil Bonnett† | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 175 |
| 4 | 12 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 188 | 165 |
| 5 | 23 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Buick | 188 | 155 |
| 6 | 9 | 88 | Geoff Bodine | Cliff Stewart Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 155 |
| 7 | 5 | 90 | Dick Brooks | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 187 | 146 |
| 8 | 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 187 | 142 |
| 9 | 24 | 22 | Bobby Allison | DiGard Motorsport | Buick | 186 | 143 |
| 10 | 8 | 4 | Mark Martin | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 186 | 143 |
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† Bonnett crashed his car on lap 2, but drove Richmond's car after Richmond retired due to debris in his eyes

### Race summary

* Lead changes: 46 among different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 2 for 16
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 2 hours, 55 minutes and 52 seconds
* Average speed: 170.611 miles per hour (274.572 km/h)

## Media

### Television

CBS Television :

| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| - | - |
| Lap-by-lap: Ken Squier Color-commentator: Ned Jarrett | Larry Nuber Mike Joy |

### Radio

MRN Radio :

| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| - | - | - |
| Lead announcer: Barney Hall Announcer: Eli Gold | Turns 1 & 2: Dave DeSpain Backstretch: Mark Garrell Turns 3 & 4: Dave Sutherland | Jerry Punch Bill Bowser |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points | Differential |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Bobby Allison | 2947 | 0 |
| | 2 | Darrell Waltrip | 2777 | -170 |
| 1 | 3 | Harry Gant | 2678 | -269 |
| 1 | 4 | Bill Elliott | 2677 | -270 |
| | 5 | Richard Petty | 2604 | -343 |
| | 6 | Neil Bonnett | 2483 | -464 |
| 1 | 7 | Joe Ruttman | 2326 | -621 |
| 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt | 2309 | -638 |
| | 9 | Ricky Rudd | 2303 | -644 |
| 3 | 10 | Terry Labonte | 2302 | -645 |
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
