1982 CRC Chemicals 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1982)

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Program for the race.

Status: Lost

The 1982 CRC Chemicals 500 was the 24th race of the 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Occurring on 19th September at the Dover Downs International Speedway, the race would ultimately be won by Darrell Waltrip in a Buick, edging out Pontiac's Kyle Petty by half a length.

Background

The 1982 CRC Chemicals 500 was the 12th running of the event, with the annual race typically lasting around 500 miles in length.[1] It was one of two 1982 Winston Cup races at Dover Downs International Speedway, the other being the Mason-Dixon 500,[2] which occurred on 16th May and was won by Bobby Allison in a Chevrolet.[3] It was the fourth and final instance of the event displaying title sponsor CRC Chemicals, with the subsequent race being renamed to the Budweiser 500.[4] The CRC Chemicals 500 also has ties to the Drydene 311, having been reduced in milage since 1997 and having not been held since 2020.[4]

Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with Ricky Rudd winning the pole position in a Pontiac with a speed of 139.384 mph, resulting in him completing a circuit in 25.828 seconds.[5][1] Directly behind him was Allison, with Darrell Waltrip lining up third.[5][1]

The Race

With the starting order decided, the 1982 CRC Chemicals 500 commenced on 19th September.[1] Rudd maintained the lead at the start, holding onto it until Waltrip passed him on lap 3.[1] Waltrip held onto the first position for 23 consecutive laps before Richard Petty in a Pontiac took over for a further 37 laps.[1] After some quick lead changes, Neil Bonnett in a Ford took over as the leader from laps 71 to 103.[1] A few laps later however, Ford's Dale Earnhardt began to control proceedings, firstly leading from 108 to 129, and then, following a few lead changes, led from 144 to 206.[1] During this period, Petty retired because of steering issues after 160 laps.[1]

Allison briefly led on lap 207, but Earnhardt resumed in the lead for another four laps.[1] Waltrip however began to surge back into leadership contention, overtaking the Intimidator on lap 212.[1] While Earnhardt and Buick's Harry Gant provided brief lead changes, Waltrip would lead a combined 170 laps from lap 212 to 401.[1] By the time Kyle Petty moved into the first position on lap 402, Bonnett had retired after 304 laps because of an ignition failure, while battery issues ended Earnhardt's race at 402.[1] Petty and Pontiac's Geoffery Bodine would provide the remaining challenges to Waltrip, the latter leading another 82 laps by the time the race finish, thus leading 287 overall.[1] Despite achieving the final lead change with 24 laps remaining, Waltrip nevertheless faced intense competition from Petty, culminating in the former finishing ahead of the latter by only half a length.[6][1] Waltrip therefore claimed victory and $29,600 in prize money, with Ford's Bill Elliot pipping Bodine for third.[6][1]

Availability

The race is listed as one of two 1982 Winston Cup Series events to have been televised but not be publicly available, alongside the 1982 Winston Western 500.[7] Currently, no footage of the race is viewable, although a few photos have resurfaced.

Gallery

Images

See Also

References