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| {{InfoboxLost
| | #REDIRECT [[1978-1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series (partially found footage of NASCAR races; 1978-1979)]] |
| |title=<center>1979 Southeastern 500</center>
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| |image=1979southeastern5001.jpg
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| |imagecaption=Dale Earnhardt crosses the line to take his first of 76 NASCAR Cup Series wins.
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| |status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
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| }}
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| The '''''1979 Southeastern 500''''' was the 7th race of the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Occurring on 1st April 1979 at Bristol International Speedway, the race marked a historic moment in NASCAR as Dale Earnhardt won his first race in the Series.
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| ==Background==
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| The ''1979 Southeastern 500'' was the 37th instance of a NASCAR Cup Series race being held at the Bristol International Speedway.<ref>[https://www.racing-reference.info/tracks/Bristol_Motor_Speedway/ ''Racing-Reference'' listing NASCAR Cup Series races held at the Bristol International Speedway.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref> Occurring since 1961, it is a mainstay on the NASCAR schedule under the new name of ''Food City Dirt Race''.<ref>[https://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/media/news/nascar-cup-series-racing-began-dirt-bristol-march-will-return-its-roots-for-first-time-more-than-years.html ''Bristol Motor Speedway'' detailing its latest NASCAR race.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref> This would be one of two races held at Bristol International Speedway that season, with the 1979 Volunteer 500 being won by Darrell Waltrip on 25th August 1979.<ref name="schedule">[https://www.racing-reference.info/season-stats/1979/W/ ''Racing-Reference'' detailing the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref><ref>[https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1979_Volunteer_500/W/ ''Racing-Reference'' detailing the results of the 1979 Volunteer 500.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref>
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| Prior to the race, Bobby Allison led the Cup Series by nine points.<ref name="reference">[https://www.racing-reference.info/showblog?id=2502 ''Racing-Reference'' detailing stories regarding the 1979 Southeastern 500.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref> Qualifying for the 500 occurred, with Buddy Baker winning the pole position with a qualifying record speed of 111.668 mph in his Oldsmobile.<ref name="speed">[https://www.speedsport.com/nascar/nascar-cup-series/looking-back-dale-earnhardts-first-cup-win/ ''Speed Sport'' detailing Earnhardt's first win, as well as containing qualifying and race details.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref> He qualified ahead of Chevrolet drivers Waltrip and Donnie Allison in second and third respectively, with Waltrip being impressed with Baker's qualifying performance.<ref name="reference"/> Dale Earnhardt, in his 16th Winston Cup Series start,<ref>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5r72DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA39 ''Dale Earnhardt Sr.: NASCAR Legend'' briefly detailing his first win.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref> would qualify ninth for the race.<ref name="results">[https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1979_Southeastern_500/W/ ''Racing-Reference'' detailing the start order and race results.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref>
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| ==The Race==
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| Baker was confident this was going to be his best chance of winning at Bristol,<ref name="reference"/> and so capitalised on winning the pole position by leading the first 138 laps of the 500-lap event. On lap 139, Earnhardt briefly passed him for the lead, before the first position quickly changed hands to Ford's Bobby Allison, then to Cale Yarborough in an Oldsmobile, and then to Waltrip. On lap 211, Baker retired following an accident with Yarborough on lap 210, who also ultimately retired from the race a few laps later.<ref name="speed"/> These would contribute to the six cautions for the race, lasting 44 laps.<ref name="results"/>
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| By lap 255, the race was generally between Earnhardt and Waltrip. On lap 460, Earnhardt almost crashed out after scrapping one of the track's walls, causing damage to his car's right side.<ref name="reference"/> Nevertheless, he succeeded in passing Waltrip for the lead on lap 474, about 13 miles before the finish,<ref name="nyt">[https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/02/archives/sports-news-briefs-earnhardt-takes-southeastern-500.html ''The New York Times'' reporting on the race results] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref> and held on to win.<ref name="results"/> Earnhardt earned $19,800 in prize money, his biggest earnings at that point in his NASCAR career, while also becoming the first rookie winner in the Cup Series since 1974.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="speed"/><ref name="results"/> Allison overtook Waltrip to finish second, 2.7 seconds behind Earnhardt, with Waltrip holding on to finish third, with the trio being the only ones on the lead lap.<ref name="speed"/><ref name="results"/>
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| In victory lane, Earnhardt praised his pit crew, as well as his recent crew chief Jake Elder for his win, stating "My crew got me in and out of the pits and there at the end it won me the race. The addition of crew chief Jake Elder has made this team a winner."<ref name="speed"/> Earnhardt would later win the Rookie of the Year trophy for that year's Series, and his win at the event also caused one of Earnhardt's mechanics, Doug Richert, to quit smoking after promising he would do so the first time that Earnhardt would win a race. Richert would later become Earnhardt's crew chief from the 1980 Series.<ref name="autoweek">[https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a38571215/dale-earnhardt-first-nascar-cup-win/ ''Autoweek'' detailing the story of Earnhardt's first win, where he would later become one of the most successful NASCAR drivers of all-time.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref> While this would be Earnhardt's only victory of the 1979 Winston Cup Series,<ref name="schedule"/><ref name="autoweek"/> the win would kickstart a highly successful career for The Intimidator, as he would later achieve a total of 76 victories and seven Cup championships.<ref name="autoweek"/> Earnhardt also shares the most Cup championships accolade alongside Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson.<ref>[https://www.jeffgordon.com/blogs/blog/jimmie-johnson-wins-record-tying-7th-nascar-cup-series-championship ''Jeff Gordon'' noting Earnhardt sharing the most Cup championships with Petty and Johnson.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref>
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| ==Availability==
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| Despite the historic nature of the race for NASCAR, the 1979 Southeastern 500 was not actually televised in any form, with only 14 of the 33 races in the 1979 Cup Series being televised.<ref>[https://sites.google.com/site/nascarracingontv/home/the-races/monster-energy-cup-series/1979-nascar-winston-cup-series ''NASCAR on TV'' listing all the televised 1979 Winston Cup Series races, with the 1979 Southeastern 500 ultimately not being one of them.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref> This has led to the race becoming coveted NASCAR media, with Earnhardt's son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., discussing in a March 2009 interview how he wishes that a videotape of the race could one day be accessible.<ref name="espn">[https://www.espn.com/racing/story?id=4001142&src=desktop ''ESPN'' where Earnhardt Jr. discussed his wish for a videotape of the 1979 Southeastern 500 to become publicly accessible.] Retrieved 2nd Jan '22</ref>
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| However, footage of the race is publicly accessible, thanks to a ''Bristol Motor Speedway'' video detailing Earnhardt's first win, including showing Earnhardt passing the chequered flag and celebrating following the race's conclusion. As of the present day, these are the only clips available of the race. However, the clips' existence does bring the possibility that additional clips of the race may still be held within the Bristol Motor Speedway archives, perhaps containing footage unrelated to Earnhardt's win. Earnhardt Jr. speculates that a videotape might be available somewhere, which contains more than the clips of his father coming off the last corner.<ref name="espn"/>
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| ==Gallery==
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| ===Video===
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| {{Video|perrow =1
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| |service1 =youtube
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| |id1 =6Kl-o8ZX7Fo
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| |description1 =''Bristol Motor Speedway'' providing clips of the race.
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| }}
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| ===Images===
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| <gallery mode=packed heights=300px>
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| 1979southeastern5002.jpg|Earnhardt celebrating his first win.
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| 1979southeastern5003.jpg|Earnhardt celebrating his first win.
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| 1979southeastern5004.jpg|Earnhardt and his car in victory lane.
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| 1979southeastern5005.jpg|Earnhardt exiting his car to celebrate with his crew.
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| 1979southeastern5006.jpg|Earnhardt and his crew celebrating his win.
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| </gallery>
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| ==See Also==
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| *[[1960 Daytona 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1960)]]
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| *[[1960 Daytona Races (lost CBS and NBC televised footage of NASCAR prelude events to Daytona 500; 1960)]]
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| *[[1961 Firecracker 250 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1961)]]
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| *[[1962 Daytona 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1962)]]
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| *[[1962 Firecracker 250 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1962)]]
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| *[[1963 Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1963)]]
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| *[[1963 Richmond 250 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series qualifying session and race; 1963)]]
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| *[[1964 Atlanta 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1964)]]
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| *[[1964 National 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1964)]]
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| *[[1964 Richmond 250 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series qualifying session; 1964)]]
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| *[[1965 Daytona 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1965)]]
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| *[[1965 Rebel 300 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1965)]]
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| *[[1966 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1966)]]
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| *[[1966 Southern 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1966)]]
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| *[[1967 Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1967)]]
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| *[[1967 Rebel 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1967)]]
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| *[[1970 Alabama 500 (found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1970)]]
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| *[[1970 National 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1970)]]
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| *[[1970 Wilkes 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1970)]]
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| *[[1970 World 600 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1970)]]
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| *[[1971 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1971 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1971 Myers Brothers 250 (lost footage and official documents of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1971 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1971 Rebel 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]
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| *[[1971 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; 1971)]]
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| *[[1972 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1972 Bowman-Gray 100 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand American Series race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1972 Carolina 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1972 Daytona 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1972 Firecracker 400 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1972 National 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1972 Rebel 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]
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| *[[1973 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1973)]]
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| *[[1973 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1973)]]
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| *[[1974 Mason-Dixon 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1974)]]
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| *[[1974 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1974)]]
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| *[[1974 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; 1974)]]
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| *[[1975 Champion Spark Plug 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]
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| *[[1975 Dixie 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]
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| *[[1975 Firecracker 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]
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| *[[1975 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]
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| *[[1975 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; 1975)]]
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| *[[1975 World 600 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]
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| *[[1976 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 Champion Spark Plug 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 Dixie 500 (lost CBS footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 Firecracker 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 Rebel 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 Riverside 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 Talladega 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 Winston 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1976 World 600 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
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| *[[1978 NAPA National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1978)]]
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| *[[1979 Daytona ARCA 200 (lost footage of ARCA Racing Series race; 1979)]]
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| *[[1979 Dixie 500 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; existence unconfirmed; 1979)]]
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| *[[1981 Coca-Cola 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1981)]]
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| *[[1981 CRC Chemicals 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1981)]]
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| *[[1982 CRC Chemicals 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1982)]]
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| *[[1982 Eastern 150 (lost footage of NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series race; 1982)]]
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| *[[1982 Goody's Sportsman 300 (partially found footage of NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series race; 1982)]]
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| *[[1982 Twin 125s race 1 (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying race; existence unconfirmed; 1982)]]
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| *[[1982 Winston Western 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; existence unconfirmed; 1982)]]
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| *[[1983 Goody's Sportsman 300 (partially found footage of NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series race; 1983)]]
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| *[[1983 Mason-Dixon 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1983)]]
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| *[[1983 Southern 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; existence unconfirmed; 1983)]]
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| *[[1984 Delaware 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1984)]]
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| *[[1984 Goody's Sportsman 300 (lost footage of NASCAR Busch Grand National Series race; 1984)]]
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| *[[1984 Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; existence unconfirmed; 1984)]]
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| *[[1985 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; existence unconfirmed; 1985)]]
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| *[[1986 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; existence unconfirmed; 1986)]]
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| *[[1989 Busch Clash (lost footage of pre-season NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1989)]]
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| *[[1992 Atlanta 300 (lost footage of NASCAR Busch Grand National Series race; 1992)]]
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| *[[1996 DeVilbiss SuperFinish 200 (partially found televised footage of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race; 1996)]]
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| *[[Jeff Gordon's 2008 UAW-Dodge 400 crash (lost on-board footage of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race crash; 2008)]]
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| *[[NASCAR (partially found uncut footage of stock car races; 1960-present)]]
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| ==References==
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| {{reflist}}
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| [[Category:Lost recordings of sports events]]
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| [[Category:Partially found media]]
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| [[Category:Historic]]
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