1979 Daytona 500

rdf:langString 1979 Daytona 500

rdf:langString Ken Squier and David Hobbs , Brock Yates and Ned Jarrett , Marianne Bunch-Phelps

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rdf:langString NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season

rdf:langString NASWINSTON

rdf:langString Barney Hall and Jack Arute

rdf:langString Mild with temperatures reaching as high as ; wind speeds approaching

rdf:langString The 1979 Daytona 500, the 21st annual event, was the second race of the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. It was held on February 18, 1979. Sports pundits consider the 1979 Daytona 500 to be the most important race in stock car history. The race was televised live from beginning to end, a rarity in the era, and the first for a 500-mile race in the United States. Camera angles such as the "in-car" view were introduced to viewers from all over the United States. On the final lap, race leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison collided with each other on the Daytona International Speedway's backstretch. Both drivers' races ended in Daytona's grass infield. The wreck allowed Richard Petty, then over one-half lap behind both, to claim his sixth Daytona 500 win. As Petty made his way to Victory Lane to celebrate, a fight erupted between Yarborough, Donnie Allison and his brother, Bobby, at the site of the backstretch wreck. Both events were caught by television cameras and broadcast live. The race brought national publicity to NASCAR. Motorsports announcer and editor Dick Berggren said, "Nobody knew it then, but that was the race that got everything going. It was the first 'water cooler' race, the first time people had stood around water coolers on Monday and talked about seeing a race on TV the day before. It took a while – years, maybe – to realize how important it was." Chip Warren was Chief Starter, according to CBS's Ken Squier.