1978 Talladega 500

The 1978 Talladega 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on August 6, 1978, 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 mi, and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.

Race report
Four cautions were waved for seventeen laps; making the race last almost three hours in length, with 67 lead changes the race. James Hylton finished last due to a transmission issue on the first lap of 188 laps. Lennie Pond became the third driver whose only career victory was at the summer Talladega race (Richard Brickhouse in 1969 and Dick Brooks in 1973). He would defeat Donnie Allison by two car lengths in front of 60,000 spectators. Yarborough lost half a lap near the end of the race, losing the leaders because he missed the pit entry and made his stop on lap 181.

There was one foreigner in the 41-car lineup: Claude Ballot-Léna from Paris, France. Cale Yarborough would earn the pole position with a speed of 192.717 mph while the average speed of the race was 174.7 mph. It was a 500 mile world's record in 1978. Bill Elliott would break that record at the 1985 Winston 500 with an average of 186.288 mph. Female driver Janet Guthrie was also a part of the grid; finishing in 29th place due to a crash on lap 129. Country music star and part-time NASCAR driver Marty Robbins made his only start of the season and came home 18th driving his Dodge Magnum.

Richard Petty would stop racing in Chrysler cars after this race. Only the 1984 Winston 500 would see more lead changes than this event.

Finishing order
Section reference:


 * 1) Lennie Pond
 * 2) Donnie Allison
 * 3) Benny Parsons
 * 4) Cale Yarborough
 * 5) David Pearson
 * 6) Bobby Allison
 * 7) Richard Petty
 * 8) Neil Bonnett
 * 9) Dick Brooks
 * 10) Tighe Scott
 * 11) Ferrell Harris
 * 12) Dale Earnhardt
 * 13) Bill Elliott
 * 14) Dave Marcis
 * 15) Buddy Arrington
 * 16) Dick May
 * 17) J.D. McDuffie
 * 18) Marty Robbins
 * 19) D.K. Ulrich
 * 20) Tommy Gale
 * 21) Gary Myers
 * 22) Grant Adcox
 * 23) Baxter Price
 * 24) Ronnie Thomas
 * 25) Richard Childress
 * 26) Coo Coo Marlin
 * 27) Steve Moore
 * 28) Buddy Baker
 * 29) Janet Guthrie
 * 30) Al Holbert
 * 31) Earle Canavan
 * 32) Jimmy Means
 * 33) Frank Warren
 * 34) Darrell Waltrip
 * 35) Bruce Hill
 * 36) Roger Hamby
 * 37) Claude Ballot-Lena
 * 38) Skip Manning
 * 39) Ricky Rudd
 * 40) Blackie Wangerin
 * 41) James Hylton

Timeline
Section reference:
 * Start: Cale Yarborough was leading the starting grid as the cars were approaching the start/finish line.
 * Lap 9: Blackie Wangerin had some engine issues that forced him out of the event.
 * Lap 22: Ricky Rudd had some engine issues that forced him out of the event.
 * Lap 46: Skip Manning had some engine issues that forced him out of the event.
 * Lap 48: Claude Ballot-Lena had some engine issues that forced him out of the event.
 * Lap 94: Roger Hamby's vehicle had a clutch that went bad which caused him to exit the race.
 * Lap 96: The axle on Bruce Hill's vehicle became unsafe for further racing.
 * Lap 105: Darrell Waltrip had some engine issues that forced him out of the event.
 * Lap 118: Jimmy Means had a terminal crash.
 * Lap 124: Al Holbert had some engine issues that forced him out of the event.
 * Lap 129: Janet Guthrie had a terminal crash.
 * Lap 149: Buddy Baker had some engine issues that forced him out of the event.
 * Lap 158: Coo Coo Marlin had some engine issues that forced him out of the event.
 * Finish: Lennie Pond was officially declared the winner of the event.