Race: Firecracker 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series: Race 17 of 31
Date: July 4, 1979
Track: Daytona International Speedway
← Gabriel 400 | 1979 Season Results | Busch Nashville 420 →
Firecracker 400 Race Information
| Winner | Neil Bonnett | Car | No. 21 Mercury |
| Team / Owner | Wood Brothers | Sponsor | Purolator |
| Winner Start | 2nd | Winner Laps Led | 77 |
| Started First | Buddy Baker | Most Laps Led | Neil Bonnett (77) |
| Race Distance | 400 miles (160 laps) | Track Length | 2.5 miles |
| Track Type | Paved oval | Starters | 41 |
| Total Purse | $179,730 | Winner Earnings | $21,705 |
| Different Leaders | 8 | Lead-Lap Finishers | 3 |
| Points Leader After Race | Darrell Waltrip | Season Race | 17 of 31 |
Firecracker 400 Race Results
| Fin | Start | No. | Driver | Sponsor | Team / Owner | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Points | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Purolator | Wood Brothers | Mercury | 160 | 77 | running | 185 | $21,705 |
| 2 | 3 | 27 | Benny Parsons | Griffin Marine | M.C. Anderson | Oldsmobile | 160 | 6 | running | 175 | $16,875 |
| 3 | 21 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | — | Rod Osterlund | Oldsmobile | 160 | 1 | running | 170 | $14,980 |
| 4 | 6 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Gatorade | DiGard Racing | Oldsmobile | 159 | 54 | running | 165 | $12,280 |
| 5 | 11 | 43 | Richard Petty | STP | Petty Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 158 | 2 | running | 160 | $9,480 |
| 6 | 12 | 68 | Chuck Bown | Kings Mountain Truck Plaza | Jim Testa | Buick | 157 | 0 | running | 150 | $4,990 |
| 7 | 15 | 47 | Harry Gant | Race Hill Farm | Jack Beebe | Oldsmobile | 157 | 0 | running | 146 | $4,240 |
| 8 | 24 | 72 | Joe Millikan | Appliance Wheels | L.G. DeWitt | Oldsmobile | 156 | 0 | running | 142 | $7,540 |
| 9 | 37 | 5 | Dick Brooks | Sub-Tropic | Nelson Malloch | Oldsmobile | 156 | 0 | running | 138 | $5,575 |
| 10 | 8 | 51 | A.J. Foyt | Valvoline | A.J. Foyt | Oldsmobile | 156 | 3 | running | — | $3,140 |
| 11 | 27 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Yandle / Thermol King | George Elliott | Mercury | 156 | 0 | running | 130 | $2,960 |
| 12 | 23 | 1 | Donnie Allison | Hawaiian Tropic | Hoss Ellington | Chevrolet | 155 | 0 | running | 127 | $2,935 |
| 13 | 19 | 90 | Ricky Rudd | Truxmore | Junie Donlavey | Mercury | 155 | 0 | running | 124 | $5,075 |
| 14 | 9 | 30 | Tighe Scott | Russ Togs | Walter Ballard | Buick | 154 | 0 | running | 121 | $4,865 |
| 15 | 7 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Rossmeyer | Buddy Arrington | Dodge | 154 | 0 | running | 118 | $4,555 |
| 16 | 26 | 87 | Gary Balough | Fast Lane Ltd. | Billie Harvey | Oldsmobile | 154 | 0 | running | — | $1,750 |
| 17 | 22 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Shoney's | Dave Marcis | Chevrolet | 151 | 0 | running | 112 | $3,635 |
| 18 | 35 | 40 | D.K. Ulrich | U.S. Army | D.K. Ulrich | Buick | 151 | 0 | running | 109 | $3,775 |
| 19 | 30 | 48 | James Hylton | Palatine Automotive Parts | James Hylton | Chevrolet | 151 | 1 | running | 111 | $3,415 |
| 20 | 5 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Busch | Junior Johnson | Oldsmobile | 149 | 0 | running | 103 | $6,960 |
| 21 | 32 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | Bailey Excavating | J.D. McDuffie | Chevrolet | 146 | 0 | running | 100 | $2,855 |
| 22 | 38 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Mr. Transmission | Jimmy Means | Chevrolet | 146 | 0 | running | 97 | $2,645 |
| 23 | 40 | 20 | Rick Newsom | MARS | Rick Newsom | Oldsmobile | 145 | 0 | running | 94 | $1,410 |
| 24 | 33 | 39 | Blackie Wangerin | — | Blackie Wangerin | Mercury | 144 | 0 | blew tire | 91 | $1,385 |
| 25 | 28 | 14 | Coo Coo Marlin | Cunningham-Kelley | H.B. Cunningham | Chevrolet | 138 | 0 | engine | 88 | $1,360 |
| 26 | 17 | 17 | Roger Hamby | Kings Inn | Roger Hamby | Oldsmobile | 137 | 0 | running | 85 | $2,260 |
| 27 | 36 | 64 | Tommy Gale | Sunny King Ford & Honda | Elmo Langley | Ford | 121 | 0 | rear end | 82 | $2,225 |
| 28 | 13 | 12 | Lennie Pond | Burger King | Kennie Childers | Oldsmobile | 105 | 0 | engine | 79 | $1,285 |
| 29 | 10 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Stratagraph | Billy Hagan | Buick | 89 | 0 | crash | 76 | $2,165 |
| 30 | 20 | 15 | Bobby Allison | Hodgdon / Moore | Bud Moore | Ford | 89 | 0 | crash | 73 | $4,925 |
| 31 | 31 | 6 | Claude Ballot-Lena | Lady & Son Auction | G.C. Spencer | Oldsmobile | 83 | 0 | engine | — | $1,130 |
| 32 | 18 | 7 | Al Holbert | Holbert Porsche-Audi | Al Holbert | Chevrolet | 82 | 0 | spindle | — | $895 |
| 33 | 4 | 41 | Grant Adcox | Adcox-Kirby | Herb Adcox | Oldsmobile | 81 | 0 | engine | 64 | $1,180 |
| 34 | 1 | 28 | Buddy Baker | W.I.N. | Harry Ranier | Oldsmobile | 57 | 16 | ignition | 66 | $4,255 |
| 35 | 41 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | — | Cecil Gordon | Oldsmobile | 50 | 0 | engine | 58 | $1,915 |
| 36 | 39 | 46 | Travis Tiller | Ring Enterprises | Travis Tiller | Dodge | 46 | 0 | engine | 55 | $1,025 |
| 37 | 16 | 3 | Richard Childress | CRC Chemicals | Richard Childress | Oldsmobile | 28 | 0 | engine | 52 | $1,520 |
| 38 | 29 | 38 | Sandy Satullo | Copper Kettle Marina | Sandy Satullo | Buick | 18 | 0 | crash | 49 | $1,015 |
| 39 | 34 | 32 | Jimmy Finger | Vita Fresh / Pharis Chevy | Don Bierschwale | Buick | 17 | 0 | crash | 46 | $1,010 |
| 40 | 14 | 79 | Frank Warren | Native Tan | Frank Warren | Dodge | 7 | 0 | engine | 43 | $1,505 |
| 41 | 25 | 50 | Bruce Hill | Global Heat Exchanger | Walter Ballard | Buick | 1 | 0 | engine | 40 | $1,035 |
Season Navigation
1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results