On September 16, 1979, a crowd of 34,000 fans packed Dover Downs International Speedway to watch the CRC Chemicals 500. A 36-car field took to the one-mile concrete oval for what turned out to be one of the most exciting finishes of the NASCAR Winston Cup season.
Dale Earnhardt, in just his second full season, captured the pole position with an impressive lap of 135.726 mph. The race was action-packed from the start, with 11 caution periods slowing the field for a total of 49 laps.
In a thrilling battle at the front, Richard Petty made a late charge, taking the lead with just 17 laps remaining. He then held off a hard-charging Donnie Allison in a dramatic side-by-side battle to the checkered flag, winning by a razor-thin half a car length. Cale Yarborough finished third, with Buddy Baker fourth and Joe Millikan rounding out the top five.
The victory paid $21,650 to Petty. More importantly, the win kept him firmly in the championship hunt, as he left Dover trailing points leader Darrell Waltrip by just 83 points.
