Rewriting the history of NASCAR (Starting in 1980)

[Sacrafice]

Starting from the 1980 season that I painted as far as I can go....

I am not going to follow exactly to real life. That means I am not going to keep the exact same drivers in the exact same cars year to year and race to race. 1980 will pretty much be the same drivers that ran each race though. Guys like Earnhardt and such will eventually be in the black #3 as in real life, but some guys may race past when they retired or still run full seasons when they stopped doing so in real life and such. I want it to turn into my version of how things went. If Bobby Allison sucks in a Ford in 1980 like he complained about in real life he may quit and find another ride half way through the season unlike real life or Darrell Waltrip will not take over for Cale Yarborough in the #11 car for the 1981 season because Cale took back his championship from Petty making 4 in 5 years and give it 1 more full season to see if he can make 5 as for a couple examples of what may or may not happen.

Not much else to say. Lots of colorful pictures and a highlight (crash) video for each race will be done along with a little typing. So let's get on with this thing!

I will be driving the #23 Nub's & LeRoy's Citgo Chevrolet

50% races at 95% AI strength on simulation setting with realistic damage using NR2003.

"1980 List of Eligiable Drivers"



"1980 Schedule"



"Past NASCAR Champions and Rookies of the Year"

[Sacrafice]

"NASCAR Winston Cup Series"


"Winston Western 500"
January 13th, 1980


"Riverside International Raceway"
Riverside, California


Race 1 of 31 during the 1980 Season


"Qualifying"



"Race"

"#88 Darrell Waltrip & #73 Bill Schmitt lead the field of 37 cars to the green flag kicking off the 1980 season"


"6 laps in the 1st caution of the day flew when rookie #66 Lake Speed got into fellow rookie #23 Bryan Dehn both making their 1st career starts"


"#70 J.D. McDuffie and #7 Dick Brooks get together in the esses bringing out the 2nd caution of the day"


"No caution, but rookie mistakes and the loss of 1st gear all, but ends the day for Bryan Dehn in the #23 car"


"#98 Hershel McGriff and #24 Cecil Gordon get together coming out of the esses and back into the wall putting them laps down"


"Earlier damage for the #70 of J.D. McDuffie causes his car to stall on the back stretch bringing out the 3rd caution of the day"


"The 4th caution comes out on a Bryan Dehn spin late in the race"


"The 5th and final caution comes out when the slow car of #78 Jim Robinson get's in the way of #27 Benny Parsons and pays the price"


"#88 Darrell Waltrip and #2 Dale Earnhardt battle to the line taking the yellow flag"


"Dale Earnhardt wins the battle to the line and takes the checkered flag under caution winning the 1st race of the 1980 season"


"Race Recap"
Darrell Waltrip lead 45 laps while Dale Earnhardt fought all the way from the back to claim the lead with 10 to go and never looked back. It was a caution marred race with a lot of new rookie drivers mixed in with some Winston West regulars that don't run on the big stage all that often.


"Video Recap"



"#23 Bryan Dehn's Day"
Well, lost 1st and 2nd gear through out the race. Wrecked the engine on that smash into the wall catching the sand off the track and not being able to turn the car around the corner. So the 2nd half of the race was just riding around and only managed to gain 1 spot. Even with a beat up motor and car I couldn't manage to keep the car on the track the rest of the race. Bad 1st start for me. Maybe it should be back to Slinger & Wisconsin International Raceway for the rest of my career.


"Race Results"



"Point Standings"



"Next Race"
1980 Daytona 500 Speedweeks
Daytona, Florida
February 10th, 1980 through February 16th, 1980

[Sacrafice]

"NASCAR Winston Cup Series"


"Daytona 500 Speedweeks"
February 10th, 1980


"Daytona International Raceway"
Daytona, Florida


"Busch Clash"

"#43 Richard Petty and #47 Harry Gant lead the field of 12 to start the 20 lap shoot out for bragging rights."


"#1 David Pearson leads the field at the halfway point"


"4 wide racing 2 rows back and it's anyone's race to win"


"#15 Bobby Allison and #28 Buddy Baker is the only 2 guys that figured out that you didn't have to pit for fuel and take the checkered flag well ahead of the rest of the pack"


"Race Recap"
Bobby Allison and Buddy Baker didn't pit and the race came down to those 2 for the checkered flag while rest were too far behind to do anything. There was no cautions in the race showing that these 12 race car drivers are indeed the best of the best.


"Busch Clash Results"



"1980 Daytona 500 Qualifying"



"1980 Daytona 500 Front Row"


"Daytona 500 Speedweeks"
February 14th, 1980


"1980 Daytona 500 125 Qualifying Race #1"

"The front row of the 1980 Daytona 500 lead the rest of the field to take the green flag determining the inside 15 rows."


"#12 Donnie Allison get's into #99 Dick May while #89 Jim Vandiver and #19 John Anderson get caught up in the melee"


"Many cars get caught up in this tri-oval mess taking out many big time players including, #88 Darrell Waltrip, #2 Dale Earnhardt, #11 Cale Yarborough and #42 Kyle Petty"


"After all the dust and smoke settled the new comer to NASCAR and racing boat mainstay #75 Bill Ellswick takes the checkered flag earning him the 3rd spot in the lineup for the Daytona 500"


"1980 Daytona 500 125 Qualifying Race #1 (Jody Ridley Wreck)"

"The 1st wreck not in pictures is too violent to not show in full video. Odds on Rookie of the Year candidate #90 Jody Ridley took one hell of a tumble down the backstretch grass on the 3rd lap of the race"


"Race Recap"
There was 3 cautions during the race leaving many fast cars in the back giving the coveted top 14 qualifying spots to the guys that needed to race in to make the Daytona 500. With Kyle Petty and Benny Parsons running in this race if they finished in the top 14 the next 2 cars would earn a spot and they did allowing both Dick May and Bryan Dehn to make the race they otherwise would have had to sit out due to their poor qualifying times.


"1980 Daytona 500 125 Qualifying Race #1 Results"



"1980 Daytona 500 125 Qualifying Race #2"

"#82 Janet Guthrie and #1 David Pearson lead the 2nd group of 32 drivers trying to race their way into the 1980 Daytona 500"


"The 1st wreck took out drives such as Busch Clash winner, #15 Bobby Allison as well as #28 Buddy Baker, #21 Neil Bonnett and #25 Ronnie Thomas"


"The 2nd wreck of the race seen #71 Dave Marcis slid nearly all the way down the front stretch, but didn't ever hit anyone leaving him still competitive, but that couldn't be said for #51 A.J. Foyt and #82 Janet Guthrie. Unfortunately for Foyt his qualifying time wouldn't be good enough to get him into the 500 race."


"Rookie of the Year candidate, #66 Lake Speed takes the checkered flag giving him the 4th starting position in the 1980 Daytona 500"


"Race Recap"
There was 3 cautions in the race, but most of the star power was in race #1 so there was many drivers that were able to drive their way into the race in this one as well leaving most of the fastest drivers to make the 500 on time alone.


"1980 Daytona 500 125 Qualifying Race #2 Results"



"1980 Daytona 500 Making the Rest of the 43 Car Field"



"#23 Bryan Dehn's Day"
Qualifying 13th in my 125 race. Thought I would have a good time considering that the top 2 qualifiers came from the same race, but that turned out to not be the case. Had the top 2 not be in this race I would be sitting at home watching the "Great American Race". As it turns out I made it in and will be trying to stay out of trouble and run the entire 500 miles without incident which will be a victory in it's self.

"1980 Daytona 500 Line Up"


"Next Race"
1980 Daytona 500
Daytona, Florida
February 17th, 1980
Race 2 of 31

[OliDegu2008]

I love the graphics and the detail. This is well done!

[Sacrafice]

Quote: Originally Posted by OliDegu2008

I love the graphics and the detail. This is well done!

Thank you! Great to hear there is another one enjoying the work

"NASCAR Winston Cup Series"


"22nd Annual Daytona 500"
February 17th, 1980


"Daytona International Raceway"
Daytona, Florida


Race 2 of 31 during the 1980 Season


"Qualifying"



"Race"

"#42 Kyle Petty and #27 Benny Parsons lead the field of 43 cars to take the green flag"


"The 1st 13 laps went caution free with all 43 cars running 3 wide from front to back"


"#5 Sterling Marlin get's into #47 Harry Gant causing the 1st caution of the day with #25 Ronnie Thomas getting the worst of it all"


"The big one came just a couple laps later with nearly a quarter of the field getting taken out in the process"


"Then a couple laps after that another quarter of the field was taken out on the 3rd and final caution of the day."


"That leaves only around 20 cars left on the track on the restart with only about half of them capable of winning the race"


"After the 1st set of green flag pit stops only #2 Dale Earnhardt, #66 Lake Speed and #23 Bryan Dehn were a part of the lead pack"


"#23 Bryan Dehn was caught speeding down pit road on the 2nd round of green flag pit stops leaving him out of contention"


"#2 Dale Earnhardt and #66 Lake Speed are left all alone to continue their trek for their 1st Daytona 500 victory"


"#66 Lake Speed had pit issues and ended up 4 laps down allowing #11 Cale Yarborough and #52 Jimmy Means to make a last chance bid for the victory, but ended up just short"


"Race Recap"
With 3 early cautions the 2nd half of the race was pretty much just down to 9 cars left running under full power and with 3 green flag pit stops in between the middle and the end of the race others would find misfortune and end up out of contention. In the end Dale Earnhardt would win the first 2 races of the season and his 1st Daytona 500 in only his 2nd try.


"Video Recap"



"#23 Bryan Dehn's Day"
Did a whole lot better than I anticipated. When I said I just wanted to keep my car clean I didn't actually expect to accomplish it. I still made a big rookie mistake taking me out of contention, but I shouldn't have been there to begin with.


"Race Results"



"Point Standings"



"Next Race"
Richmond 400
Richmond, Virginia
February 24th, 1980

[Sacrafice]

"NASCAR Winston Cup Series"


"Richmond 400"
February 24th, 1980


"Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway"
Richmond, Virginia


Race 3 of 31 during the 1980 Season


"Qualifying"



"Race"

"#15 Bobby Allison leads the field of 36 to take the green flag starting the race"


"#44 Terry Labonte get's into the back of #23 Bryan Dehn causing him to spin out on lap 38, but no damaged was caused bring out the 1st of many cautions on the day"


"#25 Ronnie Thomas hit the inside guard rail causing #99 Dick may to get into the back of him take May out of the race"


"#7 Dick Brooks was tagged from behind backing him into the outside guard rail"


"#21 Neil Bonnett had to race his way back onto the lead lap twice, but on this lap he slowed causing #27 Benny Parsons and #43 Richard Petty to get involved resulted in them getting damage"


"#17 Roger Hamby and #20 Rick Newsom get together and slid into the outside guard rail and while trying to check up for the wreck #61 Bub Strickler lost control and slid hard into the guard rail as well"


"#64 Tommy Gale was pushed up against the outside guard rail causing #24 Cecil Gordon to lose control and slide up into him while #7 Dick Brooks was a victim of checking up and got spun out into the infield grass"


"The engine let loose int he #20 car of Rick Newsom probably from the earlier contact with the wall. No one else got involved"


"#23 Bryan Dehn lost control and spun out on the front stretch on a restart causing #7 Dick Brrok to t-bone him in the drivers door, but both were able to continue on"


"Rookie #90 Jody Ridley lead 115 laps in route to his 1st ever career victory"


"Race Recap"
There was 12 cautions most of which happened during the 2nd half of the race allowing very little competition for race winner, Jody Ridley. Being a short track most of the wrecks were causing little to no damage for the cars involved and the only drivers unable to finish the race was due to mechanical failure.


"Video Recap"



"#23 Bryan Dehn's Day"
Short track racing is where I am in my comfort zone, but I have never driven a powerful car like this on a track with very little room to move around on. I had a terrible qualifying run, but was able to move up the field and after a couple issues I decided to stay int he back until it was go time to try and stay out of trouble. My car was a little faster on long runs which there was really only 1, but the rest of the field was better on short runs. Comes from experience knowing that this track wouldn't allow for a whole lot of long green flag runs. I was able to get myself into the top 20 and am happy with that performance.


"Race Results"



"Point Standings"



"Next Race"
Carolina 500
Rockingham, North Carolina
March 9th, 1980

[Sacrafice]

"NASCAR Winston Cup Series"


"Carolina 500"
March 9th, 1980


"North Carolina Motor Speedway"
Rockingham, North Carolina


Race 4 of 31 during the 1980 Season


"Qualifying"



"Race"

"#11 Cale Yarborough looks to take a step towards cutting into Dale Earnhardts lead by taking the pole in the Carolina 500"


"#45 Baxter Price was the 1st casualty today coming off his 11th place finish last week. Cold he make it into the top 10 with this kind of damage?"


"#89 Jim Vandiver couldn't avoid a car trying to make a pit stop and #72 Joe Millikan got the worst of it nearly landing on his roof"


"#66 Lake Speed get's into the back of #20 Rick Newsom and both end up in the wall ending Newsom's day. That wasn't all though as after the shot #76 Mike Potter get's collected"


"Trying to miss the sudden pit maneuver of #47 Harry Gant, #23 Bryan Dehn made a sudden move where he ended up riding the fence and not the track"


"After getting spun out in turn 3, #23 Bryan Dehn hits the wall hard and leaves the track once again"


"On the restart #23 made a move to get by some of the slower car which end up wrecking each other coming out of turn 2"


"#68 Lennie Pond seemed to be in nearly every wreck today this time spinning around on his nose"


"#68 Tommy Gale and #3 Richard Childress get together late in the race"


"#71 Dave Marcis takes the checkered flag winning his 1st race in 4 years"


"Race Recap"
Thinking last week was a bad week for cautions, but this week was worse with 13 total cautions many of which was pretty brutal taking out a fair amount of cars. There was 12 different leaders, but Dave Marcis was the man of the day leading 80 laps.


"Video Recap"



"#23 Bryan Dehn's Day"
The race started out fun for me. Once again I messed up my qualifying lap setting me up in the back, but I was able to move through the field and lead a couple laps before the misfortunes began to happen. Today was the 1st time in a long time that I spent most of the front stretch of a track on my roof, but the crew was able to keep the car going. I failed to finish on the lead lap again due to my car being tore up.


"Race Results"



"Point Standings"



"Next Race"
Atlanta 500
Atlanta, Georgia
March 16th, 1980

[Sacrafice]

"NASCAR Winston Cup Series"


"Atlanta 500"
March 16th, 1980


"Atlanta International Raceway"
Atlanta, Georgia


Race 5 of 31 during the 1980 Season


"Qualifying"



"Race"

"#44 Terry Labonte leads the field of 43 cars to take the green flag at Atlanta"


"#27 Benny Parsons is the 1st casualty with a blown motor on the 33rd lap of the race"


"#3 Richard Childress get's into #23 Bryan Dehn on pit road taking him out of the lead pack unable to get the damage fixed under green flag conditions"


"#67 Buddy Arrington blows his motor coming out of the pits on the 67th lap"


"1 lap later #12 Donnie Allison's woahs continue in 1980 as he blows his motor on lap 68"


"Leading 81 of the 115 laps run so far #11 Cale Yarborough unexpectedly pits and remains there for the rest of the race"


"The 1st caution of the day comes out on lap 131 when #42 Kyle Petty comes down to pit, but #23 Bryan Dehn is there occupying that place on the track"


"#47 Harry Gant get's into a spinning Dehn, then #7 Dick Brooks slams hard into the drivers side of Gants car, but was miraculously was uninjured in the wreck"


"The 2nd and final caution came on the restart when #28 Buddy Baker spins out when he gives #45 Baxter Price no room on the high side"


"In his 1st ever start #16 Rusty Wallace takes the checkered flag to win. Remember this guys name, he just might become a good one"


"Race Recap"
It looked like the race was going to go caution free when #23 Bryan Dehn was at the wrong place at the wrong time when #42 Kyle Petty tried to get onto pit road. There was 2 cautions on the day with a lot of rookies doing very well during the race. Besides Rusty Wallace winning in his 1st ever start there was 5 total rookies occupying the top 10 finishing positions.


"Video Recap"



"#23 Bryan Dehn's Day"
I was running very well early on. No issues on the 1st green flag pit stop and stayed running in the top 10 until the contact on pit road sent me spinning and at the tail end of the lead lap. I was fighting all I could to stay on the lead lap around 20th position until I was caught up in the 1st caution flag. Then my engine was done and all I could do was ride around the track ending up 3 laps down to the leaders.


"Race Results"



"Point Standings"



"Next Race"
Valleydale Southeastern 500
Bristol, Tennessee
March 30th, 1980