|| *Comments on the 1979 Southern 500:* View the most recent comment <#26> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Steve posted: 11.28.2006 - 3:03 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) David Pearson wins for Rod Osterlund, subbing for Dale Earnhardt, who had a hard crash at Pocono in July. Dale would not miss another race until his death. 2. myself posted: 02.14.2007 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) That's what I'm talking about....win the dang race by over 2 laps!!!! Get em' Pearson! 3. Bud Talley posted: 07.06.2007 - 12:31 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The only reason Pearson won by two laps was because Darrell Waltrip wrecked...twice...late in the race, the 1st time leading by nearly two laps himself. Waltrip tried to get out of the pits quickly after the first wreck to remain in the lead, and the car was not fully repaired; then he quickly wrecked again. Waltrip dominated the race (as he did many races that year), leading 165 laps. 4. SK posted: 11.24.2007 - 4:18 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Awesome Bill's first career top-5, coming home a rather distant second to The Silver Fox. But his time would certainly come... 5. RaceFanX posted: 12.23.2007 - 4:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last race for Ed Negre, who ironically gave Dale Earnhardt his first ride in Cup in 1975 at the World 600. 6. Bill posted: 04.01.2008 - 11:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Darrell begins his self destruction here when wrecking with a comfortable lead and eventually loses the 1979 championship to Richard Petty. It was hard to watch.... 7. bigjohnson posted: 08.23.2009 - 2:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bud Talley wrote- "Darrell Waltrip wrecked...twice...late in the race,..." There were still 70 laps to go when Waltrip wrecked.I wouldn't say that it was late in the race. Waltrip should have eased up a little. He had more than a lap on the field. This is "The Lady in Black," you don't push it! He admits he blew it and that this race is what started his meltdown to losing the championship. Two weeks later at Dover his lead was cut from 187 points to 83 points in just that one race. 8. 18fan posted: 04.08.2010 - 3:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) He wanted to embarrass Pearson because the media had been talking about how Pearson was the king of Darlington and Darrell felt disrespected because he won the spring race but the focus was on Pearson. Buddy Parrott told Darrell to slow down that he had the race won, but Darrell didn't listen and paid the price. 9. myself posted: 05.14.2010 - 12:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) typcial 70s Darrell Waltrip 10. jimmy naylor #31 posted: 03.18.2012 - 11:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David pearsons KING OF DARLINGTON!!!!!!!!!!! 11. jimmy naylor #31 posted: 03.18.2012 - 11:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sorry, DAVID PEARSON IS KING OF DARLINTON !!!!!!!! 12. Brandon Caldwell posted: 10.11.2012 - 9:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is the last race without an Earnhardt in it, before the Charlotte fall race of 2012. 13. Nick posted: 10.11.2012 - 9:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (4) This is the last race in NASCAR history that a sponsorless car won. 14. Baba Booey posted: 10.11.2012 - 6:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last time a driver with the last name Earnhardt didnt compete in a race untill 2012. 15. DieselDan posted: 10.12.2012 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) wrong there Nick. Morgan Shepard won in an unsponserd car in 1986 at Atlanta and Regan Smith in the 2011 Southern 500, as the sponsers on the car belonged to the car owner, not an outside company. 16. Dan posted: 10.12.2012 - 11:32 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) If you want to get technical, even though they were the car owner's companies, Shepherd's car had Race Hill Farm on it and Smith's had Furniture Row. The last driver to win a Cup race in a completely blank car was Greg Sacks at Daytona in 1985. 17. awesomebillfan9 posted: 03.08.2013 - 2:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It was an extremely hot day and several drivers needed relief drivers including Richard Petty, who had both Donnie Allison and Neil Bonnett came on in relief of Petty's 43. 18. 1995z71 posted: 07.10.2013 - 3:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also Greg Sacks won the 1985 Pepsi Firecracker 400 in an unsponsored car. 19. Jeff Wagoner (ARCA Results Archive) posted: 08.05.2013 - 5:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cautions: Lap 56-62, #47,#72, Accident, Turn 4 Lap 69-72, #15 Accident Turn 3 Lap 83-88, #9, #65, Spin, Turn 3 Lap 90-92, #47, Spin, Turn 3 Lap 116-121, #14, Spin, Turn 3 Lap 142-149, #30, #90, Spin, Turn 1 Lap 160-165, #65, Spin Turn 3 Lap 296-303, #88 Hit Turn 1 Wall Lap 306-309, #88 Spin Turn 2 From 9/5/1979 issue of NSSN. 20. JasonB72 posted: 05.17.2014 - 6:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Darrell Waltrip has said that this race haunts him to this day. Its obvious why, as this began his late season slide in the championship battle against The King. 21. Graham Clayton posted: 07.05.2016 - 5:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why was Ferrel Harris flagged after only two laps? 22. nascarman posted: 08.28.2016 - 7:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew: 96 / Jan Opperman / Will Cronkite / Ford (Opperman ran practice laps and the car handled so badly, he admitted he wasnt experienced enough to drive it and told the team to get someone else) 23. br7484 posted: 03.31.2018 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) With the lone Chrysler of Ed Negre and single Pontiac of Pontiac stalwart H.B. Bailey this was the last Cup race with eight car makes in the starting lineup. 24. Turn 4 posted: 11.02.2018 - 2:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was held as Hurricane David approached the East Coast of the United States. In fact the Southern 500 took place just as the storm made landfall in Eastern Florida (September 3). 25. RaceFanX posted: 11.13.2018 - 8:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the Silver Fox's first win in a General Motors car since he won the Dixie 400 at Atlanta all the way back in 1961 at the wheel of a Pontiac and the first of just two for him at the wheel of a Chevrolet. Pearson's 101 victories and three championships during the almost 18 years since had all come at the wheel of Dodges, Fords, and Mercurys. 26. RaceFanX posted: 05.30.2020 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This victory was the last of only nine starts for David Pearson in 1979. While he wasn't a familiar sight on the track this season the Silver Fox was still selected by fans as the Cup Series' Most Popular Driver at year's end. Ironically this was only time in Pearson's career he won that honor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: