By each conceivable measure, the 1981 Daytona 500 was Bobby Allison’s to lose.
The 1978 Daytona 500 winner and his notorious No. 28 “Grey Ghost” have been the duo to beat in Daytona Seashore in the course of the twenty third iteration of Speedweeks. Allison bested the sector in qualifying for the race and took dwelling the victory in his 125-mile duel race later within the week.
After the previous driver and CBS pit reported Ned Jarrett wished Allison luck on the beginning grid, Allison led second-place starter Darrell Waltrip and the remainder of the Winston Cup Sequence discipline into Flip 1 to start the Daytona 500.
The eventual 1981 Winston Cup champion in Waltrip cleared Allison for the lead getting into Flip 1, however Allison regained the highest spot, main the primary circuit over Neil Bonnett.
For a lot of the afternoon, all of the pundits who predicted Allison and the No. 28 workforce because the favorites have been the neatest individuals in jap Florida. Allison’s dominant automotive held serve for lap after lap, and it appeared as if he was effectively on his option to his second Daytona triumph.
Within the closing laps, nonetheless, Allison sacrificed a half-lap of pace after operating out of gas. With inexperienced flag pit stops approaching, the No. 28 workforce was pressured to observe as different leaders flew by. A 15-second two-tire cease occurred, with Allison going again out onto the monitor after shedding a substantial period of time to the drivers he was racing. Allison was reportedly pressured to pit 5 to 6 laps sooner than anticipated.
Allison’s pit cease handed the race result in six-time Daytona 500 winner and seven-time Winston Cup Sequence champion Richard Petty. Petty’s final Daytona triumph had come on the expense of Allison and Cale Yarborough’s crash on the ultimate lap in 1979, and whereas Petty was able for a top-five end late, it could take one other stroke of dangerous luck on Allison’s behalf for Petty to achieve victory lane.
“Like previous instances, Richard Petty is out in entrance of the Daytona 500,” CBS lap-by-lap announcer Ken Squier stated on the tv broadcast.
A number of laps after Allison’s car crawled to pit highway, Petty’s No. 43 made its option to the pits underneath full energy. Like most different drivers pitting in the course of the ultimate inexperienced flag cycle of the day, Petty was anticipated to tackle new right-side tires.
That was till crew chief Dale Inman made one of many gutsiest pit calls in NASCAR historical past, with Petty solely taking over fuel in a blazing-fast 6.8-second pit cease.
Regardless of the tire drawback Petty was at, he held off Allison to take his seventh — and most inconceivable — Daytona 500 win.
“The tires have been no drawback,” Petty stated in victory lane. “If there had been a warning, it could’ve been a heck of a race.”
“Effectively, Ned, we kinda had it deliberate for some time,” Inman advised Jarrett when requested in regards to the strategic gamble. “The opposite guys slipped in (pit highway) on us earlier than we have been prepared. We hoped we may catch them altering tires.”
In an ironic accident, the 1981 Daytona 500 can be Inman’s ultimate race with Petty Enterprises for almost 5 years. After being a key piece within the workforce rising right into a NASCAR powerhouse, Inman left to name the pictures for one more seven-time champion, Dale Earnhardt. Inman gained his eighth championship as a crew chief with Terry Labonte in 1984 earlier than returning to Petty Enterprises in 1986.
Whereas Petty gained seven extra Cup Sequence races, his ultimate Daytona 500 win can be his final main NASCAR victory.
