The 1984 Daytona 500, the 26th running of the event, was held February 19, 1984, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Cale Yarborough, who won the pole, completed a lap of , officially breaking the barrier at Daytona. He won the race for the second year in a row, and the fourth time in his career, with an identical last-lap pass as the previous year, this time passing Darrell Waltrip who would later go on to win the same race in 1989.
This race would be the first Daytona 500 starts for Ken Ragan, Greg Sacks, Mike Alexander, Connie Saylor, Doug Heveron, Bobby Hillin, Jr., Hendrick Motorsports And Trevor Boys. It was the only Daytona 500 start for Dean Combs. This race would be the final Daytona 500 starts for Dean Roper, Ronnie Thomas, and Tommy Gale.
Speedweeks Cale Yarborough and his crew chief Waddell Wilson were ready to repeat as Daytona 500 champion as Speedweeks got underway. Yarborough won the pole with a new track record. In the first Twin 125, 1980 Daytona 500 champ Buddy Baker was leading with 8 laps to go but did not want to be passed on the last lap. Baker slowed and forced Yarborough to pass. Yarborough took off and Baker could not catch him, winning by 1.8 seconds. In the second race, 1982 Daytona 500 champ Bobby Allison held off Harry Gant. A total of 72 cars participated in the Twin 125 mile qualifiers, with 36 in each race.
Calamity Corner In 1984 Daytona's 4th turn was dubbed Calamity Corner after three violent accidents. Ricky Rudd was battered and bruised in a wild, tumbling, sidewinding crash in the Busch Clash, but he won two weeks later in Richmond. In the second Twin 125, Randy LaJoie spun off turn four. His car began flying and went underside-first into the inside wall (which Rudd had luckily just missed) before flipping end over end to a hard stop. LaJoie suffered back injuries. The next day, in a consolation race for cars that failed to qualify for the big race, Natz Peters's car ricocheted off the inside wall into the path of another car, driven by Jim Hurlbert. Both cars exploded in flames. Neither driver was seriously injured.
Along with Waltrip's vicious crash at Daytona the previous year, by the time the Series returned to Daytona for the Firecracker 400 in July, the entire Turn 4 apron was paved over, the beginning of tracks paving aprons for cars to scrub off speed on asphalt aprons instead of grass, which did little to slow spinning cars. The backstretch apron was paved in 1995.
Qualifying
Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 128Cale Yarborough Ranier-Lundy RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo201.848 mph 244Terry LabonteHagan RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo200.325 mph 39Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord ThunderbirdSet through a combination of the UNO Twin 125 mile qualifying races,second round qualifying, and provisionals. 422Bobby Allison DiGard MotorsportsBuick Regal 521Buddy Baker Wood Brothers RacingFord Thunderbird 633Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 712Neil BonnettJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet Monte Carlo 855Benny Parsons Johnny Hayes RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 95Geoff BodineAll-Star RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 1027Tim RichmondBlue Max RacingPontiac Grand Prix 1116David Pearson Bobby Hawkins RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 1290Dick BrooksDonlavey RacingFord Thunderbird 1366Phil ParsonsJohnny Hayes RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 1415Ricky RuddBud Moore EngineeringFord Thunderbird 157Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord Thunderbird 161Lake SpeedEllington RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 1777Ken Ragan Branch-Ragan RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 1847Ron BouchardRace Hill Farm TeamBuick Regal 1989Dean RoperMueller BrothersPontiac Grand Prix 2051Greg Sacks Sacks & SonsChevrolet Monte Carlo 2142Dick TrickleBilly MatthewsChevrolet Monte Carlo 228Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 2301Doug Heveron Heveron RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 244Lennie PondMorgan-McClure MotorsportsChevrolet Monte Carlo 2597Dean Combs Irv Sanderson RacingOldsmobile Cutlass 2611Darrell WaltripJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet Monte Carlo 2788Rusty WallaceCliff Stewart RacingPontiac Grand Prix 2867Buddy ArringtonArrington RacingChrysler Imperial 293Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 3064Tommy GaleLangley RacingFord Thunderbird 3198Joe RuttmanRobert McEntyreChevrolet Monte Carlo 3214A. J. Foyt A. J. FoytOldsmobile Cutlass 3384Jody RidleyBenfield RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 3443Richard Petty Curb RacingPontiac Grand Prix 3548Trevor Boys Hylton RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 3629Connie SaylorHerb AdcoxChevrolet Monte Carlo 3717Clark DwyerHamby MotorsportsChevrolet Monte Carlo 3841Ronnie ThomasThomas RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 3975Dave MarcisRahMoc EnterprisesPontiac Grand Prix 4010Sterling MarlinHamby MotorsportsChevrolet Monte Carlo 4152Jimmy MeansMeans RacingChevrolet Monte Carlo 4271Mike Alexander Marcis Auto RacingOldsmobile Cutlass Failed to qualify Car #DriverCarMake0Delma CowartChevrolet Monte Carlo2Tom SnevaBuick Regal06Wayne PetersonBuick Regal6Jim SauterChevrolet Monte Carlo07Randy LaJoieChevrolet Monte Carlo18Joe BooherChevrolet Monte Carlo20Rick NewsomChevrolet Monte Carlo23Elliott Forbes-RobinsonOldsmobile Cutlass25Jerry ChurchillChevrolet Monte Carlo31Ronnie SandersChevrolet Monte Carlo34Jim HurlbertBuick Regal37Connie SaylorPontiac Grand Prix38Ramo StottBuick Regal39Blackie WangerinFord Thunderbird50Jim SouthardChevrolet Monte Carlo53Donny PaulChevrolet Monte Carlo54David SimkoBuick Regal58Jerry BowmanFord Thunderbird60Natz PetersBuick Regal63Jocko MaggiacomoOldsmobile Cutlass65Ralph JonesFord Thunderbird68Laurent RiouxChevrolet Monte Carlo70J. D. McDuffiePontiac Grand Prix73Steve MooreChevrolet Monte Carlo74Bobby WawakChevrolet Monte Carlo76Lowell CowellOldsmobile Cutlass82Mark StahlFord Thunderbird87Randy BakerBuick Regal92Jack IngramChevrolet Monte Carlo99Philip DuffieBuick Regal29Grant Adcox (Driver change)Chevrolet Monte CarloSource: = Daytona 500 rookie = Former Daytona 500 winner
Race Summary President Ronald Reagan gave the command "Gentlemen, start your engines!" by phone from the White House. Yarborough, Allison, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty took turns leading the early laps of the race, but Petty and Allison fell out early with mechanical problems. Yarborough clearly had the strongest car, leading 51 of the first 100 laps. Yarborough's car was so fast, he twice passed leading cars on the outside of the third turn.
Yarborough led most of the second half of the race, but Earnhardt and Terry Labonte were also strong, as well as Bill Elliott and Darrell Waltrip, who lead for the first time on lap 142. Waltrip took the lead again on lap 162 during green flag pit stops. The race's final caution came at lap 177, but four leaders, Waltrip, Yarborough, Labonte and Earnhardt-decided to remain on the track and hold their positions.
After the race resumed on lap 183, six cars pulled away from the field. And as the final lap started, it was Waltrip, Yarborough, Earnhardt, Neil Bonnett, Harry Gant, and Bill Elliott. For 38 laps, Waltrip hung onto the lead. But he knew how fast Yarborough was. Yarborough made his move on the backstretch-the same move that had failed spectacularly in 1979 against Donnie Allison but worked perfectly in 1983 against Baker. Waltrip moved to the middle of the track but did not aggressively block. Yarborough made the pass without drafting help and immediately extended his lead to about 6 car-lengths.
Dale Earnhardt also moved on Waltrip but didn't begin his pass until turn four. He barely nipped Waltrip at the line, while Bonnett held off Elliott for fourth. Yarborough won by eight car lengths. And for the first time since Fireball Roberts in 1962, a single driver had led the most laps, won the pole, his qualifying race, and the 500. This made Yarborough become the only driver to win the Daytona 500 from the pole more than once until Elliott joined him after winning the following year and in 1987.
Race results Box Score Pos Grid Driver Manufacturer Laps Status LapsledPoints 1128Cale Yarborough Chevrolet Monte Carlo2003:18:4189185 (10) 2293Dale EarnhardtChevrolet Monte Carlo200-8 car lengths19175 (5) 32611Darrell WaltripChevrolet Monte Carlo200Running39170 (5) 4712Neil BonnettChevrolet Monte Carlo200Running1165 (5) 539Bill ElliottFord Thunderbird200Running1160 (5) 6633Harry GantChevrolet Monte Carlo200Running1155 (5) 71415Ricky RuddFord Thunderbird199-1 lap0146 895Geoffrey BodineChevrolet Monte Carlo199-1 lap0142 91116David Pearson Chevrolet Monte Carlo198-2 laps0138 103384Jody RidleyChevrolet Monte Carlo198-2 laps0134 111366Phil ParsonsChevrolet Monte Carlo198-2 laps0130 12244Terry LabonteChevrolet Monte Carlo198-2 laps9132 (5) 13244Lennie PondChevrolet Monte Carlo197-3 laps0124 141777Ken Ragan Chevrolet Monte Carlo197-3 laps0121 154010Sterling MarlinChevrolet Monte Carlo197-3 laps0118 161989Dean RoperPontiac Grand Prix196-4 laps0115 174152Jimmy MeansChevrolet Monte Carlo196-4 laps0112 182051Greg Sacks Chevrolet Monte Carlo195-5 laps0109 192597Dean CombsOldsmobile Cutlass194-6 laps0106 203717Clark DwyerChevrolet Monte Carlo191-9 laps0103 214271Mike AlexanderOldsmobile Cutlass187Engine0100 223629Connie Saylor Chevrolet Monte Carlo186Overheating097 232301Doug Heveron Chevrolet Monte Carlo173Ignition094 243841Ronnie ThomasChevrolet Monte Carlo173Rear end091 252867Buddy ArringtonChrysler Imperial170Connecting rod088 261290Dick BrooksFord Thunderbird158Crash085 271847Ron BouchardBuick Regal158Crash082 283198Joe RuttmanChevrolet Monte Carlo146Crash079 29855Benny Parsons Chevrolet Monte Carlo108Cylinder head076 302788Rusty WallacePontiac Grand Prix95Crash073 313443Richard Petty Pontiac Grand Prix92Camshaft2475 (5) 323064Tommy GaleFord Thunderbird69Engine067 331027Tim RichmondPontiac Grand Prix66Engine064 34422Bobby Allison Buick Regal61Camshaft1766 (5) 35228Bobby Hillin Jr. Chevrolet Monte Carlo60Engine058 362142Dick TrickleChevrolet Monte Carlo53Ignition055 37161Lake SpeedChevrolet Monte Carlo46Push rod052 38521Buddy Baker Ford Thunderbird30Vibration049 393214A. J. Foyt Oldsmobile Cutlass24Suspension046 40157Kyle PettyFord Thunderbird21Engine043 413548Trevor Boys Chevrolet Monte Carlo17Engine040 423975Dave MarcisPontiac Grand Prix3Engine037Source:
(5) Indicates 5 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading 1 lap(10) Indicates 10 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading 1 lap & leading the most laps
Cautions 7 for 39 laps FromlapTolap# oflapsReason595Car #75 spun turn 264674Car #8 engine73786Car #64 engine991046Car #88 accident turn 21501534Car #98 accident turn 41601678Car #'s 47,90 accident turn 41771826Car #67 engineSource:
Lap leader breakdown LeaderFromlapTolap# OflapsCale Yarborough 11414Bobby Allison 15151Cale Yarborough 16172Bobby Allison 18181Cale Yarborough 19191Bobby Allison 20201Cale Yarborough 21211Bobby Allison 22254Cale Yarborough 26283Bobby Allison 29324Cale Yarborough 33375Dale Earnhardt38381Richard Petty 39402Dale Earnhardt41433Bobby Allison 44496Richard Petty 506415Dale Earnhardt65673Richard Petty 68681Cale Yarborough 698618Richard Petty 87926Cale Yarborough 93997Dale Earnhardt1001045Neil Bonnett1051051Terry Labonte1061127Dale Earnhardt1131164Cale Yarborough 11713519Dale Earnhardt1361361Terry Labonte1371382Harry Gant1391391Dale Earnhardt1401412Darrell Waltrip1421421Cale Yarborough 14316018Bill Elliott1611611Darrell Waltrip16219938Cale Yarborough 2002001Source: = Daytona 500 rookie = Former Daytona 500 winner
References
External links 1984: A sweet repeat — NASCAR.com, January 28, 2003