The 1983 World 600, the 24th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 29, 1983, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, North Carolina, US).
Background
The race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a quad-oval track located thirteen miles from Charlotte, North Carolina in Concord. The track sanctioned NASCAR Winston Cup Series events biannually during the 1983 season, with the other race being the Miller High Life 500. The track opened for the 1960 World 600, and was built by Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner.
Summary This event took four hours, fifteen minutes, and fifty-one seconds to complete. Five cautions were waved for twenty-eight laps. Neil Bonnett defeated Richard Petty by a margin of 0.8 seconds in front of 137,000 people. Notable speeds for this race were: as the average speed and as the pole position speed. Bonnett had previously won the 1982 running of the same event and would repeat his success. However, he would never win another World 600 race after this one. Canadian driver Trevor Boys started in 33rd and finished in 20th during this race in his #48 Chevrolet. Total winnings for this race were $407,190 ($ when adjusted for inflation).
Jimmy Means was in the top 10 in points after this race. He was ahead in the point standings of NASCAR legends such as Ricky Rudd, Dave Marcis, Tim Richmond, Geoff Bodine, Kyle Petty, and Dale Earnhardt. Bobby Allison and Bill Elliott had a great race going for the lead until they were both swept up in the Sterlin Marlin, Slick Johnson spin out. There was some heavy rainfall after the race which did not affect the race.
Margaret Claud Padgett was the designated Miss Winston for this race in addition to every NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event held from 1981 to 1985.
Qualifying +Pos.#DriverMakeTeam/OwnerTimeAvg. Speed (mph)121Buddy BakerFordWood Brothers Racing162.84129Bill ElliottFordMelling Racing315Dale EarnhardtFordBud Moore Engineering416David PearsonChevroletBobby Hawkins Racing575Neil BonnettChevroletRahMoc Enterprises698Joe RuttmanChevroletBenfield Racing755Benny ParsonsBuickJohnny Hayes Racing833Harry GantBuickMach 1 Racing93Ricky RuddChevroletRichard Childress Racing1090Dick BrooksFordDonlavey Racing1127Tim RichmondPontiacBlue Max Racing1228Cale YarboroughChevroletRanier-Lundy Racing1322Bobby AllisonBuickDiGard Motorsports1411Darrell WaltripChevroletJunior Johnson & Associates1544Terry LabonteChevroletHagan Racing1688Geoffrey BodinePontiacCliff Stewart Racing1743Richard PettyPontiacPetty Enterprises1897Ken RaganBuickBranch-Ragan Racing1967Buddy ArringtonChryslerArrington Racing2001Mark MartinChevroletZervakis Racing217Kyle PettyPontiacPetty Enterprises222Morgan ShepherdBuickJim Stacy Racing2377Dean CombsBuickIrv Sanderson246D.K. UlrichChevroletUlrich Racing2564Tommy GaleFordLangley Racing2618Slick JohnsonBuickSatterfield Racing2747Ron BouchardBuickRace Hill Farm Team2880Bob SennekerPontiacTerry Marra2971Dave MarcisChevroletMarcis Auto Racing3017Sterling MarlinChevroletHamby Racing3199Philip DuffieBuickPhilip Duffie321Lake SpeedChevroletEllington Racing3348Trevor BoysChevroletJames Hylton Motorsports3424Jim VandiverChryslerGordon Racing3532Tommy EllisBuickTerry Motorsports3652Jimmy MeansBuickJimmy Means Racing3736H.B. BaileyPontiacBailey Racing3874Bobby WawakChevroletWawak Racing3970J.D. McDuffiePontiacMcDuffie Racing408Bobby Hillin, Jr.BuickHillin Racing4102Rick NewsomChevroletReeder Racing151.647 Drivers that failed to qualify were: Ronnie Thomas (#41), Lennie Pond, Jody Ridley (#84) and Rick Baldwin (#04).
Race results FinSt#DriverMakeTeam/OwnerSponsorLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings1575Neil BonnettChevroletRahMoc EnterprisesHodgdon40069running18021743Richard PettyPontiacPetty EnterprisesSTP4004running17531322Bobby AllisonBuickDiGard MotorsportsMiller High Life400188running17541411Darrell WaltripChevroletJunior Johnson & AssociatesPepsi Challenger3990running1605315Dale EarnhardtFordBud Moore EngineeringWrangler39955running1606321Lake SpeedChevroletEllington RacingUNO3980running1507121Buddy BakerFordWood Brothers RacingValvoline3980running1468217Kyle PettyPontiacPetty Enterprises7-Eleven3951running1479222Morgan ShepherdBuickJim Stacy RacingACM Equipment Sales3920running138102971Dave MarcisChevroletMarcis Auto RacingTransmissions Unlimited3900running13411408Bobby Hillin, Jr.BuickHillin RacingDanelle Jeans3880running130121967Buddy ArringtonChryslerArrington RacingMotorsports Designs3880running127132377Dean CombsBuickIrv SandersonBest Products3880running12414698Joe RuttmanChevroletBenfield RacingLevi Garrett3880running121153532Tommy EllisBuickTerry MotorsportsBig Daddy's3860running1181629Bill ElliottFordMelling RacingMelling Oil Pumps38447running120171897Ken RaganBuickBranch-Ragan RacingClinomint3810running112183874Bobby WawakChevroletWawak RacingSuperior Piping3780running109193017Sterling MarlinChevroletHamby RacingHesco Exhaust3770running106203348Trevor BoysChevroletJames Hylton MotorsportsHylton-McCaig3760running103213424Jim VandiverChryslerGordon RacingWestern Carolina Forklift3690running100223736H.B. BaileyPontiacBailey RacingMonroe RV3690running9723246D.K. UlrichChevroletUlrich RacingUlrich Racing3660running94242618Slick JohnsonBuickSatterfield RacingLeon Satterfield3590running9125833Harry GantBuickMach 1 RacingSkoal Bandit3522running93263970J.D. McDuffiePontiacMcDuffie RacingMcDuffie Racing3440running85272880Bob SennekerPontiacTerry MarraElk Vans3260battery82281228Cale YarboroughChevroletRanier-Lundy RacingHardee's32131engine84292001Mark MartinChevroletZervakis RacingActivision2790crash76303199Philip DuffieBuickPhilip DuffieU.S. Duffie Sand & Gravel2770overheating73314102Rick NewsomChevroletReeder RacingLouise Smith Special2610running703293Ricky RuddChevroletRichard Childress RacingPiedmont Airlines2450running67331544Terry LabonteChevroletHagan RacingBudweiser2313oil pump6934755Benny ParsonsBuickJohnny Hayes RacingSkoal2010rear end61352564Tommy GaleFordLangley RacingSunny King Ford & Honda940engine58361688Geoffrey BodinePontiacCliff Stewart RacingGatorade670crash55371090Dick BrooksFordDonlavey RacingChameleon Sunglasses670crash52383652Jimmy MeansBuickJimmy Means RacingBroadway Motors650crash4939416David PearsonChevroletBobby Hawkins RacingChattanooga Chew650crash46401127Tim RichmondPontiacBlue Max RacingOld Milwaukee170engine43412747Ron BouchardBuickRace Hill Farm TeamRace Hill Farm140oil seal40
Standings after the race Pos Driver Points Differential 1 Bobby Allison 1881 0 2 Darrell Waltrip 1696 -185 3 Neil Bonnett 1681 -200 4 Bill Elliott 1675 -206 5 Harry Gant 1665 -216 6 Darrell Waltrip 1658 -223 7 Joe Ruttman 1647 -234 8 Terry Labonte 1421 -460 9 Dick Brooks 1416 -465 10 Jimmy Means 1381 -500
References