1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Season: Waltrip's Second Straight Title

The 1982 season gave Junior Johnson's driver another championship, decided by a comfortable 72-point margin over Bobby Allison. It opened in February at Daytona and closed in November at Riverside, where Waltrip's title was confirmed despite a late engine failure that ended Allison's hopes.

Who won the 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup championship?

Waltrip's second straight championship was settled by a 72-point margin over Bobby Allison. The title race ran through the season's last events, and Allison's engine trouble in the closing weeks made the final gap clear. Geoff Bodine took the rookie award for the year, despite starting 25 of the 30 races.

Waltrip's final margin was built through a steady run of victories and high finishes across the year. Allison, who ran near the top of the standings through the summer, suffered several engine failures in key races, and those retirements allowed Waltrip to take control.

Waltrip won twelve races in 1982, and his consistency across the schedule mattered more than any single result. He remained the most reliable front-runner once the autumn races began.

A second straight title for Darrell Waltrip, built on engine failures for Bobby Allison and a rookie year for Geoff Bodine.

How did the 1982 season open at Daytona?

The Busch Clash opened the season unofficially in February, a week before the Daytona 500, and Bobby Allison won the non-points invitational. The Daytona 500 followed on February 14, when Allison dominated and led 147 of 200 laps to take the race.

The Busch Clash was the fourth annual edition, open to the previous season's pole winners and run over 20 laps. Terry Labonte drew the pole, and Allison won by 1.5 car lengths and took home $50,000.

Cale Yarborough won the first UNO Twin 125 qualifier, and Buddy Baker took the second. In the consolation race for the 14 cars that failed to qualify, Tim Richmond won over 30 laps.

The Daytona 500 itself was not without controversy. Allison's rear bumper fell off a few laps into the race, which gave the car extra aerodynamic advantage. Buick took seven of the first eight finishing spots, and it was the first Daytona 500 since 1971 with no Chevrolets in the field.

Which races gave Waltrip his early wins?

Waltrip won early at Bristol and Atlanta. He took the Valleydale 500 at Bristol, his first win of the season, and he and Dale Earnhardt combined to lead 477 of the 500 laps. At Atlanta, rain shortened the Coca-Cola 500 to 287 of 328 laps, and Waltrip edged Richard Petty to the finish.

The Richmond 400 had a different winner. Rain shortened the race to 250 of 400 laps, and Dave Marcis took the victory. It was the final win of his career and the only one he earned with his own team.

At Carolina, the Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 was postponed from March 21 to March 28 by rain. Cale Yarborough won his first Winston Cup race of 1982 after leading 51 laps, while Waltrip led 148 laps and finished seventh.

Waltrip's dominance grew in the spring. He led 345 of 400 laps at North Wilkesboro on April 18 and took his third win of the year, and then he led 419 of 420 laps at the Nashville race on May 8 for his fifth victory.

What did Dale Earnhardt achieve at Darlington?

Dale Earnhardt won the CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 at Darlington on April 4 by a margin of 3 feet, leading 181 laps on the way to his only Winston Cup win of 1982. It was his first victory since the 1980 National 500, and his first win in a Ford.

Buddy Baker had taken the pole for the Rebel 500, but he finished last after a flywheel problem.

At the Bristol race, Earnhardt and Waltrip combined to lead nearly all of the laps, which underlined how the two drivers controlled the early part of the year.

Why did engine failures decide several races?

Engine failures decided several important races in 1982. Bobby Allison's title hopes were damaged by a series of breakdowns, and his engine failed at the end of the season when he needed to finish strongly. The failures made the points race much easier for Waltrip.

Allison led many laps across the year, including 280 of 334 at Charlotte's National 500, but his engine blew with ten laps remaining. He had been strong all season, yet mechanical trouble kept costing him the points he needed.

At Riverside, Allison's engine failed on lap 111 of 119, which was the fourth time in six races that engine trouble ended his race. That finish left him 16th and the title in Waltrip's hands.

How did Harry Gant and Terry Labonte shape the season?

Harry Gant won his first career race at Martinsville on April 25, leading 167 laps after finishing second nine times earlier in his career. He later added a second win at the National 500, and it was his first victory from pole position.

Terry Labonte was a steady presence through the summer. He led 64 laps at Riverside in the Budweiser 400, finished second, and took the points lead by 144 points over Allison. He still finished third in the final standings.

Tim Richmond's season was highlighted by two Riverside wins. He won the Budweiser 400 in June as a rookie, leading just 10 laps for his first career victory, and in November he won the Winston Western 500 after leading 92 of 119 laps.

What happened at Pocono, Michigan and Daytona in the summer?

Pocono hosted two of the summer's notable races, and the Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 was the first running of that event. Bobby Allison won it, leading 75 of 200 laps. Later at Michigan, Cale Yarborough took the Gabriel 400 with 73 laps led.

Qualifying at Pocono was rained out, so the lineup was set by the points standings and Terry Labonte started from pole. Allison's win was his third of the year, and it kept him firmly in the championship chase.

Ron Bouchard had won the Michigan pole, his second of three career poles, but the race belonged to Yarborough. The Firecracker 400 followed at Daytona, where Geoff Bodine won the first pole of his career and Allison took his fourth win of the year, leading 112 of 160 laps.

What decided the late-summer races?

At the Mountain Dew 500, Richard Petty led about 70 laps before pitting for fuel with four laps left. Darrell Waltrip ran out of fuel on the final lap, and Allison, who led only 16 laps, took the win for his fifth victory of the year. The result showed how much a single fuel stop could decide a race.

At Talladega, Waltrip led 107 of 188 laps to take his seventh win of the year. Geoff Bodine won the pole for the race, the second of his career, and Bill Elliott took the Michigan pole with his own second career pole.

Allison took the Champion Spark Plug 400 for his sixth win of 1982, and that set up the Bristol race that followed. Tim Richmond won his first Winston Cup pole at Bristol, but Waltrip took the race for his eighth win of the season while Allison led 169 laps and finished second.

Which drivers took the autumn races?

Bobby Allison won the Wrangler Sanfor-Set 400 at Richmond, leading 265 of 400 laps for his seventh win of 1982. Darrell Waltrip then took consecutive wins at Dover and North Wilkesboro, which gave him control of the standings heading into October.

Cale Yarborough won the Southern 500 at Darlington, his third win of 1982 and his last with the M. C. Anderson team. The lead changed 41 times among 17 drivers, which made it one of the most competitive races of the autumn.

Waltrip led 287 of 500 laps at Dover for his ninth win, and then led 329 of 400 laps at North Wilkesboro for his tenth. Allison led 71 laps in that race but completed only 141 before an engine problem ended his day.

Harry Gant won the National 500 at Charlotte on October 10. Allison had led 280 of 334 laps before his engine blew with ten laps remaining, a setback that again hurt his title chances.

How did the final races settle the 1982 title?

Waltrip won the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville, leading 238 of 500 laps, and took the points lead by 37 points. He added a 12th win of the season at the American 500, and Allison's late-season engine problems kept the gap from closing.

The Old Dominion 500 was Waltrip's 11th win. Allison had blown an engine after leading 98 laps and finished 19th, which handed Waltrip the lead.

At the American 500 on October 31, Allison led 127 laps and spun out of the pits on lap 450. He recovered to finish second, but the difference between him and Waltrip remained at 37 points.

Allison won the Atlanta Journal 500, leading 100 of 328 laps for his eighth win. It was the last Cup start for country singer Marty Robbins, who died later that December, and Waltrip's lead going into Riverside was 22 points.

Tim Richmond took the Winston Western 500 at Riverside, leading 92 of 119 laps. Allison's engine failed on lap 111, leaving him 16th, and Waltrip took the title by 72 points.

What were the key results of the 1982 season?