1979 Gabriel 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1979): Difference between revisions

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(A race featuring a scary accident involving Steve Pfeiffer and a few spectators. Fortunately no one was killed, but the images and video show how serious it could have been. Meanwhile, Baker won an otherwise very competitive race, beating out Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough.)
 
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==See Also==   
==See Also==   
*[[1960 Daytona Races (lost CBS and NBC televised footage of NASCAR prelude events to Daytona 500; 1960)]]
*[[1960 Daytona 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1960)]]         
*[[1961 Firecracker 250 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1961)]]
*[[1960 Daytona Races (lost CBS and NBC televised footage of NASCAR prelude events to Daytona 500; 1960)]]          
*[[1962 Firecracker 250 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1962)]]
*[[1961 Firecracker 250 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1961)]]    
*[[1963 Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1963)]]
*[[1962 Daytona 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1962)]]          
*[[1964 Atlanta 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1964)]]
*[[1962 Firecracker 250 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1962)]]          
*[[1964 National 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1964)]]
*[[1963 Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1963)]]  
*[[1964 World 600 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1964)]]
*[[1963 Richmond 250 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series qualifying session and race; 1963)]]          
*[[1965 National 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1965)]]
*[[1964 Atlanta 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1964)]]          
*[[1965 Rebel 300 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1965)]]
*[[1964 National 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1964)]]  
*[[1966 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1966)]]
*[[1964 Richmond 250 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series qualifying session; 1964)]]  
*[[1966 Southern 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1966)]]
*[[1964 World 600 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1964)]]  
*[[1967 Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1967)]]
*[[1965 Daytona 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1965)]]  
*[[1967 Rebel 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1967)]]
*[[1965 National 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1965)]]          
*[[1969 Permatex 300 at Daytona (partially found footage of NASCAR Sportsman race; 1969)]]
*[[1965 Rebel 300 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1965)]]          
*[[1970 National 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1970)]]
*[[1966 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1966)]]          
*[[1970 Wilkes 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1970)]]
*[[1966 Southern 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1966)]]          
*[[1970 World 600 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1970)]]
*[[1967 Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1967)]]        
*[[1971 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]
*[[1967 Rebel 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1967)]]  
*[[1971 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]
*[[1969 Permatex 300 at Daytona (partially found footage of NASCAR Late Model Sportsman race; 1969)]]  
*[[1971 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]
*[[1970 Alabama 500 (found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1970)]]          
*[[1971 Rebel 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]
*[[1970 National 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1970)]]          
*[[1971 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; 1971)]]
*[[1970 Wilkes 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1970)]]          
*[[1972 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]
*[[1970 World 600 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand National Series race; 1970)]]          
*[[1972 Firecracker 400 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]
*[[1971 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]          
*[[1972 National 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]
*[[1971 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]      
*[[1972 Rebel 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]
*[[1971 Myers Brothers 250 (lost footage and official documents of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]          
*[[1972 Twin 125s (partially found footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; 1972)]]
*[[1971 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]          
*[[1973 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1973)]]
*[[1971 Rebel 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1971)]]          
*[[1973 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1973)]]
*[[1971 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; 1971)]]          
*[[1974 Mason-Dixon 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1974)]]  
*[[1972 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]  
*[[1974 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1974)]]
*[[1972 Bowman-Gray 100 (lost footage of NASCAR Grand American Series race; 1972)]]      
*[[1974 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; 1974)]]
*[[1972 Carolina 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]    
*[[1975 Champion Spark Plug 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]  
*[[1972 Daytona 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]          
*[[1975 Dixie 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]
*[[1972 Firecracker 400 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]          
*[[1975 Firecracker 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]
*[[1972 National 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]          
*[[1975 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]
*[[1972 Rebel 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1972)]]  
*[[1975 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; 1975)]]
*[[1972 Twin 125s (partially found footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; 1972)]]          
*[[1975 World 600 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]
*[[1973 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1973)]]          
*[[1976 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
*[[1973 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1973)]]          
*[[1976 Champion Spark Plug 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
*[[1974 Mason-Dixon 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1974)]]        
*[[1976 Dixie 500 (lost CBS footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
*[[1974 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1974)]]          
*[[1976 Firecracker 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
*[[1974 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; 1974)]]        
*[[1976 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]  
*[[1975 Champion Spark Plug 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]        
*[[1976 Rebel 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]  
*[[1975 Dixie 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]          
*[[1976 Talladega 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]  
*[[1975 Firecracker 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]          
*[[1976 Winston 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
*[[1975 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]          
*[[1976 World 600 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]
*[[1975 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; 1975)]]          
*[[1978 NAPA National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1978)]]
*[[1975 World 600 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)]]          
*[[1979 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1979)]]
*[[1976 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]        
*[[1979 Dixie 500 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; existence unconfirmed; 1979)]]
*[[1976 Champion Spark Plug 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]          
*[[1979 Southeastern 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1979)]]
*[[1976 Dixie 500 (lost CBS footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]          
*[[1982 Twin 125s race 1 (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying race; existence unconfirmed; 1982)]]
*[[1976 Firecracker 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]          
*[[1984 Delaware 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1984)]]
*[[1976 National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]        
*[[1984 Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; existence unconfirmed; 1984)‎]]
*[[1976 Rebel 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]        
*[[1985 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; existence unconfirmed; 1985)]]
*[[1976 Riverside 400 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]        
*[[1986 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; existence unconfirmed; 1986)]]
*[[1976 Talladega 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]        
*[[1996 DeVilbiss SuperFinish 200 (partially found televised footage of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race; 1996)]]   
*[[1976 Winston 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]          
*[[1976 World 600 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1976)]]         
*[[1978 NAPA National 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1978)]]
*[[1979 Atlanta 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1979)]]
*[[1979 Daytona ARCA 200 (lost footage of ARCA Racing Series race; 1979)‎]]         
*[[1979 Dixie 500 (lost ABC footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; existence unconfirmed; 1979)]]         
*[[1979 Southeastern 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1979)]]
*[[1979 Sportsman 300 (partially found footage of NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series race; 1979)]]
*[[1981 Coca-Cola 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1981)]]   
*[[1981 CRC Chemicals 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1981)]] 
*[[1982 CRC Chemicals 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1982)]]
*[[1982 Eastern 150 (lost footage of NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series race; 1982)]]
*[[1982 Goody's Sportsman 300 (partially found footage of NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series race; 1982)]]         
*[[1982 Twin 125s race 1 (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying race; existence unconfirmed; 1982)]] 
*[[1982 Winston Western 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; existence unconfirmed; 1982)]]
*[[1983 Goody's Sportsman 300 (partially found footage of NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series race; 1983)]]   
*[[1983 Mason-Dixon 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1983)]] 
*[[1983 Southern 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; existence unconfirmed; 1983)]]         
*[[1984 Delaware 500 (partially found footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1984)]]
*[[1984 Goody's Sportsman 300 (lost footage of NASCAR Busch Grand National Series race; 1984)]]             
*[[1984 Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; existence unconfirmed; 1984)‎]]         
*[[1985 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; existence unconfirmed; 1985)]]         
*[[1986 Twin 125s (lost footage of NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying races; existence unconfirmed; 1986)]]
*[[1988 Miller High Life 500 (partially lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1988)]] 
*[[1989 Busch Clash (lost footage of pre-season NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1989)]]
*[[1990 Daytona ARCA 200 (partially found footage of ARCA Racing Series race; 1990)]]
*[[1992 Atlanta 300 (lost footage of NASCAR Busch Grand National Series race; 1992)]]
*[[1995 Winston 100/1995 Duron Paints And Wallcoverings 100 (partially found footage of NASCAR Sportsman Division Series doubleheader; 1995)]]         
*[[1996 DeVilbiss SuperFinish 200 (partially found televised footage of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race; 1996)]]   
*[[2002 K&N Filters 150 (lost footage of NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour race; 2002)]]
*[[Jason Leffler (lost footage of fatal 410 Sprint Car accident; 2013)]]
*[[Jeff Gordon's 2008 UAW-Dodge 400 crash (lost on-board footage of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race crash; 2008)]]
*[[NASCAR (partially found uncut footage of stock car races; 1960-present)]]


==References==   
==References==   

Revision as of 11:23, 26 April 2022

Nsfl.png


This article has been tagged as NSFL due to its discussion of a serious motor racing accident.



1979gabriel4001.jpg

Aftermath of Steve Pfeiffer's crash.

Status: Partially Found

The 1979 Gabriel 400 was the 16th race of the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Occurring on 17th June at the Michigan International Speedway, the race would ultimately be won by Buddy Baker, beating out fellow Chevrolet driver Donnie Allison. The race is also infamous for a crash involving Steve Pfeiffer, whose Chevrolet injured some spectators on the pit wall.

Background

The 1979 Gabriel 400 was the 11th running of the event, with the annual race typically lasting around 400 miles in length.[1] It was one of two 1979 Winston Cup Series races conducted at Michigan International Speedway, the other being the Champion Spark Plug 400,[2] which in 1979 occurred on 19th August and was won by Richard Petty in a Chevrolet.[3] The race also has ties to the modern FireKeepers Casino 400, with both races having been merged into one since 2021.[4]

Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with Neil Bonnett winning the pole position in a Mercury with a speed of 162.371 mph.[1] Directly behind him was Donnie Allison, with Buddy Baker lining up third.[1] Roger Hamby also entered the event with a Chevrolet,[5] qualifying 18th out of 36 runners.[1] He selected Steve Pfeiffer to be his relief driver.[5]

The Race

With the starting order decided, the 1979 Gabriel 400 commenced on 17th June.[1] Bonnett was able to hold the lead until lap 3, when Baker briefly took over, only for Bonnett to recapture it on lap 4.[1] However, the race would quickly turn into an open competition for the lead, with Allison, Oldsmobile's Cale Yarborough, and Petty all contributing towards 46 lead changes throughout the event.[1] The Hour summarised the race as "a furious battle among 10 top contenders all day."[5]

Near the race's end stages, Baker would lead for 22 consecutive laps.[1] His main competition would be Allison, with him overtaking Baker for the first position on lap 158.[1][5] This triggered a further seven lead changes between the pair, with Baker achieving the final overtake for first on lap 182.[1] Nevertheless, he still faced intense competition from not only Allison, but also a late challenge from Yarborough.[5] However, the latter would drop out of contention, because his performance dipped as his tyres heated up according to Baker.[5] Baker would maintain the lead for the remaining laps, with the final few being run under a caution following incidents involving the Dodge of Frank Warren and Chevrolet's Darrell Waltrip.[1] This enabled Baker to win the race and claim $16,350 in prize money.[5][1] Allison finished second, with Yarborough ending up third.[1][5] Allison accepted Baker's victory post-race, stating "I felt the cars that won deserved to win and I thought the car that was second deserved to be second."[5]

Steve Pfeiffer's Crash

During the race, owner-driver Roger Hamby elected to be replaced by relief driver Steve Pfeiffer.[5] After completing 122 laps,[1] Pfeiffer decided to make a pit stop, heading onto pit road.[6][5] Suddenly, he lost control of the Chevrolet, slamming into a dirt embankment close to the pit entrance.[6][5] The impact was severe enough to cause the vehicle to climb the embankment, resulting in it mowing down a few spectators, including photographer Ray Cook.[6][5] Cook was hospitalised after suffering leg and ankle injuries, while some spectators suffered cuts and bruises.[6][5] Meanwhile, Pfeiffer resided in Foote West Hospital, ultimately recovering from cuts to his right knee and chest.[5] Ultimately, despite the severity of the crash, there were no fatalities.[6]

Availability

According to NASCAR on TV, 45 minutes of highlights were televised by ABC on 23rd June 1979 as part of its Wide World of Sports, alongside the AAU Track and Field Championships.[7] However, the broadcast has yet to fully resurface, although clips of Pfeiffer's accident have been uploaded to YouTube. Additionally, Racing-Reference claims that at least three other YouTube videos contained footage of the race, but have all since been made inaccessible.[8] Nevertheless, photos and newspaper clippings of the event are publicly viewable.

Galley

Video

Footage of Pfeiffer's crash.

Images

See Also

References