SEASON REWIND
Two in a Row for Yarborough BY BEN WHITE
Cale Yarborough and his Junior Johnson and Associates crew claimed the NASCAR Cup Series championship for the second consecutive season in 1977, as the driver from Timmonsville, South Carolina, visited Victory Lane nine times that year. After enjoying an impressive 1976 Cup Series season that required only firing his engine to secure the Cup Series title in the final race of the year at Ontario Motor Speedway, Yarborough was ready to repeat as champion for 1977. The hard-nosed racer joined Johnson’s team in 1973. He immediately began winning races and established himself as a solid title contender. However, in 1974 and ’75, mechanical issues arose that translated to too many losses in Cup Series points, dashing the team’s championship aspirations. But the magic eventually came together and in 1977 veteran crew chief Herb Nab helped orchestrate the team’s second consecutive championship run. Yarborough scored a total of 5,000 championship points over 30 races, besting Richard Petty by 386 points at season’s end. Amazingly, the No. 11 Chevrolet was running at the checkered flag in every race. Yarborough was virtually unstoppable with his worst finish of the year being a 24th-place result in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Yarborough’s nine wins included the Daytona 500 with six of the triumphs coming on short tracks. His reputation as a tenacious driver shined through, as he completed 9,269 of the 10,010 scheduled laps while leading 3,198 of them. His 427-cubic-inch engines were built by Robert Yates, a future championship team owner. Yarborough’s on-track performance and off-track persona made him a fan favorite.
BEST DRIVER CALE YARBOROUGH, driver of the No. 11 Junior Johnson and Associates Chevrolet, dominated the 1977 season by visiting Victory Lane nine times. The team’s season came together in stellar fashion with nearly flawless execution on the race track and guidance from team owner Junior Johnson, a former driver with 50 wins of his own. With Johnson and Yarborough’s aggressive driving styles closely matched, their personal chemistry was also close. Minimal communication was needed to find success. BEST RACE ON AUG. 7, 1977 AT TalladegaSuperspeedway, Donnie Allison vacated his Hoss Ellington Racing Chevrolet after becoming sick. Darrell Waltrip, who had fallen out of the race with engine issues in his DiGard Racing Chevrolet, was asked to relief drive for Allison with 23 laps remaining. Waltrip won the race but Allison got credit for the victory. It was the last time in
SEASON RECAP DATE
Jan. 16 Feb. 20 Feb. 27 Mar. 13 Mar. 20 Mar. 27 April 3 April 17 April 24 May 1 May 7 May 15 May 29 June 12 June 19 July 4 July 16 July 31 Aug. 7 Aug. 22 Aug. 28 Sept. 5 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Sept. 25 Oct. 2 Oct. 9 Oct. 23 Nov. 6 Nov. 20
LOCATION
Riverside International Raceway Daytona International Speedway Richmond Raceway Rockingham Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway North Wilkesboro Speedway Darlington Raceway Bristol Motor Speedway Martinsville Speedway Talladega Superspeedway Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville Dover Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway Riverside International Raceway Michigan International Speedway Daytona International Speedway Fairground Speedway Nashville Pocono Raceway Talladega Superspeedway Michigan International Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway Darlington Raceway Richmond Raceway Dover Motor Speedway Martinsville Speedway North Wilkesboro Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway Rockingham Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway Ontario Motor Speedway
WINNER
David Pearson Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Richard Petty Richard Petty Cale Yarborough Darrell Waltrip Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Darrell Waltrip Benny Parsons Cale Yarborough Richard Petty Richard Petty Cale Yarborough Richard Petty Darrell Waltrip Benny Parsons Donnie Allison Darrell Waltrip Cale Yarborough David Pearson Neil Bonnett Benny Parsons Cale Yarborough Darrell Waltrip Benny Parsons Donnie Allison Darrell Waltrip Neil Bonnett
NASCAR history that a driver won a race for another driver. TOP CARS CALE YARBOROUGH’S No. 11 Junior Johnson and Associates Chevrolet won nine times and had 27 top-10 finishes in 30 starts. Richard Petty’s No. 43 Petty Enterprises Dodge recorded five victories in 1977 while accumulating 23 top-10 results.
PRESIDENT
Jimmy Carter N O . 1 AT T H E B O X O F F I C E
Star Wars Ep. IV: A New Hope NO. 1 SONG
“Tonight’s the Night” by Rod Stewart
1977 P O P C U LT U R E
Elvis Presley dies at Graceland, his Memphis, Tennessee, home. He was 42. GALLON OF GAS
62 Cents
POLE POSITION MAG.COM
67
