| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 30 in the 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 1982 Daytona 500 program cover | |||
| Date | February 14, 1982 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.02336 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures of 72 °F (22 °C); wind speeds of 13 miles per hour (21 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 153.991 miles per hour (247.824 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 120,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Harry Ranier | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Allison | DiGard Motorsports | |
| Laps | 147 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Bobby Allison | DiGard Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers |
Ken Squier David Hobbs Ned Jarrett Larry Nuber | ||
The 1982 Daytona 500, the 24th running of the event, was the first race of the 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup season. It was the first time that the Daytona 500 was the first race of the season.[3]
Bobby Allison would take the win in the #88 Gatorade-sponsored Buick Regal.[2] Allison holds the distinction of leading the most laps in consecutive Daytona 500s in 1981 and 1982, and then win the next year. A live audience of 120,000 patrons was there for the 194-minute race in which five cautions would slow the field for 34 laps; there were a total of 31 lead changes over the course of the 200 laps. Allison's margin of victory over Cale Yarborough was 23 seconds, more than half a lap.[2]
No Chevrolet vehicles were in this race; the last time this happened was at the 1971 Space City 300 at Meyer Speedway in Texas.[4]
This event marked the first Daytona 500 starts for Joe Ruttman, Ron Bouchard, Jim Sauter, Rick Wilson, Tom Sneva, Mark Martin, Delma Cowart, Rusty Wallace, and Lake Speed,[2] the only Daytona 500 start for Lowell Cowell,[2] and the last Daytona 500 starts for Roy Smith, Gary Balough, Tighe Scott, Stan Barrett, Bobby Wawak, Donnie Allison, Billie Harvey, and Joe Millikan.[2]
- ^ "Weather of the 1982 Daytona 500". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "1982 Daytona 500 results". Racing-reference. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- ^ "1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-reference. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- ^ 1971 Space City 300 racing information at Racing-Reference.info