April 16, 1978
Gwyn Staley 400
The fans at North Wilkesboro Speedway saw a race which had 7 drivers exchange the lead a record 18 times throughout the day. The driver leading at the completion of lap 400 was Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip took the checkered and yellow flags at the same time as the race finished under caution—no green, white, checkered in those years. “Jaws” led a race high 146 laps on his way to his second consecutive NWS win. He started from the outside pole. Waltrip once asked his crew to paint a set of teeth on the front of his car.
The only other car to complete all 400 laps was the STP Dodge driven by Richard Petty. Petty’s Dodge was the only non-Chevrolet in the top five. Petty started the race from the seventh position and led 129 laps on his way to a 2nd place finish. This finish would be Petty’s best of the season. He would match his second place finish at Riverside and Atlanta later this year. It would be the first season since 1959 that Petty would not visit victory lane. After a slow start to the season, Petty found himself 11th in points, 400 points down after just the eight race of the season.
The first car finishing one lap down was the pole sitter, Benny Parsons. Parsons set records for the fastest two day average qualifying along with the single lap record. His two day average was 20.735sec/108.510mph and his single lap was 20.713sec/108.627mph. After the NWS race, the eighth of the season, Parsons was the season points leader by 103 over the second place contender.
Lennie Pond started fifth and finished 4th. Pond led one lap in the race. Pond was also one lap down at the finish. 1978 Pond teamed up with car owner Harry Ranier and had one of best seasons on the circuit. He recorded his only career win at Talladega and he also won five poles—the only ones of his career. Pond left NWS fifth in the points standings.
Wisconsin native, Dave Marcis, started sixth and finished 5th. He finished two laps down. It was his fourth top 5 finish at NWS. Marcis got off to a good start in 1978. He was sitting second in points after NWS and in two weeks, he became the point leader in the Championship standings.
BRING BACK DAVE MARCIS!
Other drivers to lead laps were Bobby Allison—1 (6th place finish), Neil Bonnett—1 (24th, lost an engine) and Cale Yarborough—2 (26th, overheating). The time of the race was 2 hours, 42 minutes, 26 seconds. 20 of the 29 cars in the field were running at the finish. There were 4 cautions for 25 laps. The driver gaining the most positions during the race was 12 by Joe Booher (28th to 16th). It was his only Winston Cup race at NWS. Ronnie Thomas, the son of veteran driver Jabe Thomas, also made his first Cup appearance at NWS.
Prior to the race, Waltrip and Parsons share a laugh. Parsons collects his award for winning the pole.
The first half of cars leading the field on the opening pace lap. It looks as if it was a good day as far as weather was concerned.
The second half of the field on the opening pace laps. That’s Frank Warren in the #79 Native Tan machine. James Hylton (48 car) is to his outside and behind them are Tighe Scott (30) and Buddy Arrington. Notice the frontstretch grandstands—there used to be a roof toward turn four. A new Combs tower was being used for the first time, even though construction was not fully completed at the time. The will be a better picture next race.
A good picture of Dave Marcis (2), Darrell Waltrip (88.) and Richard Petty (43) racing “down” the frontstretch.
This driver won’t be around for the finish of the race as he blows an engine coming thru turns 3 and 4.
Tighe Scott and the 30 car also experience troubles as he spins in front of the infield crowd.
At the end of the day, it was Darrell Waltrip and crew chief Buddy Parrot celebrating with the hardware.