The 1983 World 600, the 24th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 29, 1983, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, North Carolina, US).

1983 World 600
Race details[1][2]
Race 12 of 30 in the 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
1983 World 600 program cover
1983 World 600 program cover
Date May 29, 1983 (1983-May-29)
Official name World 600
Location Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.500 mi (2.414 km)
Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (965 km)
Weather Hot, humid, and partly cloudy with a high around 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); wind out of the ESE at 7.48 miles per hour (12.04 km/h)
Average speed 140.707 miles per hour (226.446 km/h)
Attendance 137,000[3]
Pole position
Driver Wood Brothers Racing
Most laps led
Driver Bobby Allison DiGard Motorsports
Laps 188
Winner
No. 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network Mizlou
Announcers Ken Squier
Phil Parsons

Background

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The layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

The race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) quad-oval track located thirteen miles from Charlotte, North Carolina in Concord. The track sanctioned NASCAR Winston Cup Series events biannually during the 1983 season, with the other race being the Miller High Life 500. The track opened for the 1960 World 600, and was built by Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner.

Summary

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This event took four hours, fifteen minutes, and fifty-one seconds to complete.[3] Five cautions were waved for twenty-eight laps.[3] Neil Bonnett defeated Richard Petty[4] by a margin of 0.8 seconds in front of 137,000 people.[3] Notable speeds for this race were: 140.707 miles per hour (226.446 km/h) as the average speed and 162.841 miles per hour (262.067 km/h) as the pole position speed.[3] Bonnett had previously won the 1982 running of the same event and would repeat his success.[5] However, he would never win another World 600 race after this one. Canadian driver Trevor Boys started in 33rd and finished in 20th during this race in his #48 Chevrolet.[3] Total winnings for this race were $407,190 ($1,245,650 when adjusted for inflation).[2]

Jimmy Means was in the top 10 in points after this race. He was ahead in the point standings of NASCAR legends such as Ricky Rudd, Dave Marcis, Tim Richmond, Geoff Bodine, Kyle Petty, and Dale Earnhardt.[3] Bobby Allison and Bill Elliott had a great race going for the lead until they were both swept up in the Sterlin Marlin, Slick Johnson spin out.[3] There was some heavy rainfall after the race which did not affect the race.

Margaret Claud Padgett was the designated Miss Winston for this race in addition to every NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event held from 1981 to 1985.[6]

Qualifying

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Pos.[7] # Driver Make Team/Owner Time Avg. Speed (mph)
1 21 Buddy Baker Ford Wood Brothers Racing 162.841
2 9 Bill Elliott Ford Melling Racing
3 15 Dale Earnhardt Ford Bud Moore Engineering
4 16 David Pearson Chevrolet Bobby Hawkins Racing
5 75 Neil Bonnett Chevrolet RahMoc Enterprises
6 98 Joe Ruttman Chevrolet Benfield Racing
7 55 Benny Parsons Buick Johnny Hayes Racing
8 33 Harry Gant Buick Mach 1 Racing
9 3 Ricky Rudd Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
10 90 Dick Brooks Ford Donlavey Racing
11 27 Tim Richmond Pontiac Blue Max Racing
12 28 Cale Yarborough Chevrolet Ranier-Lundy Racing
13 22 Bobby Allison Buick DiGard Motorsports
14 11 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet Junior Johnson & Associates
15 44 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Hagan Racing
16 88 Geoffrey Bodine Pontiac Cliff Stewart Racing
17 43 Richard Petty Pontiac Petty Enterprises
18 97 Ken Ragan Buick Branch-Ragan Racing
19 67 Buddy Arrington Chrysler Arrington Racing
20 01 Mark Martin Chevrolet Zervakis Racing
21 7 Kyle Petty Pontiac Petty Enterprises
22 2 Morgan Shepherd Buick Jim Stacy Racing
23 77 Dean Combs Buick Irv Sanderson
24 6 D.K. Ulrich Chevrolet Ulrich Racing
25 64 Tommy Gale Ford Langley Racing
26 18 Slick Johnson Buick Satterfield Racing
27 47 Ron Bouchard Buick Race Hill Farm Team
28 80 Bob Senneker Pontiac Terry Marra
29 71 Dave Marcis Chevrolet Marcis Auto Racing
30 17 Sterling Marlin Chevrolet Hamby Racing
31 99 Philip Duffie Buick Philip Duffie
32 1 Lake Speed Chevrolet Ellington Racing
33 48 Trevor Boys Chevrolet James Hylton Motorsports
34 24 Jim Vandiver Chrysler Gordon Racing
35 32 Tommy Ellis Buick Terry Motorsports
36 52 Jimmy Means Buick Jimmy Means Racing
37 36 H.B. Bailey Pontiac Bailey Racing
38 74 Bobby Wawak Chevrolet Wawak Racing
39 70 J.D. McDuffie Pontiac McDuffie Racing
40 8 Bobby Hillin, Jr. Buick Hillin Racing
41 02 Rick Newsom Chevrolet Reeder Racing 151.647

Drivers that failed to qualify were: Ronnie Thomas (#41), Lennie Pond, Jody Ridley (#84) and Rick Baldwin (#04).[8]

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Make Team/Owner Sponsor Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 5 75 Neil Bonnett Chevrolet RahMoc Enterprises Hodgdon 400 69 running 180
2 17 43 Richard Petty Pontiac Petty Enterprises STP 400 4 running 175
3 13 22 Bobby Allison Buick DiGard Motorsports Miller High Life 400 188 running 175
4 14 11 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet Junior Johnson & Associates Pepsi Challenger 399 0 running 160
5 3 15 Dale Earnhardt Ford Bud Moore Engineering Wrangler 399 55 running 160
6 32 1 Lake Speed Chevrolet Ellington Racing UNO 398 0 running 150
7 1 21 Buddy Baker Ford Wood Brothers Racing Valvoline 398 0 running 146
8 21 7 Kyle Petty Pontiac Petty Enterprises 7-Eleven 395 1 running 147
9 22 2 Morgan Shepherd Buick Jim Stacy Racing ACM Equipment Sales 392 0 running 138
10 29 71 Dave Marcis Chevrolet Marcis Auto Racing Transmissions Unlimited 390 0 running 134
11 40 8 Bobby Hillin, Jr. Buick Hillin Racing Danelle Jeans 388 0 running 130
12 19 67 Buddy Arrington Chrysler Arrington Racing Motorsports Designs 388 0 running 127
13 23 77 Dean Combs Buick Irv Sanderson Best Products 388 0 running 124
14 6 98 Joe Ruttman Chevrolet Benfield Racing Levi Garrett 388 0 running 121
15 35 32 Tommy Ellis Buick Terry Motorsports Big Daddy's 386 0 running 118
16 2 9 Bill Elliott Ford Melling Racing Melling Oil Pumps 384 47 running 120
17 18 97 Ken Ragan Buick Branch-Ragan Racing Clinomint 381 0 running 112
18 38 74 Bobby Wawak Chevrolet Wawak Racing Superior Piping 378 0 running 109
19 30 17 Sterling Marlin Chevrolet Hamby Racing Hesco Exhaust 377 0 running 106
20 33 48 Trevor Boys Chevrolet James Hylton Motorsports Hylton-McCaig 376 0 running 103
21 34 24 Jim Vandiver Chrysler Gordon Racing Western Carolina Forklift 369 0 running 100
22 37 36 H.B. Bailey Pontiac Bailey Racing Monroe RV 369 0 running 97
23 24 6 D.K. Ulrich Chevrolet Ulrich Racing Ulrich Racing 366 0 running 94
24 26 18 Slick Johnson Buick Satterfield Racing Leon Satterfield 359 0 running 91
25 8 33 Harry Gant Buick Mach 1 Racing Skoal Bandit 352 2 running 93
26 39 70 J.D. McDuffie Pontiac McDuffie Racing McDuffie Racing 344 0 running 85
27 28 80 Bob Senneker Pontiac Terry Marra Elk Vans 326 0 battery 82
28 12 28 Cale Yarborough Chevrolet Ranier-Lundy Racing Hardee's 321 31 engine 84
29 20 01 Mark Martin Chevrolet Zervakis Racing Activision 279 0 crash 76
30 31 99 Philip Duffie Buick Philip Duffie U.S. Duffie Sand & Gravel 277 0 overheating 73
31 41 02 Rick Newsom Chevrolet Reeder Racing Louise Smith Special 261 0 running 70
32 9 3 Ricky Rudd Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing Piedmont Airlines 245 0 running 67
33 15 44 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Hagan Racing Budweiser 231 3 oil pump 69
34 7 55 Benny Parsons Buick Johnny Hayes Racing Skoal 201 0 rear end 61
35 25 64 Tommy Gale Ford Langley Racing Sunny King Ford & Honda 94 0 engine 58
36 16 88 Geoffrey Bodine Pontiac Cliff Stewart Racing Gatorade 67 0 crash 55
37 10 90 Dick Brooks Ford Donlavey Racing Chameleon Sunglasses 67 0 crash 52
38 36 52 Jimmy Means Buick Jimmy Means Racing Broadway Motors 65 0 crash 49
39 4 16 David Pearson Chevrolet Bobby Hawkins Racing Chattanooga Chew 65 0 crash 46
40 11 27 Tim Richmond Pontiac Blue Max Racing Old Milwaukee 17 0 engine 43
41 27 47 Ron Bouchard Buick Race Hill Farm Team Race Hill Farm 14 0 oil seal 40

Standings after the race

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Pos Driver Points[3] Differential
1 Bobby Allison 1881 0
2 Darrell Waltrip 1696 -185
3 Neil Bonnett 1681 -200
4 Bill Elliott 1675 -206
5 Harry Gant 1665 -216
6 Darrell Waltrip 1658 -223
7 Joe Ruttman 1647 -234
8 Terry Labonte 1421 -460
9 Dick Brooks 1416 -465
10 Jimmy Means 1381 -500

References

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  1. ^ "1983 World 600 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  2. ^ a b "1983 World 600 racing results (third reference)". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "1983 World 600 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
  4. ^ "Neil Bonnett's Victory at the 1983 World 600". NeilBonnett.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
  5. ^ "Neil Bonnett's Story". Neil Bonnett.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  6. ^ "Margaret Claud Padgett information". Miss Winston. Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  7. ^ "NASCAR, World 600 Auto Racing Qualifying Results At Charlotte, N.C., May 27". UPI. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  8. ^ "Qualifying information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Series races
1983
Succeeded by
Preceded by World 600 races
1983
Succeeded by