Dale Earnhardt has been leading the NASCAR Cup season points for most of 1980, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. In fact, stock car legends Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, and Cale Yarborough have all been within striking distance at one point or another, but attrition has kept the field even. Engine failures, crashes, injuries, and team disharmony have plagued everyone in the Cup garage, and it appears the 1980 crown will come down to whoever can manage the chaos best. And thanks to Jake Elder’s untimely departure, Dale has to depend on a young, inexperienced, newly promoted Doug Richert to help keep things on track.

As the season wages on, the championship contest really comes down to two: Dale and Cale. The two can’t stop finding each other on track, and things are getting tense. This will be Dale’s first real taste at a Cup series rivalry, and neither driver is willing to back down. Dale is going to again pick up back-to-back wins, including a triumphant hometown victory in Charlotte, but a disastrous showing in Rockingham allows Cale to close in as the season winds to a close.