Rusty Wallace hoists his trophy after winning the 100-mile USAC stock car race at the one-mile Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.
Du Quoin, Ill. (August 25, 1979) – Rookie Rusty Wallace, appearing on a mile dirt track for only the second in six-year career, beat the best the USAC stock car division had to offer, including the legendary A.J. Foyt, to win the 100-mile feature at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds on Saturday.
Driving the only Pontiac Firebird in the century, the 23-year-old St. Louis pilot finished a mere second ahead of veteran Don White of Keokuk, Iowa, in the $27,049 affair. He led the final 43 laps to collect the $4,583 first prize.
It wasn’t that ‘ol A.J. wasn’t up for the event and the 9,256 spectators who supported vociferously. In fact, the state fair officials made the “Welcome AJ. Foyt” a theme. Foyt last appeared there in 1974 but enjoyed his first major victory there in 1960. He was fast qualifier that afternoon and started on the pole position.
As light rain fell, Foyt brought the 24-car field down for the green. He would never lead again. Bay Darnell shot his Camaro into first and led for half the race before White and Wallace made their moves.
A yellow would flash on lap 3 when Bill Venturini lost his bumper in the third turn. On the restart, it was Darnell out front with Foyt, Randy Ogden, Ken Rowley, Ken Schrader and Wallace in hot pursuit. Wallace would dispatch Schrader then Rowley as the first six cars were under a blanket for the first 10 miles.
A second yellow came out when Schrader’s Ford Granada blew its engine on lap 23. Many drivers would take their mandatory pit stop, including Wallace. “That put me in a good position,” he would remark later.
With the green, back out on lap 26, Wallace was a distant eighth and Foyt, who also had pitted, in sixth. The crowd was sensing a Foyt victory. Then on lap 49, Fred Zack belted the inside guard rail in turn four. The third yellow came out and Wallace found himself in second as A.J. took another pit stop.
A fourth yellow on lap 55, gave Wallace his opportunity to overtake race leader White. With 16 cars still running on the 60th circuit, Wallace had only White to worry about. His work of picking off car after car was tedious but popular.
“My car got faster towards the end,” Wallace recalled afterwards. Only White was a threat but Wallace consistently maintained a two-second lead for the remainder of the race.
The Springfield, Mo., and Fort Smith, Ark., track champion almost didn’t make the trip to Du Quoin. He had avoided all dirt tracks until this year, and the Du Quoin track resembled asphalt more than it did dirt.
Results –
1. Rusty Wallace
2. Don White
3. Bay Darnell
4. A.J. Foyt
5. Sal Tovella
6. John Prior
7. Dean Roper
8. Joe Wallace
9. Steve Drake
10. Randy Ogden
11. Rich Clement
12. Tom Meinberg
13. Clyde Dagit
14. Dick Potts
15. Terry Pearson
16. Rick O’Brien
17. Joe Ruttman
18. Fred Zack
19. Ken Simpson
20. Ken Rowley
21. Ken Schrader
22. Gordon Blankenship
23. Tom Helfrich
24. Rick Venturini
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