The 1979 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) race held on February 18, 1979, at Daytona International Speedway. Richard Petty took home the checkered flag, but the race would be most famous for the last lap of the race. Leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough wrecked each other on the last lap battling for the win, allowing Petty to win the race. During the cool-down lap, Allison and Yarborough climbed from their cars and engaged in a fistfight televised nationally across the United States, with Allison's brother Bobby joining in on the fracas eventually. Many credit this event to NASCAR's soaring in popularity over the following decades.