1980 season recap

Coming off his 1979 Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year campaign, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt wins his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship as he held off a late-season charge by three-time champion Cale Yarborough.

For the second straight year, the title is not decided until the last race of the season.

FIVE RACES TO GO: Martinsville, VA - Points leader Dale Earnhardt wins the race at Martinsville to extend his lead over three-time champion Cale Yarborough to 105 points as Yarborough finishes third. Seven-time and defending champion Richard Petty drops out of title contention as his 15th place finish leaves him 168 point out of the lead.

FOUR RACES TO GO: Charlotte, NC - Dale Earnhardt took his second straight checkered flag, this coming at Charlotte, but could only extend his lead over Cale Yarborough by ten points as Yarborough places second.

THREE RACES TO GO: Rockingham, NC - Cale Yarborough takes a big bite of Dale Earnhardt's once healthy lead as he wins the event at North Carolina Motor Speedway. Earnhardt came in 18th and saw his points lead shrink to 44 points with two races remaining in the season.

TWO RACES TO GO: Hampton, GA - Cale Yarborough cut Dale Earnhardt's lead even more heading into the season finale. At Atlanta, Yarborough wins his second straight race as Earnhardt finishes just behind him in third place. The two head to California with 29 points between them.

FINAL RACE: Ontario, CA - Cale Yarborough beat Dale Earnhardt in the L.A. Times 500 by finishing third, but it was not enough to take the title from Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt's fifth place finish won him the title by 19 points as he became the first and only driver in history to win the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year award one year and the NASCAR Winston Cup championship the next.