1982 season recap

The Darrell Waltrip-Bobby Allison showdown continued for the second straight year. The 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season saw the defending champion, Waltrip, rally to take the title from Bobby Allison once again.

For the fourth consecutive year, the championship was not decided until the final race of the season.

FIVE RACES TO GO: Charlotte, NC - Darrell Waltrip had put together three solid races where he finished ahead of Bobby Allison, cutting his points margin from 147 points to 15 points. Stealing back some momentum, Allison gained points on Waltrip with his ninth place finish at Charlotte. After Waltrip finished 14th, he stood 37 points behind Allison with four races to go.

FOUR RACES TO GO: Martinsville, VA - Bobby Allison struggled to a 19th place finish at the half-mile in Virginia, and to make matters worse, he lost the points lead after Darrell Waltrip took first place. In an exchange of scenarios, Waltrip now lead Allison by 37 points.

THREE RACES TO GO: Rockingham, NC - Darrell Waltrip won his 12th race of the season at Rockingham, but his point lead did not increase as Bobby Allison led the most laps in his second place effort. Heading to Atlanta, the points margin stood at 37 points for the third week in a row.

TWO RACES TO GO: Hampton, GA - Bobby Allison, looking to exact revenge on his rival for the previous year, put himself in position to make the season finale interesting by winning the race at Atlanta. Darrell Waltrip finished third and took a 22-point lead to the west coast to try to wrap up his second straight title.

FINAL RACE: Riverside, CA - Bobby Allison's mediocre 16th place finish was not enough to wrestle the championship from the defending champ, who finished third at the Winston 500 and took the title by 72 points over Allison. For the second year in a row, Waltrip rallied from far behind to overtake Allison and the points lead late in the season. Darrell Waltrip, who won 12 times in 1982, had won 24 races his in back-to-back championship seasons.