•On Jan. 11, NASCAR founder William Henry Getty France - "Bill France Sr." -- retires as president of the world's leading motor sports sanctioning body and William Clifton France becomes president of NASCAR.

• The Winston Cup schedule is reduced to 31 championship events, with each race consisting of 250 miles or more.

• NASCAR forms the Grand National East division to find a home for the 100-milers which previously made up a large portion of the Winston Cup slate.

• Darrell Waltrip makes his first Winston Cup start in the May 7 Winston 500 at Talladega. Waltrip finishes 38th in the field of 50.

• Richard Petty wins eight races and puts the lid on his record-setting fourth Winston Cup championship.

• Petty finishes in the top 10 in 28 of the 31 races.