1983 Cup Series Results

Complete race results with winners, margins, and laps led — 30 races. Data current through the 2025 season; 2026 results added as races complete.

NASCAR Cup Series results from 1949 through 2026 — 78 seasons of racing history, plus 44 seasons of O'Reilly Auto Parts Series results and 31 seasons of Craftsman Truck Series results. Every race on this page includes finishing order, stage points, laps led, and margin of victory.

Cup history splits into distinct eras: the strictly-stock and Grand National era (1949-1971) raced on dirt bullrings and new paved superspeedways with schedules as dense as 62 events; the Winston Cup modern era (1972-2003) standardized the schedule at 28-36 races per season; the Chase era (2004-2013) introduced a 10-race points-reset postseason; the elimination playoffs era (2014-2025) used four rounds of cuts to crown a Homestead-Phoenix winner-take-all champion; and the 2026+ Chase format brings back a cumulative-points Chase decided at Homestead-Miami. Modern races (2017+) have full stage breakdowns; historic races carry finishing order and laps led, since stages were not introduced until 2017.

Need the season opener? The Daytona 500 kicks off every modern Cup schedule. For postseason context, see The Chase.

# Date Race Winner
1 Jan 1 Daytona 500 Cale Yarborough
2 Jan 1 Richmond 400 Bobby Allison
3 Jan 1 Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 Richard Petty
4 Jan 1 Coca-Cola 500 Cale Yarborough
5 Jan 1 Transouth 500 Harry Gant
6 Jan 1 Northwestern Bank 400 Darrell Waltrip
7 Jan 1 Virginia National Bank 500 Darrell Waltrip
8 Jan 1 Winston 500 Richard Petty
9 Jan 1 Marty Robbins 420 Darrell Waltrip
10 Jan 1 Mason-Dixon 500 Bobby Allison
11 Jan 1 Valleydale 500 Darrell Waltrip
12 Jan 1 World 600 Neil Bonnett
13 Jan 1 Budweiser 400 Ricky Rudd
14 Jan 1 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 Bobby Allison
15 Jan 1 Gabriel 400 Cale Yarborough
16 Jan 1 Firecracker 400 Buddy Baker
17 Jan 1 Busch Nashville 420 Dale Earnhardt
18 Jan 1 Like Cola 500 Tim Richmond
19 Jan 1 Talladega 500 Dale Earnhardt
20 Jan 1 Champion Spark Plug 400 Cale Yarborough
21 Jan 1 Busch 500 Darrell Waltrip
22 Jan 1 Southern 500 Bobby Allison
23 Jan 1 Wrangler Sanforset 400 Bobby Allison
24 Jan 1 Budweiser 500 Bobby Allison
25 Jan 1 Goody's 500 Ricky Rudd
26 Jan 1 Holly Farms 400 Darrell Waltrip
27 Jan 1 Miller High Life 500 Richard Petty
28 Jan 1 Warner W. Hodgdon American 500 Terry Labonte
29 Jan 1 Atlanta Journal 500 Neil Bonnett
30 Jan 1 Winston Western 500 Bill Elliott

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the first NASCAR Cup Series race?
The first NASCAR Cup Series race — then called the Strictly Stock Division — was held on June 19, 1949 at the three-quarter mile Charlotte Speedway dirt oval in North Carolina. Jim Roper was declared the winner after Glenn Dunnaway was disqualified for illegal rear springs, making it the first of 200 sanctioned points races in Cup history's inaugural season of eight events.
How many NASCAR Cup races are there per season?
The modern NASCAR Cup Series runs 36 points-paying races per year plus 2 non-championship exhibition events (the Cook Out Clash and the All-Star Race). The regular season covers 26 races, followed by a 10-race Chase in 2026. Historic Cup schedules varied wildly — 1964 had 62 races, while 1949 had just 8.
What is a NASCAR stage?
Stages were introduced in 2017 to split each Cup race into three scoring segments. Drivers earn stage points (10 down to 1 for the top 10 at each stage break) plus a playoff point for winning a stage. Stage breaks also create competition cautions that reset strategy. Races before 2017 have no stage data — only finishing order, laps led, and margin of victory are available.
Who has the most NASCAR Cup Series wins?
Richard Petty holds the all-time Cup Series wins record with 200 victories across a career from 1958 to 1992. David Pearson is second with 105, followed by Jeff Gordon (93), Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84 each), and Cale Yarborough (83). No active driver has crossed 100 wins.
What was the first NASCAR race at Daytona?
The inaugural Daytona 500 was held on February 22, 1959 at the brand-new 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. Lee Petty was declared the winner three days after the race in a photo-finish review over Johnny Beauchamp. The race has opened every Cup Series season since and is the most prestigious event on the schedule.
Where can I find historical NASCAR race results?
NASCAR Reference has complete race results from 1949 to 2026 for the Cup Series, 1982-2026 for the O'Reilly (Xfinity) Series, and 1995-2026 for the Craftsman Truck Series. Each result includes finishing order, laps led, margins of victory, and driver stats.

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