The 1980 American 500 was a Winston Cup (now Nextel Cup) event held at North Carolina Speedway on October 19, 1980. Cale Yarborough dominated the event, leading 167 laps in route to a 3.3-second victory on Harry Gant. With just two races to go in the season, Yarborough trailed points leader Dale Earnhardt (18th) by 44 points. Stats