A Perfect Storm: 1979 Daytona 500
Directed by Brad Lockhart7.4
A Perfect Storm chronicles the day that NASCAR jumped from a regional race series to the national sports spotlight. Built around the events of February 18, 1979 this documentary will detail how a major blizzard across the Eastern United States created an audience for CBS's big risk, inaugural live coverage of the Daytona 500. It was a make or break moment for CBS and NASCAR, but four hours later the race finished with a flourish and three drivers were having a fist-fight on the track. The next morning the fight was front page news, CBS had record ratings and NASCAR would never be the same. Featuring a mix of the race broadcast, recently uncovered archive materials, plus first person accounts from the broadcasters, news makers, competitors and fans who experienced the day that changed NASCAR and sports broadcasting forever.
