The 1972 Winston 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race on May 7, 1972, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama. This was the first start for three-time Cup Series Champion Darrell Waltrip.
Background Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Monster Energy Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of , and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.
Race report The grand marshal for the event was Auburn football head coach, Ralph "Shug" Jordan.
There were fifty drivers on the grid. It took three hours and forty-five minutes for 188 laps of racing. There were nine cautions for 62 laps with 53 lead changes. David Pearson defeated Bobby Isaac by almost five seconds. More than 71,000 people would see of racing action with an average speed of .Racing information for the 1972 Winston 500 at Racing-Reference
Bobby Isaac would win the pole position at during qualifying. There were many mechanical failures in the race including the rear end failures and an incident involving a windshield. Country music star Marty Robbins dropped out of the race after 179 laps; after his top speed proved to be substantially faster than that he achieved in qualifying and being in position to pass the leaders, he confessed to altering his restrictor plate and was disqualified and listed as finishing in last place, declining Rookie of the Race honors.Marty Robbins Talks: The difference between illegal and cheating at YouTube Other notable drivers were: Richard Petty, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Elmo Langley, Coo Coo Marlin, and Neil Castles. Darrell Waltrip would make his NASCAR debut in this race and finish in 38th after starting 25th. Clarence Lovell would also make his introduction to NASCAR during this race.
Had Bobby Allison not had this one bad finish here at Talladega, he would've had 20 top-10 finishes in a row.
Notable crew chiefs for this race were Jake Elder, Steven Gray, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Tom Vandiver and Herb Nab.1972 Winston 500 crew chiefs at Racing Reference Inman, Hyde, and Wood would help maintain the vehicles for the winner, the runner-up, and the fifth-place finisher of this race.1972 Winston 500 race information at Race-Database
James Hylton would lose his points lead to Richard Petty after this race. The winner of the race would receive $23,745 in total winnings ($ when adjusted for inflation) while the last-place finisher won $745 for a disqualification ($ when adjusted for inflation).1972 Winston 500 racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
Qualifying Grid Driver Manufacturer Owner 1 71 Bobby Isaac '72 Dodge Nord Krauskopf 2 21 David Pearson '71 Mercury Wood Brothers 3 43 Richard Petty '72 Dodge Petty Enterprises 4 12 Bobby Allison '72 Chevrolet Richard Howard 5 11 Buddy Baker '72 Dodge Petty Enterprises 6 27 Donnie Allison '72 Chevrolet Monty Myers 7 97 Red Farmer '72 Ford Willie Humphries 8 79 Frank Warren '70 Dodge Frank Warren 9 42 Marty Robbins '72 Dodge Marty Robbins 10 30 Walter Ballard '71 Mercury Vic Ballard 11 3 Jimmy Crawford '72 Plymouth Crawford Brothers 12 31 Jim Vandiver '70 Dodge O.L. Nixon 13 05 David Sisco '72 Chevrolet Charlie McGee 14 24 Cecil Gordon '71 Mercury Cecil Gordon 15 8 Ed Negre '70 Dodge Ed Negre 16 76 Ben Arnold '71 Ford Ben Arnold 17 92 Larry Smith '71 Ford Harley Smith 18 91 Richard D. Brown '72 Chevrolet Ralph McNabb 19 7 Dean Dalton '71 Mercury Dean Dalton 20 93 Buck Baker '72 Chevrolet Harold Furr
Top 20 finishers Pos Driver Manufacturer Time/Status 121David PearsonMercury18859 3:43:15 271Bobby IsaacDodge18857 +4.9 seconds 311Buddy BakerDodge18832 Lead lap under green flag 428Fred LorenzenFord1884 Lead lap under green flag 543Richard PettyDodge18714 +1 lap 618Joe FrassonDodge1860 +2 laps 745LeeRoy YarbroughMercury1850 +3 laps 898Dick BrooksFord1850 +3 laps 979Frank WarrenDodge1850 +3 laps 1072Benny ParsonsDodge1840 +4 laps 112Dave MarcisDodge1830 +5 laps 1257David Ray BoggsDodge1820 +6 laps 1325Jabe ThomasPlymouth1820 +6 laps 1424Cecil GordonMercury1820+6 laps 158Ed NegrePlymouth1820 +6 laps 163Jimmy CrawfordFord1810Terminal vehicle damage 1776Ben ArnoldFord1800Out of gas 1888Ron KeselowskiDodge1790 Running 1930Walter BallardMercury1790 Running 2092Larry SmithFord1780 Running
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