| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 11 of 31 in the1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Talladega Superspeedway | |||
| Date | May 7, 1972 (1972-05-07) | ||
| Official name | Winston 500 | ||
| Location | Alabama International Motor Speedway,Talladega, Alabama | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.660 miles (4.281 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.801 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with temperatures of 75 °F (24 °C); wind speeds of 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 134.4 mph (216.3 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | K&K Insurance Racing | ||
| Time | 49.764 seconds[2] | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Laps | 59 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers | Keith Jackson Chris Economaki | ||
The1972Winston 500 was aNASCARWinston Cup Series race on May 7, 1972, atAlabama International Motor Speedway inTalladega, Alabama. This was the first start for three-time Cup Series ChampionDarrell Waltrip.
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known asAlabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is amotorsports complex located north ofTalladega, Alabama. It is located on the formerAnniston Air Force Base in the small city ofLincoln. The track is aTri-oval and was constructed byInternational Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by theFrance 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 theNASCAR series such as theMonster Energy Cup Series,Xfinity Series, and theCamping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longestNASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had aseating capacity of 175,000 spectators.[3]
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 defeatedBobby Isaac by almost five seconds. More than 71,000 people would see 500.08 miles or 804.80 kilometres of racing action with an average speed of 134.4 miles per hour (216.3 km/h).[4]
Bobby Isaac would win thepole position at 192.428 miles per hour (309.683 km/h) during qualifying. There were many mechanical failures in the race including the rear end failures and an incident involving awindshield.[4]Marty Robbins, who was also acountry music star, 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 hisrestrictor plate and was disqualified and listed as finishing in last place, declining Rookie of the Race honors.[5] Other notable drivers were:Richard Petty,LeeRoy Yarbrough,Elmo Langley,Coo Coo Marlin, andNeil Castles.Darrell Waltrip would make his NASCAR debut in this race and finish in 38th after starting 25th.[4]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.[4] The only thing is, his cars had engine problems in the long races. All three engine failures occurred at the 500-mile races of Rockingham, Talladega, and Dover.[4] Even when his engines were being strained at the long races, he still did well, getting top-5 finishes at most of the 500+ mile races that season.
Notable crew chiefs for this race wereJake Elder,Steven Gray,Harry Hyde,Dale Inman,Tom Vandiver andHerb Nab.[6] Inman, Hyde, and Wood would help maintain the vehicles for the winner, the runner-up, and the fifth-place finisher of this race.[7]
James Hylton would lose his points lead to Richard Petty after this race.[7] The winner of the race would receive $23,745 in total winnings ($178,494 when adjusted for inflation) while the last-place finisher won $745 for a disqualification ($5,600 when adjusted for inflation).[8]
| Grid[4] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 71 | Bobby Isaac | '72Dodge | Nord Krauskopf |
| 2 | 21 | David Pearson | '71Mercury | Wood Brothers |
| 3 | 43 | Richard Petty | '72Dodge | Petty Enterprises |
| 4 | 12 | Bobby Allison | '72Chevrolet | Richard Howard |
| 5 | 11 | Buddy Baker | '72Dodge | Petty Enterprises |
| 6 | 27 | Donnie Allison | '72Chevrolet | Monty Myers |
| 7 | 97 | Red Farmer | '72Ford | Willie Humphries |
| 8 | 79 | Frank Warren | '70Dodge | Frank Warren |
| 9 | 42 | Marty Robbins | '72Dodge | Marty Robbins |
| 10 | 30 | Walter Ballard | '71Mercury | Vic Ballard |
| 11 | 3 | Jimmy Crawford | '72Plymouth | Crawford Brothers |
| 12 | 31 | Jim Vandiver | '70Dodge | O.L. Nixon |
| 13 | 05 | David Sisco | '72Chevrolet | Charlie McGee |
| 14 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | '71Mercury | Cecil Gordon |
| 15 | 8 | Ed Negre | '70Dodge | Ed Negre |
| 16 | 76 | Ben Arnold | '71Ford | Ben Arnold |
| 17 | 92 | Larry Smith | '71Ford | Harley Smith |
| 18 | 91 | Richard D. Brown | '72Chevrolet | Ralph McNabb |
| 19 | 7 | Dean Dalton | '71Mercury | Dean Dalton |
| 20 | 93 | Buck Baker | '72Chevrolet | Harold Furr |
| Pos[4] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Laps led | Time/Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | David Pearson | Mercury | 188 | 59 | 3:43:15 |
| 2 | 71 | Bobby Isaac | Dodge | 188 | 57 | +4.9 seconds |
| 3 | 11 | Buddy Baker | Dodge | 188 | 32 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 4 | 28 | Fred Lorenzen | Ford | 188 | 4 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 5 | 43 | Richard Petty | Dodge | 187 | 14 | +1 lap |
| 6 | 18 | Joe Frasson | Dodge | 186 | 0 | +2 laps |
| 7 | 45 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | Mercury | 185 | 0 | +3 laps |
| 8 | 98 | Dick Brooks | Ford | 185 | 0 | +3 laps |
| 9 | 79 | Frank Warren | Dodge | 185 | 0 | +3 laps |
| 10 | 72 | Benny Parsons | Dodge | 184 | 0 | +4 laps |
| 11 | 2 | Dave Marcis | Dodge | 183 | 0 | +5 laps |
| 12 | 57 | David Ray Boggs | Dodge | 182 | 0 | +6 laps |
| 13 | 25 | Jabe Thomas | Plymouth | 182 | 0 | +6 laps |
| 14 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | Mercury | 182 | 0 | +6 laps |
| 15 | 8 | Ed Negre | Plymouth | 182 | 0 | +6 laps |
| 16 | 3 | Jimmy Crawford | Ford | 181 | 0 | Terminal vehicle damage |
| 17 | 76 | Ben Arnold | Ford | 180 | 0 | Out of gas |
| 18 | 88 | Ron Keselowski | Dodge | 179 | 0 | Running |
| 19 | 30 | Walter Ballard | Mercury | 179 | 0 | Running |
| 20 | 92 | Larry Smith | Ford | 178 | 0 | Running |
| Preceded by | NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1972 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winston 500 races 1972 | Succeeded by |