1971 Miller High Life 500

Last updated
1971 Miller High Life 500
Race details [1]
Race 5 of 48 in the 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Ontario Motor Speedway.png
Date February 28, 1971 (1971-February-28)
Official name Miller High Life 500
Location Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California
Course Permanent racing facility
2.500 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804 km)
Weather Cold with temperatures of 60.1 °F (15.6 °C); wind speeds of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
Average speed 134.168 miles per hour (215.922 km/h)
Attendance 78,810 [2]
Pole position
Driver Wood Brothers Racing
Time 118.646 seconds
Most laps led
DriverA.J. FoytWood Brothers Racing
Laps 118
Winner
No. 21A.J. FoytWood Brothers Racing
Television in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Jim McKay
Jackie Stewart

The 1971 Miller High Life 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that took place at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California. [2]

Contents

Race report

Two hundred laps were raced on the paved oval track spanning 2.500 miles (4.023 km). [2] The total time of the race was three hours, forty-three minutes, and thirty-six seconds. [2] Held on February 28, 1971, this would be the first stock car event to take place at Ontario Motor Speedway. [2] The only Cup race with a driver from Utah entered. [2] Art Pollard was a DNQ and the sole Utahan to enter a national level NASCAR race until Michael Self's Xfinity starts 44 years later. [2]

The average speed was 134.168 miles per hour (215.922 km/h) and the pole position speed was 151.711 miles per hour (244.155 km/h). [2] There were five cautions for 21 laps and the margin of victory was 8½ seconds. [2] With an attendance of nearly seventy-nine thousand people. [2] [3] Notable crew chiefs at this event included Paul Goldsmith, Richard Elder, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Lee Gordon and Paul Burchard. [4]

In the 51-car racing grid, there were 50 Americans and one Mexican, Pedro Rodríguez who finished in 47th due to an electrical fault. [2] It was the 1000th race in NASCAR history. It would be Rodríguez' final NASCAR Winston Cup Series start. Dean Dalton would finish in last place due to being black flagged and disqualified on lap 2. The only car in the same league with Foyt was Fred Lorenzen until Lorenzen's engine blew and he crashed on the front straight with a fire. At the end, Petty had a chance to win, but he missed his pit under the green flag and had to come back in and finished third. Foyt won the first two Ontario races. [2]

The total winnings of the race were $180,200 ($1,355,719.97 when adjusted for inflation) - making it the biggest non-Daytona purse during that era. [2] Manufacturers involved in the event included Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Mercury, and Plymouth. [2] Other notable drivers included Elmo Langley, Fred Lorenzen, and Ron Hornaday, Sr. (whose son is a four-time Craftsman Truck Series champion). [2] Marty Kinerk, Jim McElreath, Pedro Rodríguez and Johnny Steele all made what would be their final starts in NASCAR's top series. [5]

Qualifying

GridNo.DriverManufacturerSpeed [6] Qualifying time [6] Owner
121 A. J. Foyt '69 Mercury 151.7111:58.646 Wood Brothers
271 Bobby Isaac '71 Dodge 150.0971:59.922 Nord Krauskopf
343 Richard Petty '71 Plymouth 149.6302:00.297 Petty Enterprises
46 Pete Hamilton '71 Plymouth 149.2562:00.598 Cotton Owens
599 Fred Lorenzen '71 Plymouth 149.0482:00.766 Ray Nichels
611 Buddy Baker '71 Dodge 146.7922:02.622 Petty Enterprises
796 Ray Elder '70 Dodge 146.4432:02.915 Fred Elder
872 Benny Parsons '69 Mercury 145.6452:03.588 L.G. DeWitt
939 Friday Hassler '69 Dodge 144.1422:04.877 Friday Hassler
1055 Tiny Lund '69 Mercury 143.7122:05.250John McConnell

Failed to qualify: Jack Roberts (#20), John W. Anderson (#57), Ben Arnold (#76), Sam Rose (#09), Walter Ballard (#30), Jerry Barnett (#55), D.K. Ulrich (#40), Earle Wagner (#01), Art Pollard (#94), Harold Pagon (#36), Larry Baumel (#68), Leonard Blanchard (#95), Frank Burnett (#43W), Scotty Cain (#1), Neil Castles (#06), Markey James (#31), Vic Irvan (#5), Paul Tyler (#95), Tru Cheek (#62), Marion Collins (#78), Chris Connery (#11W), Jim Danielson (#64W), Jack DeWitt (#17W), Paul Dorrity (#15), Vallie Engelauf (#65), Doc Faustina (#5), Glenn Francis (#33), Les Loeser (#40W), Ed Negre (#8), Bill Champion (#10) [6]

Finishing order

Section reference: [2]

  1. A. J. Foyt
  2. Buddy Baker
  3. Richard Petty
  4. Bobby Isaac
  5. Dick Brooks
  6. LeeRoy Yarbrough
  7. Ray Elder
  8. Tiny Lund
  9. Benny Parsons
  10. James Hylton
  11. Elmo Langley
  12. Marv Acton
  13. Jack McCoy
  14. Bill Seifert
  15. Carl Joiner
  16. Friday Hassler
  17. Jimmy Insolo
  18. Jabe Thomas
  19. Cecil Gordon
  20. Bobby Wawak
  21. Frank James
  22. Ron Hornaday
  23. Earl Brooks
  24. Dick Guldstrand
  25. Harry Schilling
  26. Ivan Baldwin
  27. Dick Bown
  28. Hershel McGriff
  29. Henley Gray
  30. Fred Lorenzen
  31. Pete Hamilton
  32. Pat Fay
  33. Ray Johnstone
  34. Marty Kinerk
  35. J. D. McDuffie
  36. Jim McElreath
  37. Johnny Steele
  38. John Soares Jr.
  39. Bobby Allison
  40. Red Farmer
  41. Bob England
  42. Kevin Terris
  43. Bill Champion
  44. Don Noel
  45. G.T. Tallas
  46. Bill Osborne
  47. Pedro Rodríguez
  48. Dick Kranzler
  49. Ron Gautsche
  50. Frank Warren
  51. Dean Dalton

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Times 500</span> Former annual auto race held in California

The Los Angeles Times 500 was an annual NASCAR Winston Cup race held at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, United States, in February from 1971 to 1972 and in November from 1974 to 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1967 Daytona 500</span> Auto race run in Florida in 1967

The 1967 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on February 26, 1967, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Mario Andretti won his first NASCAR Cup Series race, and was the first foreign born, European and Italian driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971 Daytona 500</span> Auto race held at Daytona International Speedway in 1971

The 1971 Daytona 500, the 13th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on February 14, 1971 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Spanning 500 miles (800 km) on the paved oval track, it was the first Daytona 500 in the Winston Cup era of NASCAR. During this time, Richard Petty was becoming one of the winningest veterans on the NASCAR circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 23rd season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season began on January 10 and ended on November 20. Richard Petty was the champion for this Winston Cup season. After 20 years of being named the NASCAR Grand National Series, R. J. Reynolds first became the primary sponsor in a decade where the growing anti-tobacco movement banned its advertisement on television and motorsports was the ideal place to place their advertisements. Through NASCAR, Winston merchandise was unveiled to live viewers of the races. This kind of merchandise would also be given out at stores that sold cigarettes in subsequent years. Race car drivers were encouraged to smoke cigarettes until the mid-2000s brought in strict drug testing policies in addition to a smoking cessation program by Nicorette, a GlaxoSmithKline brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 Daytona 500</span> Auto race held at Daytona International Speedway in 1964

The 1964 Daytona 500, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on February 23, 1964, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971 Delaware 500</span> Auto race run in Delaware in 1971

The 1971 Delaware 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on October 17, 1971, at Dover Downs International Speedway.

The 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series was an American stock car racing competition. It was the fourteenth running of what is now called the NASCAR Cup Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1965 Southern 500</span> Auto race held at Darlington Raceway in 1965

The 1965 Southern 500, the 16th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 6, 1965, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

The 1963 Western North Carolina 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on August 11, 1963, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1965 Virginia 500</span> Auto race held at Martinsville Speedway in 1965

The 1965 Virginia 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 25, 1965, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 Motor Trend 500</span> Auto race held at Riverside International Raceway in 1969

The 1969 Motor Trend 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on February 1, 1969, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 Texas 500</span> Auto race run held at Texas World Speedway in 1972

The 1972 Texas 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on November 12, 1972, at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 Miller High Life 500</span> Auto race held at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1972

The 1972 Miller High Life 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on March 5, 1972, at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Tuborg 400</span> Auto race held at Riverside International Raceway in 1973

The 1973 Tuborg 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on June 17, 1973, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1965 Atlanta 500</span> Auto race run in Georgia in 1965

The 1965 Atlanta 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 11, 1965, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1967 Atlanta 500</span> American NASCAR auto race in 1967

The 1967 Atlanta 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 2, 1967, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971 Volunteer 500</span> Auto race held at Bristol International Speedway in 1971

The 1971 Volunteer 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on July 11, 1971, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 Firecracker 400</span> Auto race held at Daytona International Speedway in 1964

The 1964 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 4, 1964, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was the first NASCAR Grand National Series race to take place after Fireball Roberts died two months earlier in the infamous 1964 World 600. This race would eventually be aired on ABC's Wide World of Sports on tape-delay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971 National 500</span> Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1971

The 1971 National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 10, 1971, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Most of the vehicles used in the race had a rating of 427 cubic inches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 Atlanta 500</span> Auto race held at Atlanta International Raceway in 1964

The 1964 Atlanta 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 5, 1964, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia, the fifth annual race in the history of the Atlanta 500 series of races.

References

  1. "1971 Miller High Life 500 weather information". The Old Farmer's Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "1971 Miller High Life 500 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  3. "1971 Miller High Life 500 information (third reference)". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
  4. "1971 Miller High Life 500 crew chief information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  5. Drivers who retired after this race at Race Database
  6. 1 2 3 "1971 Miller High Life 500 qualifying information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Season
1971
Succeeded by
Preceded by
none
Miller High Life 500 races
1971
Succeeded by