1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

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Richard Petty, the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion. This would be his 4th of his 7 championships. N 97 8 127 Richard Petty 1973 (cropped).jpg
Richard Petty, the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion. This would be his 4th of his 7 championships.

The 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 24th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 1st modern-era NASCAR Cup series season. The season began on Sunday January 23 and ended on Sunday November 12. Richard Petty won his second consecutive Winston Cup Championship and fourth overall. Larry Smith was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year.

Contents

This season is considered to be the first of NASCAR's "modern era". The number of races was reduced from 48 to 31, all dirt tracks were removed from the schedule, and a minimum race distance of 250 miles (402 km) was established for oval tracks. (The shortest scheduled race in the modern era was the 2021-2023 Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway of 133.25 miles, on dirt; the shortest Cup Series race since the rule change was the 1992 Watkins Glen race, which was 125.127 miles (51 laps) because of rain in an era before NASCAR began racing in rain.)

Schedule

No.Race Title Track Date
1 Winston Western 500 Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California January 23
125 Mile Qualifying Races Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida February 17
2 Daytona 500 February 20
3 Richmond 500 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, Richmond, Virginia February 27
4 Miller High Life 500 Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California March 5
5 Carolina 500 North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina March 12
6 Atlanta 500 Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia March 26
7 Southeastern 500 Bristol International Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee April 9
8 Rebel 400 Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina April 16
9 Gwyn Staley 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina April 23
10 Virginia 500 Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, Virginia April 30
11 Winston 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway, Lincoln, Alabama May 7
12 World 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina May 28
13 Mason-Dixon 500 Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover, Delaware June 4
14 Motor State 400 Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan June 11
15 Golden State 400 Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California June 18
16 Lone Star 500 Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas June 25
17 Firecracker 400 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida July 4
18 Volunteer 500 Bristol International Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee July 9
19 Northern 300 Trenton Speedway, Trenton, New Jersey July 16
20 Dixie 500 Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia July 23
21 Talladega 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway, Lincoln, Alabama August 6
22 Yankee 400 Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan August 20
23 Nashville 420 Nashville Speedway, Nashville, Tennessee August 27
24 Southern 500 Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina September 4
25 Capital City 500 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, Richmond, Virginia September 10
26 Delaware 500 Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover, Delaware September 17
27 Old Dominion 500 Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, Virginia September 24
28 Wilkes 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina October 1
29 National 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina October 8
30 American 500 North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina October 22
31 Texas 500 Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas November 12


Season recap

DateEventCircuitWinner
January 23 Winston Western 500 Riverside International Raceway Richard Petty
February 20 Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway A. J. Foyt
February 27 Richmond 500 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Richard Petty
March 5 Miller High Life 500 Ontario Motor Speedway A. J. Foyt
March 12 Carolina 500 North Carolina Speedway Bobby Isaac
March 26 Atlanta 500 Atlanta International Raceway Bobby Allison
April 9 Southeastern 500 Bristol International Speedway Bobby Allison
April 16 Rebel 500 Darlington Raceway David Pearson
April 23 Gwyn Staley 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Richard Petty
April 30 Virginia 500 Martinsville Speedway Richard Petty
May 7 Winston 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway David Pearson
May 28 World 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway Buddy Baker
June 4 Mason-Dixon 500 Dover Downs International Speedway Bobby Allison
June 11 Motor State 400 Michigan International Speedway David Pearson
June 18 Golden State 400 Riverside International Raceway Ray Elder
June 25 Lone Star 500 Texas World Speedway Richard Petty
July 4 Firecracker 400 Daytona International Speedway David Pearson
July 9 Volunteer 500 Bristol International Speedway Bobby Allison
July 16 Northern 300 Trenton Speedway Bobby Allison
July 23 Dixie 500 Atlanta International Raceway Bobby Allison
August 6 Talladega 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway James Hylton
August 20 Yankee 400 Michigan International Speedway David Pearson
August 27 Nashville 420 Nashville Speedway Bobby Allison
September 4 Southern 500 Darlington Raceway Bobby Allison
September 10 Capital City 500 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Richard Petty
September 17 Delaware 500 Dover Downs International Speedway David Pearson
September 24 Old Dominion 500 Martinsville Speedway Richard Petty
October 1 Wilkes 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Richard Petty
October 8 National 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway Bobby Allison
October 22 American 500 North Carolina Speedway Bobby Allison
November 12 Texas 500 Texas World Speedway Buddy Baker

Notes:

Race summaries

  • Western 500 Richard Petty and Bobby Allison made important debuts in their careers - Petty debuted under the sponsorship of STP while Allison was making his maiden voyage with the Richard Howard Chevrolet under Junior Johnson's control. A. J. Foyt won the pole in the Purolator Mercury but fell out with transmission failure. Allison started 16th but stormed through the field and led 102 laps before falling to second at the end. Fog shortened the race to 149 laps as Petty led 37 of the final 39 laps, driving for the final time in an all-blue racecar.
  • Daytona 500 Foyt was unchallenged after Petty fell out with engine failure 80 laps into the 500 and cruised to his only Daytona 500 win and first win at the track since 1965. Petty led 31 laps, Foyt 167, and Bobby Allison led two, indicative of the slump in competitive depth of the series with the withdrawal of the factories from participation. Bobby Isaac won the pole in Harry Hyde's Dodge but the engine soured on the start and Isaac finished 33rd, while Buddy Baker crashed with Walter Ballard, who flipped in the trioval grass.
  • Richmond 500 Petty, Allison, and Isaac led all 500 laps and finished 1-2-3; Isaac though was seven laps down while Dave Marcis and Bill Dennis finished in the top five, both at least twelve laps down.
  • Miller 500 Ontario Motor Speedway hosted NASCAR for the second straight year and the battle was between Foyt, Petty, Baker, Allison, and Isaac, while West Coast ace Ray Elder and Benny Parsons also led. 51 cars started with over 30 additional entries sent home after qualifying. Isaac crashed with Mark Donohue 45 laps in ("it's a new car and it's totaled out," said the dejected Isaac) while Petty lost a lap on a botched pitstop; he push-drafted Baker and Allison to keep them challenging Foyt ("Foyt was ridiculously faster than my Chevy down the straights," Allison said), but the #21 was too much and Foyt took what would be his final NASCAR win.
  • Carolina 500 Bobby Allison won the pole but had to start 39th in the field at North Carolina Motor Speedway after changing tires following qualifying. He stormed through the field to lead 260 laps, but at Lap 345 his engine failed. Isaac led 210 laps for the win, only his third big-track Grand National win and what would be his final career Grand National win. The race occurred two days following the birth of future cup champion Matt Kenseth.
  • Atlanta 500 Working to solve the engine issues plaguing the team, Junior Johnson began using Union aviation oil for the #12's engines. Bobby Allison won the pole and engaged in a race-long duel with Bobby Isaac; he escaped a hard crash with Ron Keselowski. Late in the race A. J. Foyt stormed to the front but Allison grabbed the lead with four laps to go and edged Foyt and Isaac for the first superspeedway win for Chevrolet in some eight years.
  • Rebel 400 The Wood Brothers hired David Pearson to drive their #21 with A. J. Foyt having to serve his Indycar commitments. Pearson responded by leading 202 laps and winning for the first time since March 1971. Richard Petty finished a lap down in second; the 1-2 finish began one of the most celebrated periods in NASCAR history. Bobby Allison led 29 laps but finished a very distant (15 laps down) seventh. Joe Frasson finished third.
  • Gwyn Staley 400 Petty, Allison, and Bobby Isaac dominated the race and finished 1-2-3. Petty led the last 25 laps after a late tire change where his team put on "gumballs" (softer compound tires). The racing between the three became heated during the day, Petty calling it "a wing-doolie" of a race.
  • Virginia 500 The Wood Brothers usually entered only at Martinsville for a short track effort and David Pearson led 102 laps but his transmission broke while leading and he was done with thirty laps to go; he still finished eighth. Bobby Allison won the pole and led 27 laps to finish second; Bobby Isaac led 268 laps but blew his engine while leading and finished 19th. As a result Richard Petty despite being on seven cylinders had his fourth win of the season.
  • Winston 500 The lead changed 53 times as Isaac, Pearson, Buddy Baker, and Petty battled with Fred Lorenzen, driving a Hoss Ellington #28. Bobby Allison led early but fell out with engine failure. Petty cut a tire late and lost a lap, and coming to the white flag Isaac was sideslammed by lapped traffic, giving Pearson the lead for the win, his second in the Wood Brothers Mercury.
  • Lone Star 500 Petty battled Bobby Isaac in 100-degree heat at Texas World Speedway before Isaac faltered and Petty beat Bobby Allison by a full lap; Petty held a slender point lead over James Hylton, who had come under fire earlier in the season for leading the points race despite finishing behind Petty and Allison almost every race. Privateer Richard Childress was involved in a bizarre crash when he spun in Leonard Faustina's oil and flipped into a ditch.
  • Firecracker 400 The finish turned into an exciting three-car shootout between David Pearson, Petty, and Allison. Petty tried to muscle past Pearson up high on the homestretch but came six feet short, with Allison hard on Pearson's trunk at the stripe. Coo Coo Marlin finished fourth after being briefly detained by Daytona police three days prior when a bar brawl accidentally swept up Marlin's wife Eula Faye.
  • Dixie 500 Allison and David Pearson led 285 of 328 laps but Allison took his third big-track win of the season when Pearson slowed with a souring engine, with Richard Petty a distant second.
  • Talladega 500 James Hylton edged out Ramo Stott in the biggest upset of the season after 32 of 50 entries failed to finish the race. The top qualifiers crashed out on Lap 22 when Joe Frasson blew a tire while running second; he and the other top qualifiers were using a new Goodyear compound, and the angered Frasson said the new tires "weren't worth a damn." Hylton was using year-old rubber; "I was going with the old tire anyway," he said after his second career win and first on a superspeedway.
  • Yankee 400 The financially troubled Michigan International Speedway held its final NASCAR race under its initial ownership aegis on August 20, and David Pearson got into a late duel with Bobby Allison in the final 27 laps, edging Allison by one car length. Pearson won despite the alternator souring; "I was scared the final 40 laps ... I expected (the engine) to quit any lap."
  • Southern 500 Bobby Allison battled David Pearson for virtually the entire 500 miles; they led 352 laps between them and at one point Pearson grabbed the lead from Allison by diving five abreast under some seven lapped cars on the frontstretch. Allison took the win with six laps to go. Richard Petty finished seven laps down due to repeated blistered tires. Buddy Baker and Bobby Isaac were eliminated in separate crashes; Baker was tabbed to drive a second Harry Hyde Dodge as Petty Enterprises could not offer him more starts in their #11 Dodge; Isaac, who'd struggled in the primary Hyde Dodge #71 all season, quit the team, saying they were not up to preparing two cars given the constant problems preparing one.
  • Capital City 500 Buddy Baker was hired to replace Bobby Isaac in Harry Hyde's #71 and led one lap, but was eliminated in the crash that signalled the detonation of the Richard Petty-Bobby Allison feud that defined the season. Petty and Allison led 498 laps between them, but with nine to go Allison passed Petty; Petty stormed back ahead and sideswiped Allison entering Three; Allison hammered Petty and Petty shot hard into the guardrail coming out of Four, collecting Baker and getting off the ground atop the guardrail. Shockingly Petty slid back onto all four wheels still in the lead, holding on to win over half a lap.
  • Delaware 500 David Pearson manhandled the field, leading 350 laps for his sixth win of the season, his highest win total for a season since 1969. Bobby Allison won the pole but after leading 34 laps fell out with engine failure; with Petty finishing second the points race was getting close to being clinched.
  • Old Dominion 500 Allison made a determined effort for a ninth win of 1972 as he started on the pole and led 432 laps. Petty cut a tire and had to pit under green, and when he came back out he was just ahead of Allison. NASCAR waved the blue "move over" flag but Petty raced Allison to stay on the lead lap. A yellow put Petty back on the lead lap and he stormed to challenge Allison for the lead. The two squared off and Petty wrestled away the win with 39 laps to go.
  • Wilkes 400 The Petty-Allison feud erupted into outright warfare over the final 30 laps. Allison led 203 laps until the race's lone yellow with 50 to go set off a hard fight between them; the lead changed nine times over the final 38 laps, but in the final three laps the race turned ugly when Allison, blocked off by the lapped car of Vic Parson, plowed full bore into Petty and Parsons and all three hammered the wall, but kept going; Petty crashed into Allison on the final lap and stormed to the win. An intoxicated fan attacked Petty in victory lane and was clubbed viciously by Maurice Petty using Richard's helmet.
  • National 500 With prerace chatter buzzing about North Wilkesboro the week before, Allison squared off with Buddy Baker in a frantic final eight laps; the lead bounced around between the two before Allison sideslammed past Baker with four to go. The Wood Brothers entered two cars, for Pearson and A. J. Foyt, finishing 3-4.
  • American 500 Allison outlasted Petty, Baker, and Pearson for his tenth win of the season. The four of them combined to lead 479 laps, while leading nine laps in Hoss Ellington's Chevrolet was Cale Yarborough, trying to return to Grand National racing after two fruitless seasons in USAC Indycars. The race was the 39th straight race where Allison led at least one lap.
  • Texas 500 Buddy Baker, A. J. Foyt, and Richard Petty led all 250 laps between them as they dueled for the lead and Baker edged out a close win. Bobby Allison, his relationship with Junior Johnson deteriorating all season, finished a distant fourth and left the team to re-form his own team, bringing his Coca-Cola sponsorship with him. The Johnson-wrenched Richard Howard team announced that Cale Yarborough, ninth in the Ellington Chevrolet, would take over the seat for 1973.

Petty won the Grand National title over Allison by 128 points.

Final point standings

Driver's standings

FinishDriverPointsStartsWinsTop 5sTop 10sPoles
1 Richard Petty 8701.4031825283
2 Bobby Allison 8573.503110252711
3 James Hylton 8158.703119230
4 Cecil Gordon 7326.053104160
5 Benny Parsons 6844.1531010190
6 Walter Ballard 6781.45310070
7 Elmo Langley 6656.25300190
8 John Sears 6298.50280270
9 Dean Dalton 6295.05290040
10 Ben Arnold 6179.00260070
11 Frank Warren 5788.60300020
12 Jabe Thomas 5772.55280040
13 Bill Champion 5470.70290040
14 Raymond Williams 5712.65280050
15 Dave Marcis 5459.652705110
16 Charlie Roberts 5354.45260010
17 Henley Gray 5093.64280020
18 J.D. McDuffie 5075.85270120
19 Bobby Isaac 5050.8527110109
20 David Pearson 4718.0017612134
21 Ed Negre 4696.89260000
22 Buddy Arrington 4555.892001100
23 Larry Smith 4173.70230070
24 Buddy Baker 3936.70172891
25 Coo Coo Marlin 3852.90200250
26 David Ray Boggs 3739.00240000
27 Ron Keselowski 3475.60220130
28 Joe Frasson 3152.80160140
29 Richard D. Brown 2939.00160110
30 Neil Castles 2789.60210010
31 Jim Vandiver 2514.35160230
32 Clarence Lovell 2630.30120000
33 David Sisco 2310.75120020
34 LeeRoy Yarbrough 2157.50180590
35 George Altheide 1916.75110000
36 Donnie Allison 1849.15100230
37 Richard Childress 1521.25150000
38 Bill Shirey 1468.50130000
39 Fred Lorenzen 1333.5580340
40 Wendell Scott 1317.5060000
41 Tommy Gale 1298.0060000
42 Bill Dennis 1279.25110220
43 G.C. Spencer 1238.25100010
44 Dick May 1229.2560010
45 Hershel McGriff 1199.7540230
46 Les Covey 1128.0070000
47 Johnny Halford 1103.7550010
48 Pete Hamilton 1083.2550110
49 Dick Brooks 1023.50140010
50 Eddie Yarboro 1007.6560000
51 Cale Yarborough 949.5050140
52 Ray Elder 902.2531330
53 Paul Tyler 893.7540010
54 Marty Robbins 860.8050020
55 Bobby Mausgrover 833.0560000
56 Darrell Waltrip 827.0050130
57 Jim Whitt 813.5030000
58 H.B. Bailey 792.2050110
59 Dick Bown 791.7530000
60 Kevin Terris 783.5030010
61 Doc Faustina 770.5050000
62 Earle Canavan 755.5070000
63 Red Farmer 749.5050110
64 D.K. Ulrich 749.0040000
65 Charlie Glotzbach 739.0030220
66 Ramo Stott 675.2550230
67 Johnny Anderson 672.2540000
68 Dick Kranzler 642.7530000
69 Chuck Bown 636.7530000
70 John Soares, Jr. 609.2530000
71 Harry Schilling 599.5030000
72 Paul Jett 581.7510000
73 Earl Brooks 568.2560000
74 Bill Seifert 551.2560010
75 Carl Adams 530.0020010
76 Bill Butts 525.2520000
77 Carl Joiner 523.7520110
78 Dub Simpson 507.5050000
79 Frank James 459.7520010
80 J.C. Danielsen 458.5020000
81 Wayne Smith 439.5030010
82 Jack McCoy 419.0030000
83 Jimmy Finger 387.5020000
84 Paul Dorrity 362.0020000
85 Ronnie Daniel 344.7520000
86 Roy Mayne 338.2540000
87 Ron Gautsche 332.7520000
88 Markey James 301.0020000
89 Jimmy Crawford 296.2510000
90 Bob Kauf 290.5020000
91 Rick Newsom 289.0010000
92 Don Noel 274.7520000
93 Friday Hassler 255.2510010
94 Ronnie Chumley 252.0010000
95 Mel Larson 251.0040000
96 Les Loeser 239.0010000
97 Jimmy Insolo 226.5010000
98 Ivan Baldwin 215.7510000
99 Jimmy Hensley 215.2520110
100 Bob Greeley 212.5010000
101 Jerry Oliver 210.5010000
102 Larry Esau 201.5010000
103 Robert Brown 201.0020000
104 Tiny Lund 191.0040000
105 James Cox 165.5020000
106 Gene Romero 155.2510000
107 Phil Finney 150.2510000
108 G.T. Tallas 132.0010000
109 Ray Johnstone 127.5010000
110 John Hren 100.2510000
111 Clem Proctor 88.2510000
112 Bill Hollar 86.0010000
113 Sonny Easley 83.7510000
114 Ed Hessert 83.5020000
115 Dick Guldstrand 73.0010000
116 Sam Stanley 55.2510000
117 Bill Osborne 55.0010000
118 Robert Wales 25.5020000
119 Bill Ward 16.5010000
120 George Follmer 9.0010000
Ray Hendrick 10000
Jim Hurtubise 20010
Ron Hutcherson 10000
Gordon Johncock 20000
Roger McCluskey 10000
Jackie Oliver 70110
Vic Parsons 10010
Jim Paschal 10000
Ken Rush 10000
Johnny Rutherford 10000
Bobby Unser 10000
Butch Hartman 10110
Ron Grana 10000
Cliff Garner 10000
Buck Baker 50000
Max Berrier 10000
Lem Blankenship 10000
Tru Cheek 10000
A. J. Cox 10000
Larry Dickson 10000
Mark Donohue 40000
Fred Drake 10000
Vic Elford 10010
Paul Feldner 10000
A. J. Foyt 62553
Don White 10000

[1]

References

  1. ↑ "1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Central - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
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