1973 Atlanta 500

Last updated
1973 Atlanta 500
Race details [1] [2] [3]
Race 6 of 28 in the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Atlanta International Speedway.svg
Layout of Atlanta Motor Speedway prior to 1996
Date April 1, 1973 (1973-April-01)
Official name Atlanta 500
Location Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia
Course 1.522 mi (2.449 km)
Distance 328 laps, 499.2 mi (803.3 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching of 72 °F (22 °C); wind speeds of 24.1 miles per hour (38.8 km/h)
Average speed 139.351 miles per hour (224.264 km/h)
Attendance 46,000 [4]
Pole position
Driver
 Ellington Racing
Most laps led
Driver David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing
Laps 155
Winner
No. 21David PearsonWood Brothers Racing
Television in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Keith Jackson
Chris Economaki

The 1973 Atlanta 500 was the sixth race in the NASCAR 1973 Winston Cup Series, held on April 1, 1973, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia. The race took three hours and thirty-four minutes.

Contents

Attendance to this event has varying estimates. Many racing statistic archives list it at 46,000 people; the Associated Press reported a figure of 72,000 the day after the race. [4] [3] [5]

Car flip world record

At this event, daredevil Dusty Russell flipped a stock car in the air and landed 157 feet after a five foot ramp, in what was then a world record. He suffered a broken nose. [6]

Race report

No time trials were conducted due to weather. The average speed of the race was 139.351 miles per hour (224.264 km/h). [4] [2] [3] Famous teams like Wood Brothers Racing, Nord Krauskopf's K&K Insurance Racing along with Penske Racing South would make their early impressions on the sport with their massive budgets and corporate sponsors paying for new tires and engines instead of an individual owner or driver. There were only five traditional single-car owners at this race. [7]

Souvenir programs were sold at this event for $2 USD ($12.21 when adjusted for inflation).

David Pearson defeated Bobby Isaac in his 1971 Mercury Cyclone by two laps; Four cautions slowed the race for 31 laps. [4] [2] [3] This would be David Pearson's second win in 1973 when he won 11 races of the 18 he entered. [8]

Tony Bettenhausen Jr. was the last-place finisher due to an oil leak on lap 9 out of 328. [4] [2] [3] After Darrell Waltrip's car was eliminated from the race (he charged to fifth place but was involved in a crash with Richard Petty and Buddy Baker), he substituted for A.J. Foyt. [4] [2] [3] Pete Hamilton and Mark Donohue would retire from NASCAR after this race while Charles Barrett and Bettenhausen Jr. would make their introductions to the Cup Series during this race. [9]

The winner received $16,625 in race winnings ($101,482 when adjusted for inflation) while the last place finisher received $900 ($5,494 when adjusted for inflation). [3] [10] The total prize purse was $103,485 ($631,693 when adjusted for inflation). [11]

Notable crew chiefs who participated in this race included Tim Brewer, Jake Elder, Travis Carter, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Tom Vandiver, and Bud Moore. [12]

Starting grid

Grid [4] No.DriverManufacturerOwner
128Gordon Johncock'72 Chevrolet Hoss Ellington
215Bobby Isaac'72 Ford Bud Moore
331Jim Vandiver'72 Dodge O.L. Nixon
411Cale Yarborough'73 Chevrolet Richard Howard
572Benny Parsons'72 Chevrolet L.G. DeWitt
612Bobby Allison'73 Chevrolet Bobby Allison
718Joe Frasson'73 Dodge Joe Frasson
871Buddy Baker'73 Dodge Nord Krauskopf
921David Pearson'71 Mercury Wood Brothers
1022Pete Hamilton'72 Plymouth Crawford Brothers

Failed to qualify: Eddie Bond (#0), Tony Bettenhausen Jr (#38), John Utsman (#49) [13]

Finishing order

Section reference: [4]

  1. David Pearson (No. 21)
  2. Bobby Isaac (No. 15)
  3. Benny Parsons (No. 72)
  4. Buddy Baker (No. 71)
  5. Cale Yarborough (No. 11)
  6. Coo Coo Marlin (No. 14)
  7. Dick Brooks (No. 90)
  8. Cecil Gordon (No. 24)
  9. Clarence Lovell (No. 61)
  10. Jim Vandiver (No. 31)
  11. Gordon Johncock (No. 28)
  12. Dave Marcis (No. 2)
  13. Richard Childress (No. 96)
  14. Walter Ballard (No. 30)
  15. Buddy Arrington (No. 67)
  16. Frank Warren (No. 79)
  17. Raymond Williams (No. 47)
  18. Charles Barrett (No. 09)
  19. Johnny Barnes (No. 89)
  20. Larry Smith (No.92)
  21. James Hylton (No. 48)
  22. Earle Canavan (No. 01)
  23. Dean Dalton* (No. 7)
  24. Ed Negre (No. 8)
  25. Charlie Roberts (No. 77)
  26. Elmo Langley (No. 64)
  27. A. J. Foyt* (No. 50)
  28. Joe Frasson* (No. 18)
  29. Bill Champion* (No. 10)
  30. Mark Donohue* (No. 16)
  31. Ron Keselowski* (No. 88)
  32. Roy Mayne* (No. 25)
  33. Darrell Waltrip* (No. 95)
  34. Richard Petty* (No. 43)
  35. Bobby Allison* (No. 12)
  36. John Sears* (No. 4)
  37. Bobby Mausgrover* (No. 07)
  38. Tiny Lund* (No. 55)
  39. Pete Hamilton* (No. 22)
  40. Tony Bettenhausen Jr* (No. 84)

* Driver failed to finish race

Related Research Articles

The 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 26th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 3rd modern-era NASCAR Cup series. The season began on Sunday January 20 and ended on Sunday November 24. The first 15 races were shortened 10 percent due to the 1973 oil crisis. Following criticism of the 1972 and 1973 points systems that placed emphasis on completed miles, NASCAR implemented a new points system, that took basic purse winnings, multiplied by number of starts, and divided by 1,000; it was designed to more directly reward winning races, a response to Benny Parsons' championship the previous year with just one win. Richard Petty was Winston Cup champion at the end of the season finishing 567.45 points ahead of Cale Yarborough, while David Pearson finished a strong third in points despite only nineteen starts. Earl Ross was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year.

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References

  1. ↑ "1973 Atlanta 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "1973 Atlanta 500 race information (second reference)". Database Racing. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "1973 Atlanta 500 race information (third reference)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1973 Atlanta 500 race information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
  5. ↑ "The Index-Journal, Page 10 - at Newspapers.com". 72,000 Forget the Weather, Watch Pearson Claim Atlanta 500 Victory. 1973-04-02. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  6. ↑ "Kingsport Times Page 4 - at Newspapers.com". Russell flips 157 feet. 1973-04-02. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  7. ↑ "1973 Atlanta 500 race information". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2015-06-21. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
  8. ↑ "Driver David Pearson's 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series results". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  9. ↑ "1973 Atlanta 500 race information". Race Database. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  10. ↑ "1973 Atlanta 500 earnings information". Everything Stock Car. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  11. ↑ "1973 Atlanta 500 total prize purse information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  12. ↑ "1973 Atlanta 500 crew chiefs information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  13. ↑ "1973 Atlanta 500 qualifying information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1973		Succeeded by
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