1974 American 500

Last updated
1974 American 500
Race details [1]
Race 29 of 30 in the 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Rockingham Speedway.svg
Layout of Rockingham Speedway
Date October 20, 1974 (1974-October-20)
Official name American 500
Location North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.017 mi (1.636 km)
Distance 492 laps, 500 mi (804 km)
Weather Chilly with temperatures of 66.9 °F (19.4 °C); wind speeds of 11.8 miles per hour (19.0 km/h)
Average speed 118.493 mph (190.696 km/h)
Attendance 35,000 [2]
Pole position
Driver Petty Enterprises
Most laps led
Driver Cale Yarborough Junior Johnson & Associates
Laps 231
Winner
No. 21David PearsonWood Brothers Racing
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1974 American 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on October 20, 1974, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina.

Contents

Joe Millikan would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut while Jerry Schild would exit the series in this event. A rare NASCAR Winston Cup appearance by former Champ Car team owner and driver Tony Bettenhausen Jr. would make this race into a landmark event in motorsports history. His first NASCAR appearance was at the 1973 Atlanta 500 while his final appearance at the Cup Series level would be at the 1982 Champion Spark Plug 400.

Background

North Carolina Motor Speedway was the project of Harold Brasington and Bill Land. Brasington, a land developer, also built NASCAR's first superspeedway, Darlington Speedway, in 1950. Land owned the property, which is settled in the sandhills of North Carolina, and together, they set out to find funding. They went to local lawyer Elsie Webb who assembled a group of backers. The duo also sold shares to the locals for $1 per share, and at one time had about 1,000 shareholders. [3]

The speedway was built as a one-mile oval with flat turns. North Carolina Motor Speedway opened on October 31, 1965, holding its first race on the same day. The American 500 [4] was a 500-lap, 500-mile NASCAR Grand National Series race won by Curtis Turner at an average speed of 101.942 miles per hour. Turner dominated the race, which was attended by 35,000 people, leading 239 laps and winning by 11 seconds. The winner's purse was $13,090. The American 500 was the 54th of 55 races in the 1965 season, which included NASCAR legends Cale Yarborough (who finished second), Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett (who would go on to win the championship), Buddy Baker, David Pearson, and Junior Johnson. Only 19 of the 43 cars were running at the end of the race. [5]

The speedway held two Grand National races the next year, the Peach Blossom 500, and The American 500. The Peach Blossom 500 would change names multiple times, usually using the name Carolina 500, before ending as the Subway 400. The American 500 would also change names multiple times as well, ending as the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400. The first race was typically held in early March or late February, and the second race was held in late October. In 1967 and 1968 the Carolina 500 was run in June.

Race report

There were 36 drivers who competed in this 492-lap racing event. All except for Canadian native Earl Ross were born and bred in the United States of America. [2]

Joe Frasson's difficulties in handling his steering problems on lap 4 caused him to be credited with the last-place finish for this event. Elmo Langley became the lowest-finishing driver to finish the event; while J.D. McDuffie would be the last driver to achieve a DNF due to troubles with his stock car engine on lap 447. G.C. Spencer's vehicle suffered from an engine failure on lap 12 while Buddy Baker noticed that his car's brakes stopped working on lap 18. Transmission issues relegated Neil Castles to the sidelines on lap 21. Harry Jefferson's engine stopped working properly on lap 30 while Dick Brooks did terminal damage to his vehicle on lap 52. Engine failures would force Jody Ridley to leave the race on lap 85 and Dave Marcis to stop racing on lap 157. [2]

A faulty vehicular water pump ended Ed Negre's day on lap 240 while terminal vehicle damage on lap 317 would end Richie Panch's race weekend. David Sisco noticed that his vehicle's suspension was giving him problems on lap 357; forcing him to accept a 26th-place finish. [2]

The model years of the vehicles ranged from 1972 to 1974; with most of the field driving Chevrolet and Dodge vehicles. [2]

After four hours and thirteen minutes of racing, David Pearson would defeat Cale Yarborough by slightly more than two seconds in front of an eager audience of 35,000 NASCAR followers. While Richard Petty, Buddy Baker and David Pearson would dominate the opening laps of this event, the final laps would become a "Cale Yarborough and David Pearson show." The average speed of the vehicles in this racing event was 118.493 miles per hour (190.696 km/h) while Richard Petty would metaphorically scorch the track with his solo qualifying speed of 135.297 miles per hour (217.739 km/h). [2]

Individual earnings for each driver ranged for the winner's share of $16,350 ($97,019 when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place finisher's share of $550 ($3,264 when adjusted for inflation). NASCAR officials permitted the handover of $99,465 for all the qualifying drivers of this racing event ($590,213 when adjusted for inflation). [6]

Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.

Qualifying

Grid [2] No.DriverManufacturerOwner
143Richard Petty'74 Dodge Petty Enterprises
215Buddy Baker'74 Ford Bud Moore
321David Pearson'73 Mercury Wood Brothers
411Cale Yarborough'74 Chevrolet Junior Johnson
528Dick Brooks'74 Chevrolet Dick Brooks
612Bobby Allison'74 AMC Matador Roger Penske
752Earl Ross'74 Chevrolet Junior Johnson
888Donnie Allison'74 Chevrolet DiGard Racing
995Darrell Waltrip'72 Chevrolet Darrell Waltrip
1072Benny Parsons'74 Chevrolet L.G. DeWitt
1171Dave Marcis'74 Dodge Nord Krauskopf
1298Richie Panch'72 Chevrolet Roy Thornley
1354Lennie Pond'74 Chevrolet Ronnie Elder
1490Jody Ridley'72 Ford Junie Donlavey
1597Harry Jefferson'72 Ford George Jefferson
1624Cecil Gordon'73 Chevrolet Cecil Gordon
1714Coo Coo Marlin'73 Chevrolet H.B. Cunningham
1807Jerry Schild'72 Chevrolet Rush Johnson
1996Richard Childress'73 Chevrolet Tom Garn
2030Walter Ballard'74 Chevrolet Vic Ballard
2193Jackie Rogers'74 Chevrolet Ray Frederick
2205David Sisco'74 Chevrolet David Sisco
232Dick Trickle'73 Mercury Dave Marcis
2419Bob Burcham'73 Chevrolet Henley Gray
2549G.C. Spencer'74 Dodge G.C. Spencer

Top 10 finishers

Pos [2] GridNo.DriverManufacturerLapsLaps ledTime/Status
1321 David Pearson Mercury4921694:13:21
2411 Cale Yarborough Chevrolet 492231+2.2 seconds
3143 Richard Petty Dodge49079+2 laps
4612 Bobby Allison AMC Matador 4871+6 laps
5995 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet 4870+6 laps
6888 Donnie Allison Chevrolet 4860+7 laps
7232 Dick Trickle Mercury4830+10 laps
8752 Earl Ross Chevrolet 4820+11 laps
91072 Benny Parsons Chevrolet 4790+14 laps
102193 Jackie Rogers Chevrolet 4790+14 laps

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 American 500</span> Auto race held at North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1970

The 1970 American 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on November 15, 1970, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. Jim Paschal qualified the #40 vehicle for Pete Hamilton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Old Dominion 500</span> Auto race held at Martinsville Speedway in 1974

The 1974 Old Dominion 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on September 29, 1974, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Old Dominion 500</span> Auto race held at Martinsville Speedway in 1978

The 1978 Old Dominion 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on September 24, 1978, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. This race was the 28th to be held as a part of what is now known as the First Data 500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 National 500</span> Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1969

The 1969 National 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on October 12, 1969, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. This race is still being held in today's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series as the 'Bank of America 500'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 World 600</span> Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1974

The 1974 World 600, the 15th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that was held on May 26, 1974, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 American 500</span> Auto race held at North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1978

The 1978 American 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on October 22, 1978, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. Four hundred and ninety-two laps were done on a paved oval track spanning 1.017 miles (1.637 km). Forty-six thousand people would attend the race live to see 36 cars. Other notable drivers included: Darrell Waltrip, Benny Parsons, Richard Petty, Richard Childress, and J.D. McDuffie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 National 500</span> Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1973

The 1973 National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 7, 1973, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Old Dominion 500</span> Auto race held at Martinsville Speedway in 1977

The 1977 Old Dominion 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 25, 1977, at the historic Martinsville Speedway; a race track that has enjoyed the presence of NASCAR since its first sanctioned race on July 4, 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Mason-Dixon 500</span> Auto race held at Dover Downs International Speedway in 1981

The 1981 Mason-Dixon 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 17, 1981, at Dover Downs International Speedway in Dover, Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Dixie 500</span> Auto race held at Atlanta International Speedway in 1973

The 1973 Dixie 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on July 22, 1973, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Music City USA 420</span> Auto race held at Fairgrounds Speedway in 1976

The 1976 Music City USA 420 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on May 8, 1976, at Nashville Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 NAPA National 500</span> Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1977

The 1977 NAPA National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on October 9, 1977, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Los Angeles Times 500</span> Auto race held at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1976

The 1976 Los Angeles Times 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on November 21, 1976, at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California. Each copy of the souvenir program was $2.

<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">1973 American 500</span> Auto race held at North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1973

The 1973 American 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 21, 1973, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. This event would mark the only instance that a NASCAR Cup Series season would end at Rockingham Speedway. Having a 43-car racing grid was a very infrequent case during this era of NASCAR racing. Today, it forms the mandated standards that NASCAR developed over the years.

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

The 1969 Dixie 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on August 10, 1969, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400</span> Auto race held at Daytona International Speedway in 1973

The 1973 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on July 4, 1973, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 American 500</span> Auto race held at North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1968

The 1968 American 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 27, 1968, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 American 500</span> Auto race held at North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1972

The 1972 American 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event held on October 22, 1972, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. While not televised, the 1972 American 500 was covered by local radio stations WAYN-AM and WEEB-AM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 Rebel 400</span> Auto race held at Darlington Raceway in 1970

The 1970 Rebel 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 9, 1970, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. The race is known for a crash involving Richard Petty that inspired NASCAR to implement the window net, a mandatory safety feature in today's NASCAR vehicles.

References

  1. Weather information for the 1974 American 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1974 American 500 racing information at Racing Reference
  3. "NASCAR Tracks - North Carolina Speedway". Premium.nascar.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
  4. "1965 American 500". Racing-Reference.info. 1965-10-31. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
  5. "Race Results at Rockingham Speedway". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
  6. Prize winnings information for the 1974 American 500 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Season
1974
Succeeded by
Preceded by American 500 races
1974
Succeeded by