1973 Dixie 500
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.[2]
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 28 in the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
| Layout of Atlanta International Speedway, used until 1996 | |||
| Date | July 22, 1973 | ||
| Official name | Dixie 500 | ||
| Course | 1.522 mi (2.449 km) | ||
| Distance | 328 laps, 499.2 mi (803.3 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C); wind speeds of 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 130.211 miles per hour (209.554 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 30,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Petty Enterprises | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | David Pearson | Wood Brothers | |
| Laps | 178 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 | David Pearson | Wood Brothers | |
Background
Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one of ten current intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway.[3] However, at the time, only Charlotte and Darlington were built.
The layout at Atlanta International Speedway at the time was a four-turn traditional oval track that is 1.54 miles (2.48 km) long.[4] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five.[4]
Race report
It took three hours and fifty minutes for David Pearson to defeat Cale Yarborough by more than one lap. Pearson would take home $16,650 in prize money ($101,634.9 when adjusted for inflation) while last-place finisher Charles Barrett would receive $880 ($5,371.69 when adjusted for inflation).[5]
Though running a limited schedule, this was David Pearson's ninth win in the last ten races that he and the Wood Brothers entered, with a second in the other race.[6] In the NASCAR Cup Series after 1972, nobody has ever matched this.
Jabe Thomas, finished 9th in a 40 car field. He had higher finishes but many were at small tracks no longer used after 1971.[7]
Fourteen lead changes were exchanged among six drivers (Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Bobby Isaac, Cale Yarborough, Donnie Allison, and David Pearson).[8] Six cautions lasted 47 laps and the average speed of the race was 130.211 miles per hour or 209.554 kilometres per hour.[2] Thirty-thousand people would see a racing grid of 39 American drivers and one Canadian driver (Vic Parsons).[2] Richard Petty would win the pole position with a speed of 157.163 miles per hour or 252.929 kilometres per hour.[2]
Qualifying
| Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Speed[9] | Time[9] | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 43 | Richard Petty | '73 Dodge | 157.163 | 34.863 | Petty Enterprises |
| 2 | 12 | Bobby Allison | '73 Chevrolet | 157.046 | 34.889 | Bobby Allison |
| 3 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | '73 Chevrolet | 156.369 | 35.040 | Richard Howard |
| 4 | 15 | Bobby Isaac | '72 Ford | 156.075 | 35.106 | Bud Moore |
| 5 | 21 | David Pearson | '71 Mercury | 155.007 | 35.348 | Wood Brothers |
| 6 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | '72 Chevrolet | 153.905 | 35.601 | Cecil Gordon |
| 7 | 88 | Donnie Allison | '73 Chevrolet | 153.388 | 35.721 | DiGard |
| 8 | 7 | Dean Dalton | '71 Mercury | 151.748 | 36.107 | Dean Dalton |
| 9 | 14 | Coo Coo Marlin | '72 Chevrolet | 151.610 | 36.140 | H.B. Cunningham |
| 10 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | '72 Chevrolet | 151.012 | 36.283 | J.D. McDuffie |
Failed to qualify: Phil Finney (#80), Richard D. Brown (#44)[9]
Finishing order
- David Pearson† (No. 21)
- Cale Yarborough (No. 11)
- Donnie Allison (No. 88)
- Joe Frasson† (No. 18)
- Jody Ridley (No. 90)
- Lennie Pond† (No. 54)
- J.D. McDuffie† (No. 70)
- G.C. Spencer† (No. 49)
- Jabe Thomas† (No. 25)
- Larry Smith† (No. 92)
- Buddy Arrington (No. 67)
- Rick Newsom† (No. 20)
- Henley Gray (No. 19)
- Frank Warren (No. 79)
- Walter Ballard (No. 30)
- Randy Tissot (No. 32)
- Bill Champion† (No. 10)
- Ed Negre† (No. 8)
- Charlie Roberts (No. 77)
- Raymond Williams (No. 47)
- James Hylton† (No. 48)
- Dean Dalton (No. 7)
- Richard Childress (No. 96)
- Cecil Gordon*† (No. 24)
- Benny Parsons*† (No. 72)
- David Sisco*† (No. 05)
- Bobby Allison* (No. 12)
- Ed Sczech* (No. 61)
- Vic Parsons* (No. 45)
- Coo Coo Marlin*† (No. 14)
- Darrell Waltrip* (No. 95)
- Dave Marcis* (No. 2)
- Richard Petty* (No. 43)
- Buddy Baker*† (No. 71)
- Bobby Isaac*† (No. 15)
- John Sears*† (No. 4)
- Tommy Gale*† (No. 03)
- Elmo Langley*† (No. 64)
- H.B. Bailey*† (No. 39)
- Charles Barrett* (No. 09)
* Driver failed to finish race
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
Timeline
Section reference:[2]
- Start of race: Bobby Allison was ahead of the other drivers as the green flag was waved.
- Lap 3: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Bobby Allison; Charles Barrett's vehicle developed engine issues.
- Lap 7: H. B. Bailey's vehicle developed a problematic engine.
- Lap 32: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Bobby Isaac.
- Lap 39: A faulty engine managed to end Tommy Gale's day on the track.
- Lap 40: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
- Lap 42: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
- Lap 43: Donnie Allison took over the lead from David Pearson.
- Lap 45: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Donnie Allison; John Sears' vehicle developed a troublesome engine.
- Lap 52: Bobby Isaac had a terminal crash.
- Lap 56: David Pearson took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
- Lap 58: Bobby Allison took over the lead from David Pearson.
- Lap 61: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
- Lap 65: Axle issues brought Buddy Baker's race to an early end.
- Lap 71: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from David Pearson.
- Lap 72: Engine issues dethroned Richard Petty for the day, making him accept a 33rd-place finish.
- Lap 91: Lug bolt issues ended Dave Marcis' day on the track.
- Lap 110: Engine issues knocked out Darrell Waltrip from the race.
- Lap 124: Donnie Allison took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
- Lap 125: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Donnie Allison.
- Lap 152: Coo Coo Marlin would end the day once his vehicle's engine stopped working.
- Lap 157: Vic Parsons' dodgy transmission managed to bring him out of the race.
- Lap 164: David Pearson took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
- Lap 169: Ed Sczech's faulty engine managed to render his chance of finishing the race non-existent.
- Lap 205: Bobby Allison would fail to finish the race due to an awful engine.
- Lap 240: David Sisco's engine stopped working in a timely manner.
- Lap 248: Benny Parsons noticed that his vehicle had a troublesome oil pump.
- Lap 262: Cecil Gordon's engine problem would make him the final DNF of the event.
- Finish: David Pearson was officially declared the winner of the event.
References
- ^ "1973 Dixie 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
- ^ a b c d e f "1973 Dixie 500 racing information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ^ . NASCAR. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ a b . Atlanta Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ "1973 Dixie 500 racing information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ^ "Driver David Pearson 1973 Winston Cup Series Results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ^ "Driver Jabe Thomas Career Statistics". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
- ^ "1973 Dixie 500 racing information". Race Database. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ^ a b c "1973 Dixie 500 qualifying information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-03-03.