1972 Talladega 500

The 1972 Talladega 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on August 6, 1972, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama.

1972 Talladega 500
Race details[1]
Race 21 of 31 in the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Layout of Talladega Superspeedway
Layout of Talladega Superspeedway
Date August 6, 1972 (1972-August-06)
Official name Talladega 500
Location Alabama International Motor Speedway, Talladega, Alabama
Course Permanent racing facility
2.660 mi (4.280 km)
Distance 188 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km)
Weather Hot with temperatures of 87.1 °F (30.6 °C); wind speeds of 5.1 miles per hour (8.2 km/h)
Average speed 148.728 miles per hour (239.355 km/h)
Attendance 68,000[2]
Pole position
Driver
K&K Insurance Racing
Most laps led
Driver James Hylton James Hylton
Laps 106
Winner
No. 48 James Hylton James Hylton
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Monster Energy Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.[3]

Race report

Bobby Isaac won the pole at a speed of 190.677 miles per hour (306.865 km/h). Taking place on August 6, 1972, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, the race took three hours and twenty-two minutes.

I was going with the old tire anyway.

— James Hylton

James Hylton won the race;[4] collecting $24,865 ($173,956 when adjusted for inflation).[5] This was a controversial race because NASCAR used treaded tires and it was disastrous for most teams. Hylton won because he didn't have the money to buy the new tires and used old nontreaded tires.[6] Darrell Waltrip would lead his first laps of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career.

The drivers who were using old tires had a huge advantage, Waltrip was one of them as was eventual winner James Hylton. Waltrip actually led 7 laps before his engine blew up. All was not bad for Waltrip who was short on funds at the time.

Many drivers were out of the race by lap 5 because of a big crash. By the day's end, only 18 cars finished the race and only two cars finished on the lead lap. One lap 188, Hylton and ARCA legend Ramo Stott battled to the finish. Hylton won the race by less than one second. Third-place finisher Bobby Allison was five laps down. It was Hylton's second and final win in NASCAR.

Notable crew chiefs at this race; Jake Elder, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman and Lee Gordon.[7]

Qualifying
Grid[2] No. Driver Manufacturer Owner
1 71Bobby Isaac'72 DodgeNord Krauskopf
2 21David Pearson'71 MercuryWood Brothers
3 43Richard Petty'72 DodgePetty Enterprises
4 11Buddy Baker'72 DodgePetty Enterprises
5 12Bobby Allison'72 ChevroletRichard Howard
6 18Joe Frasson'72 DodgeJoe Frasson
7 9Pete Hamilton'72 PlymouthJack Housby
8 28Fred Lorenzen'72 ChevroletHoss Ellington
9 14Coo Coo Marlin'72 ChevroletH.B. Cunningham
10 76Ben Arnold'71 FordBen Arnold

Top 10 finishers

Section reference: [2]

  1. James Hylton (No. 48), official time 3:22:09
  2. Ramo Stott (No. 90), 1 car length down
  3. Bobby Allison (No. 12), 5 laps down
  4. Red Farmer (No. 97), 8 laps down
  5. Buddy Arrington (No. 67), 9 laps down
  6. Ben Arnold (No. 76), 10 laps down
  7. Richard Petty (No. 43), 11 laps down
  8. Henley Gray (No. 19), 13 laps down
  9. Raymond Williams (No. 47), 15 laps down
  10. Jim Hurtubise (No. 56), 17 laps down

References
  1. "1972 Talladega 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
  2. Complete race information about the 1972 Talladega 500 at Racing-Reference
  3. "Track Facts". talladegasuperspeedway.com. Talladega Superspeedway. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  4. Winner of the 1972 Talladega 500 Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine at Driver Averages
  5. Winner's prize purse at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
  6. Controversy at the 1972 Talladega 500 at NASCAR.com
  7. Crew chief information at Racing Reference
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