1972 Northern 300
Coordinates: 40°14′21″N 74°43′16″W / 40.23917°N 74.72111°W
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 31 in the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Trenton Speedway, featuring its "kidney bean" shape. | |||
| Date | July 16, 1972 | ||
| Official name | Northern 300 | ||
| Location | Trenton Speedway, Trenton, New Jersey | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.500 mi (2.410 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 300.0 mi (482.8 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures approaching 91 °F (33 °C); wind speeds up to 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 114.03 miles per hour (183.51 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 20,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Howard & Egerton Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Isaac | K&K Insurance Racing | |
| Laps | 117 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 71 | Bobby Allison | Howard & Egerton Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1972 Northern 300 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on July 16, 1972, at Trenton Speedway in Trenton, New Jersey.
Summary
Bobby Allison defeated Bobby Isaac by 1.4 seconds after two hours and fifty-seven seconds of racing. There were nine lead changes and five cautions for 21 laps.[2][3] Twenty thousand people attended this live event to witness average speeds of 114.03 miles per hour (183.51 km/h).[2][3] Isaac qualified for the pole position with an impressive speed of 133.126 miles per hour (214.246 km/h) on a paved oval track spanning 1.500 miles (2.414 km).[2][3] A.J. Cox received the last-place finish due to overheating while Bill Shirey was disqualified for a technical infraction committed while racing.[2][3] The other drivers in the top ten were: Richard Petty, Fred Lorenzen, Cecil Gordon, James Hylton, Larry Smith, Benny Parsons, Raymond Williams, and Walter Ballard.[2][3]
While the complete purse of this racing event was an impressive $35,675 ($201,817.76 when adjusted for inflation), the race winner actually received only $7,900 of that prize money ($44,691.25 when adjusted for inflation).[4]
The Plymouth Superbirds and Dodge Chargers that competed in this race were equipped with special wings to demonstrate their status as muscle cars. A 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle would become the make and model to win this racing event; defeating a 1972 Dodge Charger in the process.[4] Bob Greenley would compete in his only NASCAR Cup Series race here along with Fred Drake.[3]
Timeline
- Start of race: Bobby Isaac began the event with the pole position
- Lap 19: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Bobby Isaac
- Lap 20: Cecil Gordon took over the lead from Dave Marcis
- Lap 22: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Cecil Gordon
- Lap 73: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Bobby Isaac
- Lap 83: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Bobby Allison
- Lap 109: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Isaac
- Lap 136: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty
- Lap 154: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Bobby Allison
- Lap 176: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Bobby Isaac
- Finish: Bobby Allison was officially declared the winner of the event
References
- ↑ Weather information for the 1972 Northern 300 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 1972 Northern 300 at Racing-Reference.info
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 1972 Northern 300 results at Race-Database.com
- 1 2 Official NASCAR Race Results for the 1972 Northern 300 at FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
| Preceded by 1972 Volunteer 500 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Races 1972 |
Succeeded by 1972 Dixie 500 |