1972 Talladega 500

1972 Talladega 500
Race details[1]
Race 21 of 31 in the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season

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 approaching 87.1 °F (30.6 °C); wind speeds up to 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

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

The race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of homologation (and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.

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 Sprint 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]

Summary

Bobby Isaac won the pole position award for the race while breezing through the solo qualifying session at speeds up to 190.677 miles per hour (306.865 km/h). Taking place on August 6, 1972, at Talladega Superspeedway in the American community of Talladega, Alabama, it took three hours and twenty-two minutes to resolve the event.

I was going with the old tire anyway.
— James Hylton

James Hylton won the race;[4] his reward for a long day's work would involve collecting a $24,865 prize ($140,664.29 when adjusted for inflation).[5] This is a very controversial race because NASCAR used threaded tires and was disastrous for most teams. Hylton won because he didn't have the money to buy the new tires and used old nonthreaded tires.[6] Darrell Waltrip would lead his first laps in the race that would kickstart his nascent NASCAR Winston Cup Series career.

Many drivers were out of the race by lap 5 because of a big crash. By the days 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. 3rd place Bobby Allison was five laps down. It was Hylton's 2nd and final win in NASCAR.

Top ten finishers[2]

  1. James Hylton – #48
  2. Ramo Stott – #90
  3. Bobby Allison – #12 (5 laps down)
  4. Red Farmer – #97 (8 laps down)
  5. Buddy Arrington – #67 (9 laps down)
  6. Ben Arnold – #76 (10 laps down)
  7. Richard Petty – #43 (11 laps down)
  8. Henley Gray – #19 (13 laps down)
  9. Raymond Williams – #47 (15 laps down)
  10. Jim Hurtubise – #56 (17 laps down)

References

  1. ↑ "1972 Talladega 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
  2. 1 2 Top ten finisher and attendance information for the 1972 Talladega 500 at Racing-Reference
  3. ↑ "Track Facts". talladegasuperspeedway.com. Talladega Superspeedway. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  4. ↑ Winner of the 1972 Talladega 500 at Driver Averages
  5. ↑ Winner's prize purse at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
  6. ↑ Controversy at the 1972 Talladega 500 at NASCAR.com
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