1972 Winchester 400
The 1972 Winchester 400 motor race, the third annual (run yearly since 1970), was held as the "Dri-Power 400" under American Speed Association sanction on October 1, 1972, at the Winchester Speedway, in Indiana (USA). Dave Sorg of Fort Wayne, Indiana became the first two-time winner of the event with his 1972 Winchester 400 victory.
The race
Sorg finished two laps ahead of John Sommerville of Clarksville, Indiana, who received relief driving from Mike Johnson. Sorg claimed $5,223 for the winner's share of the purse that totaled more than $21,000. The event went international as Don Biederman of Oakville, Ontario, Canada made the starting field and was joined by future NASCAR driver Joe Ruttman of Oaksboro, North Carolina.
Tom Maier (Midland, Michigan), Delmar Clark (Louisville, Kentucky), and Carl Smith (West Jefferson, Ohio) recorded career-best third, fourth, and fifth-place finishes in the 1972 "400." The race was red-flagged on two occasions. The first was when Ken McEldowney of Versailles, Ohio made extreme contact with the fourth turn wall and nearly left the racetrack. After the lengthy delay, racing resumed for just seven circuits before 1971 winner Denny Miles slid through fluid on the track and pounded the second-turn wall.
Table of results
| Results of the 3rd Annual DRI-POWER Winchester 400 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Start | Car # | Driver/Hometown | Sponsor/Make | Laps | Winnings (in US$) |
Status | |
| 1 | 38 | Dave Sorg / Fort Wayne, IN | Chevrolet | 400 | $5,223 | Running | ||
| 2 | 99J | John Sommerville / Clarksville, IN | Chevrolet | $3,000 | Running | |||
| 3 | 70 | Tom Maier / Midland, MI | Plymouth | $1,800 | Running | |||
| 4 | 38 | Delmar Clark / Louisville, KY | Chevrolet | $1,200 | Running | |||
| 5 | 2S | Carl Smith / West Jefferson, OH | Chevrolet | $1,167 | Running | |||
| 6 | 17M | Larry Moore / Dayton, OH | Chevrolet | $1,115 | ||||
| 7 | 7 | Dwayne Chaffin / Nashville, TN | Plymouth | $750 | ||||
| 8 | 41 | Dan Hopper | Ford | $600 | ||||
| 9 | 17V | Roland VanArsdale / Indianapolis, IN | Chevrolet | $700 | ||||
| 10 | 20 | Paul Weisner / Muskegon, MI | Chevrolet | $500 | ||||
| 11 | 76 | L.J. Lines / Greensboro, IN | Chevrolet | $400 | ||||
| 12 | 81 | Tom South / Lafayette, IN | Chevrolet | $300 | ||||
| 13 | 46 | Ellis Herbert / Rushville, IN | Oldsmobile | $200 | ||||
| 14 | 12K | Bob Kohlmeyer / Fort Wayne, IN | Ford | $175 | ||||
| 15 | 60 | Buddy Stewart | Chevrolet | $150 | ||||
| 16 | 52 | Denny Miles / Muncie, IN | Chevrolet | $130 | ||||
| 17 | 36 | Garry Sharp / Greenfield, IN | Ford | $120 | ||||
| 18 | 62 | Bill Wyrick / Marion, IN | AMC | $115 | ||||
| 19 | 27 | Jack Shanklin / Indianapolis, IN | Chevrolet | $110 | ||||
| 20 | 1 | Darrell Skaggs / Centerville, IN | Chevrolet | $105 | ||||
| 17 | Ed VanderLaan / Grand Rapids, MI | Chevrolet | $381 | |||||
| 80 | Larry Cope / LeRoi, IN | Ford | $100 | |||||
| 43B | Don Biederman / Oakville, ON | Dodge | $100 | |||||
| 32 | Denny Nyari / South Bend, IN | Dodge | $100 | |||||
| 2W | Dave Weir / Fortville, IN | Chevrolet | $100 | |||||
| 90 | LaMarr Marshall / Louisville, KY | Dodge | $100 | |||||
| 94M | Ken McEldowney / Versailles, OH | Chevrolet | $100 | |||||
| 0M | Engle | Chevrolet | $100 | |||||
| 88 | Mike Eddy / Midland, MI | Chevrolet | $100 | |||||
| 2B | Darwin Blankenship / Anderson, IN | Chevrolet | $100 | |||||
| 40 | Joe Ruttman / Oaksboro, NC | Plymouth | $90 | |||||
| 65B | Ray Barnard / Ann Arbor, MI | Chevrolet | $90 | |||||
| 43C | Gene Christie / Gaston, IN | Chevrolet | $90 | |||||
| 18 | Andy Hampton / Louisville, KY | Chevrolet | $90 | |||||
| 73 | Don Andrews / Parker, IN | Ford | $90 | |||||
| 38 | Eldon Byler / Goshen, IN | Ford | $80 | |||||
| 0M | Moose Myers / Fort Wayne, IN | Chevrolet | $80 | |||||
| 17D | Gail Duncan / New Castle, IN | Chevrolet | $80 | |||||
| 11C | Bob Coffey / Indianapolis, IN | Chevrolet | $80 | |||||
| 29H | Shorty Hinshaw / Mooreland, IN | Ford | $80 | |||||
(Official results not available for positions 21-40. Drivers are listed according to amount won.)
Race statistics
- Average Speed: 74.043 mph (119.161 km/h)
- Margin of Victory: 2 laps
- Time of Race: Two hours, 42 minutes and 4 seconds
- Entries: 88 Qualifiers: 88
External links
| Preceded by 1971 Winchester 400 |
1972 Winchester 400 Winner: Dave Sorg |
Succeeded by 1973 Winchester 400 |
Coordinates: 40°10′31″N 85°1′37″W / 40.17528°N 85.02694°W