1971 Delaware 500
| Race details[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 43 of 48 in the 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Dover International Speedway | |||
| Date | October 17, 1971 | ||
| Official name | Delaware 500 | ||
| Location | Dover International Speedway (Dover, Delaware) | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.000 mi (1.609 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 500.0 mi (804.6 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures approaching 67.3 °F (19.6 °C); wind speeds reaching a maximum of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 123.254 miles per hour (198.358 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Holman-Moody | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Allison | Holman-Moody | |
| Laps | 394 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1971 Delaware 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup Series) race that took place on October 17, 1971, at Dover Downs International Speedway (now called Dover International Speedway).
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 any more.
Summary
All the racing action took place in the American community of Dover, Delaware with five hundred laps completed on a paved oval track spanning 1.000 mile or 1.609 kilometres.[2][3] It took four hours and three minutes (243 minutes) for the race to reach its full conclusion;
Richard Petty defeated Charlie Glotzbach by more than one lap in front of eighteen thousand people.[2][3] Notable speeds for the race were: 123.254 miles per hour or 198.358 kilometres per hour for the average speed (which was a record during that era)[4] and 132.811 miles per hour or 213.739 kilometres per hour for the pole position speed.[2][3] Total winnings for this race were $59,965 ($350,378.89 when adjusted for inflation).[5]
Bobby Allison dominated the early portion of the race. However, they found faulty lug nuts after pitting with two laps in the lead (which cost him an almost-guaranteed victory in that race).
Finishing order
- Richard Petty
- Charlie Glotzbach (highest finishing Chevrolet entry)
- Bobby Isaac† (highest finishing Dodge entry)
- Bobby Allison
- Bill Dennis
- David Ray Boggs
- Richard D. Brown
- Elmo Langley†
- Walter Ballard (highest winning Ford entry)
- James Hylton
- Cecil Gordon†
- Paul Tyler
- Frank Warren
- Raymond Williams
- Ed Negre
- Henley Gray
- John Soares, Jr.
- Jabe Thomas*
- Dick May†
- Wendell Scott*†
- John Sears†
- Neil Castles*
- Tommy Gale*†
- Ken Meisenhelder*
- Bill Shirey*
- J.D. McDuffie*†
- Bill Champion*†
- Maynard Troyer*
- Benny Parsons*†
- Richard Childress*
- Fred Lorenzen*
- Earl Brooks*†
- Friday Hassler*†
- G.C. Spencer*†
- Larry Baumel*
- James Cox*
- Charlie Roberts*
- Bill Seifert*
- Dub Simpson*
- Dean Dalton*
* Driver failed to finish race
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
Timeline
- Start of race: Bobby Allison starts the race on the pole position
- Lap 10: Dean Dalton had an oil leak in his vehicle that would make him the last-place finisher
- Lap 26: Dub Simpson had problems with his oil pan that would sideline for the day
- Lap 62: The frame of Bill Seifert's vehicle came off; forcing his early exit from the race
- Lap 68: Charlie Roberts had a terminal crash
- Lap 91: Larry Baumel overheated his vehicle; securing an early exit for him
- Lap 114: Friday Hassler noticed that his engine no longer worked properly
- Lap 115: Fred Lorenzen's oil pan acted up; causing him to go to the sideline for the rest of the race
- Lap 143: Charlie Glotzbach takes over the lead from Bobby Allison
- Lap 148: Bobby Allison takes over the lead from Charlie Glotzbach
- Lap 180: Richard Childress had problems steering his vehicle; ending his race weekend
- Lap 229: Benny Parsons' engine blew up; making him not able to finish the race
- Lap 280: Bill Shirey's engine gave out while he was on the track
- Lap 297: The rear end of Ken Meisenhelder's vehicle fell out from under him
- Lap 319: Tommy Gale's engine gave out; forcing him to leave the race
- Lap 369: Neil Castles' alternator would give out while he was racing
- Lap 392: Wendell Scott had problems with his vehicle's clutch that forced him off the track
- Lap 400: Richard Petty takes over the lead from Bobby Allison
- Lap 436: Jabe Thomas developed fuel pump problems
- End of race: Richard Petty wins the race
References
- ↑ "1971 Delaware 500 weather results". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
- 1 2 3 4 "1971 Delaware 500 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
- 1 2 3 4 "1971 Delaware 500 racing results (fifth reference)". Database Racing. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
- ↑ "1971 Delaware 500 racing results (third reference)" (PDF). Dover Speedway. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
- ↑ "1971 Delaware 500 racing results (fourth reference)". Ultimate Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
| Preceded by 1971 National 500 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Races 1971 |
Succeeded by 1971 American 500 |
| Preceded by 1971 Sandlapper 200 |
Richard Petty's Career Wins 1960-1984 |
Succeeded by 1971 American 500 |