1971 Dixie 500
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 33 of 48 in the 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Outline of Atlanta International Speedway | |||
| Date | August 1, 1971 | ||
| Official name | Dixie 500 | ||
| Location | Atlanta International Raceway (Hampton, Georgia) | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.522 mi (2.449 km) | ||
| Distance | 328 laps, 499.2 mi (803.3 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures up to 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); wind speeds up to 10.1 miles per hour (16.3 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 129.061 miles per hour (207.704 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Petty Enterprises | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Laps | 181 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1971 Dixie 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on August 1, 1971, at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in the American community of Hampton, Georgia.[2]
Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.
Summary
The entire 40-driver grid was filled with American-born males.[2] Elmo Langley received the last-place finish due to an engine issue on lap 36 of 328, while Richard Petty defeated Bobby Allison by 2 car lengths in front of 22500 live spectators.[2] Five cautions were given out for 48 laps; making the race last three hours and fifty-two minutes in length.[2] Buddy Baker qualified for the pole position with a speed of 155.796 miles per hour (250.729 km/h), while the average racing speed was 129.061 miles per hour (207.704 km/h).[2]
Richard Petty officially became a millionaire after this race; bringing his career earnings to approximately $1,000,000 ($5,843,056.7 when adjusted for inflation).[2] Dick Poling would retire from the NASCAR Cup Series after finishing in 26th place during this race.[3]
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.
Finishing order
- Richard Petty
- Bobby Allison
- Benny Parsons
- Charlie Glotzbach
- Friday Hassler
- Donnie Allison
- Ron Keselowski
- Frank Warren
- James Hylton
- Bill Champion
- Richard D. Brown
- Cecil Gordon
- Marty Robbins
- Jabe Thomas
- Bill Seifert
- Bobby Brack*
- J.D. McDuffie
- Walter Ballard
- Ben Arnold
- Henley Gray
- Wendell Scott
- Dick May
- Earl Brooks*
- Pete Hamilton*
- Buddy Baker*
- Dick Poling
- G.C. Spencer*
- Paul Tyler*
- John Sears*
- Bill Dennis*
- Neil Castles*
- Charlie Roberts*
- Bobby Isaac*
- Coo Coo Marlin*
- Joe Frasson*
- Ed Negre*
- Dub Simpson*
- Raymond Williams*
- Dave Marcis*
- Elmo Langley*
* Driver failed to finish race
References
- ↑ 1971 Dixie 500 weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 1971 Dixie 500 racing information at Racing Reference
- ↑ 1971 Dixie 500 racing results at Race-Database
| Preceded by 1971 Nashville 420 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Season 1971 |
Succeeded by 1971 Myers Brothers 250 |
| Preceded by 1971 Nashville 420 |
Richard Petty's Career Wins 1960-1984 |
Succeeded by 1971 West Virginia 500 |