1975 National 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 25 of 30 in the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 This is the official race program from the 1975 running of the National 500 (now Bank of America 500). | |||
| Date | October 5, 1975 | ||
| Official name | National 500 | ||
| Location | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.500 mi (2.414 km) | ||
| Distance | 334 laps, 500 mi (804 km) | ||
| Weather |
Temperatures reaching a maximum of 72.0 °F (22.2 °C)[1] Wind speeds up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)[1] No precipitation within 24 hours of the race[1] | ||
| Average speed | 132.209 miles per hour (212.770 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Laps | 168 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers | Chris Economaki | ||
The 1975 National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 5, 1975, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.[2][3][4] A race called the World Service Life 300 was organized by a different stock car association the day before this race. Both of those races took place on the same race track.
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.
Summary
An official program was handed out to the spectators at a cost of $2 USD per copy ($8.90 when considering inflation). It took three hours and forty-seven seconds for the race to resolve itself from its 12:30 P.M. scheduled green flag time; Richard Petty defeated David Pearson by 0.26 seconds for his 176th win of his 200-win career.[2][4] The race ended at approximately 4:07 P.M.; enough time for most families make the drive back to their motel rooms or to their homes to prepare for supper.
Pearson would achieve the pole position with a speed of 161.701 miles per hour (260.233 km/h) during the qualifying runs;[2] his next pole position start would be at the 1976 World 600.[5] More than 61,000 spectators would attend this live racing event with seven cautions given out for 53 laps.[2][3] The average speed of the race was 132.209 miles per hour (212.770 km/h); done over 334 laps on an oval track spanning 1.500 miles (2.414 km).[2][3] There were 42 drivers on the grid;[4] all of them were born in the United States of America.[2][3] Coo Coo Marlin was the last-place finisher due to an engine problem on lap 8 in his 1975 Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna automobile.[2][4]
Darel Dieringer would make his final NASCAR appearance in this race; finishing in seventh place in the process.[4]
Qualifying
| Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | David Pearson | '73 Mercury |
| 2 | 71 | Dave Marcis | '74 Dodge |
| 3 | 28 | A.J. Foyt | '75 Chevrolet |
| 4 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | '75 Chevrolet |
| 5 | 15 | Buddy Baker | '75 Ford |
| 6 | 72 | Benny Parsons | '75 Chevrolet |
| 7 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | '75 Chevrolet |
| 8 | 16 | Bobby Allison | '75 AMC Matador |
| 9 | 43 | Richard Petty | '74 Dodge |
| 10 | 83 | Johnny Rutherford | '75 Chevrolet |
| 11 | 54 | Lennie Pond | '75 Chevrolet |
| 12 | 90 | Dick Brooks | '73 Ford |
| 13 | 3 | Charlie Glotzbach | '75 Chevrolet |
| 14 | 35 | Darel Dieringer | '73 Ford |
| 15 | 27 | Donnie Allison | '75 Chevrolet |
Timeline
- Start: David Pearson was leading the other drivers as the green flag was waved
- Lap 10: A four-car accident on turn four caused the first caution, which lasted until lap 20
- Lap 35: Skip Manning managed to stall his vehicle on turn one
- Lap 73: A two-car accident on turn two created the third caution, which lasted until lap 76
- Lap 157: Jackie Rogers would spin his vehicle on turn one
- Lap 218: Richie Panch would be involved in an accident on turn four
- Lap 285: Cale Yarborough spun his vehicle through turn three
- Lap 298: Bob Burcham spun his vehicle through turn one
- Finish: Richard Petty was officially declared the winner of the event
Finishing order
- Richard Petty
- David Pearson (fourth consecutive pole position in his career[5])
- Buddy Baker
- Benny Parsons
- Cecil Gordon
- James Hylton
- Darel Dieringer
- Richard Childress
- J.D. McDuffie
- Elmo Langley
- Hershel McGriff*
- Chuck Bown
- Joe Frasson
- Frank Warren
- David Sisco*
- Grant Adcox
- Buddy Arrington*
- Bob Burcham*
- Cale Yarborough*
- Jabe Thomas*
- A.J. Foyt*
- Lennie Pond*
- Jim Vandiver*
- Darrell Waltrip*
- Richie Panch*
- Dave Marcis*
- Bruce Hill*
- Harry Jefferson*
- Jackie Rogers*
- Ed Negre*
- Bobby Allison*
- G.C. Spencer*
- Donnie Allison*
- Johnny Rutherford*
- Dick Brooks*
- Charlie Glotzbach*
- Bobby Isaac*
- Skip Manning*
- Jimmy Insolo*
- Neil Castles*
- Walter Ballard*
- Coo Coo Marlin*
Note: * denotes that the driver failed to finish the race.
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
1  |
Richard Petty | 4166 | 0 |
2  |
Benny Parsons | 3288 | -878 |
3  |
Dave Marcis | 3287 | -879 |
| 4 |
James Hylton | 3268 | -898 |
| 5 |
Richard Childress | 3233 | -933 |
| 6 |
Cecil Gordon | 3083 | -1083 |
| 7 |
Darrell Waltrip | 2990 | -1176 |
| 8 |
Elmo Langley | 2838 | -1328 |
| 9 |
Cale Yarborough | 2772 | -1394 |
| 10 |
Buddy Baker | 2695 | -1471 |
References
- 1 2 3 "1975 National 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1975 National 500 race information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
- 1 2 3 4 "1975 National 500 race information (second reference)". Database Racing. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "1975 National 500 race information (third reference)". Driver Averages. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
- 1 2 "David Pearson's pole position accomplishment". Scene Daily. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
| Preceded by 1975 Old Dominion 500 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1975 |
Succeeded by 1975 Capital City 500 |
| Preceded by 1975 Wilkes 400 |
Richard Petty's Career Wins 1960–1984 |
Succeeded by 1975 Volunteer 500 |
| Preceded by 1974 |
National 500 races 1975 |
Succeeded by 1976 |