1971 Winston 500
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 18 of 48 in the 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Talladega Superspeedway | |||
| Date | May 16, 1971 | ||
| Official name | Winston 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 | Temperatures reaching up to 78.1 °F (25.6 °C); wind speeds up to 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 147.419 miles per hour (237.248 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 29,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Allison | Holman-Moody | |
| Laps | 70 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 | Donnie Allison | Wood Brothers | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers |
Keith Jackson Chris Economaki | ||
The 1971 Winston 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup Series) race that took place on May 16, 1971, at Alabama International Motor Speedway (now Talladega Superspeedway) in Talladega, Alabama, USA.[2]
George Altheide, Doc Faustina and David Sisco would make their NASCAR Winston Cup Series debuts in this race.[3] Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.
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.[4]
Summary
Twenty-nine thousand people came to see Donnie Allison (racing for the Wood Brothers racing team) defeat his brother Bobby (racing for Holman-Moody) by six car lengths.[2] Both of these siblings were driving 1969 Mercury Cyclone vehicles.[2][3] The race took three hours and thirty-two minutes to successfully complete.[2][3] Seven cautions were handed out by NASCAR officials for forty-five laps.[2][3] Other finishers in the top ten included: Buddy Baker (driving for Petty Enterprises), Pete Hamilton, Fred Lorenzen, Jim Vandiver, James Hylton, Bill Dennis, Dave Marcis, and Larry Baumel.[2][3] After winning this race, Donnie would be seen as the underdog four years later at the 1975 Winston 500;[5] he would finish in a lowly 42nd place out of 50 competitors on the starting grid.[6]
Notable drivers that participated in the race included: Richard Petty, J.D. McDuffie (who died in a racing accident at the 1991 Watkins Glen race), Coo Coo Marlin (father of Sterling Marlin), Benny Parsons, Neil Castles, and Ron Keselowski (uncle of current NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski).[2][3] Bobby Isaac was hospitalized and could not compete in the race due to having problem with his kidney stones.
The grand total of the entire prize purse was $145,040 ($848,907.08 when adjusted for inflation); Donnie Allison received $31,140 for winning ($182,259.84 when adjusted for inflation) while last-place finisher Bub Strickler got to bring home only $1,000 ($5,852.92 when adjusted for inflation).[7]
References
- ↑ Weather information for the 1971 Winston 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1971 Winston 500 racing information at Racing Reference
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 1971 Winston 500 racing information at Race Database
- ↑ "Track Facts". talladegasuperspeedway.com. Talladega Superspeedway. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ↑ Donnie First to Enter Winston 500 at Google News Archive Search
- ↑ Donnie Allison's finish at the 1975 Winston 500 at Racing Reference
- ↑ 1971 Winston 500 racing information at FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
| Preceded by 1971 Halifax County 100 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Races 1971 |
Succeeded by 1971 Asheville 300 |
| Preceded by debut |
Winston 500 races 1971 |
Succeeded by 1972 |