1973 Dixie 500

1973 Dixie 500
Race details[1]
Race 19 of 28 in the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season

Layout of Atlanta International Speedway, used until 1996
Date July 22, 1973 (1973-07-22)
Official name Dixie 500
Course 1.522 mi (2.449 km)
Distance 328 laps, 499.2 mi (803.3 km)
Weather Temperatures up to 90 °F (32 °C); wind speeds up to 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
Average speed 130.211 miles per hour (209.554 km/h)
Attendance 30,000[2]
Pole position
Driver
Petty Enterprises
Most laps led
Driver David Pearson Wood Brothers
Laps 178
Winner
No. 21 David Pearson Wood Brothers

The 1973 Dixie 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on July 22, 1973, at Atlanta International Raceway 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.

Background

Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one of ten current intermediate track to hold NASCAR races; the others are Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway.[3] However, at the time, only Charlotte and Darlington were built.

The layout at Atlanta International Speedway at the time was a four-turn traditional oval track that is 1.54 miles (2.48 km) long.[4] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five.[4]

Summary

It took three hours and fifty minutes for David Pearson to defeat Cale Yarborough by more than one lap on a paved track spanning 1.522 miles (2.449 km).[2] Competitors were given special permits to enter the motor pits of track; separate from the media and the general public.

Pearson would take home $16,650 in prize money ($88,904.01 when adjusted for inflation) while last-place finisher Charles Barrett would receive only $880 in take-home pay ($4,698.83 when adjusted for inflation).[5] Fourteen lead changes were exchanged amongst six leaders (Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Bobby Isaac, Cale Yarborough, Donnie Allison, and David Pearson).[6] Six cautions were given out for 47 laps and the average speed of the race was 130.211 miles per hour or 209.554 kilometres per hour.[2] Thirty-thousand people would see a racing grid of 39 American drivers and one Canadian driver (Vic Parsons).[2] Richard Petty would gain the pole position with a speed of 157.163 miles per hour or 252.929 kilometres per hour.[2] Barrett would receive the last-place finish due to an engine difficult on lap 3 out of 328.[2]

Only the winner of the race would be on the lead lap by the end of the race.[2]

Finishing order

  1. David Pearson (No. 21)
  2. Cale Yarborough (No. 11)
  3. Donnie Allison (No. 88)
  4. Joe Frasson (No. 18)
  5. Jody Ridley (No. 90)
  6. Lennie Pond (No. 54)
  7. J.D. McDuffie† (No. 70)
  8. G.C. Spencer† (No. 49)
  9. Jabe Thomas (No. 25)
  10. Larry Smith† (No. 92)
  11. Buddy Arrington (No. 67)
  12. Rick Newsom† (No. 20)
  13. Henley Gray (No. 19)
  14. Frank Warren (No. 79)
  15. Walter Ballard (No. 30)
  16. Randy Tissot (No. 32)
  17. Bill Champion† (No. 10)
  18. Ed Negre (No. 8)
  19. Charlie Roberts (No. 77)
  20. Raymond Williams (No. 47)
  21. James Hylton (No. 48)
  22. Dean Dalton (No. 7)
  23. Richard Childress (No. 96)
  24. Cecil Gordon*† (No. 24)
  25. Benny Parsons*† (No. 72)
  26. David Sisco* (No. 05)
  27. Bobby Allison* (No. 12)
  28. Ed Sczech* (No. 61)
  29. Vic Parsons* (No. 45)
  30. Coo Coo Marlin*† (No. 14)
  31. Darrell Waltrip* (No. 95)
  32. Dave Marcis* (No. 2)
  33. Richard Petty* (No. 43)
  34. Buddy Baker* (No. 71)
  35. Bobby Isaac*† (No. 15)
  36. John Sears*† (No. 4)
  37. Tommy Gale*† (No. 03)
  38. Elmo Langley*† (No. 64)
  39. H.B. Bailey*† (No. 39)
  40. Charles Barrett* (No. 09)

* Driver failed to finish race
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased

Timeline

References

  1. ↑ "1973 Dixie 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1973 Dixie 500 racing information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  3. ↑ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "NASCAR Tracks—The Atlanta Motor Speedway". Atlanta Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  5. ↑ "1973 Dixie 500 racing information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  6. ↑ "1973 Dixie 500 racing information". Race Database. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
Preceded by
1973 Volunteer 500		 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1973 		Succeeded by
1973 Talladega 500
Preceded by
1972		 Dixie 500 races
1973 		Succeeded by
1974
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