1975 Champion Spark Plug 400

1975 Champion Spark Plug 400

Race details[1]
Race 20 of 30 in the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Official flyer featuring Benny Parsons
Date	August 24, 1975
Official name	Champion Spark Plug 400
Location	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.000 mi (3.218 km)
Distance	200 laps, 400 mi (643 km)
Weather	Hot with temperatures approaching 89.1 °F (31.7 °C); wind speeds up to 12.8 miles per hour (20.6 km/h)
Average speed	107.583 miles per hour (173.138 km/h)
Attendance	47,000[2]
Pole position
Driver	David Pearson	Wood Brothers Racing
Most laps led
Driver	A.J. Foyt	Hoss Ellington
Laps	69
Winner
No. 43	Richard Petty	Petty Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network	untelevised
Announcers	none

The 1975 Champion Spark Plug 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on August 24, 1975, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.

Historic flyers were sold for this race at a price of $1.50 per copy ($6.61 when adjusted for inflation). The cost of admission to this race was relatively cheap; children got in for $5 USD ($22.03 when adjusted for inflation) while adults got decent seats for $10 USD ($44.05 when adjusted for inflation).

Background

Michigan International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2 miles (3.2 km) long.^[3] Opened in 1968, the track's turns are banked at eighteen degrees, while the 3,600-foot-long front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at twelve degrees.^[3] The back stretch, has a five degree banking and is 2,242 feet long.^[3]

Summary

Two hundred laps were completed in three hours and forty-five seconds on a paved oval track spanning 2 miles (3.2 km). All of the 36 drivers who qualified for this race were born in the United States of America; making it an all-American race for the NASCAR traditionalists.^[2] Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.

Six yellow flags were given for 63 laps while 25 drivers took turns being the leader of the race.^[2][4] Richard Petty would defeat David Pearson by a distance of five feet^[5] in front of 47,000 live audience members.^[2] Pearson would make the pole position with a top speed of 159.798 miles per hour (257.170 km/h) while the average speed of the race would just be 107.583 miles per hour (173.138 km/h).^[2] Even with David Pearson finishing in second place, he managed to keep his incredible finishing streak going with victories at the 1976 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 and the 1976 Champion Spark Plug 400.^[6] Jackie Rogers would receive the last-place finish of the race for owner Lou Viglione and his 1975 Chevrolet team.^[2][4]

Prize winnings would range from $15,140 for the winner ($66,692.78 when adjusted for inflation) to $700 for the last-place finisher ($3,083.55 when adjusted for inflation).^[4][7] There were 36 cars on the official racing grid; most of them drove for the Chevrolet manufacturer.^[2][4] Terry Bivins would make his NASCAR debut in this race. Richard Petty would keep his championship lead after this race. However, Dave Marcis would only be 573 points behind (despite not winning a race up to this point).^[4][7] Walter Ballard would be mathematically eliminated from winning the Winston Cup Series championship at this point despite participating in all 20 races.^[4][7]

Finishing order

1. Richard Petty
2. David Pearson
3. Cale Yarborough
4. Bobby Allison
5. Dave Marcis
6. Buddy Baker
7. Darrell Waltrip
8. Bruce Hill
9. Terry Bivins
10. Dean Dalton
11. Walter Ballard
12. David Sisco
13. Cecil Gordon
14. Grant Adcox
15. Bruce Jacobi
16. Ferrel Harris
17. James Hylton
18. Elmo Langley
19. Dick May
20. Dick Brooks
21. D.K. Ulrich
22. Buddy Arrington
23. Jabe Thomas
24. Harold Miller
25. Richie Panch
26. Frank Warren
27. Henley Gray
28. J.D. McDuffie
29. Carl Adams
30. A.J. Foyt
31. Richard Childress
32. Earle Canavan
33. Ed Negre
34. Benny Parsons
35. Coo Coo Marlin
36. Jackie Rogers

Timeline

• Start: David Pearson was leading the starting grid as the first official lap commenced
• Lap 6: Jackie Roberts managed to blow his vehicle's engine
• Lap 20: Coo Coo Marlin managed to blow his vehicle's engine, after it blew he hit the turn 2 steel guardrail so hard it sheered off the support post causing a lengthy caution for repairs
• Lap 48: Benny Parsons managed to blow his vehicle's engine
• Lap 58: Ed Negre managed to blow his vehicle's engine
• Lap 61: Earle Canavan managed to blow his vehicle's engine
• Lap 67: Caution due to rain, ended on lap 87
• Lap 97: Richard Childress managed to blow his vehicle's engine
• Lap 117: A.J. Foyt managed to blow his vehicle's engine
• Lap 119: Carl Adams managed to blow his vehicle's engine
• Lap 132: J.D. McDuffie managed to blow his vehicle's engine
• Lap 142: The rear end came off of Henley Gray's vehicle in an unsafe manner
• Lap 183: Richie Panch managed to blow his vehicle's engine
• Lap 192: Caution due to Cale Yarborough and Dave Marcis spinning into the frontstretch, ended on lap 195
• Finish: Richard Petty was officially declared the winner of the event

Standings after the race

Pos	Driver	Points[2]	Differential
1	Richard Petty	3329	0
2	Dave Marcis	2756	-573
3	James Hylton	2625	-704
4	Benny Parsons	2525	-804
5	Richard Childress	2493	-836
6	Darrell Waltrip	2474	-855
7	Cecil Gordon	2449	-880
8	Elmo Langley	2224	-1105
9	David Pearson	2183	-1146
10	Buddy Baker	2103	-1226
10	Walter Ballard	2103	-1226

References

1. "1975 Champion Spark Plug 400 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
2. "1975 Champion Spark Plug 400 racing information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
3. "Michigan International Speedway". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
4. "1975 Champion Spark Plug 400 racing information". Race Database. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
5. "Exact distance of victory". Motor Racing Network. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
6. "David Pearson was king of Michigan International Speedway". Stock Car Racing. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
7. "1975 Champion Spark Plug 400 racing information". Driver Averages. Retrieved 2012-03-24.