1973 Dixie 500

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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
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 ($88,754.24 when adjusted for inflation) while last-place finisher Charles Barrett would receive only $880 in take-home pay ($4,690.91 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

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  1. David Pearson
  2. Cale Yarborough
  3. Donnie Allison
  4. Joe Frasson
  5. Jody Ridley
  6. Lennie Pond
  7. J.D. McDuffie†
  8. G.C. Spencer†
  9. Jabe Thomas
  10. Larry Smith†
  11. Buddy Arrington
  12. Rick Newsom†
  13. Henley Gray
  14. Frank Warren
  15. Walter Ballard
  16. Randy Tissot
  17. Bill Champion†
  18. Ed Negre
  19. Charlie Roberts
  20. Raymond Williams
  21. James Hylton
  22. Dean Dalton
  23. Richard Childress
  24. Cecil Gordon*†
  25. Benny Parsons*†
  26. David Sisco*
  27. Bobby Allison*
  28. Ed Sczech*
  29. Vic Parsons*
  30. Coo Coo Marlin*†
  31. Darrell Waltrip*
  32. Dave Marcis*
  33. Richard Petty*
  34. Buddy Baker*
  35. Bobby Isaac*†
  36. John Sears*†
  37. Tommy Gale*†
  38. Elmo Langley*†
  39. H.B. Bailey*†
  40. Charles Barrett*

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

Timeline

  • Start of race: Bobby Allison was ahead of the other drivers as the green flag was waved
  • Lap 3: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Bobby Allison; Charles Barrett's vehicle developed engine issues
  • Lap 7: H. B. Bailey's vehicle developed a problematic engine
  • Lap 32: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Bobby Isaac
  • Lap 39: A faulty engine managed to end Tommy Gale's day on the track
  • Lap 40: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Cale Yarborough
  • Lap 42: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison
  • Lap 43: Donnie Allison took over the lead from David Pearson
  • Lap 45: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Donnie Allison; John Sears' vehicle developed a troublesome engine.
  • Lap 52: Bobby Isaac had a terminal crash.
  • Lap 56: David Pearson took over the lead from Cale Yarborough
  • Lap 58: Bobby Allison took over the lead from David Pearson
  • Lap 61: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison
  • Lap 65: Axle issues brought Buddy Baker's race to an early end
  • Lap 71: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from David Pearson
  • Lap 72: Engine issues dethroned Richard Petty for the day, making him accept a 33rd-place finish.
  • Lap 91: Lug bolt issues ended Dave Marcis' day on the track
  • Lap 110: Engine issues knocked out Darrell Waltrip from the race
  • Lap 124: Donnie Allison took over the lead from Cale Yarborough
  • Lap 125: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Donnie Allison
  • Lap 152: Coo Coo Marlin would end the day once his vehicle's engine stopped working
  • Lap 157: Vic Parsons' dodgy transmission managed to bring him out of the race
  • Lap 164: David Pearson took over the lead from Cale Yarborough
  • Lap 169: Ed Sczech's faulty engine managed to render his chance of finishing the race non-existent
  • Lap 205: Bobby Allison would fail to finish the race due to an awful engine
  • Lap 240: David Sisco's engine stopped working in a timely manner
  • Lap 248: Benny Parsons noticed that his vehicle had a troublesome oil pump
  • Lap 262: Cecil Gordon's engine problem would make him the final DNF of the event
  • Finish: David Pearson was officially declared the winner of the event

References

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Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1973		 Succeeded by
1973 Talladega 500
Preceded by Dixie 500 races
1973		 Succeeded by
1974
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