NASCAR HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS BY YEAR - 1970's
1970 - Auto racing -- particularly the NASCAR Grand National tour -- in the United States was billed as "The Sport of the 1970s" as the new decade approached. With new, ultra-modern facilities popping up all over the country and millions of dollars being poured into NASCAR stock racing by the automotive factories, the sport seemed to be on a roll. Despite the overall rosy appearance, the earth was rumbling a bit within the NASCAR domain. Most of the licensed NASCAR Grand National drivers had formed a union called the Professional Drivers Association. The drivers were serious about gaining awareness from NASCAR about conditions at the speedways, including the alarmingly high speeds, the amount of time teams had to spend at a track to prepare for a race, the perceived lack of posted awards, and amenities for the competitors. Even with behind-the-scenes friction, the 1970 NASCAR tour produced many great moments. 1970 would be the year of the Superbirds. In January when the season opened at Riverside, A.J. Foyt's Ford nipped Roger McCluskey's Plymouth Superbird to win the season opener. Cale Yarborough and Charlie Glotzbach win the Twin 125-mile qualifiers at Daytona. Rookie Talmadge Prince is fatally injured in a 19th-lap crash in the second qualifier. Ir was Prince's first career Cup start. Pete Hamilton, recently signed to drive a Petty Enterprises Plymouth, posts an upset victory in the Daytona 500. Hamilton passes Ford's David Pearson with nine laps to go and wins by three car lengths. On March 1, James Hylton holds off a furious rally by Richard Petty to win the Richmond 500. It is Hylton's first career NASCAR Grand National win and his first start in a Ford after campaigning a Dodge for four years. On March 24, Buddy Baker became the first driver to break the 200 MPH barrier in an open test session as he wheeled one of the sleek and winged Dodge Daytona's. His average speed was 200.447 to establish himself as the "Fastest Man on Four Wheels." On April 12, Pete Hamilton cruises to victory in the Alabama 500 at Talladega as ABC Sports televises the second half of the race live to a nationwide audience. The network squeezes the three hour and 17 minute race into a 90-minute time slot. The next week, Richard Petty breezes to an easy win in the Gwyn Staley Memorial 400 at North Wilkesboro, the second event televised live by ABC Sports. Petty leads 349 of the 400 laps, and is ahead of the pack every lap shown during the live telecast. In Early May, David Pearson scores his first win of the season in the Rebel 400 at Darlington. Richard Petty is injured when his Plymouth flips on the front chute. ABC Sports picks up live coverage a few minutes before Petty's crash. In the World 600,Donnie Allison finishes two laps ahead of the field to win the Charlotte World 600. Fred Lorenzen ends a three-year retirement with a competitive run, but exits with a blown engine after 378 miles. Buddy Baker would out run Bobby Isaac by over a lap to win the Southern 500. Later that month the final dirt-track race in NASCAR Grand National history is run at State Fairgrounds Speedway in Raleigh, N.C. The race is won by Richard Petty. On October legendary NASCAR driver Curtis Turner perishes in a private plane crash in Pennsylvania. On November 15, Cale Yarborough hustles to victory in the American 500 at Rockingham, and announces from victory lane that he will move to the USAC Indy Car trail in 1971. On the 19th, Ford announced that it will cut back its factory effort in 1971. Jacques Passino, director of Ford's racing program, quits the company. on the 22nd Bobby Allison captures the season finale at Hampton, Va., as Bobby Isaac is declared the 1970 NASCAR Grand National champion. In December R.J. Reynolds announced its Winston brand of cigarettes will become the title sponsor of NASCAR's premier stock car racing series. The official title will be NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series.
1971 - The loss of the factory-supported team in 1971 was a big blow to the NASCAR Grand Nationals. Every team in NASCAR in 1971, save Petty Enterprises, felt the pinch of the factory withdrawal. Drivers -- and NASCAR itself -- found relief in the form of a sponsorship deal with R.J Reynolds Tobacco Company (the parent company of Winston cigarettes), who in turn gained advertising and naming rights to the newly-christened NASCAR Winston Cup Grand Nationals. It was one of a handful of bright spots in an otherwise troubled season. The season was shortened from 48 to 31 events a year, and dirt events were removed from the series. But the biggest changes were in the point system, as it was modified to where all points races awarded an equal number of points to the competitors. Previously some track and more prominent events awarded more points than short track races. NASCAR's rules implemented for the 1971 season limited the "aero-cars" to an engine displacement of no greater than 305 cu in (5.00 l) or they had to carry much more weight compared to their competitors. While they were still legal to race, the power-to-weight consequences that would come with the smaller engine or the increased weight rendered the cars uncompetitive. In January West Coast driver Ray Elder surprised the NASCAR touring pros by winning the season-opening Motor Trend 500 at Riverside International Raceway. Richard Petty bags his third Daytona 500 win ahead of Buddy Baker, giving Petty Enterprises a 1-2 finish in NASCAR's most celebrated event. Dick Brooks finishes seventh in a winged Dodge Daytona, the final appearance of the exotic aerodynamic wonder in a NASCAR event. Two weeks later, A.J. Foyt drives the Wood Brothers Mercury to victory in the 500-miler at the new Ontario Motor Speedway. Foyt goes down in the record book as winning the 1,000th NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National race. April 10 was the first live flag to flag coverage for a NASCAR race. Bobby Isaac drives his Dodge to a big win in the 100-mile NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National event at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. On May 21, The lightly funded independent drivers stage a mini-boycott of the 100-mile NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National race at Asheville, N.C. Protesting the payoff structure and a lack of any appearance money, seven drivers pull out of the race in the early stages, leaving only five cars running at the finish. Richard Petty wins by four laps over Elmo Langley. Bobby and Donnie Allison finish first and second, respectively, in the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a pair of Mercurys. The Firecracker 400 saw 36 lead changes in a shoot out between five drivers. Bobby Isaac would pull into the lead for good with 25 laps to go and beat Richard Petty by four seconds. In the Southern 500, Bobby Allison beat Richard Petty by over a lap to claim the win. On December 12, Richard Petty roars to his 21st win of the season in the finale at Texas World Speedway. Petty also wraps up his third NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National championship over James Hylton. This was the third time Hylton finished second in the championship chase.
1972 - Bill France Sr would hand the leadership of NASCAR over to his son Bill France Jr. The early part of the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup season was rather lethargic. Richard Petty lost a cylinder midway through the 250-miler at Martinsville in April, yet still won the race by seven laps. Fan attendance was down, and the forecast for the season was uncertain. But toward the end of the year, a feud exploded between Richard Petty and Bobby Allison, the two front-runners, that would ignite the fierce competition of the rest of the season. In January before the start of the season, NASCAR announces the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National season will be reduced to 30 events. Only races of 250 miles or more will be part of the schedule. Also NASCAR founder Bill France steps down as president and turns the reins over to his son, Bill France, Jr. In February, AJ Foyt would give his car owners the Wood Brothers yet another win in the Daytona 500. He blistered the field to win the 500 by nearly five miles. Foyt leads the final 300 miles in the lackluster event. Third-place driver Jim Vandiver finishes six laps off the pace. The next month at the Atlanta 500, Bobby Allison drives his Chevrolet to a near photo-finish victory. Allison records the first superspeedway win for Chevrolet since 1963. At the World 600, Buddy Baker and Bobby Allison duel to the finish; and Baker came out on top. It was his second win in the 600. David Pearson prevails in a three-car finish to win the Daytona Firecracker 400. Pearson beats Richard Petty by four feet as Bobby Allison finishes a close third. In August, independent driver James Hylton enjoys the finest day of his career by taking a narrow victory over Ramo Stott in the Talladega 500. New tires introduced by Goodyear fail to withstand the high-speed punishment and eliminate most of the favorites. In the Southern 500, Bobby Allison and David Pearson staged a fierce battle. One of the two drivers lead all of the last 300 laps but one. Allison managed to pass Pearson with six laps to go and hold on to win my four car lengths. On October 1 Allison again found himself in a war. This time with Richard Petty. Petty outrun Allison in the final laps of an epic slugfest and wins the spine-tingling Wilkes 400 at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. Petty and Allison tangle repeatedly during the final laps and both cars are badly crumpled when the checkered flag falls. Buddy Baker edges A.J. Foyt by a half car length at the finish line to win the season-ending Texas 500 at Texas World Speedway. Richard Petty finishes third and clinches his fourth NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National championship.
1973 - During the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup season, NASCAR had not given up hope for small engines, though the lack of team sponsors prevented the sanctioning body from putting the heavily restricted big engines out to pasture. Although David Parsons enjoyed a record wrecking year in 1973, winning 10 of 15 starts on super speedways and 11 of 18 for the season, the un-sponsored team of L.G. DeWitt and Benny Parsons won a single race and took the NASCAR Winston Cup championship trophy in a significant upset. At Daytona, Richard Petty outlasts a speedy Buddy Baker to post his fourth win in the Daytona 500. Pole-sitter Baker leads most of the way but is foiled by an engine failure while running second with six laps to go. In March, Cale Yarborough, back in NASCAR's fold after a two-year exile in USAC Indy Cars, drives Junior Johnson's Chevrolet to an overwhelming victory in the Southeastern 500 at Bristol. Yarborough leads all 500 laps. When the World 600 rolled around, it would see Buddy Baker in victory lane for the third time. He would beat out David Pearson by just over a second. On July 8, Points leader Benny Parsons drives his unsponsored Chevrolet to an impressive win in the Volunteer 500 at Bristol International Speedway. Parsons finishes seven laps ahead of runner-up L.D. Ottinger. IT would be Parsons only win of the season. On August 12, Dick Brooks posts perhaps the biggest upset win in NASCAR history in the Talladega 500. Brooks is behind the wheel of a Plymouth owned by the Crawford Brothers, a team that has never finished above 16th in a NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National event. Larry Smith, 1972 Rookie of the Year, loses his life in an early crash. This years edition of the Southern 500 would see Cale Yarborough and David battle to the finish for the win. Yarborough was in the lead when a late yellow saw the race end under yellow; giving him the win. In the final race of the season, David Pearson captures his 11th win in 18 starts with a season-ending victory in the American 500 at Rockingham's North Carolina Motor Speedway. Benny Parsons pits for repairs after a heavy early crash that severely damaged his car. The help of several teams allow him to get back into the race and finish 28th. Parsons holds on to win the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National championship over Cale Yarborough.
1974 - The 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National season faced the threat of a shut-down when, in late 1973, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced a general boycott on oil exports to Europe, Japan, and the United States. Faced with an oil crisis, NASCAR took immediate steps to conserve fuel. Among other changes, the length of all races was cut by 10 percent, which went a long way toward the goal of reducing fuel use by 25 percent. Meanwhile, NASCAR continued to move toward the use of smaller engines, and made several rule changes. In January along with announcing races being shortened by ten percent; NASCAR also announced plans for smaller starting fields and limited practice sessions. Richard Petty rallies from a flat tire, takes the lead with 11 laps remaining, and drives to victory in the 450-mile Daytona 500. Speedway officials decide to drop the first 20 laps from the race, and count the first lap as lap 21 to maintain the "500" in the name of NASCAR's most prestigious event. In Mat at the World 600, David Pearson racks up his 80th career Winston Cup victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Pearson takes the lead with nine laps remaining and beats Richard Petty by a car length. On July 4, Cagey David Pearson outfoxes Richard Petty to win the Firecracker 400 in a puzzling finish. Pearson leads entering the final lap, but pulled to the low groove to allow Petty to pass. Pearson regains stride, runs Petty down, and makes the decisive pass just before the finish line. On Labor day weekend, NASCAR would travel back to it's traditional race at Darlington. The Lady In Black was a grizzy old gal this day as attrition was high. 40 cars started the event, but only 12 finished. Cale Yarborough managed to avoid the carnage and mechanical failures to beat out Darrell by a lap. at the Old Dominion 500 in September, Canadian rookie Earl Ross outlasts Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough and outruns Buddy Baker in the final laps to win the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville. Ross becomes the first Canadian driver to win a NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National race. Despite the years rule changes, the overwhelming majority of races were won by Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and David Pearson. Richard Petty won his fifth championship
1975 - By the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National season, the transition from big to small engines was complete. All cars were equipped with the same-size engines and the restrictor plates were gone. With a standard set of rules, stability had gained a foothold within the NASCAR kingdom. Despite smaller fields of competition, NASCAR Winston Cup racing was getting more television time as well. NASCAR announces a new points system, the fourth different method of distributing points in the last five years. For the first time in NASCAR history, each race will carry an equal points value throughout the season. At Daytona, Benny Parsons takes the lead three laps from the finish and wins the Daytona 500 when leader David Pearson spins on the backstretch. Parsons comes from the 32nd starting position to claim the upset win and the biggest victory of his career. In May, Darrell Waltrip racks up his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National victory with a two-lap triumph in the Music City USA 420 at his hometown Nashville Speedway. In the World 600, Richard Petty scores his first victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway since winning a 100-mile qualifying race in 1961 with a resounding win in the race. Dale Earnhardt makes his first NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National start, finishing 22nd in a Dodge. Tragedy struck in the Talladega 500. Buddy Baker nosed out Richard Petty in a photo finish to win the event, an event marred by the death of DeWayne "Tiny" Lund. Lund is involved in a multi-car crash on the seventh lap. In the annual Labor Day event; Bobby Allison, would beat Richard Petty for the win. Allison would sweep the races at Darlington in 1974. This race would be the last win for a Roger Penske owned team until 1991. This would also be the last win for the AMC Matador. At the end of the month, journeyman Dave Marcis drives a Dodge to his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National victory in the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Two weeks later, Darrell Waltrip gives the DiGard Racing team its first NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National win in the 500-lapper at Richmond Fairgrounds Speedway. In November, Buddy Baker bags his fourth win of the season with a decisive triumph in the Los Angeles Times 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway. Richard Petty takes his sixth NASCAR championship over Dave Marcis.
1976 - The 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup season was filled with heart-stopping moments, from a last-lap crash between Richard Petty and David Pearson in the Daytona 500 to one between Dale Earnhardt and Dick Brooks at Atlanta International Raceway. In Daytona 500 qualifying, NASCAR disallowed the speeds of the three fastest qualifiers for the Daytona 500, leaving unheralded Ramo Stott on the pole. A.J. Foyt, Darrell Waltrip, and Dave Marcis have to requalify. The race itself provided an exciting finish. David Pearson creeps across the finish line at 20 mph to beat Richard Petty in a stunning finish to the Daytona 500. Pearson and Petty swap the lead four times on the final lap and tangle off the fourth turn. Pearson gets his Mercury straightened out and crosses the finish line first. In the World 600, David Pearson weaves his way through a crash with three laps to go and captures the World 600 for his fifth win of the season. NASCAR also welcomed female driver Janet Guthrie, who finished 15th at the World 600. David Pearson leads the final 45 laps and drives to a 2.8-second victory over Richard Petty in the Southern 500 at Darlington. The win gives Pearson a victory in all three crown-jewel events on the NASCAR calendar: the Daytona 500, World 600, and Southern 500. On November 7, Dave Marcis outruns David Pearson and Donnie Allison in a three-car shootout to win the Dixie 500 at Atlanta International Raceway. Newcomer Dale Earnhardt survives a wicked tumble with 49 laps to go. When the season wrapped up two weeks later, David Pearson posts his 10th win of the year in the 500-miler at Ontario Motor Speedway. Cale Yarborough claims his first NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National championship over Richard Petty.
1977 - By 1977, the NASCAR Winston Cup organization was pulling itself out of the shackles of the post-factory days. Corporate sponsors were jumping on the bandwagon, new team owners found the NASCAR scene appealing, and a few of the surviving independent teams had beefed up their operations. The starting fields were full again, the grandstands were close to capacity, competition was closer, and television ratings were climbing steadily. The season kicked off seeing Cale Yarborough pull away from Benny Parsons in the final laps to win in his second Daytona 500. In April, Darrell Waltrip wins the race back to the yellow flag to capture the Rebel 500 at Darlington. Waltrip weaves his way through a crash scene in the fourth turn, passing David Pearson, Richard Petty, and Donnie Allison on the final green-flag lap. A month later, Cale Yarborough roars back from two black flags, a pair of unscheduled pit stops, and a four-lap deficit to win the Mason-Dixon 500 at Dover Downs. It is already Yarborough's sixth win of the season. In the World 600, Richard Petty and David Pearson would duke it out; seeing Petty pull out to a nice lead near the end; winning by 30 seconds. Nord Krauskopf sold his team after this event to Jim Stacy with the famed red #71 Dodge getting repainted into the white #5, Neil Bonnett stayed aboard as driver. Richard Petty would again find himself in victory lane as he won the Firecracker 400 at Daytona. For the first time since 1949, three women drivers are in the starting field. Janet Guthrie, Christine Beckers, and Lella Lombardi all start the race. At Bristol Cale Yarborough racks up his eighth win of the year at Bristol's Volunteer 400. Janet Guthrie finishes sixth, her best NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National effort. Quick pit work nets David Pearson his second straight win in the Southern 500 at Darlington. Darrell Waltrip earns the nickname "Jaws" at the same event. Later in September, Neil Bonnett scores his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National win in the Capital City 400 at Richmond. Bonnett outruns Richard Petty by seven seconds. In the season finale, Neil Bonnett outruns Richard Petty in an epic duel over the final 10 laps to win at Ontario Motor Speedway. Third-place finisher Cale Yarborough takes his second straight NASCAR Winston Cup championship.
1978 - The 1978 NASCAR Winston Cup season was filled with hotly contested races and surprise upset victories. In the Talladega 500 alone, there were 67 lead changes before Lennie Pond drove his Oldsmobile around Benny Parsons with five laps to go and scored his lone NASCAR Winston Cup career victory by a narrow margin. Other races captured the season's spirited competition. In the Winston Western 500, Cale Yarborough drove his Oldsmobile to a close decision over Benny Parsons to win the Winston Western 500 on the road course at Riverside International Raceway. It is the first win for the Oldsmobile nameplate since 1959. In the Daytona 500 Bobby Allison ends his 67-race winless skid with a dramatic victory. Allison pushes his Bud Moore Ford around Buddy Baker with 11 laps remaining and leads the rest of the way. On March 5, David Pearson rallies from a late spin, passes Benny Parsons, and drives to victory in the Carolina 500 at Rockingham's North Carolina Motor Speedway. It is the 100th win of Pearson's illustrious career. On May 14, Cale Yarborough passes Buddy Baker on the final lap to win the Winston 500 at Talladega. Car owner Harold Miller and driver Keith Davis are suspended for 12 weeks when NASCAR officials discover an illegal bottle of nitrous oxide in the car in prerace inspections. In the World 600, Willy T. Ribbs, America's leading African American race driver, fails to appear for two special practice sessions in preparation for the upcoming World 600 at Charlotte. Team owner Will Cronkrite, irked with Ribbs' absence, replaces him with relatively unknown short-track racer Dale Earnhardt. On August 6, Lennie Pond leads the final five laps and staves off challenges from six rivals to post his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National victory in the Talladega 500. Pond averages a record 174.700 mph and had 67 lead changes. Cale Yarborough scores his fourth win in the Southern 500. Terry Labonte, making his NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National debut, finishes fourth. D.K. Ulrich is suspended for the remainder of the season after a wreck reveals he has an illegal nitrous oxide bottle in his Chevrolet. In November Controversy flares at Atlanta International Raceway as Donnie Allison is declared the winner of the Dixie 500 after the crowd of 40,000 thought Richard Petty had nipped Dave Marcis in a race to the finish. NASCAR scorers failed to notice that Allison had passed both Petty and Marcis with three laps remaining. Rookie Dale Earnhardt finishes fourth in his first start with the Rod Osterlund team. Two weeks later Bobby Allison scores his fifth win of the year in the finale at Ontario Motor Speedway. Runner-up Cale Yarborough wins his third consecutive NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National championship over Allison.
1979 - The 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup season was one of record speeds and legendary brawls. At the Daytona 500 alone, thanks to a newly-resurfaced track, Buddy Baker reached a record qualifying speed of 196.049 mph to top Cale Yarborough's nine-year-old record of 194.015. The race itself didn't disappoint, either. The 21st annual Daytona 500 was spectacular from start to finish, with thrilling action and many lead changes. During the final lap, leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison (who had been jostling for the lead) slid together into the concrete wall, clearing the way for Richard Petty to take the win. Immediately, Yarborough and Allison began to fight on the field, and the whole fracas was televised live on CBS, which only served to increase ticket sales. The Nielsen ratings for the CBS live telecast are a remarkable 10.5, with the final half hour drawing an amazing 13.5 rating. On April 1, Outstanding rookie driver Dale Earnhardt scoots around Darrell Waltrip with 27 laps to go and grabs his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National victory in Bristol's Southeastern 500. The next week Darrell Waltrip prevails in a last-lap battle with Richard Petty to win the Rebel 500 at Darlington. The two drivers swap the lead four times on the final lap. After the race, legendary David Pearson is released as driver of the Wood Brothers Mercury. A pit mishap is cited as the reason for Pearson's release. In May, Neil Bonnett, making his third start for the Wood Brothers, drives around Cale Yarborough with three laps remaining to win the Mason-Dixon 500 at Dover Downs International Speedway. The World 600 was a battle between Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. Records would show that Waltrip led the final 92 laps; but Petty was right on his heels and Waltrip only managed to pull out the win by five seconds. Earnhardt was third. In the Firecracker 400 Neil Bonnett would grab another victory for the Wood Brothers as he edged Benny Parson by one second. The action packed Coca Cola 500 would see a whopping 56 lead changes. Cale Yarborough would go on to claim the win prevailed for his third win of the year. Rookie driver Dale Earnhardt fractures both collar bones in a hard crash on the 99th lap. At Darlington David Pearson, substituting for the injured Dale Earnhardt, leads the final 70 laps to win his third Southern 500. Upstart third-year driver Bill Elliott finishes second. At Atlanta in November Neil Bonnett edges Dale Earnhardt by about three feet to win the Dixie 500 at Atlanta. Darrell Waltrip carries a narrow two-point lead over Richard Petty into the season finale at Ontario. In the season final race, Benny Parsons takes the lead with five laps to go and wins the Los Angeles Times 500. Fifth-place finisher Richard Petty takes his seventh NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National championship by 11 points over Darrell Waltrip, who finishes eighth.