1971 National 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 42 of 48 in the 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
Layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway
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| Date | October 10, 1971 | ||
| Official name | National 500 | ||
| Location | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.500 mi (2.414 km) |
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| Distance | 238 laps, 357 mi (574 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 334 laps, 500 mi (804 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures approaching 63 °F (17 °C); wind speeds up to 10.1 miles per hour (16.3 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 126.14 miles per hour (203.00 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 52,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Howard & Egerton Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Charlie Glotzbach | Howard & Egerton Racing | |
| Laps | 119 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 12 | Bobby Allison | Holman Moody | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers |
Keith Jackson Chris Economaki |
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The 1971 National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 10, 1971, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Most of the vehicles used in the race had a rating of 427 cubic inches.
The race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of homologation (and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.
There were 42 American-born drivers on this 238-lap race. It was supposed to last for 334 laps but the race had to end due to rain and darkness.
Bobby Allison managed to defeat Bobby Isaac by five seconds in front of 52000 people. The race lasted more than two and a half hours with six caution periods lasting for 37 laps.Charlie Glotzbach rightfully earned the pole position with a qualifying speed of 157.085 miles per hour (252.804 km/h) while the winner of the race would have an average speed of 126.14 miles per hour (203.00 km/h).
Jim Vandiver would end up getting the last-place finish on lap 10 due to a single-car collision into the wall. Country music singing sensation and part-time NASCAR driver Marty Robbins would finish in 37th place in his 1969 Dodge Charger machine after starting in 15th.LeeRoy Yarbrough ran a limited schedule during the 1971 season as Ford's factory were pulling out of NASCAR production at that time. This would force NASCAR teams using the Ford manufacturer to create vehicles by themselves with their in-house staff. Injuries sustained while practicing for that year's Indianapolis 500 contributed to the limited NASCAR schedule. He managed to shake off those injuries long enough to qualify in seventh place and finish in a lowly 34th place.
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