1974 Winston 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 10 of 30 in the 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
Layout of Talladega Superspeedway
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| Date | May 5, 1974 | ||
| Official name | Winston 500 | ||
| Location | Alabama International Motor Speedway, Talladega, Alabama | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.660 mi (4.280 km) |
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| Distance | 170 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures approaching 82.9 °F (28.3 °C); wind speeds up to 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 130.220 miles per hour (209.569 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Laps | 58 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing | |
The 1974 Winston 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on May 5, 1974, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama.
David Pearson acquired one of his superspeedway victories for the 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season at this event. Tickets at this event sold at an average price of $10 ($48.56 when adjusted for inflation); with some tickets selling for a higher price. While the green flag was waved at 1:00 PM, the checkered flag was not waved until approximately 4:28 PM, giving fans ample time to find dinner accommodations.
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.
Due to a fuel crisis, the first 18 laps of the event were not scored. Engine problems caused most of the drivers not to finish the race.Jerry Schild made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in this event; starting in 37th and finishing in 40th place. David Pearson would end up defeating Benny Parsons by nearly 0.2 seconds after racing for almost 210 minutes. Sixty of these 170 laps were raced under yellow; half of the yellow flag laps were due to rain. A strong crowd of forty thousand people would see the lead change hands 53 times. Chevrolet and Dodge vehicles would dominate the race's grid while Ford products led the most laps.Iggy Katona would leave the NASCAR Cup Series as a driver after this event.
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