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Date October 17, 1971 (1971-October-17) Course Permanent racing facility1.000 mi (1.609 km) Distance 500 laps, 500.0 mi (804.6 km) Weather Chilly with temperatures approaching 67.3 °F (19.6 °C); wind speeds reaching a maximum of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) | ||
The 1971 Delaware 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) race that took place on October 17, 1971, at Dover Downs International Speedway (now called Dover International Speedway).
Contents
Background
Dover International Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway. The NASCAR race makes use of the track's standard configuration, a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mile (1.6 km) long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, and both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the backstretch are banked at nine degrees.
Summary
All the racing action took place in the American community of Dover, Delaware with five hundred laps completed on a paved oval track spanning 1.000 mile or 1.609 kilometres. It took four hours and three minutes (243 minutes) for the race to reach its full conclusion;
Richard Petty defeated Charlie Glotzbach by more than one lap in front of eighteen thousand people. Notable speeds for the race were: 123.254 miles per hour or 198.358 kilometres per hour for the average speed (which was a record during that era) and 132.811 miles per hour or 213.739 kilometres per hour for the pole position speed. Total winnings for this race were $59,965 ($354,616.36 when adjusted for inflation).
Bobby Allison dominated the early portion of the race. However, they found faulty lug nuts after pitting with two laps in the lead (which cost him an almost-guaranteed victory in that race).
Finishing order
* Driver failed to finish race
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased