The 1975 World 600, the 16th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 25, 1975, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 13 of 30 in the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway | |||
| Date | May 25, 1975 | ||
| Location | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.500 mi (2.410 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 600 mi (965 km) | ||
| Weather | Extremely hot with temperatures reaching as high as 91 °F (33 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 142.255 miles per hour (228.937 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 90,600 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers | ||
| Time | 33.887 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Laps | 234 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier | ||
Race report
editThere were 40 drivers on the grid. Coo Coo Marlin had an engine problem on lap 33 out of 400 laps - earning him a last place position and $1,455 ($82,404 when adjusted for inflation).[2] Richard Petty would defeat Cale Yarborough by one lap in front of 90,600 spectators; who had no idea that history was being made right before their eyes.[2] Petty would earn $30,290 ($171,512 in when adjusted for inflation) on his long anticipated first win at Charlotte, despite having to change four tires early in the race and falling behind a lap. Petty rallied back and proceeded to lap the field.[2]
Future Seven Time Winston Cup Series Champion Dale Earnhardt would make his debut here; finishing 22nd in a Dodge vehicle.[2] African-American driver Randy Bethea would race his only NASCAR Cup Series race here; he would complete in 251 laps before engine problems relegated him to the sideline.[3] Joe Frasson failed to qualify for this race while Darel Dieringer would make his NASCAR comeback here. Richard Childress would also compete in his event; finishing one place behind his future employee Dale Earnhardt.[2] Both drivers were running at the finish, 45 laps down.[2]
Other drivers who failed to qualify were Bill Dennis (#20), Ferrel Harris (#82), Carl Adams (#65), and Elmo Langley (#64).[4]
Results
editTop 10 finishers
edit| Pos[2] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Laps led | Points | Time/Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 43 | Richard Petty | Dodge | 400 | 234 | 185 | 4:07:42 |
| 2 | 5 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Chevrolet | 399 | 149 | 175 | 1 lap |
| 3 | 1 | 21 | David Pearson | Mercury | 396 | 8 | 170 | 4 laps |
| 4 | 6 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet | 395 | 0 | 160 | 5 laps |
| 5 | 4 | 15 | Buddy Baker | Ford | 395 | 0 | 155 | 5 laps |
| 6 | 9 | 28 | Charlie Glotzbach | Chevrolet | 395 | 0 | 150 | 5 laps |
| 7 | 10 | 90 | Dick Brooks | Ford | 392 | 0 | 146 | 8 laps |
| 8 | 13 | 98 | Richie Panch | Chevrolet | 389 | 2 | 147 | 11 laps |
| 9 | 7 | 88 | Donnie Allison | Chevrolet | 386 | 0 | 138 | 14 laps |
| 10 | 29 | 30 | Walter Ballard | Chevrolet | 377 | 0 | 134 | 23 laps |
Timeline
editSection reference: [2]
- Start of race: Lennie Pond officially began the event with the pole position.
- Lap 14: Randy Bethea spun out on turn three, bringing out the first caution of the race which ended on lap 17.
- Lap 33: Coo Coo Marlin managed to blow his engine, making him the last-place finisher.
- Lap 55: Benny Parsons blew his engine while racing.
- Lap 96: G.C. Spencer managed to blow his engine while racing at high speeds.
- Lap 112: Travis Tiller spun out on turn two, bringing out the second caution of the race which ended on lap 115.
- Lap 114: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Richard Petty before losing it to Richard Petty on lap 166.
- Lap 157: Cecil Gordon noticed that his engine blew, forcing him to exit the race prematurely.
- Lap 165: Dick Brooks spun out on turn two, bringing the third caution of the race which ended on lap 168.
- Lap 166: Richard Petty took over the lead from Cale Yarborough before losing it back to Cale Yarborough on lap 231.
- Lap 198: Lennie Pond's transmission became problematic, making him the first DNF in the race not related to his vehicle's engine.
- Lap 208: Bobby Isaac's vehicle had some vibration issues, forcing him off the track.
- Lap 236: Richard Petty took over the lead from David Pearson before losing it to Cale Yarborough on lap 297.
- Lap 239: Dave Marcis blew his engine while racing, forcing him to retire from the race.
- Lap 251: Randy Bethea managed to acquire an engine failure in his only NASCAR Cup Series race.
- Lap 298: Richard Petty took over the lead from Cale Yarborough, making the decisive move that would get Petty the race win.
- Lap 306: Harry Gant managed to blow his engine, ending his day on the track.
- Lap 349: Dick Skillen managed to blow his engine, causing him to leave the race early.
- Lap 373: Darel Dieringer managed to blow his engine, forcing him to accept a 12th-place finish.
- Finish: Richard Petty was officially declared the winner of the event.
Standings after the race
edit| Pos | Driver | Points[2] | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
1 
|
Richard Petty | 2094 | 0 |
2 
|
Darrell Waltrip | 1716 | -378 |
| 3
|
James Hylton | 1702 | -392 |
4 
|
Dave Marcis | 1683 | -411 |
| 5
|
Cecil Gordon | 1653 | -441 |
| 6
|
Benny Parsons | 1611 | -483 |
| 7
|
Richard Childress | 1588 | -506 |
| 8
|
David Pearson | 1479 | -615 |
| 9
|
Dick Brooks | 1447 | -647 |
| 10
|
Elmo Langley | 1433 | -661 |
References
edit- ^ "1975 World 600 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "1975 World 600 racing information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ^ "Scott story will bring mix of emotions". ESPN. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ^ "1975 World 600 qualifying information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-04-08.