1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

American motorsport season February 2025 November 2025 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1970 1972 thumb|Richard Petty, the 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion. This would be his 3rd of his 7 championships. The 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season began on January 10 and ended on November 20. Richard Petty was the champion for this Winston Cup season. After 20 years of being named the NASCAR Grand National Series, R. J. Reynolds first became the primary sponsor in a decade where the growing anti-tobacco movement banned its advertisement on television and motorsports was the ideal place to place their advertisements. Through NASCAR, Winston merchandise was unveiled to live viewers of the races (since they were not allowed to advertise to a televised audience). This kind of merchandise would also be given out at stores that sold cigarettes in subsequent years. Race car drivers were encouraged to smoke cigarettes (when not racing) until the mid-2000s brought in strict drug testing policies in addition to a smoking cessation program by Nicorette, a GlaxoSmithKline brand (Goody's Headache Powders, a long-time NASCAR sponsor, is a GSK brand; as of 2023, GSK sponsors both the Truck series race, and the spring Cup race at Martinsville Speedway). Season recap No. Date Event Circuit Winner1 January 10 Motor Trend 500 Riverside International Raceway Ray Elder2 February 11 125 Mile Qualifying Races Daytona International Speedway Pete Hamilton 3 David Pearson4February 14 Daytona 500 Richard Petty5 February 28 Miller High Life 500 Ontario Motor Speedway A. J. Foyt6 March 7 Richmond 500 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Richard Petty7 March 14 Carolina 500 North Carolina Speedway Richard Petty8 March 21 Hickory 276 Hickory Motor Speedway Richard Petty9 March 28 Southeastern 500 Bristol International Speedway David Pearson10 April 4 Atlanta 500 Atlanta International Raceway A. J. Foyt11 April 8 Columbia 200 Columbia Speedway Richard Petty12 April 10 Greenville 200 Greenville-Pickens Speedway Bobby Isaac13 April 15 Maryville 200 Smoky Mountain Raceway Richard Petty14 April 18 Gwyn Staley 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Richard Petty15 April 25 Virginia 500 Martinsville Speedway Richard Petty16 May 2 Rebel 400 Darlington Raceway Buddy Baker17 May 9 Halifax County 100 South Boston Speedway Benny Parsons18 May 16 Winston 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway Donnie Allison19 May 21 Asheville 300 New Asheville Speedway Richard Petty20 May 23 Kingsport 300 Kingsport Speedway Bobby Isaac21 May 30 World 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway Bobby Allison22 June 6 Mason-Dixon 500 Dover Downs International Speedway Bobby Allison23 June 13 Motor State 400 Michigan International Speedway Bobby Allison24 June 20 Golden State 400 Riverside International Raceway Bobby Allison25 June 23 Space City 300 Meyer Speedway Bobby Allison26 June 26 Pickens 200 Greenville-Pickens Speedway Richard Petty27 July 4 Firecracker 400 Daytona International Speedway Bobby Isaac28 July 11 Volunteer 500 Bristol Speedway Charlie Glotzbach29 July 14 Albany-Saratoga 250 Albany-Saratoga Speedway Richard Petty30 July 15 Islip 250 Islip Speedway Richard Petty31 July 18 Northern 300 Trenton Speedway Richard Petty32 July 24 Nashville 420 Nashville Speedway Richard Petty33 August 1 Dixie 500 Atlanta International Raceway Richard Petty34 August 6 Myers Brothers 250 Bowman Gray Stadium Richard Petty Bobby Allison won in a Grand American car. (combined race) 35 August 8 West Virginia 500 International Raceway Park Richard Petty36 August 15 Yankee 400 Michigan International Speedway Bobby Allison37 August 22 Talladega 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway Bobby Allison38 August 27 Sandlapper 200 Columbia Speedway Richard Petty39 August 28 Buddy Shuman 276 Hickory Motor Speedway Elmo Langley Tiny Lund won in a Grand American car.(combined race)40 September 6 Southern 500 Darlington Raceway Bobby Allison41 September 26 Old Dominion 500 Martinsville Speedway Bobby Isaac42 October 10 National 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway Bobby Allison43October 17 Delaware 500 Dover Downs International Speedway Richard Petty44 October 24 American 500 North Carolina Speedway Richard Petty45 November 7 Georgia 500 Middle Georgia Raceway Bobby Allison46 November 14 Capital City 500 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Richard Petty47 November 21 Wilkes 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Charlie Glotzbach Tiny Lund won in a Grand American car.(combined race)48 December 12 Texas 500 Texas World Speedway Richard Petty Note: Some races were combined races for Grand American and Grand National cars. Races marked Combined Races were won by Grand American cars. The driver who finished first among Grand National cars is listed. Notable Races Motor Trend 500 1971 Motor Trend 500 The 1971 Motor Trend 500 was the first official race in NASCAR's Winston Cup era. Drivers had to contend with 191 laps on a 2.620 mile road course at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California. Ray Elder won the race. 96- Ray Elder 12- Bobby Allison 72- Benny Parsons (2 laps behind) 71- Bobby Isaac (2 laps behind) 48- James Hylton (6 laps behind) 39- Friday Hassler (7 laps behind) 32- Kevin Terris (7 laps behind) 26- Carl Joiner (22 laps behind) 19- Henley Gray (22 laps behind) 24- Cecil Gordon (24 laps behind) Daytona 500 1971 Daytona 500 The 12th annual Daytona 500 was run on February 14 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. A. J. Foyt won the pole and Richard Petty would win his third Daytona 500. Top Ten Results 43- Richard Petty 11- Buddy Baker 21- A. J. Foyt 17- David Pearson (1 lap behind) 99- Fred Lorenzen (1 lap behind) 31- Jim Vandiver (2 laps behind) 22- Dick Brooks (2 laps behind) 20- Jim Hurtubise (3 laps behind) 48- James Hylton (3 laps behind) 71- Bobby Isaac (3 laps behind) Miller High Life 500 1971 Miller High Life 500 The Miller High Life 500 was run on February 28 at Ontario Motor Speedway. A. J. Foyt would win this race after more than three hours of racing (from the pole position). 21- A. J. Foyt 11- Buddy Baker 43- Richard Petty 71- Bobby Isaac 22- Dick Brooks 98- LeeRoy Yarbrough 96- Ray Elder 55- Tiny Lund 72- Benny Parsons 48- James Hylton Greenville 200 The Greenville 200 was the first live flag-to-flag telecast of a NASCAR race. The race was run on Saturday, April 10 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway and was carried live on ABC with Jim McKay, Chris Economaki and Ken Squier. Bobby Isaac won the race. 71- Bobby Isaac, 1970 Dodge Charger 17- David Pearson (2 laps behind), 1970 Ford Purolator 22- Dick Brooks (2 laps behind), 1969 Dodge Charger 2- Dave Marcis (2 laps behind), 1969 Dodge Charger 72- Benny Parsons (2 laps behind), 1969 Ford 48- James Hylton (4 laps behind), 1971 Ford 43- Richard Petty (4 laps behind), 1970 Plymouth Road Runner 39- Friday Hassler (5 laps behind), 1969 Chevrolet 06- Neil Castles (5 laps behind), 1969 Dodge Charger 20- Elmo Langley (7 laps behind), 1970 Mercury Rebel 400 The Rebel 400 was run on May 2 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Donnie Allison won the pole and Buddy Baker would win his third Rebel 400. 11- Buddy Baker 22- Dick Brooks 2- Dave Marcis 21- Donnie Allison 31- Jim Vandiver 49- G. C. Spencer 70- J. D. McDuffie 39- Friday Hassler 76- Ben Arnold 64- Elmo Langley Winston 500 The Winston 500 was run on May 16 at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama. Donnie Allison won the pole and won the race. He defeated Bobby by some seconds. 21- Donnie Allison 12- Bobby Allison 11- Buddy Baker 6- Pete Hamilton (1 lap behind) 99- Fred Lorenzen (1 lap behind) 31- Jim Vandiver (2 laps behind) 48- James Hylton (3 laps behind) 90- Bill Dennis (5 laps behind) 71- Dave Marcis (7 laps behind) 68- Larry Baumel (10 laps behind) World 600 1971 World 600 The World 600 was run on May 30 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, South Carolina. Charlie Glotzbach won the pole and Bobby Allison would win the 1971 World 600 (defeating his brother). 12- Bobby Allison 21- Donnie Allison 6- Pete Hamilton (1 lap behind) 43- Richard Petty (2 laps behind) 99- Fred Lorenzen (5 laps behind) 11- Buddy Baker (6 laps behind) 72- Benny Parsons (8 laps behind) 39- Friday Hassler (9 laps behind) 2- Dave Marcis (10 laps behind) 22- Dick Brooks (10 laps behind) Myers Brothers 250 1971 Myers Brothers 250 The 1971 Myers Brothers 250 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that took place on August 6, 1971, at Bowman Gray Stadium in the American community of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Due to the reduced sponsorship money being given out by the "Big Three" automobile companies in Detroit, NASCAR decided to hold six of their smaller Winston Cup Series races in conjunction with the support NASCAR Grand American Series. Three of these races were won by drivers who raced in Grand American cars. Tiny Lund (Hickory and North Wilkesboro) and Bobby Allison (Winston-Salem). Lund was credited with the win in his races, but Allison was not credited with a win until the publicity event for the 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in October 2024, shortly before his death that November at 86. Allison was declared the race winner and given the Grand National race win for that race, even though technically, the correct Grand National class winner was never credited with the win. Under current regulations for NASCAR Holdings, Inc. owned series (NASCAR and IMSA) that feature multiple classes of cars in combination races such as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with GTP, LMP 2, GTD Pro, and GTD classes, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with GT4 and TCR classes, and the ARCA Menards Series combination races with the national series and either East or West cars, there is a winner for each class of car. Richard Petty finished second overall, winning the Grand National class, but NASCAR has never credited Petty with the class win as would be the case in multiple class events. 49-Bobby Allison 43-Richard Petty 14-Jim Paschal 87-Buck Baker 11-Dave Marcis 55-Tiny Lund 15-Wayne Andrews 25-Jabe Thomas 86-David Ray Boggs 30-Walter Ballard Yankee 400 1971 Yankee 400 The Yankee 400 was run on August 15 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Pete Hamilton won the pole and Bobby Allison would win the 1971 Yankee 400. 12- Bobby Allison 43- Richard Petty 11- Buddy Baker 60- Maynard Troyer 18- Joe Frasson 24- Cecil Gordon 88- Ron Keselowski 48- James Hylton 25- Jabe Thomas 06- Neil Castles Delaware 500 1971 Delaware 500 The 1971 Delaware 500 is a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on October 17, 1971. Richard Petty defeated Charlie Glotzbach by more than one lap in front of eighteen thousand people. 43- Richard Petty 98- Charlie Glotzbach 71- Bobby Isaac 12- Bobby Allison 90- Bill Dennis 57- David Ray Boggs 91- Richard D. Brown 64- Elmo Langley 30- Walter Ballard 48- James Hylton Final Point Standings List of NASCAR points scoring systems +Pos. PositionDriverRacesWinsTop 5sTop 10sPoints1Richard Petty4621384144352James Hylton460143740713Cecil Gordon46062136774Bobby Allison4211273136365Elmo Langley460112333566Jabe Thomas43021532007Bill Champion45031430588Frank Warren47011028869J. D. McDuffie43028286210Walter Ballard410311263311Benny Parsons3511318261112Ed Negre43002252813Bill Seifert37004240314Henley Gray39004239215Buddy Baker1911316235816Friday Hassler290413227717Earl Brooks35014220518Bill Dennis280410218119Wendell Scott37004218020John Sears37003216721Dave Marcis290914204922Neil Castles380110203623Bobby Isaac2541617181924Pete Hamilton2211112173925Joe Frasson17014161926Ben Arnold18003161827Ron Keselowski20006144628Bill Shirey27002130329Donnie Allison13179128030Dean Dalton200011276 Other information This was the first season where NASCAR's premier racing series was called the Winston Cup. All previous seasons were known as either Grand National or Strictly Stock. See also 1971 NASCAR Winston West Series Notes References 1971 Greenville 200 1971 Rebel 400( https://web.archive.org/web/20070310214737/http://www.racing-reference.info/race?id=1971-16&series=W 2007-03-10 2009-07-21) 1971 World 600 1971 Winston 500( https://web.archive.org/web/20070310175418/http://www.racing-reference.info/race?id=1971-18&series=W 2007-03-10 2009-08-17) 1971 Motor Trend 500 1971 Yankee 400 1971 Miller High Life 500 NASCAR Smoking Cessation Program Category:NASCAR Cup Series seasons