1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

American motorsport season February 2025 November 2025 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1971 1973 thumb|Richard Petty, the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion. This would be his 4th of his 7 championships. The 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 24th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 1st modern-era NASCAR Cup series season. The season began on Sunday January 23 and ended on Sunday November 12. Richard Petty won his second consecutive Winston Cup Championship and fourth overall. Larry Smith was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year. This season is considered to be the first of NASCAR's "modern era". The number of races was reduced from 48 to 31, all dirt tracks were removed from the schedule, and a minimum race distance of 250 miles (402 km) was established for oval tracks. (The shortest scheduled race in the modern era was the 2021–2023 Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway of 133.25 miles, on dirt; the shortest Cup Series race since the rule change was the 1992 Watkins Glen race, which was 125.127 miles (51 laps) because of rain in an era before NASCAR began racing in rain.) Exactly ten minutes from the Old Dominion 500 along with a flyover by the local military jets were used in the 1973 American film The Last American Hero. While Richard Petty and Bobby Allison got filmed most of the time, a moment involving Ray Hendrick's #2 vehicle crashing on lap 311 was also a notable event during the filming. Schedule No. Race title Track Date 1 Winston Western 500 Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California January 23 125 Mile Qualifying Races Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida February 17 2 Daytona 500 February 20 3 Richmond 500 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, Richmond, Virginia February 27 4 Miller High Life 500 Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California March 5 5 Carolina 500 North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina March 12 6 Atlanta 500 Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia March 26 7 Southeastern 500 Bristol International Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee April 9 8 Rebel 400 Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina April 16 9 Gwyn Staley 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina April 23 10 Virginia 500 Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, Virginia April 30 11 Winston 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway, Lincoln, Alabama May 7 12 World 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina May 28 13 Mason-Dixon 500 Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover, Delaware June 4 14 Motor State 400 Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan June 11 15 Golden State 400 Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California June 18 16 Lone Star 500 Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas June 25 17 Firecracker 400 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida July 4 18 Volunteer 500 Bristol International Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee July 9 19 Northern 300 Trenton Speedway, Trenton, New Jersey July 16 20 Dixie 500 Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia July 23 21 Talladega 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway, Lincoln, Alabama August 6 22 Yankee 400 Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan August 20 23 Nashville 420 Nashville Speedway, Nashville, Tennessee August 27 24 Southern 500 Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina September 4 25 Capital City 500 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, Richmond, Virginia September 10 26 Delaware 500 Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover, Delaware September 17 27 Old Dominion 500 Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, Virginia September 24 28 Wilkes 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina October 1 29 National 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina October 8 30 American 500 North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina October 22 31 Texas 500 Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas November 12 Season recap Date Event Circuit WinnerJanuary 23 Winston Western 500 Riverside International Raceway Richard PettyFebruary 20 Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway A. J. FoytFebruary 27 Richmond 500 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Richard PettyMarch 5 Miller High Life 500 Ontario Motor Speedway A. J. FoytMarch 12 Carolina 500 North Carolina Speedway Bobby IsaacMarch 26 Atlanta 500 Atlanta International Raceway Bobby AllisonApril 9 Southeastern 500 Bristol International Speedway Bobby AllisonApril 16 Rebel 500 Darlington Raceway David PearsonApril 23 Gwyn Staley 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Richard PettyApril 30 Virginia 500 Martinsville Speedway Richard PettyMay 7 Winston 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway David PearsonMay 28 World 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway Buddy BakerJune 4 Mason-Dixon 500 Dover Downs International Speedway Bobby AllisonJune 11 Motor State 400 Michigan International Speedway David PearsonJune 18 Golden State 400 Riverside International Raceway Ray ElderJune 25 Lone Star 500 Texas World Speedway Richard PettyJuly 4 Firecracker 400 Daytona International Speedway David PearsonJuly 9 Volunteer 500 Bristol International Speedway Bobby AllisonJuly 16 Northern 300 Trenton Speedway Bobby AllisonJuly 23 Dixie 500 Atlanta International Raceway Bobby AllisonAugust 6 Talladega 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway James HyltonAugust 20 Yankee 400 Michigan International Speedway David PearsonAugust 27 Nashville 420 Nashville Speedway Bobby AllisonSeptember 4 Southern 500 Darlington Raceway Bobby AllisonSeptember 10 Capital City 500 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Richard PettySeptember 17 Delaware 500 Dover Downs International Speedway David PearsonSeptember 24 Old Dominion 500 Martinsville Speedway Richard PettyOctober 1 Wilkes 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Richard PettyOctober 8 National 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway Bobby AllisonOctober 22 American 500 North Carolina Speedway Bobby AllisonNovember 12 Texas 500 Texas World Speedway Buddy Baker Notes: Winston Western 500: Petty makes his debut under STP sponsorship. Texas World Speedway held two NASCAR races for the only time. Race summaries Winston Western 500 The Winston Western 500 was held on January 23 at Riverside International Raceway. A.J. Foyt won the pole. Richard Petty and Bobby Allison made important debuts in their careers - Petty debuted under the sponsorship of STP while Allison was making his maiden voyage with the Richard Howard Chevrolet under Junior Johnson's control. Foyt fell out with transmission failure. Allison started 16th but stormed through the field and led 102 laps before falling to second at the end. Fog shortened the race to 149 laps as Petty led 37 of the final 39 laps, driving for the final time in an all-blue racecar. Top ten results: #43 - Richard Petty #12 - Bobby Allison #71 - Bobby Isaac #96 - Ray Elder #04 - Hershel McGriff #32 - Kevin Tarris #48 - James Hylton #64 - Elmo Langley #39 - Friday Hassler #24 - Cecil Gordon Daytona 500 The 14th Daytona 500 was held on February 20 at Daytona International Speedway. Bobby Isaac Won the pole. A.J. Foyt was unchallenged after Richard Petty fell out with engine failure 80 laps into the 500 and cruised to his only Daytona 500 win and first win at the track since 1965. Petty led 31 laps, Foyt 167, and Bobby Allison led two, indicative of the slump in competitive depth of the series with the withdrawal of the factories from participation. Isaac's engine soured on the start and he finished 33rd, while Buddy Baker crashed with Walter Ballard, who flipped in the trioval grass. Top ten results: #21 - A.J. Foyt #6 - Charlie Glotzbach #31 - Jim Vandiver #72 - Benny Parsons #48 - James Hylton #3 - Cale Yarborough #05 - David Sisco #25 - Jabe Thomas #4 - John Sears #23 - Vic Elford Richmond 500 The Richmond 500 was held on February 27 at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway. Bobby Allison won the pole. Richard Petty, Allison, and Bobby Isaac led all 500 laps and finished 1-2-3; Isaac finished seven laps down while Dave Marcis and Bill Dennis finished in the top five, both at least twelve laps down. Top ten results: #43 - Richard Petty #12 - Bobby Allison #71 - Bobby Isaac #2 - Dave Marcis #90 - Bill Dennis #48 - James Hylton #64 - Elmo Langley #72 - Benny Parsons #24 - Cecil Gordon #4 - John Sears Miller 500 The Miller High Life 500 was held on March 5 at Ontario Motor Speedway. A.J. Foyt won the pole. The battle was between Foyt, Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison, and Bobby Isaac, while West Coast ace Ray Elder and Benny Parsons also led. 51 cars started with over 30 additional entries sent home after qualifying. Isaac crashed with Mark Donohue 45 laps in ("it's a new car and it's totaled out," said the dejected Isaac) while Petty lost a lap on a botched pitstop; he push-drafted Baker and Allison to keep them challenging Foyt ("Foyt was ridiculously faster than my Chevy down the straights," Allison said), but Foyt took what would be his final NASCAR win. Top ten results: #21 - A.J. Foyt #12 - Bobby Allison #11 - Buddy Baker #96 - Ray Elder #04 - Hershel McGriff #48 - James Hylton #42 - Marty Robbins #64 - Elmo Langley #9 - Ramo Stott Carolina 500 The Carolina 500 was held on March 12 at North Carolina Motor Speedway. Bobby Allison won the pole, but had to start 39th after changing tires following qualifying. He stormed through the field to lead 260 laps, but at Lap 345 his engine failed. Isaac led 210 laps for the win, only his third big-track Grand National win and what would be his final career Grand National win. The race occurred two days following the birth of future cup champion Matt Kenseth. Top ten results: #71 - Bobby Isaac #43 - Richard Petty #31 - Jim Vandiver #45 - LeeRoy Yarbrough #2 - Dave Marcis #48 - James Hylton #72 - Benny Parsons #67 - Buddy Arrington #64 - Elmo Langley #06 - Neil Castles Atlanta 500 The Atlanta 500 was held on March 26 at Atlanta International Raceway. Bobby Allison won the pole. Working to solve the engine issues plaguing the team, Junior Johnson began using Union aviation oil for Allison's engines. Allison engaged in a race-long duel with Bobby Isaac, escaping a hard crash with Ron Keselowski at one point. Late in the race A. J. Foyt stormed to the front but Allison grabbed the lead with four laps to go and edged Foyt and Isaac for the first superspeedway win for Chevrolet in some eight years. Top ten results: #12 - Bobby Allison #21 - A.J. Foyt #71 - Bobby Isaac #15 - David Pearson #27 - Donnie Allison #43 - Richard Petty #72 - Benny Parsons #11 - Buddy Baker #45 - LeeRoy Yarbrough #48 - James Hylton Southeastern 400 The Southeastern 400 was held on April 9 at Bristol International Speedway. Bobby Allison won the pole. Top ten results: #12 - Bobby Allison #71 - Bobby Isaac #43 - Richard Petty #45 - LeeRoy Yarbrough #24 - Cecil Gordon #14 - Coo Coo Marlin #64 - Elmo Langley #48 - James Hylton #49 - G.C. Spencer #25 - Jabe Thomas Rebel 400 The Rebel 400 was held on April 16 at Darlington Raceway. With A. J. Foyt having to serve his Indycar commitments, Wood Brothers Racing hired David Pearson to drive their #21. Pearson responded by winning the pole, and leading 202 laps to score his first victory since March 1971. Richard Petty finished a lap down in second; the 1-2 finish began one of the most celebrated periods in NASCAR history. Bobby Allison led 29 laps but finished a very distant (15 laps down) seventh. Joe Frasson finished third. Top ten results: #21 - David Pearson #43 - Richard Petty #18 - Joe Frasson #72 - Benny Parsons #48 - James Hylton #67 - Buddy Arrington #12 - Bobby Allison #4 - John Sears #25 - Jabe Thomas #24 - Cecil Gordon Gwyn Staley 400 The Gwyn Staley 400 was held on April 23 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Bobby Isaac won the pole. Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, and Isaac dominated the race and finished 1-2-3. Petty led the last 25 laps after a late tire change where his team put on "gumballs" (softer compound tires). The racing between the three became heated during the day, Petty calling it "a wing-doolie" of a race. Top ten results: #43 - Richard Petty #12 - Bobby Allison #71 - Bobby Isaac #48 - James Hylton #72 - Benny Parsons #45 - LeeRoy Yarbrough #2 - Dave Marcis #92 - Larry Smith #30 - Walter Ballard #4 - John Sears Virginia 500 The Virginia 500 was held on April 30 at Martinsville Speedway. Bobby Allison won the pole. Wood Brothers Racing usually entered only at Martinsville for a short track effort and David Pearson led 102 laps but his transmission broke while leading and he was done with thirty laps to go; he still finished eighth. Allison led 27 laps to finish second; Bobby Isaac led 268 laps but blew his engine while leading and finished 19th. As a result Richard Petty, despite being on seven cylinders, had his fourth win of the season. Top ten results: #43 - Richard Petty #12 - Bobby Allison #2 - Dave Marcis #24 - Cecil Gordon #91 - Richard D. Brown #10 - Bill Champion #48 - James Hylton #21 - David Pearson #30 - Walter Ballard #47 - Raymond Williams Winston 500 The Winston 500 was held on May 7 at Alabama International Motor Speedway. Bobby Isaac won the pole. The lead changed 53 times as Isaac, David Pearson, Buddy Baker, and Richard Petty battled with Fred Lorenzen, driving a Hoss Ellington #28. Bobby Allison led early but fell out with engine failure. Petty cut a tire late and lost a lap, and coming to the white flag Isaac was sideslammed by lapped traffic, giving Pearson the lead for the win, his second in the Wood Brothers Mercury. Darrell Waltrip made his Winston Cup debut in this race, starting 25th and finishing 38th after a blown engine. Top ten results: #21 - David Pearson #71 - Bobby Isaac #11 - Buddy Baker #28 - Fred Lorenzen #43 - Richard Petty #18 - Joe Frasson #45 - LeeRoy Yarbrough #98 - Dick Brooks #79 - Frank Warren #72 - Benny Parsons World 600 The World 600 was held on May 28 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bobby Allison won the pole (the second straight 600 pole for the racecar owned by track promoter Richard Howard) and led 239 laps, but blew both right side tires with 30 laps to go and Buddy Baker took the win. Richard Petty and Bobby Isaac fell out with engine failures as did Wendell Scott, driving a second Chevrolet out of Junior Johnson's shop. Top ten results: #11 - Buddy Baker #12 - Bobby Allison #6 - Charlie Glotzbach #72 - Benny Parsons #45 - LeeRoy Yarbrough #92 - Larry Smith #67 - Buddy Arrington #24 - Cecil Gordon #79 - Frank Warren #76 - Ben Arnold Mason-Dixon 500 The Mason-Dixon 500 was held on June 4 at Dover Downs International Speedway. Bobby Isaac won the pole. Allison and Petty finished 1-2 after leading 492 of 500 laps; Benny Parsons and Dean Dalton were the only other leaders. Top ten results: #12 - Bobby Allison #43 - Richard Petty #45 - LeeRoy Yarbrough #90 - Jackie Oliver #4 - John Sears #72 - Benny Parsons #48 - James Hylton #24 - Cecil Gordon #88 - Ron Keselowski #83 - Paul Tyler Motor State 400 The Motor State 400 was held on June 11 at Michigan International Speedway. Bobby Isaac won the pole. David Pearson led 154 laps in an easy win, finishing sixteen seconds ahead of Bobby Allison and half a lap ahead of Richard Petty. Pete Hamilton drove a Jim Ruggles Plymouth and raced with the leaders before falling out in the final 50 laps. Top ten results: #21 - David Pearson #12 - Bobby Allison #43 - Richard Petty #48 - James Hylton #88 - Ron Keselowski #92 - Larry Smith #76 - Ben Arnold #7 - Dean Dalton #67 - Buddy Arrington #10 - Bill Champion Golden State 400 The Golden State 400 was held on June 18 at Riverside International Raceway. Richard Petty won the pole. Top ten results: #96 - Ray Elder #72 - Benny Parsons #16 - Donnie Allison #48 - James Hylton #26 - Carl Joiner #12 - Bobby Allison #09 - Carl Adams #24 - Cecil Gordon #00 - Frank James #64 - Dick May Lone Star 500 The Lone Star 500 was held on June 25 at Texas World Speedway. Richard Petty won the pole. Petty battled Bobby Isaac in 100-degree heat before Isaac faltered and Petty beat Bobby Allison by a full lap; Petty held a slender point lead over James Hylton, who had come under fire earlier in the season for leading the points race despite finishing behind Petty and Allison almost every race. Privateer Richard Childress was involved in a bizarre crash when he spun in Leonard Faustina's oil and flipped into a ditch. Top ten results: #43 - Richard Petty #12 - Bobby Allison #14 - Coo Coo Marlin #72 - Benny Parsons #71 - Bobby Isaac #48 - James Hylton #92 - Larry Smith #76 - Ben Arnold #7 - Dean Dalton #10 - Bill Champion Firecracker 400 The Firecracker 400 was held on July 4 at Daytona International Speedway. Bobby Isaac won the pole. The finish turned into an exciting three-car shootout between David Pearson, Richard Petty, and Bobby Allison. Petty tried to muscle past Pearson up high on the homestretch but came six feet short, with Allison hard on Pearson's trunk at the stripe. Coo Coo Marlin finished fourth after being briefly detained by Daytona police three days prior when a bar brawl accidentally swept up Marlin's wife Eula Faye. Top ten results: #21 - David Pearson #43 - Richard Petty #12 - Bobby Allison #14 - Coo Coo Marlin #48 - James Hylton #45 - LeeRoy Yarbrough #88 - Ron Keselowski #15 - Donnie Allison #33 - Wayne Smith #32 - Johnny Halford Volunteer 500 The Volunteer 500 was held on July 9 at Bristol International Speedway. Bobby Allison won the pole. Top ten results: #12 - Bobby Allison #43 - Richard Petty #2 - Dave Marcis #72 - Benny Parsons #70 - J.D. McDuffie #4 - John Sears #47 - Raymond Williams #24 - Cecil Gordon #30 - Walter Ballard #76 - Ben Arnold Northern 300 The Northern 300 was held on July 16 at Trenton Speedway. Bobby Isaac won the pole. Bobby Allison edged Isaac in what would be the last Winston Cup Grand National race at Trenton Speedway. Richard Petty stalled on pit road and lost a lap, while privateer Dave Marcis timed fifth and led one lap before hitting the wall. Top ten results: #12 - Bobby Allison #71 - Bobby Isaac #43 - Richard Petty #90 - Fred Lorenzen #24 - Cecil Gordon #48 - James Hylton #92 - Larry Smith #72 - Benny Parsons #47 - Raymond Williams #30 - Walter Ballard Dixie 500 The Dixie 500 was held on July 23 at Atlanta International Raceway. David Pearson won the pole. Bobby Allison and Pearson led 285 of 328 laps but Allison took his third big-track win of the season when Pearson slowed with a souring engine, with Richard Petty a distant second. Top ten results: #12 - Bobby Allison #43 - Richard Petty #21 - David Pearson #72 - Benny Parsons #90 - LeeRoy Yarbrough #28 - Fred Lorenzen #2 - Dave Marcis #95 - Darrell Waltrip #24 - Cecil Gordon #30 - Walter Ballard Talladega 500 The Talladega 500 was held on August 6 at Alabama International Motor Speedway. Bobby Isaac won the pole. James Hylton edged out Ramo Stott in the biggest upset of the season after 32 of 50 entries failed to finish the race. The top qualifiers crashed out on Lap 22 when Joe Frasson blew a tire while running second; he and the other top qualifiers were using a new Goodyear compound, and the angered Frasson said the new tires "weren't worth a damn." Hylton was using year-old rubber; "I was going with the old tire anyway," he said after his second career win and first on a superspeedway. Top ten results: #48 - James Hylton #90 - Ramo Stott #12 - Bobby Allison #97 - Red Farmer #67 - Buddy Arrington #76 - Ben Arnold #43 - Richard Petty #19 - Henley Gray #47 - Raymond Williams #56 - Jim Hurtubise Yankee 400 The Yankee 400 was held on August 20 at Michigan International Speedway. Richard Petty won the pole. The speedway held its final NASCAR race under its initial ownership, and David Pearson got into a late duel with Bobby Allison in the final 27 laps, edging Allison by one car length. Pearson won despite the alternator souring; "I was scared the final 40 laps ... I expected (the engine) to quit any lap." Top ten results: #21 - David Pearson #12 - Bobby Allison #71 - Bobby Isaac #43 - Richard Petty #98 - Cale Yarborough #48 - James Hylton #72 - Benny Parsons #45 - Bill Seifert #2 - Dave Marcis #92 - Larry Smith Nashville 420 The Nashville 420 was held on August 26 at Nashville Speedway. Bobby Allison won the pole. Top ten results: #12 - Bobby Allison #43 - Richard Petty #95 - Darrell Waltrip #72 - Benny Parsons #64 - Elmo Langley #24 - Cecil Gordon #19 - Henley Gray #48 - James Hylton #30 - Walter Ballard #70 - J.D. McDuffie Southern 500 The Southern 500 was held on September 4 at Darlington Raceway. Bobby Allison won the pole. Allison battled David Pearson for virtually the entire 500 miles; they led 352 laps between them and at one point Pearson grabbed the lead from Allison by diving five abreast under some seven lapped cars on the frontstretch. Allison took the win with six laps to go. Richard Petty finished seven laps down due to repeated blistered tires. Buddy Baker and Bobby Isaac were eliminated in separate crashes; Baker was tabbed to drive a second Harry Hyde Dodge as Petty Enterprises could not offer him more starts in their #11 Dodge; Isaac, who'd struggled in the primary Hyde Dodge #71 all season, quit the team, saying they were not up to preparing two cars given the constant problems preparing one. Top ten results: #12 - Bobby Allison #21 - David Pearson #43 - Richard Petty #28 - Fred Lorenzen #66 - H.B. Bailey #67 - Buddy Arrington #16 - Dave Marcis #31 - Jim Vandiver #42 - Marty Robbins #14 - Coo Coo Marlin Capital City 500 The Capital City 500 was held on September 10 at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway. Bobby Allison won the pole. Buddy Baker was hired to replace Bobby Isaac in Harry Hyde's #71 and led one lap, but was eliminated in the crash that signaled the detonation of the Richard Petty-Bobby Allison feud that defined the season. Petty and Allison led 498 laps between them, but with nine to go Allison passed Petty; Petty stormed back ahead and sideswiped Allison entering Three; Allison hammered Petty and Petty shot hard into the guardrail coming out of Four, collecting Baker and getting off the ground atop the guardrail. Shockingly Petty slid back onto all four wheels still in the lead, holding on to win over half a lap. Top ten results: #43 - Richard Petty #12 - Bobby Allison #17 - Bill Dennis #48 - James Hylton #2 - Dave Marcis #10 - Bill Champion #76 - Ben Arnold #7 - Dean Dalton #25 - Jabe Thomas #67 - Buddy Arrington Delaware 500 The Delaware 500 was held on September 17 at Dover Downs International Speedway. Bobby Allison won the pole. David Pearson manhandled the field, leading 350 laps for his sixth win of the season, his highest win total for a season since 1969. Bobby Allison won the pole but after leading 34 laps fell out with engine failure; with Petty finishing second the points race was getting close to being clinched. Top ten results: #21 - David Pearson #43 - Richard Petty #90 - Ramo Stott #48 - James Hylton #24 - Cecil Gordon #76 - Ben Arnold #64 - Elmo Langley #30 - Walter Ballard #7 - Dean Dalton #77 - Charlie Roberts Old Dominion 500 The 1972 Old Dominion 500 was held on September 24 at Martinsville Speedway. Bobby Allison won the pole. Allison made a determined effort for a ninth win of 1972 as he started on the pole and led 432 laps. Petty cut a tire and had to pit under green, and when he came back out he was just ahead of Allison. NASCAR waved the blue "move over" flag but Petty raced Allison to stay on the lead lap. A yellow put Petty back on the lead lap and he stormed to challenge Allison for the lead. The two squared off and Petty wrestled away the win with 39 laps to go. Fred Lorenzen started 5th, and finished 27th, in what would be his final career NASCAR start. Top ten results: #43 - Richard Petty #12 - Bobby Allison #21 - David Pearson #71 - Buddy Baker #90 - Jimmy Hensley #72 - Benny Parsons #67 - Buddy Arrington #48 - James Hylton #64 - Elmo Langley #24 - Cecil Gordon Wilkes 400 The Wilkes 400 was held on October 1 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Buddy Baker won the pole. The Petty-Allison feud erupted into outright warfare over the final 30 laps. Allison led 203 laps until the race's lone yellow with 50 to go set off a hard fight between them; the lead changed nine times over the final 38 laps, but in the final three laps the race turned ugly when Allison, blocked off by the lapped car of Vic Parsons, plowed full bore into Petty and Parsons and all three hammered the wall, but kept going; Petty crashed into Allison on the final lap and stormed to the win. An intoxicated fan attacked Petty in victory lane and was clubbed viciously by Richard's brother Maurice using Richard's helmet. Top ten results: #43 - Richard Petty #12 - Bobby Allison #71 - Buddy Baker #72 - Benny Parsons #28 - John Sears #06 - Dave Marcis #24 - Cecil Gordon #64 - Elmo Langley #45 - Vic Parsons #47 - Raymond Williams National 500 The National 500 was held on October 8 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. David Pearson won the pole. With prerace chatter buzzing about North Wilkesboro the week before, Allison squared off with Buddy Baker in a frantic final eight laps; the lead bounced around between the two before Allison sideslammed past Baker with four to go. Wood Brothers Racing entered two cars, for Pearson and A. J. Foyt, finishing 3-4. Top ten results: #12 - Bobby Allison #71 - Buddy Baker #21 - David Pearson #41 - A.J. Foyt #90 - Butch Hartman #95 - Darrell Waltrip #48 - James Hylton #67 - Buddy Arrington #18 - Joe Frasson #43 - Richard Petty American 500 The American 500 was held on October 22 at North Carolina Speedway. David Pearson won the pole. Bobby Allison outlasted Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, and Pearson for his tenth win of the season. The four of them combined to lead 479 laps, while leading nine laps in Hoss Ellington's Chevrolet was Cale Yarborough, trying to return to Grand National racing after two fruitless seasons in USAC Indycars. The race was the 39th straight race where Allison led at least one lap. Top ten results: #12 - Bobby Allison #43 - Richard Petty #71 - Buddy Baker #21 - David Pearson #9 - Pete Hamilton #28 - Cale Yarborough #16 - Dave Marcis #92 - Larry Smith #05 - David Sisco #67 - Buddy Arrington Texas 500 The Texas 500 was held on November 12 at Texas World Speedway. A.J. Foyt won the pole. Buddy Baker, Foyt, and Richard Petty led all 250 laps between them as they dueled for the lead and Baker edged out a close win. Bobby Allison, his relationship with Junior Johnson deteriorating all season, finished a distant fourth and left the team to re-form his own team, bringing his Coca-Cola sponsorship with him. The Johnson-wrenched Richard Howard team announced that Cale Yarborough, ninth in the Ellington Chevrolet, would take over the seat for 1973. Top ten results: #71 - Buddy Baker #21 - A.J. Foyt #43 - Richard Petty #12 - Bobby Allison #04 - Hershel McGriff #72 - Benny Parsons #14 - Coo Coo Marlin #24 - Cecil Gordon #28 - Cale Yarborough #18 - Joe Frasson Petty won the Grand National title over Allison by 128 points. Final point standings List of NASCAR points scoring systems Driver's standings FinishDriverPointsStartsWinsTop 5sTop 10sPoles1Richard Petty8701.40318252832Bobby Allison8573.5031102527113James Hylton8158.7031192304Cecil Gordon7326.0531041605Benny Parsons6844.15310101906Walter Ballard6781.453100707Elmo Langley6656.253001908John Sears6298.502802709Dean Dalton6295.0529004010Ben Arnold6179.0026007011Frank Warren5788.6030002012Jabe Thomas5772.5528004013Bill Champion5470.7029004014Raymond Williams5712.6528005015Dave Marcis5459.65270511016Charlie Roberts5354.4526001017Henley Gray5093.6428002018J.D. McDuffie5075.8527012019Bobby Isaac5050.852711010920David Pearson4718.001761213421Ed Negre4696.8926000022Buddy Arrington4555.89200110023Larry Smith 4173.7023007024Buddy Baker3936.7017289125Coo Coo Marlin3852.9020025026David Ray Boggs3739.0024000027Ron Keselowski3475.6022013028Joe Frasson3152.8016014029Richard D. Brown2939.0016011030Neil Castles2789.6021001031Jim Vandiver2514.3516023032Clarence Lovell2630.3012000033David Sisco2310.7512002034LeeRoy Yarbrough2157.5018059035George Altheide1916.7511000036Donnie Allison1849.1510023037Richard Childress1521.2515000038Bill Shirey1468.5013000039Fred Lorenzen1333.558034040Wendell Scott1317.506000041Tommy Gale1298.006000042Bill Dennis1279.2511022043G.C. Spencer1238.2510001044Dick May1229.256001045Hershel McGriff1199.754023046Les Covey1128.007000047Johnny Halford1103.755001048Pete Hamilton1083.255011049Dick Brooks1023.5014001050Eddie Yarboro1007.656000051Cale Yarborough949.505014052Ray Elder902.253133053Paul Tyler893.754001054Marty Robbins860.805002055Bobby Mausgrover833.056000056Darrell Waltrip827.005013057Jim Whitt813.503000058H.B. Bailey792.205011059Dick Bown791.753000060Kevin Terris783.503001061Doc Faustina770.505000062Earle Canavan755.507000063Red Farmer749.505011064D.K. Ulrich749.004000065Charlie Glotzbach739.003022066Ramo Stott675.255023067Johnny Anderson672.254000068Dick Kranzler642.753000069Chuck Bown636.753000070John Soares, Jr.609.253000071Harry Schilling599.503000072Paul Jett581.751000073Earl Brooks568.256000074Bill Seifert551.256001075Carl Adams530.002001076Bill Butts525.252000077Carl Joiner523.752011078Dub Simpson507.505000079Frank James459.752001080J.C. Danielsen458.502000081Wayne Smith439.503001082Jack McCoy419.003000083Jimmy Finger387.502000084Paul Dorrity362.002000085Ronnie Daniel344.752000086Roy Mayne338.254000087Ron Gautsche332.752000088Markey James301.002000089Jimmy Crawford296.251000090Bob Kauf290.502000091Rick Newsom289.001000092Don Noel274.752000093Friday Hassler255.251001094Ronnie Chumley252.001000095Mel Larson251.004000096Les Loeser239.001000097Jimmy Insolo226.501000098Ivan Baldwin215.751000099Jimmy Hensley215.2520110100Bob Greeley212.5010000101Jerry Oliver210.5010000102Larry Esau201.5010000103Robert Brown201.0020000104Tiny Lund191.0040000105James Cox165.5020000106Gene Romero155.2510000107Phil Finney150.2510000108G.T. Tallas132.0010000109Ray Johnstone127.5010000110John Hren100.2510000111Clem Proctor88.2510000112Bill Hollar86.0010000113Sonny Easley83.7510000114Ed Hessert83.5020000115Dick Guldstrand73.0010000116Sam Stanley55.2510000117Bill Osborne55.0010000118Robert Wales25.5020000119Bill Ward16.5010000120George Follmer9.0010000Ray Hendrick10000Jim Hurtubise20010Ron Hutcherson10000Gordon Johncock20000Roger McCluskey10000Jackie Oliver70110Vic Parsons10010Jim Paschal10000Ken Rush10000Johnny Rutherford10000Bobby Unser10000Butch Hartman10110Ron Grana10000Cliff Garner10000Buck Baker50000Max Berrier10000Lem Blankenship10000Tru Cheek10000A. J. Cox10000Larry Dickson10000Mark Donohue40000Fred Drake10000Vic Elford10010Paul Feldner10000A. J. Foyt62553Don White10000 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Central - The Third Turn https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/1972_NASCAR_Winston_Cup_Series_Central 2021-04-29 www.thethirdturn.com en See also 1972 NASCAR Winston West Series 1972 NASCAR Grand National East Series References External links http://www.racing-reference.info/raceyear?yr=1972&series=W https://web.archive.org/web/20121018201851/http://www.racing-reference.info/raceyear?yr=1972&series=W 2012-10-18 *Winston Cup Series Category:NASCAR Cup Series seasons