1972 Old Dominion 500

Auto race held at Martinsville Speedway in 1972 February 2025 CUST Race 27 of 31 in the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season Old Dominion 500 http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/VA/Martinsville/1972-09-29 1972 Old Dominion 500 weather information The Old Farmers' Almanac 2012-10-23 1972 09 24 1972 27 31 1972_Old_Dominion_500_program_cover.png 200px 1972 Old Dominion 500 program cover Old Dominion 500 Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia 0.525 0.844 500 262.5 442.4 69.989 mi/h Mild with temperatures of 77 F C; wind speeds of 8.9 mph km/h 31,000 Bobby Allison Howard & Egerton Racing Bobby Allison Howard & Egerton Racing 432 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises untelevised none The 1972 Old Dominion 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on September 24, 1972, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. http://www.racing-reference.info/race/1972_Old_Dominion_500/W 1972 Old Dominion 500 racing information Racing Reference 2012-03-24 The race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of homologation (and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore. Background Martinsville Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races.NASCAR Race Tracks http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ October 26, 2012 NASCAR dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100912133620/http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ September 12, 2010 The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.526 mi km long.NASCAR Tracks—The Martinsville Speedway http://www.martinsvillespeedway.com/About-The-Track/About-The-Track.aspx Martinsville Speedway October 26, 2012 October 7, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20101007095733/http://www.martinsvillespeedway.com/About-The-Track/About-The-Track.aspx dead The track's turns are banked at eleven degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at zero degrees. The back stretch also has a zero degree banking. Race report Five hundred laps were done on a paved track spanning 0.525 mi km in a time of three hours and forty-five minutes. Richard Petty would defeat Bobby Allison by a time of six seconds in front of 31,000 live audience members; making this race the closest Bobby Allison ever came to winning at Martinsville. Although Cecil Gordon had a competitive finish of 10th place during this event, his lackluster performance during the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season would eventually cost him a shot at winning the championship. Exactly ten minutes from the race 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. Allison would earn the pole position with a speed of 85.89 mph km/h. The average speed of the race, however, would be a mere 69.989 mph km/h. Eight cautions slowed the race for 58 laps in the entire race. All thirty-six of the qualifying drivers on the grid were male and born somewhere in the United States of America. Originally, 56 drivers auditioned for this race; including Joe Frasson, who was one of the ones who failed to qualify. Bill Shirey would be the unfortunate last-place finisher due to an overheating issue on lap 19. Fred Lorenzen would retire from NASCAR after this race. http://www.race-database.com/results/results.php?year=1972&race=27&series_id=2 1972 Old Dominion 500 racing information Race Database 2012-03-24 This was also LeeRoy Yarbrough's last race, never to be heard from again until his death. He ran most of the last two seasons in non-competitive cars yet he was one of the most fearless racers ever. Richard Petty would go on to win the championship shortly after this race was over while Bobby Allison would find a new employer named Ralph Moody for the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. http://www.worldmotorsports101.com/2012/10/25/bobby-allison-and-richard-petty-have-epic-battle-at-martinsville-in-the-1972-old-dominion-500/ Results of the Petty/Allison battle World Motorsports 101 2012-10-30 2014-12-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20141213075508/http://www.worldmotorsports101.com/2012/10/25/bobby-allison-and-richard-petty-have-epic-battle-at-martinsville-in-the-1972-old-dominion-500/ dead The total purse of this racing event was $46,650 ($ when considering inflation); the first-place finisher received $7,350 ($ when considering inflation) while the last-place finisher received $425 ($ when considering inflation). http://fantasyracingcheatsheet.com/nascar/races/results/1972/martinsville-speedway/old-dominion-500/1286 1972 Old Dominion 500 racing information Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet 2012-10-30 Six of NASCAR's most notable crew chiefs were on attendance for this race; including Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Vic Ballard and Lee Gordon. http://www.racing-reference.info/entrylist/1972-27/W/C 1972 Old Dominion 500 crew chief information Racing Reference 2018-06-14 Technological concerns Improvements in tire and engine technology in the early 1970s had made NASCAR Cup Series vehicles overpowered compared to the limited space that Martinsville Speedway had for breathing space. Further technological advancements by 2013 have caused further concern for driver safety at Martinsville; indicating that the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series may have to use restrictor plates in Martinsville if tire/engine technology keeps its current pace of development. Qualifying Grid No. Car number Driver Manufacturer Owner 1 12 Bobby Allison '72 Chevrolet Richard Howard 2 21 David Pearson '71 Mercury Wood Brothers 3 71 Buddy Baker '70 Dodge Nord Krauskopf 4 43 Richard Petty '72 Plymouth Petty Enterprises 5 28 Fred Lorenzen '72 Chevrolet Hoss Ellington 6 17 Bill Dennis '72 Chevrolet H.J. Brooking 7 90 Jimmy Hensley '71 Ford Junie Donlavey 8 98 Bobby Isaac '72 Ford Junie Donlavey 9 14 Coo Coo Marlin '71 Chevrolet H.B. Cunningham 10 48 James Hylton '71 Ford James Hylton Finishing order Section reference:Race Results https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/ 2021-06-02 Racing-Reference en-US POSST#DRIVERSPONSOR / OWNERCARLAPSMONEYSTATUSLED1443  Richard PettySTP   (Petty Enterprises)'72 Plymouth5007350running642112  Bobby AllisonCoca-Cola   (Richard Howard)'72 Chevrolet50010600running4323221  David PearsonPurolator   (Wood Brothers)'71 Mercury4982775running44371  Buddy BakerK & K Insurance   (Nord Krauskopf)'70 Dodge4963225running05790  Jimmy HensleyJunie Donlavey'71 Ford4931400running061172  Benny ParsonsPop Kola   (L.G. DeWitt)'71 Mercury4881250running071867  Buddy ArringtonBuddy Arrington'70 Dodge485900running081048  James HyltonPop Kola   (James Hylton)'71 Ford4841100running091464  Elmo LangleyElmo Langley'71 Ford4781050running0101924  Cecil GordonCecil Gordon'71 Mercury4771000running011914  Coo Coo MarlinCunningham-Kelley   (H.B. Cunningham)'71 Chevrolet476725running0122510  Bill ChampionBill Champion'71 Ford468950running0132147  Raymond WilliamsJetWay   (Raymond Williams)'71 Ford467925running0141270  J.D. McDuffieJ.D. McDuffie'71 Chevrolet460900running015204  John SearsJ. Marvin Mills Heating & Air   (J. Marvin Mills)'70 Plymouth459875transmission0162476  Ben ArnoldBen Arnold'71 Ford457850running0173106  Neil CastlesHoward Furniture   (Neil Castles)'72 Plymouth456875running018348  Ed NegreEd Negre'70 Dodge450965running0192877  Charlie RobertsCharlie Roberts'71 Ford446775running0202330  Walter BallardBallard Racing   (Vic Ballard)'71 Mercury444750running0212925  Jabe ThomasDon Robertson'70 Plymouth433725running0223623  James CoxDon Robertson'70 Plymouth430595running0233019  Henley GrayHenley Gray'71 Ford369675overheating0242657  David Ray BoggsDavid Ray Boggs'70 Dodge328400engine025172  Ray HendrickDave Marcis'70 Dodge311625crash0262255  Tiny LundHank Richardson'71 Chevrolet272350rear end027528  Fred LorenzenLemon Tree Inn   (Hoss Ellington)'72 Chevrolet216425engine028157  Dean DaltonDean Dalton'71 Mercury134550overheating0291316  Dave MarcisAmerican Motors   (Roger Penske)'72 Matador108275rear end0301645  LeeRoy YarbroughBill Seifert'71 Ford108510crash031617  Bill DennisEmrick Chevrolet   (H.J. Brooking)'72 Chevrolet105250crash0323579  Frank WarrenFrank Warren'70 Dodge95655rear end0332796  Richard ChildressRichard Childress'71 Chevrolet88250rear end0343292  Larry SmithHarley Smith'71 Ford77450engine035898  Bobby IsaacJunie Donlavey'72 Ford19250overheating0363374  Bill ShireyBill Shirey'70 Plymouth19425overheating0 Timeline Section reference: Start: Bobby Allison was leading the starting grid as the green flag was waved. Lap 19: Bill Shirey and Bobby Isaac jointly overheated their vehicles. Lap 77: Larry Smith blew his vehicle's engine. Lap 88: Richard Childress caused the rear end of his vehicle to become dangerously loose. Lap 95: Frank Warren caused the rear end of his vehicle to become dangerously loose. Lap 105: Bill Dennis caused terminal vehicle damage. Lap 108: LeeRoy Yarbrough caused terminal vehicle damage; Dave Marcis caused the rear end of his vehicle to become dangerously loose. Lap 132: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Lap 134: Dean Dalton overheated his vehicle. Lap 148: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty. Lap 216: Fred Lorenzen blew his vehicle's engine. Lap 221: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Lap 222: Bobby Allison took over the lead from David Pearson. Lap 223: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Lap 225: Bobby Allison took over the lead from David Pearson. Lap 272: Tiny Lund caused the rear end of his vehicle to become dangerously loose. Lap 279: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Lap 280: Bobby Allison took over the lead from David Pearson. Lap 311: Ray Hedrick caused terminal vehicle damage. Lap 328: David Ray Boggs blew his vehicle's engine. Lap 369: Henley Gray overheated his vehicle. Lap 436: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Lap 441: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty. Lap 442: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Lap 446: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty. Lap 459: John Sears' vehicle developed problems with its transmission. Lap 462: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Finish: Richard Petty was officially declared the winner of the race. References 1972 Delaware 500 1972 Wilkes 400 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1972 Old Dominion 500 Old Dominion 500 Category:NASCAR races at Martinsville Speedway