1970 American 500
The 1970 American 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on November 15, 1970, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. Jim Paschal qualified the #40 vehicle for Pete Hamilton.
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 47 of 48 in the 1970 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 Layout of Rockingham Speedway | |||
| Date | November 15, 1970 | ||
| Official name | American 500 | ||
| Location | North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.017 mi (1.636 km) | ||
| Distance | 492 laps, 500 mi (804 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures of 65.3 °F (18.5 °C); wind speeds of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 117.811 miles per hour (189.598 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 20,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Nichels Engineering | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Cale Yarborough | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Laps | 205 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 | Cale Yarborough | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
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 any more.
Race report
Twenty thousand people attended the race which lasted for 4 hours, 14 minutes, and 24 seconds.[2] The average speed was 117.811 miles per hour (189.598 km/h) while the pole speed was 136.496 miles per hour (219.669 km/h).[2] There were seven cautions that lasted for forty-six laps and the margin of victory was four seconds.[2] As the penultimate race in NASCAR's Grand National era, this race was crucial for people wanting to win the 1970 NASCAR Grand National Championship. Even though Bobby Isaac finished the race in 7th place, the finish was good enough for him to clinch the championship trophy.[3]
Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.
492 laps were done on a paved oval track spanning 1.017 miles (1.637 km).[2] The winner's purse was considered to be $20,445[2] ($134,601 when adjusted for inflation) while last place (40th) paid $540[2] ($3,292 when adjusted for inflation). Drivers who were eliminated from the race had to deal with engine problems in addition to crashes, transmission problems, and problems with their fan pulley (in addition to their rear end).[2] Pete Hamilton would do his final race for Petty Enterprises here while Cale Yarborough would do his final race for the Wood Brothers at the same location. Coincidentally, Hoss Ellington would retire from NASCAR after this race.[4] Cale Yarborough would eventually transfer himself to the USAC Indy Car Series in 1971.[5]
Notable crew chiefs in this race included Herb Nab, Junie Donlavey, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Maurice Petty, Tom Vandiver and Banjo Matthews.[6]
Qualifying
| Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Speed[7] | Qualifying time[7] | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Charlie Glotzbach | '69 Dodge | 136.496 | 26.823 | Ray Nichels |
| 2 | 21 | Cale Yarborough | '69 Mercury | 135.985 | 26.923 | Wood Brothers |
| 3 | 22 | Bobby Allison | '69 Dodge | 135.985 | 27.037 | Mario Rossi |
| 4 | 32 | Dick Brooks | '70 Plymouth | 135.282 | 27.063 | Dick Brooks |
| 5 | 71 | Bobby Isaac | '69 Dodge | 135.072 | 27.105 | Nord Krauskopf |
| 6 | 17 | David Pearson | '69 Ford | 135.052 | 27.109 | Holman-Moody |
| 7 | 43 | Richard Petty | '70 Plymouth | 134.988 | 27.122 | Petty Enterprises |
| 8 | 30 | Dave Marcis | '69 Dodge | 134.196 | 27.282 | Dave Marcis |
| 9 | 6 | Buddy Baker | '69 Dodge | 134.176 | 27.286 | Cotton Owens |
| 10 | 40 | Pete Hamilton | '70 Plymouth | 133.984 | 27.326 | Petty Enterprises |
Failed to qualify: Dick Poling (#65), Roy Mayne (#46)[7]
Finishing order
Section reference: [2]
- Cale Yarborough
- David Pearson
- Bobby Allison
- Donnie Allison
- Buddy Baker
- Richard Petty
- Bobby Isaac
- James Hylton
- Friday Hassler
- Buddy Young
- Joe Frasson
- Neil Castles
- Elmo Langley
- Jabe Thomas
- Pete Hamilton*
- Jim Vandiver
- Ben Arnold
- J.D. McDuffie
- Raymond Williams
- Wendell Scott*
- Cecil Gordon
- Johnny Halford
- Roy Mayne
- Larry Baumel
- Bill Champion*
- Frank Warren
- Hoss Ellington*
- Henley Gray
- LeeRoy Yarbrough*
- John Sears*
- Charlie Glotzbach*
- Dave Marcis*
- Benny Parsons*
- Bill Seifert*
- Tiny Lund*
- Bill Shirey*
- Bill Dennis*
- Roy Tyner*
- Dick Brooks*
- Buddy Arrington*
* Driver failed to finish race
Timeline
Section reference: [2]
References
- "1970 American 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
- "1970 American 500 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- "Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird". Google Books. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
- Retirements from NASCAR at Race Database
- "Cale Yarborough's post-race decision". How Stuff Works (Auto). Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- "1970 American 500 crew chief information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
- "1970 American 500 qualifying information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
| Preceded by 1970 Georgia 500 |
NASCAR Grand National Season 1970 |
Succeeded by 1970 Tidewater 300 |
| Preceded by 1969 |
American 500 races 1970 |
Succeeded by 1971 |