Friday Hassler, Bobby Allison, Jim Paschal, and Tiny Lund would fight for the first-place position in this race; with Allison leading the most laps. Bobby Allison would go on to defeat Tiny Lund by a margin of one lap after more than three hours and twenty minutes of racing. Bill Dennis's last-place finish would occur on the first lap in this 500-lap regulation event due to problems with his driveshaft. Friday Hassler had a great run, leading 12 laps early on the way to a third-place finish.[2]
This was a combination race with the Grand American series. Tiny Lund was the best finishing pony car in 2nd, 1 lap down in his Camaro. The other Grand Am drivers were Ernie Shaw, Frank Sessions, Wayne Andrews, Joe Dean Huss, Buck Baker, Randy Hutchinson, H.B. Bailey, Jim Paschal, Bob Williams, & David Ray Boggs.[2]
There were 32 drivers on the grid; all of them were born in the United States of America. Allison would qualify for the pole position with a top speed of 95.334 miles per hour (153.425 km/h) and set the pace for the entire event averaging speeds up to 80.859 miles per hour (130.130 km/h) to excite the 7,300 live audience members who attended this historic event. NASCAR officials gave out seven caution flags for 44 laps; one of them was related to the Walter Ballard crash on lap 455.[2]
Vic Ballard and Junie Donlavey were the most notable crew chiefs to actively participate in this race.[3]
Engine problems would retire some drivers out of the race in addition to clutch problems and troubles with managing the transmission, the suspension, and the alternator. Manufacturers that are hard to find today like the AMC Javelin, the Pontiac Firebird, and the Camaro once competed alongside "plain Jane" Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge vehicles.[2]
Jimmy Watson would never compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race after this event while Bob Williams would make his introduction into professional stock car racing here.[4] Individual winnings for this event ranged from a handsome $3,275 ($25,428 when considering inflation) to a meager $350 ($2,717 when considering inflation).[5]
Until the Pontiac Excitement 400 in 1989, this marked the last time that Richard Petty failed to make the starting grid of a Cup race.
| Grid |
|
Driver |
Manufacturer |
| 1 |
12 | Bobby Allison | '71 Ford |
| 2 |
39 | Friday Hassler | '70 Chevrolet |
| 3 |
14 | Jim Paschal | '70 Javelin |
| 4 |
55 | Tiny Lund | '70 Camaro |
| 5 |
32 | Dick Brooks | '70 Plymouth |
| 6 |
25 | Jabe Thomas | '70 Plymouth |
| 7 |
36 | H.B. Bailey | '71 Firebird |
| 8 |
4 | John Sears | '69 Dodge |
| 9 |
15 | Wayne Andrews | '71 Mustang |
| 10 |
90 | Bill Dennis | '69 Mercury |
| 11 |
10 | Bill Champion | '71 Ford |
| 12 |
06 | Neil Castles | '70 Dodge |
| 13 |
30 | Walter Ballard | '71 Ford |
| 14 |
21 | Frank Sessoms | '68 Camaro |
| 15 |
79 | Frank Warren | '69 Plymouth |
| 16 |
05 | David Sisco | '71 Chevrolet |
| 17 |
8 | Ed Negre | '69 Ford |
| 18 |
33 | Joe Dean Huss | '69 Camaro |
| 19 |
01 | Earle Canavan | '71 Plymouth |
| 20 |
22 | Randy Hutchinson | '69 Camaro |
| 21 |
70 | J.D. McDuffie | '71 Chevrolet |
| 22 |
51 | Dub Simpson | '69 Chevrolet |
| 23 |
45 | Bill Seifert | '69 Ford |
| 24 |
87 | Buck Baker | '71 Firebird |
| 25 |
19 | Henley Gray | '69 Ford |