There were 42 American-born drivers on this 238-lap race.[2] It was supposed to last for 334 laps but the race had to end early due to rain and darkness.[2] On the day of the race, 0.22 inches of precipitation were recorded around the speedway.[3]
Bobby Allison managed to defeat Bobby Isaac by five seconds in front of 52000 people.[2] The race lasted more than two and a half hours with six caution periods lasting for 37 laps.[2][4][5] Charlie Glotzbach rightfully earned the pole position with a qualifying speed of 157.085 miles per hour (252.804 km/h) while the winner of the race would have an average speed of 126.14 miles per hour (203.00 km/h).[2][4]
Jim Vandiver would end up getting the last-place finish on lap 10 due to a single-car collision into the wall. Wendell Scott had to leave the race because his vehicle developed faulty wheel bearings on lap 63 while Dick Brooks' vehicle broke down early and finished poorly on lap 73. A faulty lug bolt took Neil Castles of the race on lap 114 while an engine problem took Maynard Troyer out of the race on lap 115. A couple of crashes on lap 120 took LeeRoy Yarbrough and Earle Canavan out of the race while steering problems took Dave Marcis out of the race on lap 152. Stick Elliot's vehicle developed a faulty driveshaft on lap 163 while lap 184 would see A.J. Foyt retiring from the race due to steering problems. Cale Yarborough would overheat his car on lap 209, ending his hopes of acquiring a top-ten finish.[2][4][5]
Bobby Allison and Richard Petty were duking it out up front at speeds up to 160 miles per hour (260 km/h), highlighting that Allison drove the Coke car during the race while Petty drove for Pepsi.[2][4][5] Tiny Lund also had a Pepsi car in this one but dropped out early on.[2][4][5]
Country music singing sensation and part-time NASCAR driver Marty Robbins would finish in 37th place in his 1969 Dodge Charger machine after starting in 15th.[6] LeeRoy Yarbrough ran a limited schedule during the 1971 season as Ford's factories were pulling out of NASCAR production at that time. This would force NASCAR teams using the Ford manufacturer to create vehicles by themselves with their in-house staff. Injuries sustained while practicing for that year's Indianapolis 500 contributed to the limited NASCAR schedule. He managed to shake off those injuries long enough to qualify in seventh place and finish in a lowly 34th place.[2]
The total purse of the race was $83,259 ($646,437 when adjusted for inflation); Allison would earn $18,450 of the total prize winnings that were offered in the race ($28,777 when adjusted for inflation).[5]
| Grid |
|
Driver |
Manufacturer |
| 1 |
3 | Charlie Glotzbach | '71 Chevrolet |
| 2 |
11 | Buddy Baker | '71 Dodge |
| 3 |
12 | Bobby Allison | '69 Mercury |
| 4 |
21 | Donnie Allison | '69 Mercury |
| 5 |
43 | Richard Petty | '71 Plymouth |
| 6 |
6 | Pete Hamilton | '71 Plymouth |
| 7 |
98 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | '71 Chevrolet |
| 8 |
71 | Bobby Isaac | '71 Dodge |
| 9 |
48 | James Hylton | '69 Mercury |
| 10 |
99 | Dave Marcis | '71 Plymouth |
| 11 |
72 | Benny Parsons | '69 Mercury |
| 12 |
24 | Cecil Gordon | '69 Mercury |
| 13 |
90 | Bill Dennis | '69 Mercury |
| 14 |
39 | Friday Hassler | '70 Chevrolet |
| 15 |
42 | Marty Robbins | '69 Dodge |
| 16 |
91 | Ed Negre | '71 Chevrolet |
| 17 |
49 | Neil Castles | '69 Plymouth |
| 18 |
60 | Maynard Troyer | '69 Mercury |
| 19 |
92 | Larry Smith | '69 Ford |
| 20 |
45 | Bill Seifert | '71 Mercury |
| 21 |
18 | Joe Frasson | '70 Dodge |
| 22 |
19 | Henley Gray | '70 Ford |
| 23 |
27 | A.J. Foyt | '71 Chevrolet |
| 24 |
79 | Frank Warren | '69 Dodge |
| 25 |
07 | Wendell Scott | '69 Chevrolet |
| 26 |
31 | Stick Elliott | '69 Dodge |
| 27 |
47 | J.D. McDuffie | '71 Ford |
| 28 |
25 | Jabe Thomas | '70 Plymouth |
| 29 |
76 | Ben Arnold | '69 Ford |
| 30 |
30 | Walter Ballard | '71 Ford |
