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1972 Miller High Life 500
Race details [1]
Race 4 of 31 in the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Souvenir program of the 1972 Miller High Life 500
Souvenir program of the 1972 Miller High Life 500
Date March 5, 1972 (1972-March-05)
Official name Miller High Life 500
Location Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California
Course Permanent racing facility
2.500 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804 km)
Weather Very hot with temperatures of 82 °F (28 °C); wind speeds of 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
Average speed 127.082 miles per hour (204.519 km/h)
Attendance 68,498 [2]
Pole position
Driver
Wood Brothers Racing
Time 58.740 seconds
Most laps led
Driver A.J. Foyt Wood Brothers Racing
Laps 132
Winner
No. 21 A.J. Foyt Wood Brothers Racing
Television in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Jim McKay
Jackie Stewart

The 1972 Miller High Life 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on March 5, 1972, at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California.

Race report

Two hundred laps took place on a paved track spanning 2.500 miles (4.023 km); the race was resolved in three hours and fifty-six minutes. [2] [3] With a purse larger than the previous month's Daytona 500, 113 cars were waiting in line to compete in three qualifying sessions to fill the 51-car grid. [4] An unprecedented number of teams failed to qualify for the race. [4]

Given the economic outlook of that era, it was amazing that 113 cars would try to earn a spot on the racing grid (with only a 45% chance of actually qualifying for the race). Clem Proctor won the 100-lap Sportsman race that was held the day before this race in a 1963 Thunderbird. The 1971 winner George Follmer withdrew after his owner had a dispute with the way NASCAR was inspecting the cars, seems like only two cars (Follmer's and Sonny Easley's) were being checked with templates as both were 1968 models and everything else was older. This would be the first of five consecutive races where the pole winner won the race, only time in NASCAR this has happened.

Foyt was ridiculously faster than my Chevy down the straights.

— Bobby Allison

A. J. Foyt defeated Bobby Allison by 4.2 seconds in front of nearly 69,000 live spectators. [2] [3] This victory would be as equally impressive as his wins at the 1964 Firecracker 400 and the 1972 Daytona 500. [5] The pole position was achieved by the race winner qualifying at a speed of 153.217 miles per hour (246.579 km/h). [2] [3] Four cautions slowed the race for 31 laps and the average racing speed was 127.082 miles per hour (204.519 km/h). [2] [3] Jim Vandiver would earn the last-place finish due to an engine issue on the very first lap of the race. [2] [3] Country music legend Marty Robbins would compete in this race in a 1972 Dodge Charger vehicle; he started in 22nd and ended in 8th place. [3] [6] After the race, Robbins was named as the "Sportsman of the Race. [6]" The winner's purse for the 1972 Miller High Life 500 was $31,695 ($230,866.68 when adjusted for inflation). [2]

Drivers that made what would be their final start in NASCAR's top series were: Cliff Garner, Ron Gautsche, Les Loeser, and Don White. [3] The drivers who commenced their NASCAR Cup Series careers during this race were: Carl Adams, Bill Butts, former USAC Championship Car series driver George Follmer, and Jim Whitt. [3] Follmer would eventually go back to USAC Championship Car racing for its 1974 season.

Notable crew chiefs who actively participated in the race were Richard Elder, Junie Donvaley, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, and Tom Vandiver. [7]

Qualifying

Grid No. Driver Manufacturer Qualifying time [8] Speed [8] Owner
1 21 A. J. Foyt '71 Mercury 58.740 153.217 Wood Brothers
2 12 Bobby Allison '72 Chevrolet 58.983 152.586 Richard Howard
3 43 Richard Petty '72 Plymouth 59.374 151.581 Petty Enterprises
4 11 Buddy Baker '72 Dodge 59.602 151.001 Petty Enterprises
5 71 Bobby Isaac '72 Dodge 59.605 150.994 Nord Krauskopf
6 97 Red Farmer '72 Ford 1:00.520 148.711 Willie Humphreys
7 16 Mark Donohue '72 AMC Matador 1:00.778 148.079 Roger Penske
8 96W Ray Elder '72 Dodge 1:01.012 147.511 Fred Elder
9 72 Benny Parsons '71 Mercury 1:01.057 147.403 L.G. DeWitt
10 9 Ramo Stott '72 Plymouth 1:01.567 146.182 Jack Housby

Failed to qualify: Pat Fay (#99), Bill Shirey (#74), Perry Cottingham (#73), Dale Lee (#65), Tru Cheek (#62), Don Graham (#57W), Ken Shoemaker (#56), Jerry Barnett (#55), John Fairchild (#50), Sam Stanley (#47W), Bill Seifert (#45), D.K. Ulrich (#40), George Wiltshire (#39), Jimmy Insolo (#38), Joe Frasson (#78), Marion Collins (#78W), Dick May (#84), Richard Childress (#96), Harry Jefferson (#94), Larry Smith (#92), Verlin Eaker (#91), Richard D. Brown (#91), Bill Dennis (#90), Clint Hutchins (#89W), Les Covey (#89), Mike Saint (#88W), Ron Keselowski (#88), Allen Jennings (#86), Dan Geiger (#85), Harry Schilling (#84W), Don Tarr (#37), Frank Burnett (#36), Ed Negre (#8), Bob England (#8W), Steve Pfeifer (#08), Ivan Baldwin (#07), Charlie Glotzbach (#6), Jerry Oliver (#6W), Neil Castles (#06), Doc Faustina (#5), John Sears (#4), Emiliano Zapata (#04), Tommy Gale (#03), Johnny Steele (#2), Frank James (#00W), John Lyons (#9), Phillip Pedlar (#11W), Larry Esau (#12W), Bub Strickler (#35), Gene Riniker (#34W), Wendell Scott (#34), Glenn Francis (#33), Johnny Halford (#32), Carl Joiner (#26), Chuck Hetrick (#25W), Jabe Thomas (#25), Jim Gilliam (#24W), Nels Miller (#21W), Paul Dorrity (#15), Arnie Krueger (#14W), Willie McNeal (#14), Bobby Mausgrover (#00) [8]

Finishing order

Section reference: [2]

  1. A.J. Foyt
  2. Bobby Allison
  3. Buddy Baker
  4. Richard Petty
  5. Ray Elder
  6. Hershel McGriff
  7. James Hylton
  8. Marty Robbins
  9. Elmo Langley
  10. Ramo Stott
  11. Jimmy Finger
  12. Jack McCoy
  13. John Soares, Jr.
  14. Benny Parsons
  15. Bill Butts
  16. Cliff Garner
  17. Johnny Anderson
  18. Dick Bown
  19. Jim Danielson
  20. Bill Champion
  21. Ben Arnold
  22. Kevin Terris
  23. J.D. McDuffie
  24. Mike James
  25. Dean Dalton
  26. Raymond Williams
  27. Jim Whitt
  28. George Altheide
  29. Bob Kauf
  30. Carl Adams
  31. Henley Gray
  32. Charlie Roberts
  33. Chuck Bown
  34. Les Loeser, Jr.
  35. Ron Gautsche
  36. Cecil Gordon
  37. Dick Kranzler
  38. Don White
  39. Gene Romero
  40. G.T. Tallas
  41. Red Farmer
  42. Earle Canavan
  43. Frank Warren
  44. Mark Donohue
  45. Bobby Isaac
  46. Bill Osborne
  47. Walter Ballard
  48. Don Noel
  49. George Follmer
  50. David Ray Boggs
  51. Jim Vandiver

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

  • Start: A.J. Foyt had the pole position as the green flag was waved in the air.
  • Lap 6: George Follmer blew his vehicle's engine; starting a caution which ended on lap 16.
  • Lap 37: Walter Ballard had a terminal crash on turn three; caution ended on lap 41.
  • Lap 47: Mark Donohue and Bobby Isaac had an accident on turn one; caution ended on lap 55.
  • Lap 150: Cecil Gordon had a terminal crash on turn four; caution ended on lap 155.
  • Finish: A.J. Foyt was officially declared the winner of the event.

References

  1. ^ Weather information for the 1972 Miller High Life 500 at the Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 1972 Miller High Life 500 information at Racing Reference
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h 1972 Miller High Life 500 information at Race Database
  4. ^ a b 1972 Miller High Life 500 qualifying information at NASCAR
  5. ^ A.J. Foyt’s top five career accomplishments at Yahoo Sports
  6. ^ a b Marty Robbins Archived 2012-03-16 at the Wayback Machine information at MartyRobbins.net
  7. ^ 1972 Miller High Life 500 crew chiefs information at Racing Reference
  8. ^ a b c Qualifying information for the 1972 Miller High Life 500 at Racing Reference
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1972 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Miller High Life 500 races
1972 		Succeeded by
none (postponed until 1974)
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