1975 Dixie 500 (lost footage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series race; 1975)

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Program for the race.

Status: Lost

The 1975 Dixie 500 was the penultimate race of the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Occurring on 9th November at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, the race, which was delayed by rain and finished at night, would ultimately be won by Buddy Baker in a 1975 Ford.

Background

The 1975 Dixie 500 was the 16th running of the event, with the race traditionally being around 500 miles in length.[1] It was one of two 1975 Winston Cup Series races conducted at Atlanta Motor Speedway,[2] the other being the Atlanta 500,[1] which in 1975 occurred on 23rd March and was won by Richard Petty in a 1974 Dodge.[3] The Dixie 500 also has ties to the modern Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, having dropped the Dixie name following the 1979 season.[4]

Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with Dave Marcis winning the pole position with a speed of 160.662 mph.[5][6] Directly behind him was David Pearson in a 1973 Mercury, with Baker lining up third.[5]

The Race

With the starting order decided, the 1975 Dixie 500 occurred on 9th November.[5] Pearson shot into the lead on the first lap, but Baker completed an overtake on lap 2, holding onto the first position for the next 23 laps.[5] Pearson resumed his control of the first position from laps 25-35, but there were multiple lap leader contenders throughout the early stages.[5] Among those included Dick Brooks, Marcis, James Hylton, Cale Yarborough, Lennie Pond, and Petty.[5] On lap 278, Baker moved back into the first position at the expense of Marcis,[5] only for the race to be stopped because of rain.[6]

When the rain stopped after nearly an hour, the race resumed on lap 301.[6] Pearson made a move for the lead, but Baker retook it onto the same lap after a successful draft on his opponent.[6] The racers then faced the challenge of completing the rest of the 328-lap race in darkness as night fell.[6] Baker's main opponent following Pearson's brief challenge was Marcis, but despite his strong presence, Marcis simply could not close the three-second gap between himself and Baker.[6] This allowed Baker to claim victory and $18,550, with Marcis holding on to finish second, and Petty pipping Pearson for third.[5][6]

Availability

According to NASCAR on TV, CBS televised 30 minutes of highlights on 15th November 1975 as part of its CBS Sports Spectacular, alongside boxing between the US and USSR.[7] However, these highlights have yet to resurface, and no footage of the race is currently publicly accessible.

Gallery

Image

  • Bruce Hill with his 1975 Chevrolet at the event. Hill would ultimately finish 13th.

    Bruce Hill with his 1975 Chevrolet at the event. Hill would ultimately finish 13th.

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Racing Circuits documenting the Dixie 500 and the Atlanta 500. Retrieved 6 Mar '22
  2. ↑ Racing-Reference detailing the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series calendar. Retrieved 6 Mar '22
  3. ↑ Racing-Reference detailing the results of the 1975 Atlanta 500. Retrieved 6 Mar '22
  4. ↑ The New York Times Stats detailing the history of the second Atlanta race beyond Dixie 500. Retrieved 6 Mar '22
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Racing-Reference detailing qualifying and race results of the event. Retrieved 6 Mar '22
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 The New York Times reporting on Baker winning the race. Retrieved 6 Mar '22
  7. ↑ NASCAR on TV detailing the CBS broadcast of the race. Retrieved 6 Mar '22
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