1974 Southern 500 - NASCAR Race
| Name of Race: | 1974 Southern 500 |
| Name of Track: | Darlington Raceway |
| Date: | September 2nd |
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina.
Looks Like An EggIt was the first superspeedway built with NASCAR racing in mind and is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.
Largest Field of RacersDarlington has an interesting history. When the 1.366 mile long track first opened over a half-century ago, it was not uncommon for there to be 80 or more entrants in a race; this was curtailed over the years as NASCAR adopted a more uniform set of guidelines with regard to the number of cars which could qualify for a race.
Flip-FlopIn recent years the track has been reconfigured; what was the front stretch is now the back stretch, and the turns have been renumbered accordingly. Seating has been increased to approximately 60,000; it has been limited by the proximity of a railroad track to the facility, a highway behind the back stretch, and the still-present pond.
Courtesy of Wikipedia.
1974 Southern 500 NASCAR Race Results
Below are the race results for 1974 Southern 500, in order of finishing place.
| Fin | Driver | Num | Start | Money | Laps | Pts | Status | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cale Yarborough | 11 | 4 | $28,000 | 367 | 0 | running | Carling |
| 2 | Darrell Waltrip | 95 | 6 | $11,000 | 366 | 0 | running | Terminal Transport |
| 4 | Dave Marcis | 2 | 18 | $5,850 | 362 | 0 | running | Deppe Enterprises |
| 5 | James Hylton | 48 | 31 | $4,650 | 360 | 0 | running | Nitro 9 |
| 9 | Joe Frasson | 18 | 16 | $2,850 | 353 | 0 | running | Smith Auto Parts |
| 11 | Tony Bettenhausen | 9 | 40 | $2,600 | 336 | 0 | running | Vita Fresh Orange Juice |
| 13 | Lennie Pond | 54 | 25 | $2,375 | 327 | 0 | engine | Master Chevy Sales |
| 14 | Charlie Glotzbach | 90 | 7 | $2,300 | 280 | 0 | engine | Truxmore Industries |
| 16 | Walter Ballard | 30 | 27 | $2,225 | 222 | 0 | engine | Ballard Racing |
| 18 | Richard Childress | 96 | 19 | $2,150 | 211 | 0 | engine | L.C. Newton Trucking |
| 19 | Cecil Gordon | 24 | 22 | $2,125 | 185 | 0 | engine | Gordon Racing |
| 20 | Elmo Langley | 64 | 24 | $1,550 | 185 | 0 | crash | Langley Racing |
| 22 | Earl Ross | 52 | 10 | $2,150 | 146 | 0 | engine | Carling |
| 23 | Earle Canavan | 1 | 32 | $1,425 | 136 | 0 | engine | Kava Instant Coffee |
| 25 | David Pearson | 21 | 3 | $1,775 | 115 | 0 | crash | Purolator |
| 26 | Benny Parsons | 72 | 8 | $4,700 | 114 | 0 | engine | King's Row Fireplace |
| 27 | Bob Burcham | 57 | 17 | $1,525 | 97 | 0 | engine | Precision Engine |
| 30 | Bobby Allison | 12 | 5 | $1,100 | 80 | 0 | steering | Coca-Cola |
| 31 | Bill Champion | 10 | 30 | $1,290 | 49 | 0 | heating | Champion Racing |
| 32 | Henley Gray | 19 | 20 | $1,330 | 41 | 0 | rear end | Belden Asphalt |
| 33 | Buddy Baker | 15 | 2 | $4,170 | 39 | 0 | crash | R.C. Cola |
| 34 | Dick Brooks | 32 | 36 | $1,160 | 38 | 0 | engine | Simoniz |
| 35 | Richard Petty | 43 | 1 | $4,350 | 37 | 0 | crash | STP Oil Treatment / Oil Filters |
| 36 | Neil Castles | 6 | 33 | $1,140 | 13 | 0 | heating | Howard Furniture |
| 37 | Bobby Isaac | 28 | 15 | $1,405 | 7 | 0 | ignition | Pylon Wiper Blades |
| 38 | Jerry Hansen | 73 | 35 | $1,120 | 7 | 0 | crash | Leggett's Modular Homes |
| 40 | Earl Brooks | 5 | 34 | $1,100 | 1 | 0 | water pump | Faustina Racing |
