1971 Daytona 500

Daytona 500 highlights: amzn.to/2Ho7lmA
Richard Petty captures his third Daytona 500 win ahead of Buddy Baker, giving Petty Enterprises a 1-2 finish. This was the first Daytona 500 where restrictor plates were mandated for all cars running greater than a 358 cubic inch engine. The restricted speeds didn't prevent one of the most spectacular crashes from occurring in Daytona 500 history when Maynard Troyer suffers a series of barrel rolls early in the race. Dick Brooks pilots the only winged car in the field and drives his Dodge Daytona to a 7th place finish. This would be the last NASCAR event to feature the aerodynamic winged cars.
Time of race: 3:27:40
Average Speed: 144.462 mph
Pole Speed: 182.744 mph
Cautions: 7 for 44 laps
Margin of Victory: 10 sec
Attendance: 80,000
Purse: $45,450

[@altfactor]

As for why R.J. Reynolds' Winston Cigarettes became the title sponsor of NASCAR's top series in 1971: It was because cigarette advertising had just been banned from television and radio. It had to spend their ad money elsewhere, so they decided to sponsor auto racing. I think they also sponsored some drag racing, but NASCAR was their big sports sponsorship deal for decades.

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

Winston did indeed sponsor the NHRA

[@skipperrussell2025]

Take me back, country roads, to the place where I belong! Love vintage NASCAR! Those were indeed the good old days! The best ever!

[@altfactor]

It's amazing how TV coverage of auto racing has changed. In 1971 for a tape-delayed (shown about a week later) and edited telecast, it appears that ABC's "Wide World Of Sports" used five (maybe six) fixed cameras, one handheld camera in the pits, and one replay machine. There were no in-car cameras. Today, Fox uses something like eighteen fixed manned cameras, three or four unmanned fixed cameras, a couple of remote-control cameras on drones, four or five handheld cameras in the pits, about twenty in-car cameras, and 25 replay machines (20 of which are dedicated to recording the feeds from each of the in-car cameras).

[@flyurway]

Back when stock car racing really WAS stock car racing. When Petty retired years later I retired as a racing fan, the sport had changed too much. Today it's nothing like it was and does almost nothing for me.

[@pg1171]

I finally got tired of the crap and stopped watching about 5 years ago. The racing stopped being racing in the early 1980's when they started building hand built cars. Actually it started in the 1970's...The drivers from back in these and earlier days were the REAL drivers! Today's drivers couldn't hold a candle to them. I think that when Bobby Allison, Cale, and the rest of the OLD drivers retired, NASCAR died...there are several plateaus in NASCAR, all of them descending since the 1950's. The lowest is what is happening now. People have asked, what killed NASCAR? NASCAR killed NASCAR...very simple...Have a good one!

[@jordanprice9285]

@@pg1171 well, some drivers also died like Dale that was the last that the sport had which I think killed it for good.. It's the same with F1 after Senna died, when he died, he took F1 with him as after it was never the same & thats how i see it with Nascar too, with Sales death, he took it with him too, cuz no one brought that kind of entertainment and determination like they showed which is what made them great! Richard Petty is like Alain Prost equivalent in F1 imo

[@andrewrcmadwilkinson6999]

IF I WANT TO SEE A FIST FIGHT I WILL WAYCH TYSON FURY

[@johnnyzee383]

I agree...its just the same old...no such thing as brands vs brands..just a modular chassis and slap on a fake body...Back then they has to use the real cars, and then beefed them up. It was exciting to watch....now its just plain boring.

[@flyurway]

And how I remember that Maynard Troyer wreck! He was our hometown guy from Rochester, NY and I think this was his only attempt at the big leagues. After this he just resorted back to being the big fish in the dinky pond at our local Spencer Speedway, lol.

[@kurtpoblenz2741]

Awesome racing. When NASCAR was relevant! Not a Chevy in sight..... beautiful 😊

[@demcanes9488]

What? Yea I'm sure ur glad for no Chevy's. Cuz they have kicked ass for so long. More wins and championships than any manufacturer in the world.

[@kurtpoblenz2741]

@@demcanes9488 .... it was easy for Chevy to win , after they lowered the bar , so they could be competitive 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@todiathink8864]

@@demcanes9488 the Chevy sucked a hind teat until Bill France re-wrote the rules. In the days of the big blocks, you can count the Chevy victories without an education.

[@todiathink8864]

@@demcanes9488 btw.....the manufacturer with the highest win percentage was MERCURY. Almost 20% and not a GM car in sight.

[@demcanes9488]

@@todiathink8864 I was talking about cars that still actively race. Having a lower number of races won and started makes for a higher winning percentage. Look let's just be honest, the Monte Carlo dominated for decades. And no matter what the other makers tried. 20%...20% was Herb Thomas' winning percentage, but he is not the King nor the Intimidator nor Jimmy and for that matter nor Jeff.

[@demcanes9488]

I can't get over how the King just dominates...

[@jameswilson313]

Maynard Troyer, ouch! That's gotta' hurt.

[@samichopthechimrea8477]

This is the first Daytona 500 under the the Winston Cup Banner.

[@billgarbutt7844]

Ford vs Mopar.Don't get any better.

[@ronaldotoole6986]

I guarantee you if that 69 Daytona won this race everyone will jump back onto the wing cars and you’ll see them run again in 71 and 72 or they would be completely banned

[@hemihead001]

France would have banned them he hated Mopar . Now NASCAR kisses GM's ass has been doing it since the 70's .

[@tamtam21801]

rip cale

[@PttyBlue43]

Porsche Pace Car... Cool

[@Blackscorpion1963]

You are kidding eh? It's about as cool as a freakin' muscle car as pace car for lemans, exceptionally cool - like ICE cool!

[@michaelgentry4908]

A Porsche 914 for a pace car? May be the smallest pace car ever for the 500.

[@daviclar867]

Petty Enterprises were the only manufactured backed team with a huge amount of resources. The King.

[@marcturk4410]

Hails too the king #43😎👍

[@daviclar867]

I miss those canopies on pit road.

[@exodia9817]

1:00 Boogity Boogity Boogity! Let's go racing, boys!

[@WildDiamond07]

AND IT'S GREEN HERE WE GO

[@robertfrederick4714]

Love the fact he drove a 69 cyclone in 71

[@andrewrcmadwilkinson6999]

3.25 PORSCHE PACE CAR YOU WHAT???????????????????????

[@jamesmeadow9206]

The 69 Cyclones were dominating

[@onesecureone]

Nothing dominates a mopar 70s drag racing proved that...

[@jamesmeadow9206]

Not saying the mopars were not the car that crushed everyone with ET and fast quarter milers. Its probably something that even confused buyers bc honestly my very first immpression of a sublime bird was "is it a dragster" i was 7. It was 1972. I lucked .. LUCKED into owning the only documented real numbers matching version of exactly what a Homaligation rules car produced and sold to the public .. And let me tell you this. The car is exactly what a 1969 or 70 winged car is. Exactly. Its so much rarer it isnt even funny. When you compare the cars you can go to any Barrett Jackson RM Mecum or Famous auction the number of those cars as compared to the 69 70 mopars its not even close. I mean itz ridiculous how far off these numbers are. And its a FRICKING bargain too!! In the next 5 yrs I predict that a registered Cyclone Spoiler will sell for 100k. And you can get one now for 30-50..but the age of the internet allows people access to the information and the record and visual evidence are hard to deny that on the NASCAR circut that the 1969 Cyclones were unique and recognized by the teams and drivers as the car to field if you wanted to go out and win a race. If you wanted to race a car legally according to NASCAR rules the 1969 Mercury Cyclone was still the car to prepare and bring to the race. Look at how Foyt dominated the 1971 Daytona500 and look at how the Coca-Cola car drive by Allison later in the year won.. then in late 71 the party was over as factory back teams were gone except for a couple and NASCAR changed to the marketing sponsorship driven league it is today. Win on Sunday sell on Monday was no longer the strategy. And well... the 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler I think will be the car to hit 100k first will be the one w the last 5 VIN 49179. I sold it about 10yrs ago and it was just sold as belonging to and from the Ray Evernham collection. The car is exactly how I restored it in 2000-4. It has Torque Thrust wheels on it still i put on it and its the only factory AC car as well as it is the lowest numbered survivor left. And one of less than 10 big blocks. Its documented too.

[@aricsnyder5882]

Chris... Hamilton took Brooks out

[@onesecureone]

Yes he did

[@korong0]

What car is number 17 at the 4.05 min mark, from behind it looks a bit like a fastback mustang?

[@atlfan48]

'71 Mercury according to racing reference.

[@MrRustyFord]

@@atlfan48 Sometimes the entrants are listed different by NASCAR than what was raced. That #17 is a 1969. It's either a Mercury Cyclone or Ford Torino. Can't tell, because they were both very similar body styles. But it's definitely not a '71, as they changed body styles in 1970. The '68 and '69s were basically the same, and the 70 and 71s were basically the same bodies. Because of aerodynamics, the Ford and Mercury teams used '69 bodies in 1970 instead of the 1970 Torinos and Mercurys. And because what the teams had left over from 1970 (Ford withdrew from racing after the 1970 season), the teams used 1969 body styles also in 1971. If you wanna see a '71, look at photos of David Pearson's '72 and 73 seasons with the Wood Brothers. Those cars are the '71. By 1972, they couldn't use the '69 anymore because you could only use a body style for 3 seasons (and they used the '69s on the big tracks in '69, '70, and'71), then you had to run a newer one.

[@leejackson4724]

Looks like a 70 or 71 Torino to me

[@russspaur9937]

Who and why the birth of restrictor plates. Some one lobbied hard to begin this BS.

[@onesecureone]

Think what you want mopar wanted to win and that they did

[@rayof621]

seems like a great video other than i can hardly hear it

[@hemihead001]

The start of NASCAR destroying itself . The hate for Mopar , the special rules on certain cars , the stupid restrictor plates . All started the fall of what was once a great sport . Now it's just WWF type racing , drama , weak cars , and wussy drivers . I can't watch it .

[@tooge47]

sure glad Kyle Busch wasn't there to ruin things

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

cute troll