The 1975 World 600, the 16th running of the

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...

, was a

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. ...

racing event that took place on May 25, 1975, at

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...

Concord, North Carolina Concord is the county seat and largest city in Cabarrus County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 105,186, with an estimated population in 2021 of 107,697. In terms of population, the cit ...

Race report

There were 40 drivers on the grid.

Coo Coo Marlin Clifton Burton "Coo Coo" Marlin (January 3, 1932 – August 14, 2005) was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver who spent 14 years in the series. Local track history Marlin earned a name for himself at the short tracks in Tennessee and Alabama, running ag ...

had an engine problem on lap 33 out of 400 laps - earning him a last place position and $1,455 ($ when adjusted for inflation).

Richard Petty Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...

would defeat

Cale Yarborough William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough (born March 27, 1939) is an American former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, and farmer. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winning in 1 ...

by one lap in front of 90,600 spectators; who had no idea that history was being made right before their eyes. Petty would earn $30,290 ($ in when adjusted for inflation) on his long anticipated first win at Charlotte, despite having to change four tires early in the race and falling behind a lap. Petty rallied back and proceeded to lap the field. Seven time

Champion

Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...

would make his debut here; finishing 22nd in a Dodge vehicle. African-American driver Randy Bethea would race his only NASCAR Cup Series race here; he would complete in 251 laps before engine problems relegated him to the sideline.

Joe Frasson Joseph "Joe" Frasson (September 3, 1935November 21, 2016) was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver.' ...

failed to qualify for this race while

Darel Dieringer Darel Dieringer (June 1, 1926 – October 28, 1989) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He ran 181 NASCAR Grand National Series races during his career, notably racing for Bud Moore Engineering and Junior Johnson & Associates. ...

would make his NASCAR comeback here.

Richard Childress Richard Childress (born September 21, 1945 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is an American former race car driver in NASCAR. As the owner of Richard Childress Racing (RCR), he became one of the wealthiest men in North Carolina. In 2004, he opene ...

would also compete in his event; finishing one place behind his future employee Dale Earnhardt. Both drivers were running at the finish, 45 laps down. Other drivers who failed to qualify were

Bill Dennis Bill Dennis (born December 9, 1935) is a former NASCAR driver and rookie of the year in the Winston Cup Series. Racing career Dennis made his debut at age 26 at the 1962 Capital City 300 in the No. 98 and finished 15th. After three part-time se ...

(#20),

Ferrel Harris Ferrel Harris (October 8, 1940-May 7, 2000) was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1975 to 1982. Career Harris acquired no wins, no finishes in the top-five, and five finishes in the top ten. Out of the 8975 laps that H ...

(#82), Carl Adams (#65), and

Elmo Langley Elmo Harold Langley (August 21, 1928 – November 21, 1996) was a NASCAR driver and owner. Langley primarily used the number 64 on his race cars during his NASCAR career. Racing career Langley began his racing career racing modified cars in Vir ...

(#64).

Results

Top 10 finishers

Timeline

Section reference: * Start of race: Lennie Pond officially began the event with the pole position. * Lap 14: Randy Bethea spun out on turn three, bringing out the first caution of the race which ended on lap 17. * Lap 33: Coo Coo Marlin managed to blow his engine, making him the last-place finisher. * Lap 55: Benny Parsons blew his engine while racing. * Lap 96: G.C. Spencer managed to blow his engine while racing at high speeds. * Lap 112: Travis Tiller spun out on turn two, bringing out the second caution of the race which ended on lap 115. * Lap 114: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Richard Petty before losing it to Richard Petty on lap 166. * Lap 157: Cecil Gordon noticed that his engine blew, forcing him to exit the race prematurely. * Lap 165: Dick Brooks spun out on turn two, bringing the third caution of the race which ended on lap 168. * Lap 166: Richard Petty took over the lead from Cale Yarborough before losing it back to Cale Yarborough on lap 231. * Lap 198: Lennie Pond's transmission became problematic, making him the first DNF in the race not related to his vehicle's engine. * Lap 208: Bobby Isaac's vehicle had some vibration issues, forcing him off the track. * Lap 236: Richard Petty took over the lead from David Pearson before losing it to Cale Yarborough on lap 297. * Lap 239: Dave Marcis blew his engine while racing, forcing him to retire from the race. * Lap 251: Randy Bethea managed to acquire an engine failure in his only NASCAR Cup Series race. * Lap 298: Richard Petty took over the lead from Cale Yarborough, making the decisive move that would get Petty the race win. * Lap 306: Harry Gant managed to blow his engine, ending his day on the track. * Lap 349: Dick Skillen managed to blow his engine, causing him to leave the race early. * Lap 373: Darel Dieringer managed to blow his engine, forcing him to accept a 12th-place finish. * Finish: Richard Petty was officially declared the winner of the event.

Standings after the race

References

{{Coca-Cola 600

World 600 The Coca-Cola 600, originally the World 600, is an annual NASCAR Cup Series points race held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, on a Sunday during Memorial Day weekend. The first race, held in 1960, was also the first on ...

Dale Earnhardt NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway