The 1970 Georgia 500 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 ...

Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 to 1970, then the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand Nation ...

event that was held on November 8, 1970, at

Middle Georgia Raceway The Middle Georgia Raceway was a raceway located in Byron, Georgia, in the United States. Nine NASCAR Grand National Series races were held at the track between 1966 and 1971. Richard Petty won four races, Bobby Allison won three, and David Pears ...

Byron, Georgia Byron is a city located primarily in Peach County, Georgia, United States. A small portion of the city also extends into parts of Houston and Crawford counties. The population was estimated to be 5,149 in 2019 by the Census Bureau, an increasin ...

. NASCAR officials would record four engine-related incidents, one major fire, two issues related to the vehicle's suspension and an oil leak.

Race report

The race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of

homologation Homologation (Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work fr ...

(and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore. Five hundred laps took place on a paved

oval track Oval track racing is a form of closed-circuit motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traffic ...

spanning for a grand total of . The race took three hours, thirteen minutes, and thirty-three seconds to reach its conclusion;

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 ...

(racing for

Petty Enterprises Petty Enterprises (formerly Lee Petty Engineering) was a NASCAR racing team based in Level Cross, North Carolina, USA. It was founded by Lee Petty with his two sons Richard Petty and Maurice Petty. The team was later owned by Richard Petty, hi ...

) defeated

Bobby Isaac Robert Vance Isaac (August 1, 1932 – August 14, 1977) was an American stock car racing driver. Isaac made his first NASCAR appearance in 1961, and quickly forged a reputation of one of the toughest competitors of the 1960s and 1970s. He was most ...

in fourteen seconds. The pole position speed was ; accomplished by Richard Petty. Total winnings for this race were $20,000 ($ when considering inflation) with the winner receiving most of $3,275 ($ when considering inflation). This event would be the first of two career starts for Jimmy Watson. Notable crew chiefs for this race included

Harry Hyde Harry Hyde (January 17, 1925 – May 13, 1996) was a leading crew chief in NASCAR stock car racing in the 1960s through the 1980s, winning 56 races and 88 pole positions. He was the 1970 championship crew chief for Bobby Isaac. He inspired t ...

, Dale Inman and Lee Gordon. Petty's wins in 1970 came at 18 different tracks. He didn't have any sweeps. This would be the final career start for Lee Roy Carrigg; whose NASCAR Winston Cup Series race spanned nine races and 1002 laps of racing action. Earlier that year, the second annual Atlanta International Pop Festival was held in the same venue as this racing event.

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

and the

Allman Brothers Band Allman may refer to: Music *The Allman Brothers Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame southern rock band, formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Allman Joys, an early band formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Gregg Allman Band People *Allman (surname) ...

performed in front of 300,000 concertgoers; the town had a population of about 2,000. In comparison to this summer musical festival that took place from July 3–5, this autumn racing event only attracted 6500 people in order to see

stock car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

vehicles travel at speeds averaging throughout the entire event.

Qualifying

Finishing order

Section reference: # Richard Petty (No. 43) # Bobby Isaac† (No. 71) #

Dick Brooks Richard Brooks (April 14, 1942 – February 1, 2006) was an American NASCAR driver. Born in Porterville, California, he was the 1969 NASCAR Rookie of the Year, and went on to win the 1973 Talladega 500. Brooks held off veteran Buddy Baker b ...

† (No. 32) #

Bobby Allison Robert Arthur Allison (born December 3, 1937) is a former American professional stock car racing driver and owner. Allison was the founder of the Alabama Gang, a group of drivers based in Hueytown, Alabama, where there were abundant short track ...

(No. 22) # John Sears† (No. 4) #

James Hylton James Harvey Hylton (August 26, 1934 – April 28, 2018) was an American stock car racing driver. He was a two-time winner in NASCAR Winston Cup Series competition and was a long-time competitor in the ARCA Racing Series. Hylton finished second i ...

† (No. 48) #

Benny Parsons Benjamin Stewart Parsons (July 12, 1941 – January 16, 2007) was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst/pit reporter on SETN, TBS, ABC, ESPN, NBC, and TNT. He became famous as the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion, and ...

† (No. 72) #

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 ...

† (No. 64) #

Jabe Thomas Cerry Ezra "Jabe" Thomas (May 12, 1930 – June 4, 2015) was a NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series driver who competed from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s. His son Ronnie was also a NASCAR Cup Series driver; competing from 1977 to 1989 ...

(No. 25) # Cecil Gordon† (No. 24) #

Neil Castles Henry Neil Castles (October 1, 1934 – August 4, 2022) was an American NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver. He raced from 1957 to 1976, and won the NASCAR Grand National East Series in 1972. Early life Castles was born in Ma ...

(No. 06) # Ben Arnold (No. 76) # Bill Champion† (No. 10) # Jimmy Watson (No. 16) #

Friday Hassler Raymond "Friday" Hassler (July 29, 1935 – February 17, 1972) was a NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver. Career Hassler made his debut in 1960 but only drove a handful of races per year until 1967 when he drove 21 of the 49 race ...

† (No. 39) #

Henley Gray Clarence Henley Gray Jr. (born January 12, 1933) is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1964 to 1977. Career Out of the 76045 laps committed in his career, Gray only led two of them. Gray's total career earnings ...

(No. 19) #

Bill Shirey Bill Shirey (born February 28, 1932) is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver. Career Shirey accomplished three finishes in the "top ten" ( 1970 Richmond 500, 1971 Asheville 300, and 1971 Kingsport 300) and has driven for 9588 laps - the eq ...

(No. 74) #

Roy Mayne Roy Mayne (May 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He was a driver in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Au ...

*† (No. 77) #

Jim Vandiver Jim Vandiver (December 13, 1939June 18, 2015) was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver who raced from 1968 to 1983. As an independent driver, he had limited financial resources but enjoyed a level of success that relatively few independent drivers ...

* (No. 58) #

Morgan Shepherd Clay Morgan Shepherd (born October 12, 1941) is an American retired professional stock car racing driver and current team owner. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 89 Chevrolet Camaro for Shepherd Racing Ven ...

* (No. 93) #

Wendell Scott Wendell Oliver Scott (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. He was one of the first African-American drivers in NASCAR and the first African-American to win a race in the Grand National Series, NASCAR's h ...

*† (No. 34) #

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

*† (No. 8) # Lee Roy Carrigg* (No. 87) #

Dave Marcis David Alan Marcis (born March 1, 1941) is an American former professional stock car racing driver on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit whose career spanned five decades. Marcis won five times over this tenure, twice at Richmond, including his final ...

* (No. 26) #

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 ...

* (No. 54) # Rod Eulenfield* (No. 89) # Frank Warren* (No. 79) #

E.J. Trivette E. J. Trivette (born June 6, 1936, in Deep Gap, North Carolina, US) is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver. Career In his thirteen-year career, Trivette has raced 177 races and has accomplished twenty-nine finishes in the top ten. He ha ...

* (No. 02) #

Dick May Richard May (November 7, 1930June 9, 2009) was a NASCAR driver who competed in 185 races in the NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series between 1967 and 1985. In the 1975 running of the Mason-Dixon 500, May drove five different cars but did ...

*† (No. 67) # Larry Baumel* (No. 68) ''* Driver failed to finish race''
''† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased''

Timeline

Section reference: * Start: Richard Petty was leading the starting grid as the green flag was waved. * Lap 4: Larry Baumel's vehicle developed engine problems. * Lap 37: Dick Brooks took over the lead from Richard Petty. * Lap 54: Dick May's vehicle developed problems with its suspension. * Lap 68: E.J. Trivette managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle. * Lap 78: Frank Warren's vehicle developed problems with its suspension. * Lap 80: Rod Eulenfeld's vehicle caught on fire due to the high speeds. * Lap 85: Richard Petty took over the lead from Dick Brooks. * Lap 86: Dick Brooks took over the lead from Richard Petty. * Lap 105: Bill Dennis' vehicle developed problems with its ignition. * Lap 131: Dave Marcis' vehicle developed engine problems. * Lap 139: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Dick Brooks. * Lap 141: Dick Brooks took over the lead from Bobby Isaac. * Lap 173: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Dick Brooks. * Lap 181: Lee Roy Carrig's vehicle developed engine problems. * Lap 201: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Bobby Allison. * Lap 223: Oil started leaking out of Joe Frasson's vehicle; knocking him out the race. * Lap 265: Wendell Scott's vehicle developed engine problems. * Lap 285: Jim Vandiver managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle. * Lap 404: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Isaac. * Lap 405: Roy Mayne's vehicle developed engine problems. * Lap 411: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Richard Petty. * Lap 413: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Isaac. * Lap 426: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Richard Petty. * Lap 445: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Isaac. * Finish: Richard Petty was officially declared the winner of the race.

References

{{authority control Georgia 500 Georgia 500 NASCAR races at Middle Georgia Raceway