NASCAR Classic Races: 1973 Southern 500 in 4K

[Music] an auto race is more than cars running in circles from the first beautiful entertainer to the last tired driver it's a special event like nothing else in all of sports an auto race is part Country Fair part space walk more than 70,000 come to Darlington every year to share the electric excitement of the southern 500 for the track at Darlington is more than slick asphalt and wicked turns this is a track with history and the men who come to drive have that history burned into their own memories for 24 years they've written a proud record book major league stock car racing began on this track and the men remember take Bobby Allison he'll never forget that two years ago he trailed Richard Petty for miles then blasted his way into the lead petty had more than a hundred victories in stock car racing Allison was a struggling driver just beginning to make a name for himself but Allison beat Richard Petty and won the southern 500 bar racing world took notice it was a turning point in Allison's career he had his pick of cars to drive and more than that when he beat the track at Darlington he knew how good he really was a year after that victory Alison was running second to David Pearson another tough shrew driver with more than 50 victories behind him Allison and Pearson blocked horns in one of the most amazing battles in stock-car history finally Allison took the lead and a hundred miles later the victory a year ago Allison became the third man in history to win two southern 500s back to back now can he do what's never been done win three in a row this is Richard Petty he's raced for 15 years but Darlington's been tough on him [Music] richard has more than a hundred and fifty two victories in his career but only once has he been able to win the southern 500 six years ago Richard climbed atop his car in victory lane it was also a victory for Richard's father Lee petty a retired race driver would want everything except the southern five Richard's wife Linda joined the celebration she'd shared the thrills and the heartaches of 70,000 racing miles irrepressible Richard Petty is ready for another goal at Darlington Buddy Baker started racing here 11 years ago Darlington's a narrow track and when there's trouble ahead there's nowhere to go in 1969 buddy learned that sometimes you pay for somebody else's mistakes four years later buddy faced the same problem in the same place with the same results somebody in front of him made a mistake and but he lost the race when victory finally came to Buddy Baker it was long overdue buddy's father buck had won three southern 500s in his brilliant career buddy's victory at Darlington mark the first time a father and son had won the same race on the same track buddy's run a lot of miles since this picture was taken in 1962 but the lure of victory at the southern 500 keeps bringing him back Cale Yarborough born 11 miles from this track peaked under the fence when he was a boy not knowing that one day he would take a ride that would never be forgotten in 1965 Cale was running in number 27 challenging Sam a crag for the lead when suddenly Cale Yarborough was outside the race track he said later I looked down and saw Brad's and I knew I was in trouble there because no grass grows on the Darlington Raceway Valley walked away from that one and came back five years later to take another ride almost as wild he walked away from that one too Ironman cale yarborough has made a boyhood dream come true once in all the years he won the southern 500 it makes up for a lot ko hasn't won a 500-mile race in three years he wants this one David Pearson's won nine Super Speedway races so far this season but he's never won the southern 500 six years ago Pearson number 17 challenged Cale Yarborough for the lead there's just enough room for two cars in the first turn if you're careful Pearson wasn't careful enough he finished second then and was second last year to Bobby Allison this year Dave Pearson's having his best season ever and he's tired of being the bridesmaid today Pearson's driving the fastest qualifier it's time to go racing forty-four engines thundered 'life leading the field from the inside of the first row David Pearson who qualified at more than a hundred and fifty miles an hour next to him Bobby Allison winner of the last two southern 500s inside the second row Richard Petty in number 43 on the outside a rookie Darrell Waltrip in Row three Buddy Baker number 71 and Charlie glutes back a hard running veteran behind Graz back is Cale Yarborough number 11 and Benny Parsons in number 72 stock car racing began here in the South but now is a national sport the infield and both grandstands are packed with fans from all the lower 48 many of them have come every year since racing started in 1950 the fastest starting field ever seen at the Darlington Raceway is running for a hundred and thirty-eight thousand dollars in prize money and a place in the record book they'll run 500 miles in less than four hours on the front stretch the caution flag keeps them down to on it miles an hour the green flag flies and they're racing Bobby Allison's engine bogs down and David person takes the lead with petty and BOTS back right behind me on the fourth spot as they accelerate through the first and second turns cale yarborough is in position the backstretch and are really moving [Music] pissin leads Richard Peddie into the third turn petit slides and corrects at 140 miles an hour the track is slick as ice Darrell Waltrip finds out the hard way he slides into the wall on the fourth turn and heads right for the pits Charlie gloss-black beats rich and heading to the first turn and sets his sights on Dave Pearson brats back follows a simple race plan drive it as hard as you can as long little run if the quakes build it better next time as long as there's a car under him Charlie will be tough but Graz backs not the only charger there's a tough one right behind it here's Cale Yarborough making his move on Charlie Watts back [Applause] tail and number 11 grab second place Bobby Allison sport there are three Chevy's chasing David Pearson's mercury as the leaders overtake slower cars putting them a lap down tail tries to lead can't do it Bobby Allison thinks fast as Charlie got back lifts his foot were an incentive Allison's got third spot as the slower cars move out of the high past room giving the leaders racing room that's what makes Darlington so tough there's only one really fast way around the track Richard Petty's dropped back to fifth place petty smart enough to pace himself until the last 100 miles then look out David Pearson still the leader but Cale Yarborough is running him down then takes the lead Bobby Allison puddles right behind him putting his number 12 into second position in the wink of an eye David Pearson drops from first to third Yarbrough leads second then Pearson and got back the frontrunners are traveling a hundred and forty eight miles an hour a new track record Lenny Pond is in the pits blindfolded he suddenly found himself on instruments when the hood latches gave way and wars in trouble Pearson drops back and petty squeaked by as more keeps it down out of the fast crew there's no yellow flag the race goes on Pearson in number 21 and Glocks back at number 28 are dueling for third spot but Cale Yarborough and Allison have pulled away in their own private battle average speed for the first 20 laps is a hundred and forty five on a track originally designed for 75 higher speeds require better communication many crews now use radio to keep their drivers informed Junior Johnson's linked up with pale Yarborough a spin in turn three it's Tom Dale there's another car out of control Johnny Barnes a number 89 someone broke an engine and spilled oil on the track genbank diver gets through the turn backwards as quick reflexes tapes and other drivers david cisco is another spin victim nobody hurt the safety car moves out to slow the field and get in position in front of the leader the race cars may close up but cannot pass one another according to the rules of NASCAR the Association controlling this race there's a fire in the pits on the backstretch gasoline splashed out of the refueling tank and ignited a crewman shoe is burning those red cans carry 11 gallons of gasoline the fire is under control before anything is lost except a pair of shoes a safety car pulls off the track as the P lines up for the restart in the outside lane is Bobby Allison Buddy Baker and Cale Yarborough running one two three as the green flag restarts the race [Music] Buddy Baker driving dogs number 71 is challenging for the lead Baker winner here in 1970 has moved up among the leaders after a fast pit stop [Music] Baker takes the lead and in the same moment Charlie clots back takes third away from Cale Yarborough it's almost as important for some drivers to lead the race as to win it Alison Petty and Pearson only care about leading the last lap but plots back in Baker water run in front [Music] on the backstretch maker moves low on the track as his speed suddenly drops brats back runs for daylight Charlie plots back takes the lead but there goes Bobby Allison snatching it away Allisyn Chevy can passed low on the track in the fourth turn but Graz backs been showing a little more power on the straightaway [Music] thoughts back blasts into the lead again this is tremendous racing Alison and number 12 settles for second place and waits for another chance he passed thoughts backed once and has the confidence of comes with winning in a long race there are times to challenge and to follow the gold trap waiting watching learning on the front stretch Alison Tess clocks back but Charlie keeps it right on the edge giving away nothing green pass heavies are flying down the backstretch cale yarborough on third spot looking for his chance to run in front into the third turn where Alison can really run [Music] dropping down and taking the lead allison is the only driver who knows that short way around this track Allison keeps that mentioned wild-type and holds the lead down the front stretch Yarbrough has and at Allison out in front of the pack taking one thing at a time kale and number 11 sets his sight on brats back at the end of the backstretch kale gets him now only Alison stands between Yarborough and first place there's a spin turn poor it's Ritchie pants coming off the guardrail into the wall then down across the track in the face of heavy traffic patches only 18 years old but right now he must feel a lot older he's safe but that was a close one again the caution car goes onto the track to slow traffic so the surface can be cleaned and inspected the leaders are in the pits for fuel and fresh tires it'll be a brand new ballgame when the green flag waves Ritchie Panch working with his father Marvin who finished second here before retiring inspects the damage the ignition failed just as Ritchie applied power in the turn without power the car just wouldn't straighten out the damage is only skin-deep there's a chance they'll be able to make it run again and dad's doing all he can Richard Petty's making an unscheduled pit stop after running some ragged laps a top driver like petty can run one lap after another with less than 1/10 of a second difference between them when the stopwatch is show an uneven pattern the driver may be tiring Petty's crew has a relief driver standing by in the pits Richard stock car racing 'he's most successful driver with more victories than the next two men combined is giving up the car South Carolina has been baking in a week-long heat wave that sent temperatures into the high 90s the temperature of the track surface is more than a hundred and forty degrees there's a three-car accident on the fourth turn Ray Williams JD McDuffie and Henley gray mangle each other sheet metal but don't do serious damage to man or machine that's Henley race car with Fender at half-mast the yellow flag slows the traffic while a wrecker goes out to bring Gray's car back to the pits Cale Yarborough's Chevy is in the pits needing fuel and tires right behind him is Dave Pearson's mercury the first car back on the track will have an edge from the green flag waves it's a race of pit crews as five men serviced each car changing two tires and pouring in 20 gallons of gas [Music] in 16 seconds tails rolling again and Pearson's right behind it the pips at a NASCAR race are the fastest service stations in the world at the end of pit road they're held until the traffic breaks then in the same order they rejoin the path Cale will be in front of Pearson when the green flag waves charlie blocks back drives behind the pit wall and out of the race the rear end is threatening to lockup and Charlie would rather Park it than crash it they're ready for a restart the green flag will come out in one more lap but Cale Yarborough gives up first place and heads back to the pits Yarborough's crew saw Dave Pearson's mechanics signal for a pit stop Pearson realized the green was about to fly and ignored his pit signal but Yarborough's crew has radioed to their driver who has obeyed now kale has four new tires but a lot of lost ground to make up he'll be in back of the field when they restart the race the other cars are half a lap ahead traveling 90 miles an hour behind the safety car as Yarborough knew or is out of the pits running hard to close up with Pearson and Allison who are both ahead of him Blotz back is on Baker has spent too much time in the pits at the wheel it's down to a three-way battle now Pearson Allison and Yarborough Pearson's going to be the first to take the green flag on the front stretch Buddy Baker is right behind him but has lost a full lap there are two more slow cars then Bobby Allison who is running second Cale Yarborough trails with six cars between himself and first place Pearson really puts the coal toy he's the kind of driver that maybe this car through the first 400 miles 10 nails his foot to the floor board the fans sense the drama on for Cale Yarborough has less than a hundred miles in which to catch Pearson Yarborough has closed in on him to take second place Allison has slowed down he may be having trouble with his car but he made his car handles better on fresh tires and he goes five Pearson to unlap himself this should put some hard in Yarborough if Baker can pass Pearson that grabs Yarborough can catch him too Jim Vandiver parked his car in the third turn he hasn't been running right since an earlier crash there's no yellow flag the race goes on full speed ahead Yarborough has hauled up on Dave Pearson who has never won the southern 500 although he won the rebel racing run here in the spring on three occasions the southern 500 has jinxed him although he finished second to Bobby Allison a year ago and a cale yarborough in 1968 any finish better than fourth today we'll put Pierson over the million dollar mark in total purses one there are 15 laps to go in the race and this and knows that ganguro is going to be knocking on the door any second this is what stock car racing is all about the final showdown after more than 400 miles of blazing competition Cale Yarborough's going to try for the lead Yarborough taps Pearson's fender and Pearson's out of control Yarborough takes the lead [Music] here's the way it looked from up close up camos because they're running on the edge of control the slightest contact and cause a spin if it happens at the wrong place on the track all drivers know this and try to keep some daylight between the fenders Pearson still wants to win he's right on Cale Yarborough's rear deck if he were any closer TP and job Rose back seat there's no contact this game is to say is too fast and too dangerous for fender banging Yarborough Chevy has the lead with Pearson's make three closes a coat of paint and six laps till the race first place is worth $20,000 second is worth only half of that but they're running for more than money both of these men have worked and suffered on this track both have seen victory and defeat and both will tell you when you've won a darling you've done at all again Pearson tries for the lead and again Yarborough holds him off as a boy yog repeats he dispenses as an underage youth he lied his way into the starting peel now he's got a chance for his second victory in this package that lies only 11 miles from his hometown garb Rose in a three-year long slump this year in a new car he's bounced off every wall on the NASCAR circuit Bobby Allison's car creeps into the pits like a tired warhorse at sundown a year ago he won everything in sight it's part of racing luck the hood is up and that spells trouble in this league once you raise the hood you can't win here Allison with front-end trouble sees his dream of three southern 500 victories in a row go up in smoke Allison goes back to the race four laps down on the leaders he's in position six Pearson's running hard as ever in second place but Cale Yarborough has found extra horsepower and is running away with first place gabbro has put a lot of daylight between himself and Pearson second place car his Chevy is running fine and Cale doesn't want to spoil things by changing his pace three laps to go [Applause] two cars spin coming out of turn two it's Henry gray involved in his second accident of the day [Music] with him this time Hilton we'll try to keep it running but for Henley Bray leaping around to the pits this was not his best day there are two laps to go Pearson has closed in on Yarborough the caution signal slows all cars will the green flag again signal for high speed there's the white flag on the front stretch and the pace car is on the track leading cale yarborough on the last lap they'll finish the race under yellow kale has his hand raised in a victory salute he's done all the high-speed running for the day there's nothing left to prove Cale Yarborough is the fastest who ran longest at Darlington this afternoon Cale Yarborough cruises in the side of the checkered flag running no more than 90 miles an hour it's hard to believe the first race run in 1950 was won at an average speed of 76 miles an hour Yarborough's winning speed a hundred and thirty-four miles an hour on new record his crew runs to meet him at Victory Lane after flashing the traditional sign that means come in will help you spend car to a first-place money Yarborough's victory was a popular one his fans in South Carolina are many loud cale yarborough we used a victory lane to meet his crew as jr. Johnson put it some of the crew got ill when the car was wrecked so often but there's no better medicine than to win a big race there's a hug for herb nab the crew chief while junior Johnson waits nearby if that pit stop had gone wrong if Cale hadn't been able to catch Pearson in the final laps well riots have started for Less in this part of the country Yarborough is joined in victory circle by his wife Betty Jo and their daughter Julianne Cale Yarborough who went over the wall eight years ago has won his second southern 500 for kale for the fans who stretch for a glimpse of the winter and for those who now must pack up and look for a way out of the infield it's been a long lovely day at Darlington southern 500 you

Channel: NASCAR

Views: 517,728

Rating: 4.8702927 out of 5

Keywords: NASCAR, motorsports, racing, stock car, 4k, high definition, remastered, historic nascar, good ole days, wreck, crash, david pearson, Richard petty, cale yarborough, Daytona 500, Darlington, southern 500

Id: NJLBPONIX8A

Length: 26min 14sec (1574 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 24 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/papajustify99]

Damn they needed overtime. Woulda been crazy. Also wtf did Cale find a new gear. He took off.