| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 30 of 31 in the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Rockingham Speedway | |||
| Date | October 22, 1972 | ||
| Official name | American 500 | ||
| Location | North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.017 mi (1.636 km) | ||
| Distance | 492 laps, 500 mi (804 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with temperatures of 71.1 °F (21.7 °C); wind speeds of 5.1 miles per hour (8.2 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 118.245 miles per hour (190.297 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 42,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers Racing | ||
| Time | 26.621 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Allison | Howard & Egerton Racing | |
| Laps | 217 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 12 | Bobby Allison | Howard & Egerton Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1972 American 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event held on October 22, 1972, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. While not televised, the 1972 American 500 was covered by local radio stations WAYN-AM (900 AM) and WEEB-AM (990 AM).
- ^ Weather information for the 1972 American 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
rrwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).