| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 27 of 28 in the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 1973 National 500 program cover | |||
| Date | October 7, 1973 | ||
| Official name | National 500 | ||
| Location | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina | ||
| Course | 1.500 mi (2.414 km) | ||
| Distance | 334 laps, 500 mi (804 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with temperatures of 75.9 °F (24.4 °C); wind speeds of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 145.240 miles per hour (233.741 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 64,000[3] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Cale Yarborough | Howard & Egerton Racing | |
| Laps | 257 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 11 | Cale Yarborough | Howard & Egerton Racing | |
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Ken Squier, Marvin Panch | ||
| Turn Announcers | Hill Overton, Barney Hall | ||
The 1973 National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 7, 1973, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
The Yom Kippur war between Israel and the Arabs broke out the day before. The Arab oil embargo soon went into effect and resulted in cancellation of the Texas race and shortening of 1974 races by 10%. Charlotte Motor Speedway was undergoing a leadership shakeup as original owner Bruton Smith was purchasing stock from holders looking to cash out; by 1973 he’d amassed nearly half the 1.4 million shares accounted for by the Speedway and despite public denials was seeking to usurp Richard Howard, the Speedway president appointed as such by bankruptcy court in 1963.[4]
- ^ "1973 National 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
- ^ "1973 National 500 information (second reference)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
- ^ "1973 National 500 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
- ^ Benyo, Richard, SUPERSPEEDWAY: THE STORY OF NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL RACING (1977), pp. 74-77