| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 31 in the 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 1972 Daytona 500 program cover | |||
| Date | February 20, 1972 | ||
| Location |
Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.023 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 57 °F (14 °C); wind speeds approaching 15.9 miles per hour (25.6 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 161.55 miles per hour (259.99 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Nord Krauskopf | ||
| Qualifying race winners | |||
| Duel 1 Winner | Bobby Isaac | Nord Krauskopf | |
| Duel 2 Winner | Bobby Allison | Richard Howard | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | A. J. Foyt | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Laps | 167 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 | A. J. Foyt | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC Wide World of Sports | ||
| Announcers | Keith Jackson, Chris Economaki | ||
The 1972 Daytona 500, the 14th running of the event, was held on February 20, 1972, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. A. J. Foyt, driving a 1971 Mercury, won the race.
First Daytona 500 starts for David Sisco and Walter Ballard.[2] Only Daytona 500 start for Richard D. Brown, George Altheide, David Ray Boggs, Ed Hessert, Larry Dickson, Jimmy Finger, Mark Donohue, and Raymond Williams.[2] Last Daytona 500 starts for Vic Elford, Henley Grey, Ben Arnold, Bill Seifert, Elmo Langley, and Bill Champion.[2]