The 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 25th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 2nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on Sunday January 21 and ended on Sunday October 21. 31 races were scheduled in the 1973 season. 28 were held.
Benny Parsons was crowned Winston Cup champion at the end of the season finishing 67 points ahead of Cale Yarborough. Lennie Pond was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year, succeeding Larry Smith, who was fatally injured in the year's Talladega 500. David Pearson dominated the season winning 11 of the 18 races he entered.[1] Of those wins, using modern NASCAR circuit classifications established in 2013 for age eligibility and engine aerodynamic packages, five wins were on short tracks (two Rockingham, two Dover, and one Martinsville) , four were on intermediate circuits (Darlington, Michigan, and two Atlanta wins) , and two were on superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega).