November 21, 1971
“Wilkes 400”
Top 5 finishers.....
Racing at North Wilkesboro in November? The fall race at NWS was always run in late September/early October. Weather was the culprit. Even the 1971 Wilkes 400 souvenir program read “September 19, 1971.” I’m sure the fans didn’t mind—there was racing at NWS, that’s all that mattered.
In 1971, NASCAR’s top series (now known as The Winston Cup Series) was struggling to fill a full field in many of the races. Cars from NASCAR’s Grand American Series were allowed in the races as “field fillers.” It was argued that the Grand American cars had an advantage—they were equally as fast if not faster. I don’t think anyone argued with the 6 ½ foot tall “Tiny” Lund after the race was over as to who was the victor. Lund qualified his 1970 Camaro in the sixth position. He led just 7 laps in the race. It was the only time in 93 races at NWS that the winner came from the sixth place starting position in either a Grand National or Winston Cup race. Lund won one other time in his Camaro in 1971, at Hickory.
Finishing second, 6 seconds behind Lund was Charlie Glotzbach. “Chargin’ Charlie” broke Bobby Isaac’s string of 5 consecutive poles at NWS. Isaac did not run in the event. Glotzbach’s qualifying was a record 20.919seconds/107.558mph. It was the first lap ever run under 21 seconds at NWS. Was it the car, a “perfect lap” by Glotzbach, or the cooler November weather? No one can actually say, but it did take 4 ½ years (9 races) for that record to be broken. Glotzbach led 76 laps in the race. Glotzbach set a record in 1971 that still stands today. He won at Bristol in 2 hours, 38 minutes, 12 seconds—a race pace of 101.074mph, just 3.5mph slower than the pole speed. There were no cautions in the race. The 2006 spring race averaged 79.427mph, with 18 cautions.
“King” came in third. Richard Petty started the race from the outside pole and led 306 laps throughout the day and finished on the lead lap. Petty was in the third race of an impressive 16 consecutive race streak in which he finished in the top 3 at NWS. Get used to seeing his picture.
The driver finishing 4th was Dave Marcis. He started the race fifth and finished two laps down. It was his 6th attempt at NWS and his first top five finish. It’s a shame that some faces new to the sport have the impression that Marcis was just a “field filler.” He currently is second to Richard Petty in most career starts—881 or 883, depending on your sources. “Field fillers” do not last that long. Marcis raced as hard as he could with what he had, most of the time with a small budget. But he spent every dollar he earned in order to be as competitive as he could. When given the opportunity to drive top equipment, the K&K Insurance car owned by Nord Krauskopf (Bobby Isaac’s current owner), Marcis won 4 career races and in 1975, he finished second to Richard Petty in points. He would probably tell you that his most cherished victory was his fifth and last career win in 1982 at Richmond—in a car which he owned. Marcis had a certain charm about him, but at the same time he could be very stubborn. He blasted other drivers when they deserved it. He spoke against NASCAR’s rule changes when he felt they weren’t necessary. He criticized NASCAR for being in favor of the big money teams and turning their backs on the “little man.” But when he did, it was in his own special way. He wasn’t politically correct, but at the same time he wasn’t irrational. He spoke in a Dave Marcis style, and very few people had the ability to get a point across the way he did. Maybe I need to make a "Bring Back Dave Marcis" sign.....
Finishing 5th, six laps off the pace was Benny Parsons. He started from the 11th position. Although Buddy Baker was the first to break the 200mph barrier in a test session in 1970, Parsons was the first driver to break the 200 mph barrier in qualifying when he ran 200.176 mph to win the pole for the 1982 Winston 500 at Talladega. Parsons is the only driver to win both the ARCA and the NASCAR Winston Cup Championships.
The time of the race was 2 hours, 35 minutes, 58 seconds. There were 3 cautions for 19 laps. The lead changed 8 different times between 4 drivers. Bobby Allison was the fourth driver to lead laps in the race—11. He lost an engine and completed just 173 laps and finished 21st. Walter Ballard took advantage of getting a starting spot as an alternate when James Cox failed to start the race after qualifying 7th. Ballard was running at the finish in 13th, gaining 17 spots from his starting position in the back row—the most positions gained by any driver in the race.
Wendell Scott ran his last race at the speedway. He started 28th and was running at the finish in 17th. Scott had 22 starts at NWS. He had one top five finish. What was impressive was the fact that he was running at the finish in 18 of the 22 races. His average finish was a respectable 16th.