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1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series.jpg) The 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season began on January 10 and ended on November 20. Richard Petty was the champion for this Winston Cup season. After 20 years of being named the NASCAR Grand National Series, R. J. Reynolds first became the primary sponsor in a decade where the growing anti-tobacco movement banned its advertisement on television and motorsports was the ideal place to place their advertisements. Through NASCAR, Winston merchandise was unveiled to live viewers of the races (since they were not allowed to advertise to a televised audience). This kind of merchandise would also be given out at stores that sold cigarettes in subsequent years. Race car drivers were encouraged to smoke cigarettes (when not racing) until the mid-2000s brought in strict drug testing policies in addition to a smoking cessation program by Nicorette, a GlaxoSmithKline brand (Goody's Headache Powders, a long-time NASCAR sponsor, is a GSK brand; as of 2023, GSK sponsors both the Truck series race, and the spring Cup race at Martinsville Speedway). Season recapNote: Some races were combined races for Grand American and Grand National cars. Races marked Combined Races were won by Grand American cars. The driver who finished first among Grand National cars is listed. Notable RacesMotor Trend 500The 1971 Motor Trend 500 was the first official race in NASCAR's Winston Cup era. Drivers had to contend with 191 laps on a 2.620 mile road course at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California. Ray Elder won the race.
Daytona 500The 12th annual Daytona 500 was run on February 14 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. A. J. Foyt won the pole and Richard Petty would win his third Daytona 500. Top Ten Results
Miller High Life 500The Miller High Life 500 was run on February 28 at Ontario Motor Speedway. A. J. Foyt would win this race after more than three hours of racing (from the pole position).
Greenville 200The Greenville 200 was the first live flag-to-flag telecast of a NASCAR race. The race was run on Saturday, April 10 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway and was carried live on ABC with Jim McKay, Chris Economaki and Ken Squier. Bobby Isaac won the race.
Rebel 400The Rebel 400 was run on May 2 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Donnie Allison won the pole and Buddy Baker would win his third Rebel 400.
Winston 500The Winston 500 was run on May 16 at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama. Donnie Allison won the pole and won the race. He defeated Bobby by some seconds.
World 600The World 600 was run on May 30 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, South Carolina. Charlie Glotzbach won the pole and Bobby Allison would win the 1971 World 600 (defeating his brother).
Myers Brothers 250The 1971 Myers Brothers 250 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that took place on August 6, 1971, at Bowman Gray Stadium in the American community of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Due to the reduced sponsorship money being given out by the "Big Three" automobile companies in Detroit, NASCAR decided to hold six of their smaller Winston Cup Series races in conjunction with the support NASCAR Grand American Series. Three of these races were won by drivers who raced in Grand American cars. Tiny Lund (Hickory and North Wilkesboro) and Bobby Allison (Winston-Salem). Lund was credited with the win in his races, but Allison was not credited with a win until the publicity event for the 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in October 2024, shortly before his death that November at 86. Allison was declared the race winner and given the Grand National race win for that race, even though technically, the correct Grand National class winner was never credited with the win. Under current regulations for NASCAR Holdings, Inc. owned series (NASCAR and IMSA) that feature multiple classes of cars in combination races such as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with GTP, LMP 2, GTD Pro, and GTD classes, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with GT4 and TCR classes, and the ARCA Menards Series combination races with the national series and either East or West cars, there is a winner for each class of car. Richard Petty finished second overall, winning the Grand National class, but NASCAR has never credited Petty with the class win as would be the case in multiple class events.
Yankee 400The Yankee 400 was run on August 15 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Pete Hamilton won the pole and Bobby Allison would win the 1971 Yankee 400.
Delaware 500The 1971 Delaware 500 is a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on October 17, 1971. Richard Petty defeated Charlie Glotzbach by more than one lap in front of eighteen thousand people.
Final Point Standings
Other information
See alsoNotesReferences
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