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The ''1974 Southern 500'', the 25th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that occurred on September 2, 1974, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Jerry Schild would make his only "top-ten" finish at this event. Prior to this event, the 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was dominated by three drivers: Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and David Pearson (who finished in an agonizing 25th place after the checkered flag). ==Summary== A crowd of 65,000 people would see a race lasting four hours and thirty minutes. Eleven cautions were handed out for a duration of 101 laps; which has become the longest duration under the yellow flag in Darlington Raceway history.〔(''NASCAR picks pack: Darlington always a rough one to predict'' ) at CBS Sports〕 The race itself lasted for 367 laps on a paved track spanning in distance. Richard Petty was the pole position winner by driving speeds up to by himself. There were 39 American and one Canadian competitor in the race; Earl Ross.〔(''1974 Southern 500'' racing information ) at Racing Reference〕 Roy Mayne and Jerry Hansen would make their respective exits from the NASCAR Cup Series after this race.〔(Retirements after the 1974 Southern 500 ) at Race Database〕 Only twelve vehicles managed to finish the entire race; Cale Yarborough managed to defeat Darrell Waltrip by a distance of at least one lap. Last-place finisher Earl Brooks had a water pump issue on the first lap of the race. This would allow him to collect a paycheck of $1,100 ($ when adjusted for inflation) while the race winner went home $28,000 richer ($ when adjusted for inflation). Chevrolet and Dodge vehicles were the mainstay of the racing lineup; with racing models varing from 1972 to 1974. The average speed of the vehicles involved in the race was ; with speeds improving measurably since the 1964 Southern 500.〔 Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day. Thirteen of the 40 drivers on the starting grid would see their race end prematurely due to faulty car engines. Eight crashes were recorded by NASCAR; making a good portion of the starting grid not to finish the race.〔 The total prize purse for this event was $132,435 ($ when adjusted for inflation).〔(''1974 Southern 500'' ) information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet〕 While the 1974 Southern 500 had the fourth richest prize purse in the 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, the traditional Southern 500 started to lose the prestige and appeal with the younger drivers and NASCAR officials in the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.〔(''Southern 500 Not Losing its Appeal'' ) at Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Google News Archive Search)〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1974 Southern 500」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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