The 1972 Winston 500 was a 188-lap NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on May 7, 1972, at the massive 2.66-mile Alabama International Motor Speedway (Talladega Superspeedway). The event drew a huge crowd of 71,400 fans for the 50-car field and was the 11th race of the season.
Bobby Isaac won the pole position with a blistering speed of 192.428 mph. The race was extremely competitive, featuring a remarkable 53 lead changes among several top drivers. David Pearson, driving the #21 Wood Brothers Mercury, took the lead from Isaac on lap 187 and held on to win by just 4.9 seconds. Buddy Baker finished third, followed by Fred Lorenzen in fourth and Richard Petty in fifth. Pearson earned $23,745 for the victory with an average race speed of 134.400 mph. The race was slowed by nine cautions for 62 laps.
This was also the first career Winston Cup start for a young Darrell Waltrip. Pearson’s late-race charge gave him a thrilling victory in one of the most action-packed superspeedway races of the era.
