The Winston Cup Grand National Series teams returned to Pocono for the tracks second annual Cup race - the Purolator 500 on August 3, 1975.
Bobby Allison won the pole in his Roger Penske Matador prepared in nearby Nazareth PA. David Pearson quailed alongside him in the Wood Brothers Mercury. Buddy Baker in Bud Moores Ford, Dave Marcis in the iconic Harry Hyde-prepared #71 Dodge, and Cale Yarborough in Junior Johnsons Holly Farms Chevy rounded out the top 5.
Richard Petty timed sixth. The King had won the two previous stock car races at Pocono the 1973 Acme Super Saver 500 USAC stock car race and the inaugural Purolator 500 in 1974. Petty had also already won eight races in 1975 a number hed grow to a modern era record of 13 that has been matched just once, by Jeff Gordon.
New Jersey modified driver Carl Van Horn whose name sounds more like a socialite from the Hamptons than a race driver made his one and only career Cup start in the race. Fuzzy Van Horn started 17th and finished 23rd in Walter Ballards #30 Chevy - shown here with Ballard's Clyde Lynn sponsorship that fall at Rockingham. - Mike Smith photo
Ballard's Chevy would be driven over the next year by drivers such as Terry Bivens... [ Ray Lamm picture ]
... Bruce Hill, Tighe Scott and Dale Earnhardt in his 2nd career Cup race. [ Randy Ayers Modeling Forum ]
The race was competitive with the lead changing hands multiple times. Pearson jumped out front at the start and led the first 10 laps. Pole-winner Allison got by the 21 and paced the field for 3 laps. He and Pearson then went back and forth for a while before some new races appeared upfront perhaps because of pit cycling.
Allisons pole-winning effort and early time at the front, however, was for naught. He lost the engine in his Matador was done after 22 laps. - Reading Eagle
Benny Parsons and Marcis had their time up front as well before Pearson and Petty glided their way back to the top of the heap. But around the half-way point of the race, the all-too-familiar mountain rains arrived to interrupt things. The race which already took an extraordinarily long time to complete with the 500 miles - was delayed over an hour more as the rains passed and the track dried.
As the race resumed and proceeded to the mid and late stages, Buddy Baker let it be known he too would like in on the action. He led on multiple occasions during the race though only for a single-digit number of laps each time.
Some in-race action from Firefly at Randy Ayers Modeling Forum .
Racing action with Jabe Thomas, Dick May, Frank Warren and Benny Parsons.
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Pearson leading Buddy Baker - with the track's Schaefer beer signage prominently displayed
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Petty and Pearson dicing
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With about 25 laps to go, the 43 STP Dodge Charger took the lead from Pearson's white and candy-apple red Mercury. Petty held Pearson at bay for the next 13 laps. But with 14 to go, the 21 passed Petty again and set sail towards the win. - Richard Guido photo
With just a handful of laps to go, however, Pearson's car began smoking badly. Petty who was obviously hoping to pounce at the right opportunity had a tough time seeing through the smoke. NASCAR black flagged Pearson with 2 to go, but the Silver Fox had no intentions of giving up the lead and the win.
He continued for the next two laps and took the checkered flag. Petty was none too happy at having to drive through the cloud of smoke. But with Pearson having up to four laps to acknowledge NASCAR's black flag before having his scorecard pulled, the team knew it had a couple of laps margin to finish the race and collect the trophy.
From Pocono's Facebook page
Petty was not happy at all about Pearson's staying on the track. But he did concede he likely would have done the same thing had the roles been reversed. Besides, he had eight wins under his belt already, had the points lead as he headed for his unprecedented sixth championship, and became the first driver to surpass $2 million in career earnings.
Race report - Tuscaloosa News
And one from Wilmington NC Star-News
MRN's broadcast of the race is available for streaming FREE on-line or through iTunes.
http://www.mrn.com/Media-Center/MRN-Show-Archives/Classic-Races.aspx?id=dc13d2dfecd541f1819b026df920d77d
| Fin | Driver | Sponsor / Owner | Car |
| 1 | David Pearson | Purolator (Wood Brothers) | '73 Mercury |
| 2 | Richard Petty | STP (Petty Enterprises) | '74 Dodge |
| 3 | Buddy Baker | Bud Moore Engineering (Bud Moore) | '73 Ford |
| 4 | Benny Parsons | King's Row Fireplace (L.G. DeWitt) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 5 | Richard Childress | L.C. Newton Trucking (Tom Garn) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 6 | Carl Adams | Adams Racing (Richard Mummert) | '73 Ford |
| 7 | Coo Coo Marlin | Cunningham-Kelley (H.B. Cunningham) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 8 | Bruce Hill | Hill Racing (Bruce Hill) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 9 | James Hylton | Nitro 9 (James Hylton) | '74 Chevrolet |
| 10 | Cecil Gordon | Bob Stott Motors (Cecil Gordon) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 11 | Bruce Jacobi | Opal's Truck Stop (Opal Voight) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 12 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing (Buddy Arrington) | '73 Plymouth |
| 13 | Walter Ballard | Belden Asphalt (Dean Dalton) | '73 Ford |
| 14 | Ed Negre | 10,000 RPM Speed Equipment (Ed Negre) | '74 Dodge |
| 15 | D.K. Ulrich | Garden State Auto Body (D.K. Ulrich) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 16 | Frank Warren | Wheels by Pompey (Frank Warren) | '74 Dodge |
| 17 | Dick May | Marcis Racing (Dave Marcis) | '74 Dodge |
| 18 | Baxter Price | Price Racing (Baxter Price) | '74 Chevrolet |
| 19 | David Sisco | Reliable Plumbing (David Sisco) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 20 | Jabe Thomas | Thomas Racing (Don Robertson) | '74 Chevrolet |
| 21 | Joe Mihalic | Mihalic Racing (Lou Viglione) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 22 | Doc Faustina | A-J-S-T Racing (Doc Faustina) | '74 Dodge |
| 23 | Carl Van Horn | Clyde Lynn Auto Parts (Walter Ballard) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 24 | Elmo Langley | Independent Auto Salvage (Elmo Langley) | '73 Ford |
| 25 | Dave Marcis | K & K Insurance (Nord Krauskopf) | '74 Dodge |
| 26 | Earl Brooks | Robertson Racing (Don Robertson) | '74 Dodge |
| 27 | J.D. McDuffie | Butler's / Glenn's Landscaping (J.D. McDuffie) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 28 | Tommy Gale | Champion Racing (Bill Champion) | '73 Ford |
| 29 | Earle Canavan | Kava Coffee (Earle Canavan) | '74 Dodge |
| 30 | Jackie Rogers | Viglione Racing (Lou Viglione) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 31 | Bobby Allison | Coca-Cola / AMC (Roger Penske) | '75 Matador |
| 32 | George Wiltshire | Wiltshire Racing (George Wiltshire) | '74 Dodge |
| 33 | Richie Panch | Grey-Rock Brake Products (Bettie Panch) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 34 | Darrell Waltrip | Terminal Transport (Darrell Waltrip) | '75 Chevrolet |
| 35 | Cale Yarborough | Holly Farms (Junior Johnson) | '75 Chevrolet |
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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 08/03/17 11:59:59AM
