1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
[1] It was also the first year that all car had to run the 358 cubic inches (5,870 cc) engine after the transition for teams ended, a rule that continues to this day as of 2024.
1974 was the final season before Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt joined the Winston Cup Grand National tour.
Top ten results Amid periodic snow flurries, a crowd of 18,000 witnessed Cale Yarborough win for the second straight spring Bristol race.
David Pearson led the most laps in a small block but had to pit late for fuel, giving Cale Yarborough the win.
Top ten results The lead changed 52 times among 14 drivers as David Pearson edged Benny Parsons.
During pitstops at Lap 105 crewman Don Miller lost a leg when he was hit by the spinning car of rookie Grant Adcox.
Top ten results Rain pushed the second half of the race from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon.
Top ten results David Pearson edged Richard Petty as the lead changed 37 times, the most for the race to that point of its history.
Baker led 94 laps before falling out with engine failure; he was signed to drive the rest of the season in Moore's Ford.
Top ten results George Follmer was fired from Bud Moore's team before the 600 and jumped into Roger Penske's AMC Matador; he won the pole but blew his engine after just seven laps.
Petty edged rookie Earl Ross after Pearson pitted under a late yellow for tires and the green never flew again.
Bobby Allison took over Roger Penske's Matador; he led 50 laps but broke an intake valve late in the race and finished fifth.
24 - Cecil Gordon Junior Johnson had purchased his race team from Richard Howard when Carling Breweries joined the #52 of Earl Ross along with Cale Yarborough's #11.
In the second race as owner of the team Junior saw Cale dominate but Buddy Baker surged to the lead late.
The race saw Neil Bonnett strike the inside pit guardrail, tearing up numerous support posts and requiring a 40-lap caution for repairs.
Top ten results Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Buddy Baker, and David Pearson dueled over the first 170 laps.
Three days before the race A. J. Foyt brought his Coyote Indycar for a speed test; he hit 217 MPH, a closed-course record for the time.
Top ten results Cale Yarborough took his third win in the race after melees eliminated half the field; Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and Buddy Baker were notable crash victims, and rookie Richie Panch was singled out for criticism after being involved in three wrecks.
NASCAR's 1974 point system, which took purse winnings multiplied by number of starts divided by 1,000, came under fire when Petty wrecked early yet outpointed every car that finished ahead of him except race-winner Yarborough.
The race was chaotic as a ten-car melee erupted on the third lap and a vicious two-car crash in Turn Four eliminated Grant Adcox and Ramo Stott.
Bobby Allison took the win in Roger Penske's AMC Matador but was fined $9,100 for unapproved valve lifters in postrace inspection.
