The 1975 Champion Spark Plug 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on August 24, 1975, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Programs were sold for this race at a price of $1.50 per copy ($ when adjusted for inflation). The cost of admission to this race was relatively cheap; children got in for US$5 ($ when adjusted for inflation) while adults got decent seats for US$10 ($ when adjusted for inflation).
This was the first Cup race at Michigan International Speedway to have a corporate title sponsor. In all prior years, the August Michigan Cup race had been called the Yankee 400.
Michigan International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2miles long.[1] Groundbreaking took place on September 28, 1967. Over 2.5e6cuyd of dirt were moved to form the D-shaped oval. The track opened in 1968 with a total capacity of 25,000 seats. The track was originally built and owned by Lawrence H. LoPatin, a Detroit-area land developer who built the speedway at an estimated cost of $4–6 million.[2] Financing was arranged by Thomas W Itin. Its first race took place on Sunday, October 13, 1968, with the running of the USAC 250 mile Championship Car Race won by Ronnie Bucknum.
Two hundred laps were completed in three hours and forty-five seconds on the paved oval track spanning 2miles. All of the 36 drivers who qualified for this race were born in the United States of America. Henley Gray started 374 races in Cup, but this is the only race where he led laps - two of them right after Coo Coo Marlin's wreck.[3]
Six yellow flags slowed the race for 63 laps while the lead changed 25 times among twelve drivers.[4] Richard Petty would defeat David Pearson by a distance of five feet as the lead changed four times between them in the final four laps[5] in front of 47,000 audience members. This race was considered to be one of MRN's finest broadcasts; with interesting commentary during a long rain delay.
Pearson would win the pole position with a speed of 159.798mph while the average speed of the race would be 107.583mph. Even with David Pearson finishing in second place, he managed to keep his finishing streak going with victories at the 1976 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 and the 1976 Champion Spark Plug 400.[6]
Jackie Rogers would receive the last-place finish for owner Lou Viglione and his 1975 Chevrolet team; he would match his career-best qualifying effort with a ninth-place starting spot but the motor on his #60 Chevrolet failed in the opening laps.[4] The race saw A. J. Foyt lead sixty-eight laps before falling out with engine failure after 117 laps. Independent driver David Sisco led 28 laps en route to finishing 11th.[4]
Prize winnings would range from $15,140 for the winner ($ when adjusted for inflation) to $700 for the last-place finisher ($ when adjusted for inflation).[4] [7] There were 36 cars on the official racing grid; most of them were Chevrolets.[4] Terry Bivins would make his NASCAR debut in this race. Maynard Troyer would record his only top ten on his career. Richard Petty would keep his championship lead after this race. However, Dave Marcis would only be 573 points behind (despite not winning a race up to this point).[4] [7]
| Grid | Driver | Manufacturer | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | David Pearson | '73 Mercury | |
| 2 | 15 | Buddy Baker | '75 Ford | |
| 3 | 28 | A. J. Foyt | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 4 | 43 | Richard Petty | '74 Dodge | |
| 5 | 16 | Bobby Allison | '75 AMC Matador | |
| 6 | 14 | Coo Coo Marlin | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 7 | 90 | Dick Brooks | '73 Ford | |
| 8 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 9 | 60 | Jackie Rogers | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 10 | 72 | Benny Parsons | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 11 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 12 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 13 | 48 | James Hylton | '74 Chevrolet | |
| 14 | 47 | Bruce Hill | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 15 | 96 | Richard Childress | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 16 | 7 | Dean Dalton | '73 Ford | |
| 17 | 19 | Henley Gray | '74 Chevrolet | |
| 18 | 05 | David Sisco | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 19 | 79 | Frank Warren | '74 Dodge | |
| 20 | 8 | Ed Negre | '74 Dodge | |
| 21 | 71 | Dave Marcis | '74 Dodge | |
| 22 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 23 | 98 | Richie Panch | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 24 | 30 | Walter Ballard | '75 Chevrolet | |
| 25 | 63 | Terry Bivins | '75 Chevrolet |
Section reference:[8]
| POS | ST | DRIVER | SPONSOR / OWNER | CAR | LAPS | MONEY | STATUS | LED | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 43 | Richard Petty | STP (Petty Enterprises) | '74 Dodge | 200 | 18140 | running | 45 | 180 | |
| 2 | 1 | 21 | David Pearson | Purolator (Wood Brothers) | '73 Mercury | 200 | 10735 | running | 33 | 175 | |
| 3 | 8 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Holly Farms (Junior Johnson) | '75 Chevrolet | 200 | 9385 | running | 0 | 165 | |
| 4 | 5 | 16 | Bobby Allison | Coca-Cola / AMC (Roger Penske) | '75 Matador | 200 | 4060 | running | 9 | 165 | |
| 5 | 21 | 71 | Dave Marcis | K & K Insurance (Nord Krauskopf) | '74 Dodge | 199 | 6310 | running | 3 | 160 | |
| 6 | 2 | 15 | Buddy Baker | Bud Moore Engineering (Bud Moore) | '75 Ford | 198 | 5710 | running | 2 | 155 | |
| 7 | 11 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Terminal Transport (DiGard Racing) | '75 Chevrolet | 198 | 4610 | running | 3 | 151 | |
| 8 | 14 | 47 | Bruce Hill | Dixie 500 (Bruce Hill) | '75 Chevrolet | 197 | 2510 | running | 1 | 147 | |
| 9 | 25 | 63 | Terry Bivins | Moyer Chevrolet (Billy Moyer) | '75 Chevrolet | 196 | 1910 | running | 0 | 138 | |
| 10 | 16 | 7 | Dean Dalton | Belden Asphalt (Dean Dalton) | '73 Ford | 196 | 1810 | running | 0 | 134 | |
| 11 | 24 | 30 | Walter Ballard | Clyde Lynn Auto Parts (Walter Ballard) | '75 Chevrolet | 196 | 2210 | running | 1 | 135 | |
| 12 | 18 | 05 | David Sisco | Reliable Plumbing (David Sisco) | '75 Chevrolet | 196 | 2110 | running | 28 | 132 | |
| 13 | 12 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | Bob Stott Motors (Cecil Gordon) | '75 Chevrolet | 195 | 1905 | running | 0 | 124 | |
| 14 | 27 | 41 | Grant Adcox | Adcox-Kirby (Herb Adcox) | '75 Chevrolet | 195 | 1285 | running | 0 | 121 | |
| 15 | 34 | 37 | Bruce Jacobi | Opal's Truck Stop (Opal Voight) | '75 Chevrolet | 195 | 1185 | running | 0 | 118 | |
| 16 | 33 | 82 | Ferrel Harris | Dan Walters Forever (Ferrel Harris) | '74 Dodge | 194 | 1100 | running | 0 | 115 | |
| 17 | 13 | 48 | James Hylton | Nitro 9 (James Hylton) | '74 Chevrolet | 194 | 1575 | running | 0 | 112 | |
| 18 | 31 | 64 | Elmo Langley | Independent Auto Salvage (Elmo Langley) | '73 Ford | 194 | 1550 | running | 0 | 109 | |
| 19 | 36 | 33 | Dick May | Joli Boutique (Hiram Handy) | '75 Chevrolet | 193 | 1025 | running | 0 | 106 | |
| 20 | 7 | 90 | Dick Brooks | Truxmore Industries (Junie Donlavey) | '73 Ford | 192 | 1500 | running | 0 | 103 | |
| 21 | 28 | 40 | D.K. Ulrich | Garden State Auto Body (D.K. Ulrich) | '75 Chevrolet | 192 | 975 | running | 0 | 100 | |
| 22 | 29 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Pagoda Motel (Buddy Arrington) | '73 Plymouth | 192 | 1450 | running | 0 | 97 | |
| 23 | 35 | 25 | Jabe Thomas | Thomas Racing (Don Robertson) | '74 Chevrolet | 190 | 925 | running | 0 | 94 | |
| 24 | 30 | 91 | Harold Miller | Miller Racing (Harold Miller) | '75 Chevrolet | 187 | 900 | running | 0 | 91 | |
| 25 | 23 | 98 | Richie Panch | Grey-Rock Brake Products (Bettie Panch) | '75 Chevrolet | 183 | 1375 | engine | 0 | 88 | |
| 26 | 19 | 79 | Frank Warren | John 3:16 (Frank Warren) | '74 Dodge | 154 | 1350 | running | 0 | 85 | |
| 27 | 17 | 19 | Henley Gray | Gray Racing (Henley Gray) | '74 Chevrolet | 142 | 825 | rear end | 2 | 87 | |
| 28 | 22 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | Butler's / Glenn's Landscaping (J.D. McDuffie) | '75 Chevrolet | 132 | 1300 | engine | 0 | 79 | |
| 29 | 26 | 65 | Carl Adams | Adams Racing (Richard Mummert) | '73 Ford | 119 | 785 | engine | 0 | 76 | |
| 30 | 3 | 28 | A. J. Foyt | Gilmore Enterprises (Hoss Ellington) | '75 Chevrolet | 117 | 940 | engine | 69 | 83 | |
| 31 | 15 | 96 | Richard Childress | L.C. Newton Trucking (Tom Garn) | '75 Chevrolet | 96 | 1250 | engine | 2 | 75 | |
| 32 | 32 | 01 | Earle Canavan | Kava Instant Coffee (Earle Canavan) | '74 Dodge | 61 | 740 | engine | 0 | 67 | |
| 33 | 20 | 8 | Ed Negre | 10,000 RPM Speed Equipment (Ed Negre) | '74 Dodge | 58 | 1230 | engine | 2 | 69 | |
| 34 | 10 | 72 | Benny Parsons | King's Row Fireplace (L.G. DeWitt) | '75 Chevrolet | 46 | 3220 | engine | 0 | 61 | |
| 35 | 6 | 14 | Coo Coo Marlin | Cunningham-Kelley (H.B. Cunningham) | '75 Chevrolet | 17 | 1210 | engine | 0 | 58 | |
| 36 | 9 | 60 | Jackie Rogers | Viglione Racing (Lou Viglione) | '75 Chevrolet | 6 | 700 | engine | 0 | 55 |
Section reference:
| Pos | Driver | Points | Differential | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Petty | 3329 | 0 | |
| 2 | 2756 | -573 | ||
| 3 | 2625 | -704 | ||
| 4 | 2525 | -804 | ||
| 5 | 2493 | -836 | ||
| 6 | 2474 | -855 | ||
| 7 | 2449 | -880 | ||
| 8 | 2224 | -1105 | ||
| 9 | 2183 | -1146 | ||
| 10 | 2103 | -1226 | ||
| 10 | 2103 | -1226 |