There have been over 2,000 races in NASCAR Cup Series history. More than 200 drivers have earned victories in those races.
More than 2,000 total races tell a story. Whether they were monumental, lost to time, crown jewels, one-and-done winners or chaotic, each race contributed to a painting of what NASCAR has become over the course of almost 76 years.
But before Oct. 23, 2024, one race stood alone in its meaning. That would be the 1971 Myers Brothers 250 at the famed Bowman Gray Stadium, a quarter-mile track tucked in the heart of North Carolina.
What makes it stand out? It was the only race without an official winner.
Did everyone forfeit the race, you may ask? No, someone had to cross the finish line first. That was none other than NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison, who crossed the start-finish line in his Ford Mustang for what would have been his 25th career victory. Instead, it was a blank in the record books for more than half a century.
The race was under much criticism from the beginning. In an effort to expand the field during the 1971 season, NASCAR selected six events to combine the Grand National cars and the “pony cars” from the Grand American Series, a circuit that ran from 1968 to 1971 featuring lighter, smaller cars. That included Allison’s Mustang (yes, Mustangs ran before the Gen 6 car).
Amid the detractors of the race was Richard Petty, who finished second in the race. Citing that the Grand American cars were more technical and fuel-efficient, many questioned whether the race featured legitimate Cup cars.
“Bobby won, but shouldn’t have gotten credit for it,” Petty claimed in 2017. “The cars weren’t the same; those cars were too different. I shouldn’t have gotten credit, but Bobby shouldn’t have, either. That was a Cup race, and he wasn’t in a Cup car.”
NASCAR eventually caved in to the protest by Petty, stripping Allison of the win. Petty was not named the winner either, rightfully so, leaving the race without a victor.
So here we are, 53 years later. That race is too far gone to adjust now, right?
Thankfully, when NASCAR has said in the past that everything is on the table, this was something that didn’t fully evaporate.
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