The 1971 National 500 was held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, on October 10, 1971. Bobby Allison finished first in a 1969 Mercury defeating Bobby Isaac by five seconds. The other top ten finishers were Bobby Isaac, Donnie Allison, Richard Petty, Charlie Glotzbach, Buddy Baker, Pete Hamilton, Friday Hassler, James Hylton, and Benny Parsons. The race lasted 238 laps. The race was supposed to last 334 laps, but due to the rainy and dark weather it had to end short. The average speed was 126.14 mph, with a pole speed of 157.085 mph. There were 52,000 spectators in attendance. The total purse of the race was $83,259.