1970 NASCAR Grand National Recap

by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide

1970 NASCAR Grand National Standings

Bobby Isaac overtook James Hylton in late August and won the 1970 NASCAR Grand National champion­ship. It was the most competitive title chase in NASCAR history. A total of seven drivers swapped the points lead on 12 occasions during the 48-race campaign, a record that still stands.

1970 NASCAR Grand National Champion Bobby Isaac
1970 NASCAR Grand National Champion Bobby Isaac

Isaac moved to the front with a ­runner-up finish in the Talladega 500 and stayed atop the standings for the final 14 events. Hylton lost his fading hopes for the championship when he crashed in Charlotte's National 500 in October. Bobby Allison surged past Hylton to capture second place in the final standings, 51 points behind Isaac.

For the second straight year, Richard Petty's hopes for a third title were dashed when he missed five races due to an injury suffered at Darlington. The King managed to climb to fourth place in the standings at the end of the ­season.

The seven drivers who led the points standings at one point in the 1970 season were Isaac, Hylton, Allison, Petty, Dave Marcis, Neil Castles, and LeeRoy Yarbrough. See the chart below for the complete 1970 NASCAR Grand National Standings.

1970 NASCAR Grand National Standings

Rank
Driver Points Wins Earnings
1
Bobby Isaac 3,911 11 $199,600
2
Bobby Allison
 3,860 3 149,745
3
James Hylton
 3,788 1
78,201
4
Richard Petty
 3,447 18 151,124
5
Neil Castles
 3,158 0
49,746
6
Elmo Langley
 3,154 0
45,193
7
Jabe Thomas
 3,120 0
42,958
8
Benny Parsons
 2,993 0
59,402
9
Dave Marcis
 2,820 0
41,111
10
Frank Warren
 2,697 0
35,161
11
Cecil Gordon
 2,514 0
32,713
12
John Sears
 2,465 0
32,675
13
Dick Brooks
 2,460 0
53,754
14
Wendell Scott
 2,425 0
28,518
15
Bill Champion
 2,350 0
30,943
16
J.D. McDuffie
 2,079 0
24,905
17
Ben Arnold
 1,997 0
25,805
18
Bill Seifert
 1,962 0
25,647
19
Henley Gray
 1,871 0
23,130
20
Friday Hassler
 1,831 0
27,535
21
Pete Hamilton
 1,819 3
131,406
22
Joe Frasson
 1,723 0
20,172
23
David Pearson
 1,716 1
87,118
24
Buddy Baker
 1,555 1
63,510
25
Bill Dennis
 1,432 0
15,630
26
Ed Negre
 1,413 0
14,580
27
G.C. Spencer
 1,410 0
17,915
28
Charlie Glotzbach
 1,358 3
50,649
29
Roy Mayne 1,333 0
16,910
30
Bill Shirey
 1,244 0
12,215
31
Raymond Williams
 1,204 0
12,535
32
Larry Baumel
 1,138 0
16,645
33
Buddy Arrington
 1,087 0
16,845
34
Cale Yarborough
 1,016 3
115,875
35
Dr. Don Tarr
 995 0
16,592
36
Johnny Halford
 975 0
15,645
37
Earl Brooks
 884 0
10,340
38
Coo Coo Marlin
 876 0
14,799
39
Ron Keselowski
 855 0
11,985
40
Donnie Allison 841 3
96,081
41
Ken Meisenhelder 812 0
7,020
42
Roy Tyner 631 0
5,565
43
LeeRoy Yarbrough 625 1
61,930
44
Dick May 551 0
4,510
45
Jim Vandiver 519 0
16,080
46
John Kenney 457 0
4,150
47
Dub Simpson 367 0
4,115
48
Leroy Carrigg 355 0
4,130
49
Joe Phipps 325 0
4,090
50
Wayne Smith 300 0
4,505

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