The1966 American 500was aNASCARGrand National Seriesevent that was held on October 30, 1966, atNorth Carolina Motor SpeedwayinRockingham, North Carolina.
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 49 of 49 in the1966 NASCAR Grand National Seriesseason | |||
| Date | October 30, 1966 | ||
| Official name | American 500 | ||
| Location | North Carolina Motor Speedway,Rockingham, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.000 mi (1.609 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures reaching up to 69.3 °F (20.7 °C); wind speeds up to 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 104.348 miles per hour (167.932 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 35,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Holman Moody | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Fred Lorenzen | Holman Moody | |
| Laps | 320 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 28 | Fred Lorenzen | Holman Moody | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s.
Background
editNorth Carolina Motor Speedwaywas opened as a flat, one-mileovalon October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged withPenskeMotorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.[3]
Summary
editThere were 43American-born drivers on the grid along withCanadian-born driverDon Biederman.[2]Tiny Lundwould finish in last place due to a clutch issue on lap 2 out of the 500 laps that were raced that day.[2][4]The race took nearly five hours to finish withFred LorenzendefeatingDon Whiteby more than four laps in front of a crowd of 35000 spectators.[2][4]Lorenzen would clinch the pole position with qualifying speeds reaching 116 miles per hour (187 km/h); with the average speed of the racing only being 11 miles per hour (18 km/h) slower.[2][4]There were 20 different lead changes and NASCAR had to wave the caution flag four times for a total distance of 35 laps.[2][4]
The other drivers in the top ten were:Ned Jarrett,Cale Yarborough,Junior Johnson,Buddy Baker,David Pearson,Jim Paschal,Donnie Allison,andJames Hylton.[2][4]Notable crew chiefs who were in attendance for this race wereHarry Hyde,Dale Inman,Shorty Johns,andRay Fox.[5]
While NASCAR promoters kept luring Junior Johnson back to the Grand National Series for the betterment of the fans, he promptly declared his retirement after this race. Ned Jarrett retired because he and Junior Johnson were involved in the crash that killed Fireball Roberts at the1964 World 600.They both received severe burns pulling Roberts out of the wreckage. The risk was greater than the reward at the time; given the relatively unregulated nature of NASCAR racing during the late 1960s.
Bobby Johnsfinished in 38th place due to acarburetorproblem;[2][4]a practice discontinued since NASCAR adoptedfuel injectionin2012.Tommy Bostickwould make his only NASCAR appearance during this race.[4]The winner of the race would receive $14,550 of the total prize purse ($136,635.69 when adjusted for inflation) while the last-place finisher went home with a mere $500 ($4,695.38 when adjusted for inflation).[6]
Qualifying
edit| Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Fred Lorenzen | '66 Ford |
| 2 | 43 | Richard Petty | '66 Plymouth |
| 3 | 26 | Gordon Johncock | '66 Ford |
| 4 | 29 | Dick Hutcherson | '66 Ford |
| 5 | 14 | Jim Paschal | '65 Plymouth |
| 6 | 99 | Paul Goldsmith | '66 Plymouth |
| 7 | 3 | Buddy Baker | '65 Dodge |
| 8 | 31 | Don White | '66 Dodge |
| 9 | 71 | Earl Balmer | '65 Dodge |
| 10 | 13 | Curtis Turner | '66 Chevrolet |
References
edit- ^Weather information for the1966 American 500at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^abcdefgh1966 American 500racing information at Racing Reference. Accessed 2012-03-04. 2012-03-06.
- ^"Fast Track High Performance Driving School, Inc".Fasttrackracing.Retrieved2012-07-16.
- ^abcdefg1966 American 500racing information at Race Database. Accessed 2012-03-04.Archived2012-03-06.
- ^1966 American 500 crew chiefs informationat Racing Reference
- ^Prize information for the1966 American 500at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Accessed 2012-03-04. 2012-03-06.