The 1967 Fireball 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on March 5, 1967, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina.

1967 Fireball 300
Race details[1][2]
Race 6 of 49 in the 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Date March 5, 1967; 57 years ago (1967-03-05)
Official name Fireball 300
Location Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, Weaverville, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
0.500 mi (0.804 km)
Distance 300 laps, 150 mi (241 km)
Weather Chilly with temperatures of 71.1 °F (21.7 °C); wind speeds of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
Average speed 83.360 miles per hour (134.155 km/h)
Attendance 9,500[2]
Pole position
Driver Junior Johnson & Associates
Most laps led
Driver Richard Petty Petty Enterprises
Laps 150
Winner
No. 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The name of the race was named after NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Fireball Roberts, who died in 1964 following an accident in that year's World 600 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Race report

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This was the historic site of Richard Petty's 50th career win in front of 9,500 people in what is now known as the Cup Series.[2] The average speed of the race was 83.360 miles per hour (134.155 km/h) on a paved oval track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) for three hundred laps.[2] It took one hour and forty-seven minutes for the race to reach its conclusion; Petty defeating Darel Dieringer by outlapping him twice.[2] All twenty-two racers were from the United States of America.[2]

Total winnings for this race were $7,150 ($65,335 when adjusted for inflation). Individual earnings for each driver ranged from the winner's share of $1,800 ($16,448 when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place finisher's portion of $100 ($914 when adjusted for inflation).[3]

Jim Conway would retire from NASCAR Cup Series competition after this event.[4] 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.

Qualifying

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Grid[2] No. Driver Manufacturer Owner
1 26 Darel Dieringer '67 Ford Junior Johnson
2 43 Richard Petty '67 Plymouth Petty Enterprises
3 14 Jim Paschal '65 Plymouth Tom Friedkin
4 2 Bobby Allison '66 Chevrolet Donald Brackins
5 4 John Sears '66 Ford L.G. DeWitt
6 6 David Pearson '66 Dodge Cotton Owens
7 88 Buck Baker '66 Oldsmobile Buck Baker
8 64 Elmo Langley '66 Ford Elmo Langley / Henry Woodfield
9 19 J.T. Putney '66 Chevrolet J.T. Putney
10 75 Earl Brooks '66 Ford Gene Black
11 34 Wendell Scott '65 Ford Wendell Scott
12 09 Neil Castles '66 Chevrolet Garland Miller
13 31 Paul Dean Holt '66 Ford Ralph Murphy
14 91 Jim Conway '65 Plymouth Neil Castles
15 48 James Hylton '65 Dodge Bud Hartje
16 00 Paul Lewis '65 Dodge Emory Gilliam
17 20 Clyde Lynn '66 Ford Clyde Lynn
18 97 Henley Gray '66 Ford Henley Gray
19 46 Roy Mayne '66 Chevrolet Tom Hunter
20 45 Bill Seifert '65 Ford Bill Seifert
21 38 Wayne Smith '66 Chevrolet Archie Smith
22 9 Roy Tyner '66 Chevrolet Truett Rogers

Finishing order

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Section reference: [2]

  1. Richard Petty (No. 43)
  2. Darel Dieringer (No. 26)
  3. Bobby Allison (No. 2)
  4. David Pearson (No. 6)
  5. John Sears (No. 4)
  6. J.T. Putney (No. 19)
  7. Paul Lewis (No. 00)
  8. Elmo Langley (No. 64)
  9. Clyde Lynn (No. 20)
  10. Wendell Scott (No. 34)
  11. Bill Seifert (No. 45)
  12. Henley Gray (No. 97)
  13. Paul Dean Holt (No. 31)
  14. Jim Conway* (No. 91)
  15. Wayne Smith* (No. 38)
  16. Roy Tyner* (No. 9)
  17. Roy Mayne* (No. 46)
  18. Neil Castles* (No. 09)
  19. Earl Brooks* (No. 75)
  20. James Hylton* (No. 44)
  21. Buck Baker* (No. 88)
  22. Jim Paschal* (No. 14)

* Driver failed to finish race

Timeline

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Section reference: [2]

  • Start of race: Darel Dieringer officially began the race with the pole position.
  • Lap 41: Jim Paschal's race would be ruined by his vehicle's faulty wiring.
  • Lap 51: Engine issues forced Buck Baker out of the race.
  • Lap 88: James Hylton's vehicle had a nasty engine problem.
  • Lap 93: Problematic lug nuts would drive Earl Brooks out of the event.
  • Lap 100: Neil Castles blamed his terrible performance on some nasty clutch issues.
  • Lap 104: Richard Petty took over the lead from Darel Dieringer.
  • Lap 109: The problems with Roy Mayne's differential knocked him out of the race.
  • Lap 116: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 119: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Darel Dieringer.
  • Lap 128: The problems with Roy Tyner's differential knocked him out of the race.
  • Lap 144: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
  • Lap 157: The problems with Wayne Smith's differential knocked him out of the race.
  • Lap 215: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 234: Richard Petty took over the lead from Darel Dieringer.
  • Finish: Richard Petty was the official winner of the event.

References

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  1. ^ "1967 Fireball 300 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "1967 Fireball 300 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  3. ^ "1967 Fireball 300 prize winnings information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
  4. ^ "Retirements from NASCAR". Race Database. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
Preceded by Richard Petty's Career Wins
1960-1984
Succeeded by
Preceded by NASCAR Fireball 300 Races
1965-1969
Succeeded by