The 1969 World 600, the 10th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that took place on May 25, 1969, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 21 of 54 in the 1969 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 Layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway | |||
| Date | May 25, 1969 | ||
| Official name | World 600 | ||
| Location | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.500 mi (2.414 km) | ||
| Distance | 334 laps, 501 mi (804 km) | ||
| Weather | Very hot with temperatures of 84 °F (29 °C); wind speeds of 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 134.361 miles per hour (216.233 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 75,000[3] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Banjo Matthews | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | LeeRoy Yarbrough | Junior Johnson | |
| Laps | 274 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 98 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | Junior Johnson | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
Background edit
The race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) asphalt quad-oval in Concord, North Carolina. The track, which opened in 1960, was built by Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner.
Qualifying edit
| Grid[3] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Donnie Allison | '69 Ford | Banjo Matthews |
| 2 | 98 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | '69 Mercury | Junior Johnson |
| 3 | 17 | David Pearson | '69 Ford | Holman-Moody Racing |
| 4 | 21 | Cale Yarborough | '69 Mercury | Wood Brothers |
| 5 | 43 | Richard Petty | '69 Ford | Petty Enterprises |
| 6 | 22 | Bobby Allison | '69 Dodge | Mario Rossi |
| 7 | 6 | Buddy Baker | '69 Dodge | Cotton Owens |
| 8 | 30 | Dave Marcis | '69 Dodge | Milt Lunda |
| 9 | 99 | Paul Goldsmith | '69 Dodge | Ray Nichels |
| 10 | 71 | Bobby Isaac | '69 Dodge | Nord Krauskopf |
| 11 | 48 | James Hylton | '69 Dodge | James Hylton |
| 12 | 3 | Neil Castles | '69 Dodge | Ray Fox |
| 13 | 14 | Sam McQuagg | '69 Plymouth | Bill Ellis |
| 14 | 39 | Friday Hassler | '67 Chevrolet | Friday Hassler |
| 15 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | '69 Dodge | Buddy Arrington |
| 16 | 64 | Elmo Langley | '68 Ford | Elmo Langley |
| 17 | 32 | Dick Brooks | '69 Plymouth | Dick Brooks |
| 18 | 10 | Bill Champion | '68 Ford | Bill Champion |
| 19 | 08 | E.J. Trivette | '69 Chevrolet | E.C. Reid |
| 20 | 61 | Hoss Ellington | '67 Mercury | Hoss Ellington |
Race report edit
Four hundred laps were raced on the paved oval track spanning 1.5 miles (2.4 km).[3] After nearly four hours and thirty minutes of racing, LeeRoy Yarbrough defeated Donnie Allison by two laps[4] in front of 75000 spectators. The 16-lap difference between 2nd-place finisher Donnie Allison and 3rd-place finisher James Hylton was another notable feature of this event.[3] Five cautions would be waved for 45 laps along with 13 lead changes among eight different drivers.[2][3][4] LeeRoy Yarbrough would lead the race from lap 162 through lap 400; putting on a very strong performance to win the race.
There were 44 drivers in the race; racing for a total of $132,100 ($1,097,557 when considering inflation).[5] Ed Negre would get the last-place finish in Don Tarr's 1967 Chevrolet due to a transmission problem on the second lap. Don Tarr scored his best career finish of 6th place.[2][3][4] Allison would gain the pole position with a speed of 159.296 miles per hour (256.362 km/h) while the average race speed was 134.631 miles per hour (216.668 km/h).[3][4] There was a 16-lap difference between 2nd-place finisher Donnie Allison and 3rd-place finisher James Hylton; showing the spectators that those two drivers did not have a similar set of racing skills.[3][4]
Pearson's car rode the guardrail on a lap 13 crash.[3] His car came back on the inside of the racetrack but while riding the guardrail Pearson hit a flag pole. Dave Marcis would have a long career ahead of him after leading the laps in this race. However, this would be the final race for Gerald Chamberlain and Larry Hess.[4]
Eleven notable crew chiefs: Cotton Owens, Dick Hutcherson, Glen Wood, Banjo Matthews, Jim Vandiver, Dale Inman and Harry Hyde.[6]
Timeline edit
Section reference:[3]
- Start of race: Cale Yarborough had the pole position to begin the event.
- Lap 2: Ed Negre's vehicle developed transmission problems.
- Lap 4: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Cale Yarborough; John Keeney had a terminal crash.
- Lap 13: David Pearson had a terminal crash.
- Lap 15: The radiator on Bobby Allison's vehicle developed serious issues.
- Lap 30: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarborough.
- Lap 34: The sway bar on Henley Gray's video became dangerously loose.
- Lap 38: James Hylton took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith.
- Lap 40: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from James Hylton.
- Lap 42: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith.
- Lap 48: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Bobby Isaac; the carburetor on Richard Brickhouse's vehicle suddenly caught on fire.
- Lap 54: Richard Petty took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
- Lap 57: The wiring on Gerald Chamberlain's vehicle suddenly became a problem.
- Lap 81: Dub Simpson managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle.
- Lap 104: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Richard Petty.
- Lap 106: Richard Petty took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarbrough.
- Lap 108: Wendell Scott fell out with engine failure.
- Lap 110: Roy Mayne fell out with engine failure.
- Lap 122: Larry Hess fell out with engine failure.
- Lap 135: Bill Champion fell out with engine failure.
- Lap 139: Frank Warren managed to overheat his racing vehicle.
- Lap 150: John Sears fell out with engine failure.
- Lap 151: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Richard Petty.
- Lap 153: Neil Castles had a terminal crash.
- Lap 158: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarbrough.
- Lap 162: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Bobby Isaac.
- Lap 272: Dave Marcis fell out with engine failure.
- Lap 303: Sam McQuagg fell out with engine failure.
- Lap 307: An incident involving a vehicle's hub forced Cale Yarborough out of the race.
- Lap 308: Buddy Arrington fell out with engine failure.
- Lap 336: Richard Petty fell out with engine failure.
- Lap 347: Buddy Baker fell out with engine failure.
- Lap 367: Friday Hassler fell out with engine failure.
- Lap 374: Bobby Isaac fell out with engine failure.
- Finish: LeeRoy Yarbrough was the official winner of the event.
Finishing order edit
Section reference:[3]
- LeeRoy Yarbrough
- Donnie Allison
- James Hylton
- G.C. Spencer
- Bobby Isaac
- Don Tarr
- Hoss Ellington
- Jabe Thomas
- Friday Hassler
- Elmo Langley
- Sonny Hutchins
- Buddy Young
- E.J. Trivette
- Roy Tyner
- J.D. McDuffie
- Buddy Baker
- Ed Hessert
- Bill Seifert
- Richard Petty
- Ben Arnold
- Cecil Gordon
- Buddy Arrington
- Cale Yarborough
- Earl Brooks
- Sam McQuagg
- Dave Marcis
- Paul Goldsmith
- Neil Castles
- John Sears
- Frank Warren
- Bill Champion
- Larry Hess
- Dick Brooks
- Roy Mayne
- Wendell Scott
- Dub Simpson
- Dick Johnson
- Gerald Chamberlain
- Richard Brickhouse
- Henley Gray
- Bobby Allison
- David Pearson
- John Kenney
- Ed Negre
References edit
- ^ Weather information for the 1969 World 600 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ a b c 1969 World 600 at Database Racing
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 1969 World 600 at Racing Reference
- ^ a b c d e f 1969 World 600 at Race Database
- ^ 1969 World 600 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
- ^ 1969 World 600 crew chief information at Racing Reference