1966 Firecracker 400

Last updated
1966 Firecracker 400
Race details [1]
Race 28 of 49 in the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series season
1966 Firecracker 400 program cover and logo.png
1966 Daytona 500 program cover
Date July 4, 1966 (1966-July-04)
Official name Firecracker 400
Location Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
Course Permanent racing facility
2.500 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643 km)
Weather Temperatures of 93 °F (34 °C); wind speeds of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
Average speed 153.813 miles per hour (247.538 km/h)
Attendance 46,200 [2]
Pole position
Driver
 Jon Thorne
Most laps led
Driver Sam McQuagg Ray Nichels
Laps 126
Winner
No. 98Sam McQuaggRay Nichels

The 1966 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 4, 1966, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. [2]

Contents

Race report

Forty-six Thousand two hundred fans would attended this event. [2] It took two hours and thirty-six minutes to finish. [2] Four cautions slowed the race for 23 laps. [2] The average speed of the race was 153.813 miles per hour (247.538 km/h). [2] Sam McQuagg would beat Darel Dieringer by one minute and six seconds. [2]

This was the first time that a rear spoiler would be used in any NASCAR Cup Series race. [3] On the day of the race, the factory engineers at Dodge would install this new invention on McQuagg's car (which caused him to go several miles per hour faster than his opponents). [3]

Individual winnings for this event ranged from the winner's share of $13,600 ($113,584 when considering inflation) to the last-place finisher's share of $350 ($2,923 when considering inflation). A total of $55,105 was handed out to every driver ($460,226 when considering inflation). [4]

Qualifying

Grid [2] No.DriverManufacturerOwner
112LeeRoy Yarbrough'66 Dodge Jon Thorne
243Richard Petty'64 Plymouth Petty Enterprises
313Curtis Turner'66 Chevrolet Smokey Yunick
498Sam McQuagg'66 Dodge Ray Nichels
599Paul Goldsmith'66 Plymouth Ray Nichels
656Jim Hurtubise'66 Plymouth Norm Nelson
731Don White'66 Dodge Ray Nichels
85Mario Andretti'66 Dodge Cotton Owens
93Buddy Baker'65 Dodge Ray Fox
1071Earl Balmer'65 Dodge Nord Krauskopf

Finishing order

  1. Sam McQuagg† (No. 98)
  2. Darel Dieringer† (No. 16)
  3. Jim Paschal† (No. 14)
  4. Curtis Turner† (No. 13)
  5. Jim Hurtubise† (No. 56)
  6. Don White (No. 31)
  7. Marvin Panch (No. 04)
  8. Tiny Lund† (No. 24)
  9. James Hylton (No. 48)
  10. John Sears† (No. 4)
  11. Buddy Baker*† (No. 3)
  12. Frank Warren (No. 79)
  13. Elmo Langley† (No.64)
  14. Bobby Allison (No. 2)
  15. David Pearson† (No. 6)
  16. Harold Smith (No. 55)
  17. Larry Hess (No. 44)
  18. Eddie MacDonald (No. 89)
  19. Wendell Scott† (No. 34)
  20. Blackie Watt (No. 93)
  21. J.D. McDuffie† (No.70)
  22. Jack Lawrence (No. 06)
  23. Henley Gray (No. 97)
  24. LeeRoy Yarbrough*† (No. 12)
  25. Roy Mayne† (No. 00)
  26. Jimmy Helms* (No. 53)
  27. Paul Goldsmith* (No. 99)
  28. Doug Cooper* (No. 02)
  29. Richard Petty* (No. 43)
  30. Earl Balmer* (No. 71)
  31. Mario Andretti* (No. 5)
  32. Wayne Smith* (No. 38)
  33. Buck Baker*† (No. 86)
  34. Bunkie Blackburn*† (No. 39)
  35. G.C. Spencer*† (No. 49)
  36. Buddy Arrington* (No. 69)
  37. J.T. Putney*† (No. 19)
  38. Bobby Johns* (No. 7)
  39. Jabe Thomas*† (No. 25)
  40. Joel Davis* (No. 33)

† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race

Related Research Articles

Bud Moore Engineering, later Fenley-Moore Racing, was a championship-winning NASCAR team. It was owned and operated by mechanic Bud Moore and ran out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. While the team was a dominant force in the 1960s and 1980s, the final years were tumultuous due to lack of sponsorship and uncompetitive race cars.

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Auto race held in Daytona, United States

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Daytona International Speedway. First held in 1959, the event consists of 160 laps, 400-mile (640 km), and is the second of two major stock car events held at Daytona on the Cup Series circuit, the other being the Daytona 500. From its inception to 2019, it was traditionally held on or around the United States' Independence Day. From 1988 until 2019, the race has been scheduled for the first Saturday of July – that closest to July 4. In 1998, it became the first restrictor plate and Daytona race to be held at night. Since 2020, the race was moved to late August and is the final race of the Cup Series' regular season.

1967 Daytona 500 Auto race run in Florida in 1967

The 1967 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on February 26, 1967, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Mario Andretti won his first NASCAR Cup Series race. And he was the first foreign born, European and Italian driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race

1966 NASCAR Grand National Series 18th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series evolved into the first of three NASCAR Grand National championships for David Pearson, whose 15 wins through the season was second only to Tim Flock's 18 victories in 1955 at that time. NASCAR allowed the return of the Chrysler Hemi engine in 1966, and at the same time Ford decided to boycott NASCAR for the season. The season marked series first visit to the state of Maine. Pearson captured the championship with 35,638 points over second place James Hylton who finished the season with no wins, but 33,638 points for his consistency and efforts.

1968 Rebel 400 Auto race run in South Carolina in 1968

The 1968 Rebel 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 11, 1968, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

1968 Northern 300 Auto race run in New Jersery in 1968

The 1968 Northern 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 14, 1968, at Trenton Speedway in Trenton, New Jersey.

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.

1964 World 600 Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1964

The 1964 World 600, the fifth running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that took place on May 24, 1964, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

1968 Western North Carolina 500 Auto race held at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in 1968

The 1968 Western North Carolina 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on August 18, 1968, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina.

1965 Southern 500 Auto race held at Darlington Raceway in 1965

The 1965 Southern 500, the 16th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 6, 1965, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

1974 World 600 Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1974

The 1974 World 600, the 15th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that was held on May 26, 1974, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

1965 Virginia 500 Auto race held at Martinsville Speedway in 1965

The 1965 Virginia 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 25, 1965, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.

1967 Gwyn Staley 400 American NASCAR auto race in 1967

The 1967 Gwyn Staley 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 16, 1967, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

1967 National 500 American NASCAR auto race in 1967

The 1967 National 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on October 15, 1967, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

1966 Southern 500 Auto race held at Darlington Raceway in 1966

The 1966 Southern 500, the 17th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 5, 1966, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

The 1966 Buddy Shuman 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 9, 1966, at Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina.

1967 Atlanta 500 American NASCAR auto race in 1967

The 1967 Atlanta 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 2, 1967, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

1979 Firecracker 400 Auto race held at Daytona International Speedway in 1979

The 1979 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on July 4, 1979, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

1973 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400 Auto race held at Daytona International Speedway in 1973

The 1973 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on July 4, 1973, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

1968 World 600 Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1968

The 1968 World 600, the ninth running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that took place on May 26, 1968, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

References

  1. ↑ "1966 Firecracker 400 weather information". Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1966 Firecracker 400 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-11-19.
  3. 1 2 "NASCAR Driver of the Day: Sam McQuagg". NASCAR Driver of the Day. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  4. ↑ "1966 Firecracker 400 winnings information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
Preceded by NASCAR Grand National races
1966		Succeeded by
1966 untitled race at Old Dominion Speedway
Preceded by Firecracker 400 races
1966		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.