1968 Rebel 400

Last updated
1968 Rebel 400
Race details [1] [2]
Race 15 of 49 in the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Darlington raceway.svg
Layout of Darlington Raceway
Date May 11, 1968 (1968-May-11)
Official name Rebel 400
Location Darlington Raceway (Darlington, South Carolina)
Course Permanent racing facility
1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Distance 291 laps, 401.3 mi (706.7 km)
Weather Temperatures of 82.9 °F (28.3 °C); wind speeds of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
Average speed 132.699 miles per hour (213.558 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
 Junior Johnson & Associates
Most laps led
DriverDavid PearsonHolman-Moody
Laps 131
Winner
No. 17David Pearson Holman-Moody
Television in the United States
Network ABC's Wide World of Sports
Announcers Pre-recorded (no announcers)

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.

Contents

Summary

Two-hundred and ninety one laps were completed on the paved oval track spanning 1.375 miles (2.213 km) for a total of 400.1 miles (643.9 km). [2] The time of the race was three hours and fifty-four seconds with a crowd of 22,500 attending. [2] There were four cautions for twenty-three laps. [2] David Pearson defeated Darel Dieringer in his 1968 Ford by eighteen seconds. Pearson took advantage of the NASCAR engine and weight rules for 1968 and used a 396 cid engine instead of the normal 427. At that time the car had to be 4,000 pounds with the 427 cid engine but only 3,707 pounds with the 396 cid engine. The lighter weight paid off as Pearson used less fuel and had fewer tire troubles than many of the other teams. Pearson would continue to use the 396 throughout the year. [2]

Canadian racer Frog Fagan finished in 22nd place. [2] The average speed was 132.699 miles per hour (213.558 km/h) while the pole position speed was 148.85 miles per hour (239.55 km/h). [2] Other notable drivers included Wendell Scott, Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, Elmo Langley, and Roy Tyner. [2] Out of the thirty-four drivers, fifteen of them did not finish the race. [2]

Total winnings for the 1968 Rebel 400 were $53,455 ($393,009 when adjusted for inflation); first-place finisher Pearson earned $13,700 ($100,724 when adjusted for inflation) while last-place finisher Hess walked away with $460 ($3,382 when adjusted for inflation). [3]

Lennie Waldo made his NASCAR Grand National Series debut in this event. [4]

Qualifying

GridNo.DriverManufacturerSpeed [5]
126LeeRoy Yarbrough'68 Ford 148.850
217David Pearson'68 Ford 148.751
322Darel Dieringer'68 Plymouth 148.419
429Bobby Allison'68 Ford 148.335
527Donnie Allison'68 Ford 147.821
63Buddy Baker'67 Dodge 147.254
716Tiny Lund'68 Mercury 147.188
814Curtis Turner'68 Plymouth 146.125
921Cale Yarborough'68 Mercury 147.470
106Charlie Glotzbach'68 Dodge 147.195

Finishers

  1. David Pearson
  2. Darel Dieringer
  3. Richard Petty
  4. Buddy Baker† (highest finishing Dodge entry)
  5. LeeRoy Yarbrough†
  6. James Hylton
  7. Bobby Isaac
  8. John Sears
  9. Bud Moore
  10. Elmo Langley
  11. Bill Champion
  12. E.J. Trivette (highest finishing Chevrolet entry)
  13. Wendell Scott†
  14. Don Tarr*
  15. Curtis Turner*
  16. Earl Brooks
  17. Henley Gray
  18. Lennie Waldo
  19. Clyde Lynn†
  20. Cale Yarborough*
  21. Paul Dean Holt
  22. Frog Fagan
  23. Bobby Allison*
  24. Paul Goldsmith*
  25. Stan Meserve*
  26. Jabe Thomas*
  27. Wayne Smith*
  28. Charlie Glotzbach*
  29. Donnie Allison*
  30. Roy Tyner*
  31. Ed Negre*
  32. Tiny Lund*
  33. Neil Castles*
  34. Larry Hess* (only Rambler entry in the race)

* Driver failed to finish race

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

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References

  1. ↑ "1968 Rebel 400 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "1968 Rebel 400 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
  3. ↑ "1968 Rebel 400 racing results (second reference)". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  4. ↑ "Lennie Waldo's NASCAR Debut". Race Database. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  5. ↑ "1968 Rebel 400 qualifying results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-04-02.
Preceded by
1968 Fireball 300 		NASCAR Grand National Season
1968		Succeeded by
1968 Beltsville 300
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