1968 Volunteer 500

Last updated
1968 Volunteer 500
Race details [1]
Race 30 of 49 in the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Bristol Motor Speedway map.png
Layout of Bristol Motor Speedway
Date July 21, 1968 (1968-July-21)
Official name Volunteer 500
Location Bristol International Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.857 km)
Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.8 km)
Weather Extremely hot with temperatures of 93.0 °F (33.9 °C); wind speeds of 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
Average speed 76.31 mph (122.81 km/h)
Attendance 20,000 [2]
Pole position
Driver Junior Johnson & Associates
Most laps led
Driver David Pearson Holman-Moody
Laps 257
Winner
No. 17 David Pearson Holman-Moody
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1968 Volunteer 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 21, 1968, at Bristol International Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.

Contents

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.

Race report

There were 36 drivers on the racing grid as the green flag waved and the race was underway. It took three hours and sixteen minutes for David Pearson to defeat Cale Yarborough by one and a half laps in front of a live audience of twenty thousand racing fans; about the size of a small city. There were eight lead changes recorded in the NASCAR summary and 13 caution flags were waved for a grueling distance of 92 laps. There were 500 laps in this racing event; speeds of 76.31 miles per hour (122.81 km/h) were recorded during the race while solo qualifying runs would see LeeRoy Yarbrough earn the pole position by driving up to 87.421 miles per hour (140.690 km/h). [2] Tiny Lund drove a red and silver 1967 Mercury Cyclone #16 vehicle to a respectable 13th-place finish. [2]

Bob Burcham and Ervin Pruitt would make their respective introductions to NASCAR-style racing during this event. [3] Richard Brickhouse ended up being the last-place finisher due to an engine malfunction on the eighth lap. Ford vehicles made up the majority of the racing grid. On lap 187, Dick Johnson would quit the reason for reasons unknown; [2] his final race would be at the 1969 North State 200. Twelve notable crew chiefs participated in the race; including Junior Johnson, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Banjo Matthews, Glen Wood and Bud Moore. [4]

Five years later, Swede Savage would be killed in a racing accident at the 1973 Indianapolis 500. The winner of this event received $5,175 in total winnings ($38,513 when adjusted for inflation) while the last-place finisher went home with only $250 in total earnings ($1,861 when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse for this race was $24,140 ($179,652 when adjusted for inflation). [5]

Considered to be the hottest temperatures for Tennessee during the late-1960s, people were passing out all over the place.

Qualifying

Grid [2] No.DriverManufacturerOwner
198LeeRoy Yarbrough'68 FordJunior Johnson
26Charlie Glotzbach'68 DodgeCotton Owens
329Swede Savage'68 FordBondy Long
421Cale Yarborough'68 MercuryWood Brothers
527Donnie Allison'68 FordBanjo Matthews
617David Pearson'68 FordHolman-Moody Racing
799Paul Goldsmith'68 DodgeRay Nichels
843Richard Petty'68 PlymouthPetty Enterprises
971Bobby Isaac'67 DodgeNord Krauskopf
103Buddy Baker'68 DodgeRay Fox
1122Darel Dieringer'68 PlymouthMario Rossi
1216Tiny Lund'68 MercuryBud Moore
135Pete Hamilton'68 FordRocky Hinton
1448James Hylton'67 DodgeJames Hylton
154John Sears'67 FordL.G. DeWitt
162Bobby Allison'66 ChevroletDonald Brackins
1749G.C. Spencer'67 PlymouthG.C. Spencer
1839Friday Hassler'66 ChevroletRed Sharp
1908Bob Burcham'66 ChevroletE.C. Reid
2064Elmo Langley'66 FordElmo Langley / Henry Woodfield
2120Clyde Lynn'66 FordClyde Lynn
2228Earl Brooks'66 FordEarl Brooks
2325Jabe Thomas'67 FordDon Robertson
2406Neil Castles'67 PlymouthNeil Castles
2551Stan Meserve'67 DodgeMargo Hamm

Top 10 finishers

Pos [2] GridNo.DriverManufacturerLapsWinningsLaps ledTime/Status
1617 David Pearson Ford 500$5,1752573:16:34
2421 Cale Yarborough Mercury499$2,6501+1.5 laps
3329 Swede Savage Ford 498$1,7000+2 laps
4971 Bobby Isaac Dodge497$9000+3 laps
51839 Friday Hassler Chevrolet 488$8000+11 laps
6103 Buddy Baker Dodge481$7000Engine failure
72406 Neil Castles Plymouth467$6500+33 laps
81216 Tiny Lund Mercury465$6250Engine failure
93245 Bill Seifert Ford 464$6000+36 laps
102970 J.D. McDuffie Buick463$5250+37 laps

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

Related Research Articles

1969 Daytona 500 Auto race held at Daytona International Speedway in 1969

The 1969 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series race held on February 23, 1969, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

1970 American 500 Auto race held at North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1970

The 1970 American 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on November 15, 1970, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. Jim Paschal qualified the #40 vehicle for Pete Hamilton.

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.

The 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 25th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 2nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on Sunday January 21 and ended on Sunday October 21. 31 races were scheduled in the 1973 season. 28 were held.

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.

1969 National 500 Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1969

The 1969 National 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on October 12, 1969, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. This race is still being held in today's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series as the 'Bank of America 500'.

1973 National 500 Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1973

The 1973 National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 7, 1973, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

1977 Old Dominion 500 Auto race held at Martinsville Speedway in 1977

The 1977 Old Dominion 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 25, 1977, at the historic Martinsville Speedway; a race track that has enjoyed the presence of NASCAR since its first sanctioned race on July 4, 1948.

1973 Dixie 500 Auto race held at Atlanta International Speedway in 1973

The 1973 Dixie 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on July 22, 1973, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

1975 World 600 Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1975

The 1975 World 600, the 16th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 25, 1975, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

1976 Los Angeles Times 500 Auto race held at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1976

The 1976 Los Angeles Times 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on November 21, 1976, at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California. Each copy of the souvenir program was $2.

1967 Atlanta 500 Auto race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway 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.

1968 National 500 Auto race run in North Carolina in 1968

The 1968 National 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on October 20, 1968, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

1964 Atlanta 500 Auto race held at Atlanta International Raceway in 1964

The 1964 Atlanta 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 5, 1964, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia, the fifth annual race in the history of the Atlanta 500 series of races.

1969 Dixie 500 Auto race held at Atlanta International Raceway in 1969

The 1969 Dixie 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on August 10, 1969, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

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.

1968 American 500 Auto race held at North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1968

The 1968 American 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 27, 1968, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina.

1970 Alabama 500 Auto race held at Talladega Superspeedway in 1970

The 1970 Alabama 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 12, 1970, at Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama. As the inaugural running of what is now known as the GEICO 500, it helped to serve as a prime example of Talladega races yet to come.

1970 Rebel 400 Auto race held at Darlington Raceway in 1970

The 1970 Rebel 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 9, 1970, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. The race is known for a crash involving Richard Petty that inspired NASCAR to implement the window net; a mandatory safety feature in today's NASCAR vehicles.

References

  1. Weather information for the 1968 Volunteer 500 at the Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1968 Volunteer 500 racing information at Racing-Reference
  3. 1968 Volunteer 500 results at Race-Database
  4. 1968 Volunteer 500 crew chief information at Racing Reference
  5. Official NASCAR Race Results for the 1968 Volunteer 500 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
Preceded by
1968 Northern 300
NASCAR Grand National Season
1968
Succeeded by
1968 Smoky Mountain 200
Preceded by
1967
Volunteer 500 races
1968
Succeeded by
1969