Race details [1] | |||
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Race 6 of 54 in the 1969 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
Date | February 23, 1969 | ||
Location | Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||
Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.023 km) | ||
Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
Weather | Mild with temperatures of 73 °F (23 °C); wind speeds of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) | ||
Average speed | 157.95 mph (254.20 km/h) | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Ray Fox | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Donnie Allison | Banjo Matthews | |
Laps | 87 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 98 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | Junior Johnson |
The 1969 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series race held on February 23, 1969, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, that is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the others being Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. [2] The standard track at Daytona is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track also features two other layouts that utilize portions of the primary high speed tri-oval, such as a 3.56-mile (5.73 km) sports car course and a 2.95-mile (4.75 km) motorcycle course. [3] The track's 180-acre (73 ha) infield includes the 29-acre (12 ha) Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.[ citation needed ]
The track was built by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. to host racing that was being held at the former Daytona Beach Road Course and opened with the first Daytona 500 in 1959. [4] The speedway has been renovated three times, with the infield renovated in 2004, [5] and the track repaved in 1978 and 2010. [6]
The Daytona 500 is regarded as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR calendar. [7] It is also the series' first race of the year; this phenomenon is virtually unique in sports, which tend to have championships or other major events at the end of the season rather than the start. Since 1995, U.S. television ratings for the Daytona 500 have been the highest for any auto race of the year, surpassing the traditional leader, the Indianapolis 500 which in turn greatly surpasses the Daytona 500 in in-track attendance and international viewing. The 2006 Daytona 500 attracted the sixth largest average live global TV audience of any sporting event that year with 20 million viewers. [8]
LeeRoy Yarbrough chased down Charlie Glotzbach, who had an 11-second lead, and passed him on the final lap after starting 19th. It was the first Daytona 500 won on a last lap pass. Yarbrough won in a back-up Ford car after crashing his primary one. This would also be the second-last Daytona 500 before the NASCAR Grand National Series became the Winston Cup Series in 1971. [9] Starting in 1971, all races were to have 43 competitors maximum in a starting grid starting with the 1971 Daytona 500.
Using a grid of 51 competitors (commonplace during the 1950s and 1960s), the average speed of the race was 157.95 miles per hour (254.20 km/h). [9]
First Daytona 500 starts for Benny Parsons, Ray Elder, Vic Elford, Richard Brickhouse, Cecil Gordon, Dick Brooks, Ben Arnold, J. D. McDuffie, and Pete Hamilton. [9] Only Daytona 500 start for George Bauer, E. J. Trivette, Swede Savage, Bobby Unser, Bill Kimmel, Billy Taylor, and Dick Poling. [9] Last Daytona 500 starts for Andy Hampton, Dub Simpson, Wayne Smith, Earl Brooks, Dick Johnson, Bobby Johns, Paul Goldsmith, and H. B. Bailey. [9]
Pos [9] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Laps led | Money | Time/Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 | 98 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | Ford | 200 | 18 | $38,950 | 3:09:56 |
2 | 4 | 6 | Charlie Glotzbach | Dodge | 200 | 51 | $18,425 | +1 car length |
3 | 7 | 27 | Donnie Allison | Ford | 199 | 87 | $13,275 | +1 lap |
4 | 9 | 11 | A. J. Foyt | Ford | 199 | 1 | $5,800 | +1 lap |
5 | 1 | 3 | Buddy Baker | Dodge | 198 | 23 | $10,050 | +2 laps |
6 | 3 | 17 | David Pearson | Ford | 198 | 0 | $5,600 | +2 laps |
7 | 11 | 88 | Benny Parsons | Ford | 197 | 0 | $2,450 | +3 laps |
8 | 12 | 43 | Richard Petty | Ford | 196 | 0 | $3,150 | +4 laps |
9 | 51 | 58 | Andy Hampton | Dodge | 191 | 0 | $2,500 | +9 laps |
10 | 16 | 96 | Ray Elder | Dodge | 190 | 0 | $2,395 | +10 laps |
Section reference: [9]
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.
The 1971 Daytona 500, the 13th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on February 14, 1971 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Spanning 500 miles (800 km) on the paved oval track, it was the first Daytona 500 in the Winston Cup era of NASCAR. During this time, Richard Petty was becoming one of the winningest veterans on the NASCAR circuit.
The 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season began on Sunday January 10 and ended on Sunday November 20. Richard Petty was the champion for this Winston Cup season. After 20 years of being named the NASCAR Grand National Series, R. J. Reynolds first became the primary sponsor in a decade where the growing anti-tobacco movement banned its advertisement on television and motorsports was the ideal place to place their advertisements. Through NASCAR, Winston merchandise was unveiled to live viewers of the races. This kind of merchandise would also be given out at stores that sold cigarettes in subsequent years. Race car drivers were encouraged to smoke cigarettes until the mid-2000s brought in strict drug testing policies in addition to a smoking cessation program by Nicorette, a GlaxoSmithKline brand.
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.
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The 1971 Delaware 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on October 17, 1971, at Dover Downs International Speedway.
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'.
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.
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The 1971 Dixie 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on August 1, 1971, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.
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The 1971 National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 10, 1971, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Most of the vehicles used in the race had a rating of 427 cubic inches.
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.
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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.
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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.