1969 World 600
| 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 500 | ||
| 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 | Warm with temperatures approaching 84 °F (29 °C); wind speeds up to 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 | ||
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.
The transition to purposely-built racers 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; most of the cars were trailered to events or hauled in by trucks.
Background
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.
Summary
Four hundred laps were accomplished on a paved oval track spanning 1.5 miles (2.4 km).[3] After nearly four hours and thirty minutes of racing, LeeRoy Yarbrough managed to defeat Donnie Allison by two laps[4] in front of 75000 live spectators.[3] Five cautions would be given out for 45 laps along with 13 lead changes amongst eight different competing drivers.[2][3][4] One of the most spectactular feats of this race would be when LeeRoy Yarbrough would lead the race from lap 162 through lap 400; putting on a very strong performance to win the race.[4]
There were 44 drivers in the race; each of them would be racing for a racing purse that had a grand total of $132,100 ($853,855.08 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.[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]
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]
Top thirty finishers
- 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
Timeline
- Start of race: Cale Yarborough had the pole position to begin the event
- Lap 4: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Cale Yarborough
- Lap 30: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarborough
- 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
- Lap 54: Richard Petty took over the lead from Dave Marcis
- 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 managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 110: Roy Mayne managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 122: Larry Hess managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 135: Bill Champion managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 150: John Sears managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 151: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Richard Petty
- 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 managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 303: Sam McQuagg managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 307: An incident involving a vehicle's hub forced Cale Yarborough out of the race
- Lap 308: Buddy Arrington managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 336: Richard Petty managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 347: Buddy Baker managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 367: Friday Hassler managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 374: Bobby Isaac managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Finish: LeeRoy Yarbrough was the official winner of the event
References
- ↑ Weather information for the 1969 World 600 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- 1 2 3 1969 World 600 at Database Racing
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 1969 World 600 at Racing Reference
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 1969 World 600 at Race Database
- ↑ 1969 World 600 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
| Preceded by 1969 Tidewater 375 |
NASCAR Grand National Series season 1969 |
Succeeded by 1969 Macon 300 |
| Preceded by 1968 |
World 600 races 1969 |
Succeeded by 1970 |