1960 National 400
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 42 of 44 in the 1960 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 Layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway | |||
| Date | October 16, 1960 | ||
| Official name | National 400 | ||
| Location | Charlotte Motor Speedway, [Concord, North Carolina]] | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.500 mi (2.410 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.5 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures reaching up to 82 °F (28 °C); wind speeds approaching 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 112.905 miles per hour (181.703 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | John Hines | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Fireball Roberts | John Hines | |
| Laps | 197 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 22 | Speedy Thompson | Wood Brothers | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1960 National 400 was a Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) event that was held on October 16, 1960 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
The race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of homologation (and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power any more.
Background
Lowe's Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the Bank of America 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.
Summary
Bob Barron and Friday Hassler would make their NASCAR Cup Series debut appearances here.
It took three hours and thirty-two minutes to complete 267 laps on a paved oval track spanning 1.500 miles (2.414 km).[2][3] Seven cautions were waved by NASCAR officials for 34 laps.[2] Speedy Thompson defeated Richard Petty by one lap and twelve seconds in front of nearly 30,000 spectators while going 112.905 miles per hour (181.703 km/h);[2][4] helping the Wood Brothers' racing team earn their one of their first NASCAR wins as owners. Fireball Roberts was the qualifier for the pole position with a speed of 133.465 miles per hour (214.791 km/h).[2] He would eventually blow a tire on lap 232; causing him to crash and lose the lead.[5] There were fifty drivers who would ultimately participate in this event; all of them were American-born males.[2]
Fred Lorenzen would earn the event's last-place finish for a vibration problem that he developed on lap 4; earning only $200 for that day ($1,360.96 when adjusted for inflation).[2][6] Lowe's was one of the corporate sponsors of this racing event;[2] they still sponsor NASCAR to this very day through frequent Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.
Top ten finishers
| Pos[2] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 21 | Speedy Thompson | Ford | 267 | $12,710 |
| 2 | 21 | 43 | Richard Petty | Plymouth | 266 | $5,550 |
| 3 | 11 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | Ford | 266 | $3,275 |
| 4 | 6 | 5 | Bobby Johns | Pontiac | 265 | $2,880 |
| 5 | 14 | 27 | Junior Johnson | Pontiac | 265 | $1,855 |
| 6 | 4 | 4 | Rex White | Chevrolet | 265 | $2,050 |
| 7 | 9 | 85 | Emanuel Zervakis | Chevrolet | 263 | $1,100 |
| 8 | 7 | 44 | Jim Paschal | Pontiac | 261 | $920 |
| 9 | 30 | 59 | Tom Pistone | Pontiac | 260 | $700 |
| 10 | 17 | 94 | Banjo Matthews | Ford | 259 | $725 |
Timeline
- Start of race: Fireball Roberts had the pole position to begin the event
- Lap 34: Jack Smith took over the lead from Fireball Roberts
- Lap 36: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Jack Smith
- Lap 65: Speedy Thompson took over the lead from Fireball Roberts
- Lap 74: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Speedy Thompson
- Lap 142: Ned Jarrett took over the lead from Fireball Roberts
- Lap 155: Larry Frank took over the lead from Ned Jarrett
- Lap 166: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Larry Frank
- Lap 233: Speedy Thompson took over the lead from Fireball Roberts
- Finish: Speedy Thompson was officially declared the winner of the event
References
- ↑ "1960 National 400 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "1960 National 400 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ↑ "1960 National 400 additional track information". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ↑ "1960 National 400 information (exact comparison between Petty and Thompson)". Racin' Today. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ↑ "1960 National 400 information (second reference)". How Stuff Works. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ↑ "About the last-place finisher of the 1960 National 400". Everything Stock Car. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
| Preceded by 1960 Wilkes 320 |
NASCAR Grand National Series Season 1960 |
Succeeded by 1960 Capital City 200 |
| Preceded by none |
National 400 races 1960 |
Succeeded by 1961 |
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