1961 Buddy Shuman 250
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 43 of 52 in the 1961 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | September 9, 1961 | ||
| Official name | Buddy Shuman 250 | ||
| Location | Hickory Speedway, Hickory, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.400 mi (0.644 km) | ||
| Distance | 250 laps, 100 mi (150 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures reaching up to 87.1 °F (30.6 °C); wind speeds up to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 67.529 miles per hour (108.677 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 10,500[3] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Rex White | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ned Jarrett | B.G. Holloway | |
| Laps | 160 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 4 | Rex White | Rex White | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1961 Buddy Shuman 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) event that was held on September 8, 1961 at Hickory Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina.
Summary
Two hundred and fifty-two laps were accomplished on a dirt track spanning 0.400 miles (0.644 km).[3][2] The race took one hour and twenty-eight minutes to complete[3] (the approximate length of three modern 30-minute sitcoms aired simultaneously). The pole position speed achieved by eventual winner Rex White was 72.290 miles per hour (116.339 km/h).[3] Jack Smith would become the eventual second-place finished after being outlapped by White in front of 10500 live spectators.[3] Two cautions were given out of an undetermined length of laps. Junior Johnson would crash on lap 58 in his 1961 Pontiac Catalina machine while the winning vehicle would be classified as a Chevrolet with a 1961 model year[3][2][4] (presumably a Bel Air). Being a modest race on a short dirt track, the highest prize that was awarded at the time was $900 ($7,126.84 in current U.S. dollars).[3]
A young Richard Petty (being only 24 years old during this race) would finish in 17th place due to issues with his vehicle's rear end on lap 102.[3][2][4] The entire 20-car field was made up of American-born males.[3]
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.
Top ten finishers
| Pos[3] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 4 | Rex White | Chevrolet | 250 | $900 |
| 2 | 13 | 47 | Jack Smith | Pontiac | 249 | $525 |
| 3 | 5 | 86 | Buck Baker | Chrysler | 249 | $375 |
| 4 | 8 | 6 | Cotton Owens | Pontiac | 248 | $275 |
| 5 | 11 | 85 | Emanuel Zervakis | Chevrolet | 246 | $250 |
| 6 | 12 | 48 | G.C. Spencer | Chevrolet | 242 | $215 |
| 7 | 9 | 17 | Fred Harb | Ford | 240 | $175 |
| 8 | 7 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | Chevrolet | 239 | $150 |
| 9 | 18 | 74 | L.D. Austin | Chevrolet | 233 | $140 |
| 10 | 15 | 93 | Lee Reitzel | Ford | 225 | $130 |
Timeline
- Start of race: Rex White started the race with the pole position, who was prompted overtaken by Junior Johnson prior to lap 2
- Lap 58: Junior Johnson had a terminal crash, forcing him to withdraw from the event
- Lap 59: Rex White took the lead from Junior Johnson
- Lap 61: The clutch in Doug Yates' vehicle became problematic, ending his day on the track
- Lap 89: The rear end of Larry Thomas' vehicle was disabled, ending the race early for him
- Lap 102: Richard Petty's vehicle would be missing a rear end, prompting him to leave the race early
- Lap 162: The rear end of Bob Barron's vehicle fell out, forcing him to leave the race prematurely
- Lap 189: Joe Weatherly noticed that the ball joints on his vehicle came out, forcing him to end his race session early
- Lap 190: Rex White took over the lead from Ned Jarrett
- Lap 194: The left-rear axle that belonged to Jimmy Pardue's vehicle stopped working properly on this lap
- Lap 209: Ned Jarrett took over the lead from Rex White
- Lap 239: The left-rear axle of Ned Jarrett's vehicle developed major issues, forcing him to accept a respectable eighth-place finish
- Lap 240: Rex White took over the lead from Ned Jarrett for the final 11 laps of the event
- Finish: Rex White was officially declared the winner of the event
References
- ↑ "1961 Buddy Shuman 250 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
- 1 2 3 4 "1961 Buddy Shuman 250 information (second reference)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "1961 Buddy Shuman 250 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
- 1 2 "1961 Buddy Shuman 250 information (third entry)". Everything Stock Car. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
| Preceded by 1961 Southern 500 |
NASCAR Grand National Series Season 1961 |
Succeeded by 1961 Capital City 200 |