1961 Rebel 300
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 28 in the 1961 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 Layout of Darlington Raceway | |||
| Date | May 6, 1961 | ||
| Official name | Rebel 300 | ||
| Location |
Darlington Raceway Darlington, South Carolina, U.S. | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 219 laps, 301.3 mi (606.7 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures up to 82 °F (28 °C); wind speeds up to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 119.520 miles per hour (192.349 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Holman-Moody | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Fireball Roberts | Smokey Yunick | |
| Laps | 108 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 28 | Fred Lorenzen | Holman-Moody | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1961 Rebel 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) event that was held on May 6, 1961 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Two hundred and nineteen laps were done on an oval track spanning 1.375 miles (2.213 km).[2]
Just months prior to the race, the Friendship Nine picketed McCrory's on Main Street in Rock Hill to protest the segregated lunch counters at the business. They walked in, took seats at the counter and ordered hamburgers, soft drinks and coffee. The students were refused service and ordered to leave. When they didn't, they were arrested.[3] The African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s seemed to avoid NASCAR until Wendell Scott reached mainstream NASCAR success at the 1964 Jacksonville 200.
Summary
Only one caution was given out and Fred Lorenzen defeated Curtis Turner by six car lengths after a series of intentional hits and brake checks.[2] Thirty-two thousand people attended this two-and-a-half-hour-long race.[2] Speeds were considered to be 119.520 miles per hour (192.349 km/h) for the average speed and 128.965 miles per hour (207.549 km/h) for the pole position speed.[2] The winner received the top prize of $8,420 ($66,675.52 when adjusted for inflation) while the last-place finisher (32nd) received $200 ($1,583.74 when adjusted for inflation).[2] Ford had the winning vehicle while Chevrolet's fastest entry was third place.[2]
There were two entries by a 1959 Thunderbird and Pontiac would have its fastest vehicle finish in fourth place.[2] The Dodge driven by Bobby Waddell would finish in 29th and be the only entry for that manufacturer.[2] Most of the DNFs were caused by crashes (the rest were caused by engines, handling, and oil pressure).[2] Richard Petty would be noted for finishing in last place.[2] This would be one out of the fifteen times in his 35-year-long NASCAR Cup Series career that he would finish a race in last place.[4] However, his final last place finish would be at the 1989 Holly Farms 400 race that took place at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Everyone in the race who received winnings would gain a grand total of $30,625 ($242,510.44 when adjusted for inflation) collectively spread throughout the qualifying drivers.[5]
Finishing order
- Fred Lorenzen (sponsored by Courtesy Ford)
- Curtis Turner (sponsored by LaFayette Motors)
- Johnny Allen
- Bob Burdick
- Fireball Roberts
- Marvin Panch
- Ralph Earnhardt
- Banjo Matthews
- Bobby Johns
- Ned Jarrett
- Nelson Stacy
- Larry Frank
- Emanuel Zervakis
- Jimmy Pardue
- Joe Weatherly
- Dave Mader
- G.C. Spencer
- Tommy Irwin
- Larry Flynn
- Buck Baker
- Ed Livingston
- Curtis Crider
- Ed Markstellar (lowest finishing driver to finish the race)
- Rex White*
- Buddy Baker*
- Jimmy Thompson*
- Tom Dill*
- Paul Lewis*
- Bobby Waddell*
- Tim Flock*
- Elmo Langley*
- Richard Petty*
Note: * denotes that the driver failed to finish the race.
Timeline
- Start of race: Fred Lorenzen officially started the event with the pole position
- Lap 10: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Fireball Roberts before losing it to Joe Weatherly on lap 72
- Lap 11: Richard Petty's engine problems forced him out of the race
- Lap 14: Elmo Langley vehicle wasn't able to handle itself properly
- Lap 16: Vehicle handling issues took Tim Flock out of the race
- Lap 22: Bobby Waddell's vehicle had terrible oil pressure
- Lap 38: Oil pressure issues forced Bobby Waddell to leave the track prematurely
- Lap 46: Tom Dill had a terminal crash; forcing him to retire from the race
- Lap 62: Jimmy Thompson had a terminal crash; forcing him to retire from the race
- Lap 81: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Banjo Matthews before losing it to Curtis Turner on lap 143
- Lap 115: Buddy Baker had a terminal crash; forcing him to retire from the race
- Lap 157: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Johnny Allen before losing it to Curtis Turner on lap 199
- Lap 173: Rex White had a terminal crash; forcing him to retire from the race
- Lap 199: Curtis Turner took over the lead from Fireball Roberts before losing it to eventual race-winner Fred Lorenzen on lap 218
- Lap 218: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Curtis Turner; becoming the move that would cause Lorenzen to win the event
- Finish: Fred Lorenzen was officially declared the winner of the race
References
- ↑ Weather information for the 1961 Rebel 300 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1961 Rebel 300 at Racing Reference
- ↑ Lauren Hoyt / The Herald (February 2, 2003). "Activists revive memories of '60s sit-in". Herald Online. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
The three men each vividly recounted Jan 31 1961 when they were arrested for a siting at Rock Hill's McCrory's department store and the ensuing 30 days ...
- ↑ Richard Petty's Last Place finish at LASTCAR
- ↑ Total purse information for the 1961 Rebel 300 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet