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 | |
The 1960 National 400 was a Grand National Series stock car race that was held on October 16, 1960 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
The transition to purposely-built racers occurred gradually begain in the early 1960s. 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 trailored to events or hauled in by trucks.
Background
Around 29,166 spectators traveled to Charlotte Motor Speedway to watch the race. Located in Concord, North Carolina, Charlotte Motor Speedway is a banked 1.5-mile (2.4 km) quad-oval that opened a few months earlier for the inaugural World 600. Construction for the track began in 1959 with Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner as architects for the speedway.
Summary
Bob Barron and Friday Hassler would make their NASCAR Grand National 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 ($1,752.34 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.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "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.