1962 Volunteer 500
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 17 of 53 in the 1962 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 Layout of Bristol Motor Speedway | |||
| Date | April 29, 1962 | ||
| Official name | Volunteer 500 | ||
| Location | Bristol International Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.857 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.8 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures approaching 79 °F (26 °C); wind speeds up to 14 miles per hour (23 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 73.397 miles per hour (118.121 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 17,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Banjo Matthews | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Johns | Shorty Johns | |
| Laps | 430 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 72 | Bobby Johns | Shorty Johns | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1962 Volunteer 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) event that was held on April 29, 1962, at Bristol International Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.
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.
Summary
This 500-lap event lasted for a duration of three hours and 24 minutes. Thirty-six drivers managed to qualify for this racing event; with Fireball Roberts earning a pole position start due to his qualifying speed of 81.374 miles per hour (130.959 km/h). Fireball Roberts, Richard Petty and Bobby Johns would dominate the opening laps while Richard Petty and Bobby Johns would dominate the closing laps.[2] John would later credit his win in this event to having a sense of consistency; rather than accelerating the car to full throttle all the time.[3]
Larry Frank was the last-place finisher of this event due to his car overheating on lap 29. George Green would become the final driver to finish the event while David Pearson's faulty lug bolts would prevent him from acquiring a "top five" finish. Most of the vehicles in this race were Pontiac or Chevrolet. All of the drivers were born in the United States of America; no foreigners attempted to qualify for this racing event. Bobby Johns would eventually defeat Fireball Roberts by a margin of six laps; making Johns the only finisher on the lead lap.[2] Gene Blackburn would retire from NASCAR Cup Series racing after this event.[4]
Individual earnings for each driver ranged from the winner's share of $4,405 ($44,369.83 when adjusted for inflation) to the meager earnings of $100 ($1,007.26 when adjusted for inflation) that was given to several low-ranked drivers. NASCAR only authorized a total sum of $17,865 to the qualifying drivers of this event ($179,947.13 when adjusted for inflation).[5]
Major wrecks
The first major wreck of the race occurred when Nelson Stacy, on his 302nd lap, skidded into the second-turn guardrail after the '62 Ford had blown a tire. It bounced back on the track in time to be hit by Maurice Petty's '62 Plymouth.[2] Stacy was shaken up, got a few minor bruises, and was sent to the hospital for observation. He was released before the race ended.
The second major wreck occurred when cars driven by Ned Jarrett and George Green collided on the fourth turn. Nobody was hurt. Both cars were badly damaged and hauled off the track by the wreckers. They were quickly repaired, however, and they got back into the race and were running at the finish.[2]
Top ten finishers
- Bobby Johns (No. 72)
- Fireball Roberts (No. 22), 6 laps behind
- Jack Smith (No. 47), 8 laps behind
- Ned Jarrett (No. 11), 25 laps behind
- Tom Cox (No. 60), 26 laps behind
- Herman Beam (No. 19), 27 laps behind
- David Pearson (No. 6), 39 laps behind
- Wendell Scott (No. 34), 40 laps behind
- Bill Morton (No. 61), 41 laps behind
- Curtis Crider (No. 62), 53 laps behind
Timeline
- Start of race: Fireball Roberts starts the race with the pole position
- Lap 29: Larry Frank managed to overheat his vehicle
- Lap 62: Bobby Johns takes over the lead from Fireball Roberts
- Lap 68: Ralph Earnhardt managed to overheat his vehicle
- Lap 81: Oil pressure issues forced Stick Elliott out of the race
- Lap 160: Richard Petty takes over the lead from Bobby Johns
- Lap 163: Bobby Johns takes over the lead from Richard Petty
- Lap 297: Maurice Petty had a terminal crash, forcing him to exit the event
- Lap 302: Nelson Stacy had a terminal crash, forcing him to exit the event
- Lap 321: Richard Petty takes over the lead from Bobby Johns
- Lap 327: Bobby Johns takes over the lead from Richard Petty
- Lap 430: Buck Baker's engine would stop working properly, causing him not to finish the race
- Lap 444: The rear end of Joe Weatherly's vehicle came off, forcing him to exit the race
- Lap 461: Problems with his lug bolts forced David Pearson to exit the race prematurely
- Finish: Bobby Johns was officially declared the winner of the event
References
- ^ Weather information for the 1962 Volunteer 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ a b c d e Racing information for the 1962 Volunteer 500 at Racing Reference
- ^ Consistency -- not speed -- pays off for Johns at NASCAR.com
- ^ Results for the 1962 Volunteer 500 at Race Database
- ^ Winnings information for the 1962 Volunteer 500 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet