1968 Volunteer 500
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 30 of 49 in the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 Layout of Bristol Motor Speedway | |||
| Date | July 21, 1968 | ||
| 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 | Hot with temperatures reaching up to 93.0 °F (33.9 °C); wind speeds getting as fast as 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 76.31 miles per hour (122.81 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 20,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | David Pearson | Holman-Moody | |
| Laps | 257 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 17 | David Pearson | Holman-Moody | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1968 Volunteer 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) event that was held on July 21, 1968 at Bristol International Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.
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.
Summary
There were 36 drivers on the racing grid to begin with. It took three hours and sixteen minutes for David Pearson to defeat Cale Yarborough by one and a half laps in front of a live audience of twenty thousand racing fans; about the size of a small city. There were eight lead changes recorded in the NASCAR summary and 13 caution flags were waved for a grueling distance of 92 laps. There were 500 laps in this racing event; speeds of 76.31 miles per hour (122.81 km/h) were recorded during the race while solo qualifying runs would see LeeRoy Yarbrough earn the pole position by driving up to 87.421 miles per hour (140.690 km/h).[2]
Bob Burcham and Ervin Pruitt would make their respective introductions to NASCAR-style racing during this event.[3] Richard Brickhouse ended up being the last-place finisher due to an engine malfunction on the eighth lap. Ford vehicles made up the majority of the racing grid.[2] Five years later, Swede Savage would be killed in a racing accident at the 1973 Indianapolis 500.
The winner of this event received $5,175 in total winnings ($45,341.91 when adjusted for inflation) while the last-place finisher went home with only $250 in total earnings ($2,190.43 when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse for this race was $24,140 ($211,507.98 when adjusted for inflation).[4]
Top ten finishers
| Pos[2] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 17 | David Pearson | Ford | 500 | $5,175 |
| 2 | 4 | 21 | Cale Yarborough | Mercury | 499 | $2,650 |
| 3 | 3 | 29 | Swede Savage | Ford | 498 | $1,700 |
| 4 | 9 | 71 | Bobby Isaac | Dodge | 497 | $900 |
| 5 | 18 | 39 | Friday Hassler | Chevrolet | 488 | $800 |
| 6 | 10 | 3 | Buddy Baker | Dodge | 481 | $700 |
| 7 | 24 | 06 | Neil Castles | Plymouth | 467 | $650 |
| 8 | 12 | 16 | Tiny Lund | Mercury | 465 | $625 |
| 9 | 32 | 45 | Bill Seifert | Ford | 464 | $600 |
| 10 | 29 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | Buick | 463 | $525 |
Timeline
- Start of race: Charlie Glotzbach had the pole position to begin the event
- Lap 8: Richard Brickhouse managed to blow his engine while racing
- Lap 35: James Hylton managed to blow his engine while racing
- Lap 63: Donnie Allison managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle, he was pulled off the track for safety reasons
- Lap 75: Pete Hamilton took over the lead from Charlie Glotzbach
- Lap 81: Stan Meserve managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle, he was pulled off the track for safety reasons
- Lap 86: David Pearson took over the lead from Pete Hamilton
- Lap 114: Pete Hamilton took over the lead from David Pearson
- Lap 117: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from Pete Hamilton
- Lap 120: LeeRoy Yarbrough managed to blow his engine while racing
- Lap 135: G.C. Spencer managed to blow his engine while racing
- Lap 143: Paul Dean Holt's vehicle had an oil leak, he was forced out of the race for safety reasons
- Lap 176: Bob Burcham managed to blow his engine while he was racing
- Lap 183: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith
- Lap 184: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from Cale Yarborough
- Lap 187: Dick Johnson quit the race
- Lap 212: Bobby Allison's vehicle ran out of battery power while he was racing
- Lap 272: David Pearson took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith
- Lap 290: Paul Goldsmith managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle, he was pulled off the track for safety reasons
- Lap 329: Pete Hamilton managed to blow his engine while racing
- Lap 362: Walson Gardner managed to blow his engine while racing
- Lap 385: Charlie Glotzbach managed to blow his engine while racing
- Lap 387: Jabe Thomas had a terminal crash, forcing him out of the race
- Lap 407: John Sears managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle, he was pulled off the track for safety reasons
- Lap 465: Tiny Lund managed to blow his engine while racing
- Lap 481: Buddy Baker managed to blow his engine while racing
- Finish: David Pearson was officially declared the winner of the event
References
- ^ Weather information for the 1968 Volunteer 500 at the Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ a b c d 1968 Volunteer 500 racing information at Racing-Reference
- ^ 1968 Volunteer 500 results at Race-Database
- ^ Official NASCAR Race Results for the 1968 Volunteer 500 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet