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1968 Western North Carolina 500
Race details [1] [2]
Race 36 of 49 in the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series season
1968 Western North Carolina 500 program cover
1968 Western North Carolina 500 program cover
Date August 18, 1968; 55 years ago (1968-08-18)
Official name Western North Carolina 500
Location Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, Weaverville, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
0.500 mi (0.804 km)
Distance 500 laps, 250 mi (402 km)
Weather Very hot with temperatures of 87.1 °F (30.6 °C); wind speeds of 10.1 miles per hour (16.3 km/h)
Average speed 73.686 miles per hour (118.586 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Mario Rossi
Most laps led
Driver David Pearson Holman-Moody
Laps 456
Winner
No. 17 David Pearson Holman-Moody
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1968 Western North Carolina 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on August 18, 1968, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina.

Ervin Pruitt would score his best career finish at this event.

Race report

Five hundred laps took place on a paved oval track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km). The race took three hours and twenty-three minutes to finish. [2] Seven cautions were handed out by NASCAR for ninety laps. [2] David Pearson (with a Holman-Moody owned vehicle) defeated Bobby Isaac (in his Nord Krauskopf-owned vehicle) by more than three laps. [2] Notable speeds were: 73.686 miles per hour (118.586 km/h) for the average speed and 88.409 miles per hour (142.280 km/h) for the pole position speed (accomplished by Darel Dieringer using a vehicle owned by Mr. Mario Rossi). [2] Ten thousand and five hundred stock car racing fans attended this live event. [2] Out of twenty-nine American drivers, only nine of them finished the race in a timely manner. [2] Notable names included: J.D. McDuffie, Richard Petty, Elmo Langley, Roy Tyner, and Wendell Scott. [2]

John Sears went over the guard rail and end over end to terminate his night. [2]

The vehicle used by the winner was a 1968 Ford Torino machine homologated for use by the general public but modified to increase both speed and safety. A prize amount of $2,150 ($18,838 when adjusted for inflation) was given out to the winner of the race while last place paid out $150 ($1,314 when adjusted for inflation) for only fifteen laps of work by driver G.C. Spencer. [2] When all the winnings for this racing event are consolidated together, the total prize purse was $13,485 ($118,152 when adjusted for inflation). [3]

The transition to purpose-built racecars 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.

Qualifying

Grid [2] No. Driver Manufacturer
1 22 Darel Dieringer '68 Plymouth
2 17 David Pearson '68 Ford
3 43 Richard Petty '68 Plymouth
4 99 Paul Goldsmith '68 Dodge
5 71 Bobby Isaac '67 Dodge
6 1 Pete Hamilton '68 Dodge
7 48 James Hylton '68 Dodge
8 4 John Sears '67 Ford
9 49 G.C. Spencer '67 Plymouth
10 08 Bob Burcham '66 Chevrolet
11 2 Bobby Allison '66 Chevrolet
12 64 Elmo Langley '66 Ford
13 76 Tiny Lund '66 Ford
14 28 Earl Brooks '66 Ford
15 57 Ervin Pruitt '67 Dodge
16 20 Clyde Lynn '66 Ford
17 51 Stan Meserve '67 Dodge
18 9 Roy Tyner '67 Pontiac
19 70 J.D. McDuffie '67 Buick
20 06 Neil Castles '67 Plymouth
21 8 Ed Negre '67 Ford
22 45 Bill Seifert '68 Ford
23 34 Wendell Scott '66 Ford
24 93 Walson Gardner '67 Ford
25 50 Eddie Yarboro '66 Plymouth
26 25 Jabe Thomas '67 Ford
27 38 Wayne Smith '68 Chevrolet
28 01 Paul Dean Holt '67 Ford
29 88 George England '67 Oldsmobile

Finishing order

Section reference: [2]

  1. David Pearson (No. 17)
  2. Bobby Isaac (No. 71)
  3. Neil Castles (No. 06)
  4. Roy Tyner (No. 9)
  5. Bill Seifert (No. 45)
  6. Jabe Thomas (No. 25)
  7. Ervin Pruett (No. 57)
  8. Walson Gardener (No. 93)
  9. Wendell Scott (No. 34)
  10. Pete Hamilton* (No. 1)
  11. Paul Dean Holt* (No. 01)
  12. Bobby Allison* (No. 2)
  13. Eddie Yarboro* (No. 50)
  14. George England* (No. 88)
  15. Ed Negre* (No. 8)
  16. Elmo Langley* (No. 64)
  17. Paul Goldsmith* (No. 99)
  18. James Hylton* (No. 48)
  19. Bob Burcham* (No. 08)
  20. Earl Brooks* (No. 28)
  21. Clyde Lynn* (No. 20)
  22. Darel Dieringer* (No. 22)
  23. Tiny Lund* (No. 76)
  24. Stan Meserve* (No. 51)
  25. J.D. McDuffie* (No. 70)
  26. Richard Petty* (No. 43)
  27. Wayne Smith* (No. 38)
  28. John Sears* (No. 4)
  29. G.C. Spencer* (No. 49)

* Driver failed to finish race

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

  • Start of race: Darel Dieringer began the event with the pole position.
  • Lap 3: David Pearson took over the lead from Darel Dieringer.
  • Lap 14: Engine issues forced G.C. Spencer out of the race.
  • Lap 33: John Sears had problems with his vehicle's engine, forcing him to exit the race.
  • Lap 35: Wayne Smith's driveshaft stopped working properly.
  • Lap 40: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 52: A frame came off Richard Petty's vehicle, forcing his exit for safety reasons.
  • Lap 56: J.D. McDuffie's engine stopped working properly.
  • Lap 64: David Pearson took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith.
  • Lap 91: Stan Meserve managed to overheat his vehicle.
  • Lap 93: Vibration issues ended up giving Tiny Lund some "bad vibrations," forcing his exit from the track.
  • Lap 119: Engine issues forced Darel Dieringer out of the event.
  • Lap 129: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 132: Engine issues forced Clyde Lynn to leave the event sooner than he planned to.
  • Lap 136: Earl Brooks had a terminal crash, forcing himself to retire from the race.
  • Lap 146: David Pearson took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith.
  • Lap 148: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 149: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Isaac.
  • Finish: David Pearson was officially declared the winner of the event.

References

  1. ^ "1968 Western Carolina 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "1968 Western Carolina 500 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
  3. ^ "1968 Western Carolina 500 information (prize winnings)". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
Preceded by NASCAR Grand National Season
1968 		Succeeded by
1968 untitled race at South Boston Speedway
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