1960_National_400

1960 National 400

1960 National 400

Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960


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.

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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.

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.[3]

Race report

Bob Barron and Friday Hassler would make their NASCAR Grand National debut appearances here. Unfortunately, this would be Bob Barron's only start of the 1960 NASCAR Grand National Series season.[4] Charlie Glotzbach would also make his NASCAR big league debut at this race but to a much smaller fanfare.

The race was held on a dry circuit; with no precipitation recorded around the speedway.[5]

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][6] 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][7] helping the Wood Brothers' racing team earn their one of their first NASCAR wins as owners. Thompson would get his penultimate win of his NASCAR Cup career in this race; winning for the last time at the 1960 Capital City 400.[8]

Fireball Roberts was the qualifier for the pole position with a speed of 133.465 miles per hour (214.791 km/h).[2] Eight notable crew chiefs participated in the event; including Cotton Owens, Leonard Wood and Bud Moore.[9] He would eventually blow a tire on lap 232; causing him to crash and lose the lead.[10] 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 when adjusted for inflation).[2][11] Lowe's was one of the corporate sponsors of this racing event;[2] they still sponsor NASCAR to this very day through frequent Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.

Qualifying

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Failed to qualify: Buddy Baker (#20), Leroy Thomas, Wilbur Rakestraw (#99), Bob Duell (#95), Gerald Duke (#92), Speedy Thompson (#90), Charles Griffin (#78), Elmo Henderson (#70), Tiny Lund (#63), Jim Whitman (#60), Jim Cook (#38), Tommy Irwin (#36), Jimmy Massey (#21), LeeRoy Yarbrough[12]

Top 10 finishers

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Timeline

Section reference: [2]

Fireball Roberts
Jack Smith
Fireball Roberts
Speedy Thompson
Fireball Roberts
Ned Jarrett
Larry Frank
Fireball Roberts
Speedy Thompson
1
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261

References

  1. "1960 National 400 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  2. "1960 National 400 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  3. "Driver Bob Barron Career Statistics". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  4. "Charlotte NASCAR Climatology" (PDF). SERCC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  5. "1960 National 400 additional track information". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  6. "Driver Speedy Thompson's Win Statistics". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  7. "1960 National 400 crew chief information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-07-04.
  8. "1960 National 400 information (second reference)". How Stuff Works. Archived from the original on 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  9. "About the last-place finisher of the 1960 National 400". Everything Stock Car. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  10. "1960 National 400 qualifying information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
Preceded by
1960 Wilkes 320
NASCAR Grand National Series Season
1960
Succeeded by
1960 Capital City 200
Preceded by
none
National 400 races
1960
Succeeded by

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