1969 World 600

1969 World 600

Race details[1][2]
Race 21 of 54 in the 1969 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway
Date	May 25, 1969 (1969-May-25)
Official name	World 600
Location	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.500 mi (2.414 km)
Distance	334 laps, 501 mi (804 km)
Weather	Very hot with temperatures approaching 84 °F (29 °C); wind speeds up to 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
Average speed	134.361 miles per hour (216.233 km/h)
Attendance	75,000[3]
Pole position
Driver	Donnie Allison	Banjo Matthews
Most laps led
Driver	LeeRoy Yarbrough	Junior Johnson
Laps	274
Winner
No. 98	LeeRoy Yarbrough	Junior Johnson
Television in the United States
Network	untelevised
Announcers	none

The 1969 World 600, the 10th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that took place on May 25, 1969, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

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; most of the cars were trailered to events or hauled in by trucks.

Background

The race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) asphalt quad-oval in Concord, North Carolina. The track, which opened in 1960, was built by Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner.

Qualifying

Summary

Four hundred laps were accomplished on a paved oval track spanning 1.5 miles (2.4 km).^[3] After nearly four hours and thirty minutes of racing, LeeRoy Yarbrough managed to defeat Donnie Allison by two laps^[4] in front of 75000 live spectators. The 16-lap difference between 2nd place finisher Donnie Allison and 3rd place finisher James Hylton was another notable feature of this event; since the NASCAR vehicles of the late 1960s were not designed to be equal to each other.^[3] Five cautions would be given out for 45 laps along with 13 lead changes amongst eight different competing drivers.^[2][3][4] One of the most spectacular feats of this race would be when LeeRoy Yarbrough would lead the race from lap 162 through lap 400; putting on a very strong performance to win the race.^[4]

During the day of the race, 0.21 inches of rain would be noticed around the speedway.^[5]

There were 44 drivers in the race; each of them would be racing for a racing purse that had a grand total of $132,100 ($881,545.74 when considering inflation).^[6] Ed Negre would get the last-place finish in Don Tarr's 1967 Chevrolet due to a transmission problem on the second lap. Meanwhile, Don Tarr himself scored his best career finish of 6th place.^[2][3][4] Allison would gain the pole position with a speed of 159.296 miles per hour (256.362 km/h) while the average race speed was 134.631 miles per hour (216.668 km/h).^[3][4] Pearson's car rode the guardrail on his lap 13 crash.^[3] His car came back on the inside of the racetrack but while riding the guardrail Pearson hit a flag pole, which served as a landmark for the speedway.

Dave Marcis would have a long career ahead of him after leading the laps in this race. However, this would be the final race for Gerald Chamberlain and Larry Hess.^[4]

Eleven notable crew chiefs were recorded as participating in the event; including Cotton Owens, Dick Hutcherson, Glen Wood, Banjo Matthews, Jim Vandiver, Dale Inman and Harry Hyde.^[7]

Finishing order

Section reference:^[3]

References