1961 World 600

The 1961 World 600, the second running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that took place on May 28, 1961, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Chris Economaki called the race in one of the few televised NASCAR races of the 1960s. A series of two qualifying events took place on May 21 to determine the starting grid for this event.

1961 World 600
Race details[1]
Race 24 of 52 in the 1961 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway
Date May 28, 1961 (1961-May-28)
Official name World 600
Location Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.500 mi (2.414 km)
Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (965 km)
Weather Mild with temperatures of 73 °F (23 °C); wind speeds of 10.1 miles per hour (16.3 km/h)
Average speed 111.633 miles per hour (179.656 km/h)
Attendance 46,538[2]
Pole position
Driver
Petty Enterprises
Most laps led
Driver David Pearson John Masoni
Laps 225
Winner
No. 3 David Pearson John Masoni
Television in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Chris Economaki

This race began a streak of 1856 consecutive NASCAR races where at least one of the drivers in the race was from North Carolina. The streak would come to an end after Dale Earnhardt, Jr. did not race in the 2012 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte after getting a concussion after the previous race at Talladega.

The attrition back during the 1960s was high; half the field would sometimes be knocked out of the race with mechanical issues. In the current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, an engine blowing is rare because of all the technological advancements years after NASCAR's heydays of the 1950s and 1960s.

Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) quad-oval track located in Concord, North Carolina, was the location for the race.[3] The track's turns were banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, was five degrees.[4] The back stretch, opposite of the front, also had a five degree banking.[4] Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted the NASCAR Grand National Series twice during the season, with the other race being the National 400. The track opened for the inaugural World 600 one year earlier, and was built by Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner. Around 46,538 spectators attended the race.

Race report

Four hundred laps were raced over a paved oval track spanning 1.500 miles (2.414 km) with a time of five hours, twenty-two minutes, and twenty-nine seconds.[2] Seven cautions were waved for fifty-seven laps. David Pearson defeated Fireball Roberts by more than two laps for his first NASCAR Cup series victory.[2] He and Richard Petty would both acquire wins in what is now called the Coca-Cola 600. There were fifty-five competitors; Cafe Burgundy, Daytona Kennel, and Holly Farms were the main sponsors for some of the drivers.[2] Even though there were 55 cars in the event, only 19 vehicles were allowed to qualify during each pre-race qualifying session.

The average speed was 111.633 miles per hour (179.656 km/h) while the pole position speed was 131.611 miles per hour (211.807 km/h).[2] The qualifying races only set the front row (which is the opposite of what happens before the Daytona 500). A lot of drivers chose not to participate in qualifying.

Attendance for this race was 46,538 and the top prize was $24,280 ($207,732 when adjusted for inflation).[2] The last place competitor received $200 ($1,711 when adjusted for inflation).[2] Competitors for this race included: Ralph Earnhardt, Ned Jarrett, Tiny Lund, Junior Johnson, Joe Weatherly, Richard Petty, and Roy Tyner. While Ralph Earnhardt was very competitive early in the race and was the odds-on favorite to be the winner; he gave up the lead four times and had to settle for 11th.[2]

A terrible crash occurred in this race to driver Reds Kagle; he would lose a leg in this race when his car penetrated the outside guard rail.[2][5]

Notable crew chiefs for the race were Ray Fox, Bud Allman, Smokey Yunick, Mario Rossi, Roy Burdick, Shorty Johns and Joseph Meyer.[6]

Qualifying
Grid[2] No. Driver Manufacturer
1 43Richard Petty'61 Plymouth
2 8Joe Weatherly'61 Pontiac
3 3David Pearson'61 Pontiac
4 20Marvin Panch'60 Pontiac
5 28Fred Lorenzen'61 Ford
6 6Ralph Earnhardt'61 Pontiac
7 18Tommy Irwin'61 Pontiac
8 4Rex White'61 Chevrolet
9 16Speedy Thompson'61 Ford
10 22Fireball Roberts'61 Pontiac
11 11Ned Jarrett'61 Chevrolet
12 72Bobby Johns'61 Ford
13 53Bob Burdick'61 Pontiac
14 47Bob Welborn'61 Pontiac
15 87Buck Baker'61 Chrysler
16 24Roscoe Thompson'60 Pontiac
17 85Emanuel Zervakis'61 Chevrolet
18 94Banjo Matthews'61 Ford
19 46Jack Smith'61 Pontiac
20 21Curtis Turner'61 Ford

Finishing order

Section reference: [2]

  1. David Pearson (only car to finish on lead lap - raced with a 1961 Pontiac Catalina)
  2. Fireball Roberts (also drive a 1961 Pontiac Catalina vehicle)
  3. Rex White (highest finishing Chevrolet)
  4. Ned Jarrett
  5. Jim Paschal
  6. Tiny Lund
  7. Jack Smith
  8. Bob Welborn
  9. Junior Johnson (sponsored by Holly Farms)
  10. Joe Weatherly
  11. Ralph Earnhardt
  12. Paul Lewis
  13. Joe Eubanks (highest finishing Ford Galaxie vehicle)
  14. T.C. Hunt (highest finishing Dodge)
  15. Emanuel Zervakis
  16. Lee Reitzel
  17. Elmo Langley (highest finishing Ford Thunderbird vehicle)
  18. Friday Hassler
  19. Bobby Johns
  20. Tommy Irwin (racing driver)* (highest ranking driver not to finish the race - driveshaft problems)
  21. Bobby Waddell
  22. Ed Markstellar
  23. Doug Yates
  24. Herman Beam
  25. Wes Morgan
  26. Buddy Baker*
  27. Bob Burdick*
  28. Banjo Matthews*
  29. Tubby Gonzales*
  30. Richard Petty*
  31. G.C. Spencer (lowest finishing driver to finish the race - 75 laps behind)
  32. Bob Barron*
  33. Johnny Allen*
  34. Reds Kagle*
  35. Fred Lorenzen*
  36. Roy Tyner*
  37. Tim Flock (his final NASCAR Cup race before retiring[7])
  38. Ed Livingston*
  39. Jimmy Pardue*
  40. Curtis Crider*
  41. Speedy Thompson*
  42. Buck Baker*
  43. Marvin Panch*
  44. Curtis Turner*
  45. Marvin Porter*
  46. Nelson Stacy*
  47. Jimmy Thompson*
  48. Gene Stokes*
  49. Jim Reed*
  50. Roscoe Thompson*
  51. Bobby Allison*
  52. Joe Lee Johnson*
  53. Larry Frank*
  54. Doug Cox*
  55. E.J. Trivette*

Note: * denotes that the driver failed to finish the race.

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

  • Start: Joe Weatherly was leading the pack as the cars officially crossed the start/finish line.
  • Lap 2: David Pearson took over the lead from Joe Weatherly.
  • Lap 3: Joe Weatherly took over the lead from David Pearson; E.J. Trivette's vehicle suddenly developed problems with its axle.
  • Lap 6: Doug Cox fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 10: The timing on Larry Frank's vehicle became abnormal.
  • Lap 16: Ralph Earnhardt took over the lead from Joe Weatherly.
  • Lap 34: Jack Smith took over the lead from Ralph Earnhardt.
  • Lap 37: Ralph Earnhardt took over the lead from Jack Smith.
  • Lap 40: Joe Lee Johnson inflicted terminal vehicle damage.
  • Lap 49: David Pearson took over the lead from Ralph Earnhardt.
  • Lap 53: Ralph Earnhardt took over the lead from David Pearson; the axle on Bobby Allison's vehicle developed problems.
  • Lap 70: David Pearson took over the lead from Ralph Earnhardt; the clutch on Roscoe Thompson's vehicle started acting abnormally.
  • Lap 81: Ned Jarrett took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 93: The valve spring on Jim Reed's vehicle started acting strangely.
  • Lap 95: The oil pressure on Gene Stokes' vehicle suddenly became abnormal.
  • Lap 111: Ralph Earnhardt took over the lead from Ned Jarrett.
  • Lap 113: Axle problems took Jimmy Thompson out of the race.
  • Lap 128: Problems with the vehicle's bearing took Nelson Stacy out of the race.
  • Lap 136: Marvin Porter fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 139: David Pearson took over the lead from Ralph Earnhardt; Curtis Turner inflicted terminal vehicle damage.
  • Lap 140: Marvin Panch inflicted terminal vehicle damage.
  • Lap 147: Buck Baker managed to overheat his vehicle.
  • Lap 178: Richard Petty took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 201: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 207: David Pearson took over the lead from Fireball Roberts.
  • Lap 248: Richard Petty took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 254: Ed Livingston managed to overheat his vehicle.
  • Lap 255: Tim Flock managed to overheat his vehicle.
  • Lap 272: David Pearson took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 277: Reds Kagle inflicted terminal vehicle damage.
  • Lap 283: The rear end of Johnny Allen's vehicle became dangerously loose.
  • Lap 291: Bob Barron was disqualified from the race by the virtue of the black flag.
  • Lap 332: Richard Petty fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 336: Tubby Gonzales's vehicle developed a dangerously loose rear end; Banjo Matthews fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 338: Bob Burdick fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 342: The rear end of Buddy Baker's vehicle became dangerously loose.
  • Finish: David Pearson was officially declared the winner of the event.

References
  1. "Weather information for the 1961 World 600". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  2. "Racing information for the 1961 World 600". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  3. "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  4. "NASCAR Tracks—The Charlotte Motor Speedway". Charlotte Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on April 28, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  5. "Reds Kagle crashes in 1961 World 600 at Charlotte". Daily Motion. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
  6. "1961 World 600 crew chiefs information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  7. "Tim Flock's retirement". Race Database. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
Preceded by
1961 untitled race at Ascot Stadium		 NASCAR Grand National Races
1961		 Succeeded by
1961 untitled race at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds
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