Official name Gwyn Staley 160 | ||
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Date March 27, 1960 (1960-March-27) Location North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina Course Permanent racing facility
0.625 mi (1.005 km) Distance 160 laps, 100 mi (80 km) Weather Mild with temperatures approaching 71.1 °F (21.7 °C); wind speeds up to 10.1 miles per hour (16.3 km/h) | ||
The 1960 Gwyn Staley 160 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on March 27, 1960, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
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Paul Lewis, who would eventually be known as the Gentleman Teacher, would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in this event. Burrhead Nantz would retire from NASCAR Cup Series action after the end of this event.
Summary
Glen Wood, Junior Johnson and Lee Petty would dominate the entire 120-minute racing event where more than 9,000 people would see Rex White defeated by the elder Petty by less than a lap. After qualifying in 20th place in a 1958 Chevrolet Impala, he would move up eight positions to finish in 12th place. This solid finish would guarantee him more time driving Chevrolet stock cars.
There were 22 American-born drivers who qualified for this 160-lap extravaganza. Joe Lee Johnson was forced to become the last-place finisher due to troubles with his oil pressure. Even Junior Johnson's start in the pole position was barely enough to give him a "top five" finisher. Johnson's top speed of 83.86 miles per hour (134.96 km/h) during solo qualifying runs would allow him to stand up to Wood, Johnson, and both of the Petty family members while participating in this racing event. Lee Petty's son, Richard, would finish a lowly 18th after qualifying in an incredible fourth place due to his youth and general lack of experience behind the wheel. E.J. Trivette would be the lowest-finishing driver to actually finish the event; although he was more than 20 laps behind the lead lap cars by the time the race had ended.
Individual event winnings ranged from the winner's share of $900 ($7,286.05 when considering inflation) to the last-place finishers' share of $50 ($404.78 when considering inflation). The total prize purse for the 1960 running of the Gwyn Staley 160 was a then-incredible $3,985 ($32,261.02 when considering inflation).
The transition to purposely-built racers 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.
Timeline
Finishing order
* Driver failed to finish race
† Driver is known to be deceased