Official name Buddy Shuman 250 | ||
Date September 9, 1961 (1961-September-09) Course Permanent racing facility0.400 mi (0.644 km) Distance 250 laps, 100 mi (150 km) Weather Hot with temperatures reaching up to 87.1 °F (30.6 °C); wind speeds up to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h) | ||
The 1961 Buddy Shuman 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on September 8, 1961, at Hickory Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina.
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Background
Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most storied venues, and is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars".
The track first opened in 1951 as a 1⁄2-mile (0.80 km) dirt track. Gwyn Staley won the first race at the speedway and later became the first track champion. Drivers such as Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett, and Ralph Earnhardt also became track champions in the 1950s, with Earnhardt winning five of them.
In 1953, NASCAR's Grand National Series (later the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) visited the track for the first time. Tim Flock won the first race at the speedway, which became a regular part of the Grand National schedule. After winning his track championship in 1952, Junior Johnson became the most successful Grand National driver at Hickory, winning there seven times.
The track has been re-configured three times in its history. The track became a 0.4-mile (644 meters) dirt track in 1955, which was paved for the first time during the 1967 season.
Summary
Two hundred and fifty-two laps were accomplished on a dirt track spanning 0.400 miles (0.644 km). The race took one hour and twenty-eight minutes to complete (the approximate length of three modern 30-minute sitcoms aired simultaneously). The pole position speed achieved by eventual winner Rex White was 72.290 miles per hour (116.339 km/h). Jack Smith would become the eventual second-place finished after being outlapped by White in front of 10500 live spectators. Two cautions were given out of an undetermined length of laps. Junior Johnson would crash on lap 58 in his 1961 Pontiac Catalina machine while the winning vehicle would be classified as a Chevrolet with a 1961 model year (presumably a Bel Air). Being a modest race on a short dirt track, the highest prize that was awarded at the time was $900 ($7,213.03 in current U.S. dollars).
A young Richard Petty (being only 24 years old during this race) would finish in 17th place due to issues with his vehicle's rear end on lap 102.; it would be a rare occasion where he drove a car other than his signature number 43. The entire 20-car field was made up of American-born males.
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.