Official name Columbia 200 | ||
Date April 7, 1966; 50 years ago (1966-04-07) Course Permanent racing facility0.500 mi (0.805 km) Distance 200 laps, 100 mi (160 km) Weather Mild with temperatures approaching 70 °F (21 °C); wind speeds up to 25.1 miles per hour (40.4 km/h) | ||
The 1966 Columbia 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on April 7, 1966, at Columbia Speedway in Columbia, South Carolina.
Contents
Background
Columbia Speedway was an oval racetrack located in Cayce, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. It was the site of auto races for NASCAR's top series from 1951 through 1971. For most of its history, the racing surface was dirt. The races in April and August 1970 were two of the final three Grand National races ever held on a dirt track.
The track was paved before hosting its last two Grand National races in 1971.
Summary
Two hundred laps were done on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km). The race took an hour and thirty-one minutes to decide that David Pearson defeated Paul Goldsmith by a margin of one car length (less than one lap). Eleven thousand people attended this race which had eight cautions for 19 laps.
All 24 competitors were born in the United States of America and were male. Buck Baker and Tiny Lund failed to collect any winnings from this race. This race was dominated by Chevrolet and Ford entries. Speeds for the racing weekend reached 72.202 miles per hour (116.198 km/h) in qualifying (achieved by Tom Pistone) and 65.747 miles per hour (105.810 km/h) during the actual race. The speeds were equalized by the dirt surface; which slowed down the stock cars during the 1950s and 1960s but brought exciting racing for those who were not quite ready for the blistering fast pace of asphalt racing.
Buddy Baker was involved in the event's only crash at lap 95.
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.
Finishing order
* Driver failed to finish race