Official name Myers Brothers 250 | ||
Date August 27, 1966; 50 years ago (1966-08-27) Course Permanent racing facility0.250 mi (0.421 km) Distance 250 laps, 62.5 mi (100.5 km) Weather Warm with temperatures approaching 84.9 °F (29.4 °C); wind speeds up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) | ||
The 1966 Myers Brothers 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on August 27, 1966, at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
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Background
Bowman Gray Stadium is a NASCAR sanctioned 1⁄4-mile (0.40 km) asphalt flat oval short track and longstanding football stadium located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most legendary venues, and is referred to as "NASCAR's longest-running weekly race track". Bowman Gray Stadium is part of the Winston-Salem Sports and Entertainment Complex and is home of the Winston-Salem State University Rams football team. It was also the home of the Wake Forest University football team from 1956 until Groves Stadium (later BB&T Field) opened in 1968.
Summary
The race took one hour and twenty-one minutes to complete. Three cautions were given out by NASCAR for sixteen laps. Notable speeds for this race were: 45.928 miles per hour (73.914 km/h) as the average speed and 54.348 miles per hour (87.465 km/h) for the pole position speed. Because the paved oval course only spanned 0.250 miles (0.402 km), speeds on this track emulated that of America's Interstate Highway System. Fifteen thousand fans came to see David Pearson defeat Richard Petty by ten seconds. There were 23 American-born drivers and one foreign driver (Don Biederman).
Curtis Turner and Bobby Allison were involved in a crash that got them disqualified from the race in addition to police intervention. However, no charges were laid. The incident started on lap eight of the race and the two drivers would knock and spin each other for approximately ten laps. Both vehicles were eventually tossed out as they came out of a demolition derby. However, Allison and Turner eventually became friends again but this incident would be the most heinous in pre-modern NASCAR history. Turner would eventually die in 1970 from an airplane crash which would also take the life of professional golfer Clarence King.
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 deceased