Official name National 500 | ||
Date October 15, 1967 (1967-October-15) Location Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina Course Permanent racing facility
1.500 mi (2.414 km) Distance 334 laps, 501 mi (804 km) Weather Temperatures reaching up to 77 °F (25 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h) | ||
The 1967 National 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on October 15, 1967, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
Contents
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.
Summary
Sixty thousand live spectators attended the event where Buddy Baker managed to defeat Bobby Isaac by more than one lap. Nine cautions were handed out by NASCAR officials for 64 laps. The race took three hours and fifty minutes to fully complete. Cale Yarborough achieved the pole position with a qualifying speed of 130.317 miles per hour (209.725 km/h). In reality, the speeds in the race actually approached 130.317 miles per hour (209.725 km/h). Whitey Gerkin finished in last place due to a crash on lap 2 out of the 334 laps raced on a paved track spanning 1.500 miles (2.414 km). All 44 of the drivers on the racing grid were American-born males. Future three time Formula One Champion Jackie Stewart entered but he failed to qualify.
Richard Petty 10-race winning streak ended at this race. Bobby Wawak made his best career finish as an owner with one of his vehicles finishing in seventh place. LeeRoy Yarbrough was scheduled to drive in Junior Johnson's No. 26 vehicle but the car was wrecked in practice due to a fire extinguisher going off automatically. 22 lead changes were made amongst seven different leaders. Don Schissler and Dub Simpson made their NASCAR debuts here.
The total prize purse for this race was $87,005 ($624,925.13 when adjusted for inflation). Buddy Baker received $18,950 in winnings ($136,110.93 when adjusted for inflation) while last-place finisher Whitey Gerkin walked away with only $625 ($4,489.15 when adjusted for inflation).
Finishing order
* Driver failed to finish race