Official name Pickens 200 | ||
Date June 21, 1969; 47 years ago (1969-06-21) Location Greenville-Pickens Speedway (Greenville, South Carolina) Course Permanent racing facility
0.500 mi (0.804 km) Distance 200 laps, 100 mi (160 km) Weather Hot with temperatures approaching 89.1 °F (31.7 °C); wind speeds up to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h) | ||
The 1969 Pickens 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on June 21, 1969, at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina.
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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
25 drivers competed in this 200-lap racing event that took more than one hour and thirty minutes to successfully complete. Paul Dean Holt was credited with the last-place finish due to an engine problem on the first regulation lap of racing. Bobby Isaac would defeat David Pearson by nine seconds. Isaac, Pearson, and Richard Petty would be the only drivers on the lead lap by the end of the event after dominating the entire race.
James Hylton would compete directly against Nord Krauskopf as a NASCAR team owner for supremacy; Krauskopf's 1969 Dodge vehicle would prove to be superior to Hylton's 1967 Plymouth vehicle. The model year of the vehicles varied from 1967 to 1969 in compliance with NASCAR's regulations of that era. Cecil Gordon quit the race on lap 123 due to personal issues. Other notable drivers to appear at this race included: Neil Castles, J.D. McDuffie, Elmo Langley, Wendell Scott, and Bill Champion. Buster Sexton was black flagged during this race and was eventually disqualified on the ninth lap of the race.
Individual winnings for this race varied from a meager $200 ($1,306.17 when adjusted for inflation) to an incredible $1,000 ($6,530.85 when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse for this racing event was $6,795 ($44,377.15 when adjusted for inflation).