1967-1968 NASCAR Grand National Series (found footage of NASCAR races; 1967-1968)

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1967firecracker4001.jpg

Program for the 1967 Firecracker 400.

Status: Found

Date found: 20 Oct 2023

Found by: NASCAR Classics

The 1967 and 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series were respectively the 19th and 20th seasons of NASCAR's top-level stock car series. Richard Petty won his second championship in 1967, with the 1967 Rebel 400 being his record 55th victory. Meanwhile, David Pearson claimed his second title in 1968. Of the races televised during this time period, at least four were confirmed lost prior to 2023.

1967 Races

1967 Rebel 400 (FOUND)

The 1967 Rebel 400 was the 17th race of the 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series. Occurring on 13th May at the Darlington Raceway, the race would ultimately be won by Richard Petty in a 1967 Plymouth, his 55th victory setting a new record for the highest number of NASCAR Grand National wins.

It was the 11th running of the event, with the annual race typically lasting around 400 miles in length since 1966.[1] Its name is a reference to the race typically being held near Confederate Memorial Day,[2] with Confederate flags often being featured on race programs and within the stands.[3] It was one of two 1967 Grand National Series races conducted at Darlington Raceway, the other being the Southern 500,[4] which occurred on 4th September and was won by Richard Petty.[5] After the two Darlington races were merged into one 400 mile race for 2005,[6] the Rebel 400's legacy would continue in 2020 under the current name of the Goodyear 400.[7]

Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with David Pearson winning the pole position in a 1967 Ford with a record speed of 144.536 mph.[8][1] Directly behind him was Petty, with 1967 Ford driver Earl Balmer qualifying third.[1] Before the race, Petty was the previous year's Rebel 400 winner,[8] and had accumulated 54 race wins, the latest being at the previous event, the 1967 Richmond 250.[9] With that, he tied the highest number of Grand National victories with his father Lee.[9][8] He was therefore seeking to achieve his 55th victory at the Rebel 400 to break the record.[9][8]

The Race

With the starting order decided, the 1967 Rebel 400 commenced on 13th May.[1] Pearson maintained his lead for the first 12 laps, before the 1967 Dodge of Buddy Baker overtook him.[1] On the first lap, 1966 Chevrolet driver Friday Hassler hit the wall almost as soon as the race began, causing a nine-car crash.[9][8] This eliminated Hassler, as well as the 1966 Chevrolets of J.T. Putney, Frank Warren, and Roy Mayne, and the 1967 Ford of Jabe Thomas.[9][1] Buck Baker in a 1966 Ford carried on for another lap, but retired because of terminal crash damage.[1][9] It may well have been Petty that triggered the accident, as he car was slow out because of a carburettor issue.[9] On lap 16 Petty moved into the lead, and aside from some brief disruption caused by the 1967 Dodge of Bobby Allison and the 1967 Plymouth of Jim Paschal, dominated the early stages, leading 52 consecutive laps.[1] Pearson was briefly taken out of contention on lap 30, when he was hit by Wendell Scott's spinning Ford following a collision with Buddy Baker.[9] Pearson had to pit so his crew could removed a bit of his front fender, costing him a lap.[9][8]

On lap 89, Petty also encountered difficulties after brushing the first turn guardrail, damaging a tyre.[9][8] He was forced to pit to repair the damage, but was able to charge back through the field.[9] He overtook Pearson, who had recovered from his early pit stop, to move back into the first position on lap 96.[1][9] Pearson took it away again on lap 100, but The King fought back to perform what was ultimately the final lead change a lap later.[9][1] From there, he dominated the final 191 laps,[1][8] with the only issue being tyre durability, with him changing 16 tyres, 12 on the right side and four on the left.[9] He therefore claimed his second consecutive Rebel 400 victory to break the NASCAR Grand National wins record and earn $13,840 in prize money.[9][8][1] Pearson finished a lap behind to take second, while 1967 Ford driver Dick Hutcherson finished third, six laps down from Petty.[8][9][1]

When asked how it felt about breaking the record, Petty responded "I think everyone else was more excited about the record than I was. I hope to get 55 more. Naturally I'm happy to have the record, but I would have been just as happy to win the Rebel 400 if it hadn't been No. 55."[9] He would ultimately go on to achieve 200 victories in the Cup Series.[10] Because he broke the record at the track, Chrysler Corporation announced that it would produce a plaque commemorating the win, which was later installed at the start-finish line.[9]

1967 Firecracker 400 (FOUND)

The 1967 Firecracker 400 was the 28th race of the 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series. Occurring on 4th July at the Daytona International Speedway, the race would ultimately be won by Cale Yarborough, with Ford achieving a clean sweep as the top four were driving 1967 Fords. The race was noted for a very close finish between Yarborough, Dick Hutcherson and Darel Dieringer.

It was the ninth running of the event, with its name a reference to the fact it was held on the United States' Independence Day.[11] It was also the fourth 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series event to be held at Daytona International Speedway,[4] after the Twin 125s and the Daytona 500, the latter of which occurred on 26th February and was won by Mario Andretti.[12] The Firecracker 400 also has ties to the modern Coke Zero Sugar 400 race, having dropped the Firecracker name in 2019.[11]

Heading into the event, LeeRoy Yarborough aimed to break the qualifying record for the Firecracker 400 that he set the year before.[13] Such was the level of competition aiming to compete in the event, including NASCAR's top stars and USAC competitors like Andretti and A.J. Foyt, many drivers believed that the 180mph target would need to be broken to take pole.[13] Qualifying commenced on 2nd July, with Dieringer winning the pole position with an average speed of just under 180mph at 179.802mph, ahead of Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty in a 1967 Plymouth.[14][15] David Pearson in a 1967 Ford, Andretti, and four other drivers also successfully qualified for the race at this stage.[16] A qualifying race to determine the final 20 starters for the race occurred the day after, with Frank Warren in a 1966 Chevrolet winning the race and $200 in prize money ahead of 1965 Plymouth driver Bobby Wawak and Roy Mayne in a 1966 Chevrolet.[17]

The Race

With the racers and starting order decided, the 1967 Firecracker 400 occurred on 4th July.[15] Buddy Baker, who qualified 5th in a 1967 Dodge, shot into the lead on the first lap. He remained in contention for the first position until retiring on lap 17 following a suspension failure.[15] The race featured 41 lead changes, primarily between Cale Yarborough, Dieringer, Pearson, and Bobby Isaac in a 1967 Dodge.[15] Pearson led the most laps at 56, and also led the most consecutive laps at 19 from lap 105-123, before being overtaken by Dieringer.[15] Aside from Pearson leading from 136-139, the race primarily centred on a duel between Dieringer and Yarborough, with frequent overtakes from the 140th lap onwards.[15] Then, on lap 157, Hutcherson took the lead from Yarborough, but the latter was able to reassume the lead on the final lap to take victory and $15,725 in prize money.[15] Hutcherson finished second ahead of Dieringer, with Pearson in fourth, thus achieving a clean sweep for Ford.[18][15]

The race notably marked Yarborough's first win for the Woods Brothers,[19] later winning the 1968 Daytona 500 with the team.[20] Also of note was that the race featured Gary Bettenhausen spinning down the backstretch on lap 3, where his 1966 Ford ended up on a dirt embankment that caused it to end up upside down. He ultimately escaped uninjured.[21]

1967 National 500 (FOUND)

The 1967 National 500 was the 47th race of the 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series. Occurring on 15th October at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the race would ultimately be won by Buddy Baker in a 1967 Dodge, his first of 19 Cup Series victories.

It was the eighth running of the event, with the race lasting 500 miles.[22] It was one of two 1967 Grand National Series races conducted at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the other being the World 600,[4] which occurred on 28th May and was won by Kim Paschal in a 1967 Plymouth.[23] The race also has ties to the modern Bank of America Roval 400, having dropped the National name from 1983 onwards and reverting to 400 miles from 2018.[24][25]

Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with Cale Yarborough winning the pole position in a 1967 Ford with a speed of 154.872 mph.[22] Directly behind him was A.J. Foyt in a 1967 Ford, with 1967 Plymouth driver Paul Goldsmith lining up third.[22] Buddy Baker qualified fourth out of 44 competitors,[22] and aimed to win his first Grand National Series victory.[26] He had an advantage where he started driving the most competitive cars since completing an apprenticeship under his father Buck in 1965.[26] Also of note was the large presence of Dodge and Ford competitors in the race, with the ambition seemingly to end Richard Petty's dominance of NASCAR events within the South at the time, The King having qualified fifth in a 1967 Plymouth.[26][22] Among notable drivers that failed to qualify included LeeRoy Yarbrough in a Ford, and future three-time Formula One World Champion Jackie Stewart, who attempted to participate in a Dodge.[22]

The Race

With the starting order decided, the 1967 National 500 commenced on 15th October.[22] Yarborough maintained his lead from the starting, holding it for 31 laps before dropping it to 1967 Dodge driver Darel Dieringer.[22] The two generally battled for the first position until lap 114, when Baker began to emerge as a contender, holding the lead until dropping it to Yarborough on lap 150.[22] Whereas the first position began to become an open competition during this time period, some contenders dropped out.[26] These included Petty, who retired after 268 laps due to an engine failure; and a crash after 197 laps eliminated the 1967 Fords of David Pearson, Jack Bowsher, and Mario Andretti, and the 1967 Plymouth of Jim Paschal.[26][22]

As the race reached its later stages, Baker began to dominate the race. He overtook fellow 1967 Dodge driver Bobby Isaac on lap 207, maintaining it for 47 laps.[22] Yarborough retook the first position on lap 254, but Baker achieved another lead change on lap 257.[22] Baker's main competition then ended after 301 laps, when Yarborough retired due to an engine failure.[22] This enabled Baker to control proceedings, leading the remaining laps of the 334-lap event to claim his first Grand National Series victory and $19,355 in prize money.[26][22] Isaac finished in second, a lap down from Baker, while Dick Hutcherson took third in a 1967 Ford.[22][26]

1968 Races

1968 National 500 (FOUND)

The 1968 National 500 was the 47th race of the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series. Occurring on 20th October at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the race would ultimately be won by polesitter Charlie Glotzbach, fending off fellow 1968 Dodge driver Paul Goldsmith by a 7-second margin. Like its 1967 predecessor, the race lasted 500 miles.[27] It was one of two 1968 Grand National Series races conducted at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the other being the World 600,[28] which occurred on 26th May and was won by Buddy Baker in a 1968 Dodge.[29]

Prior to the race, qualifying commenced with Glotzbach winning the pole position with a speed of 156.06 mph.[27] Directly behind him was David Pearson in a 1968 Ford, with the previous year's winner Baker lining up third out of 45 competitors.[27]

The Race

With the starting order decided, the 1968 National 500 commenced on 20th October.[27] Glotzbach maintained his lead from the start until he was passed by Pearson on lap 3.[27] The top three qualifiers duelled for the lead, which ended when Baker crashed out after 18 laps.[27] The race then became an open affair, with Pearson duelling with the Allison brothers Bobby and Donnie, who drove a 1968 Plymouth and Ford respectively.[27] But Pearson would begin to control proceedings soon afterwards, including maintaining the first position from laps 147-189, and from 191-234.[27]

After 1968 Mercury driver Cale Yarborough briefly led, Pearson again emerged in the first position on lap 236.[27] However, Glotzbach launched a comeback, overtaking Pearson on lap 245.[27] Aside from brief instances where Pearson held the first position on laps 257, 297, and 301, Glotzbach controlled the remaining proceedings, including leading the final 33 laps of the race.[27] He therefore claimed victory with a 7-second margin and $19,280 in prize money.[30][27] Goldsmith successfully passed Pearson for second, with the latter holding on to take third, him and Goldsmith being the only other drivers aside from Glotzbach on the lead lap.[27] Additionally, Glotzbach's average speed of 135.324 mph set a Charlotte record.[27]

Availability

According to NASCAR on TV, 45 minutes of highlights from the 1967 Rebel 400 were televised by ABC on 26th May 1967 on its Wide World of Sports, alongside rugby championships.[31] Prior to 2023, only five-and-a-half minutes of footage could be found online, in addition to photos and newspaper clippings of the event.[9] However, the race would be uploaded in full by NASCAR Classics.

Before 2023, some footage of the 1967 Firecracker 400 was publicly accessible from a mostly silent eFootage clip showcasing a crash featuring Andretti, the restart of the race, and the drivers reaching the chequered flag. However, according to NASCAR on TV, 1 hour of highlights were broadcast by ABC on 8th July 1967, as part of its Wide World of Sports along with Queen Cup polo matches.[32] Racing-Reference claimed some highlights were uploaded onto YouTube at some point by TheRacer120, which could have contained the ABC coverage.[33] However, the video has since been taken down. Nevertheless, the coverage was made publicly available by NASCAR Classics.

As for the National 500 races, 45 minutes of highlights from the 1967 edition were televised by ABC on 21st October as part of its Wide World of Sports, alongside the National Hare and Hound Cross-County Championship.[34] Finally, the 1968 edition reportedly had 45 minutes of highlights televised by ABC on 26th October as part of its Wide World of Sports, alongside table tennis championships.[35] The 1968 edition was uploaded to NASCAR Classics on 16th August 2023 as part of the service's launch.[36] Lasting for 37 minutes, it is believed the removal of advertisements contributed to the reduced runtime. The 1967 version was added to the service a few months later.

Gallery

Videos

1968 National 500.

Footage of the 1967 Rebel 400.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Racing-Reference detailing qualifying and race results for the 1967 Rebel 400. Retrieved 31 Mar '22
  2. Yahoo! News noting the Rebel races were typically held near Confederate Memorial Day. Retrieved 31 Mar '22
  3. SB Nation detailing the extent of Confederate flags and celebrations during the Rebel races. Retrieved 31 Mar '22
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Racing-Reference detailing the 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series calendar. Retrieved 31 Mar '22
  5. Racing-Reference detailing the results of the 1967 Southern 500. Retrieved 31 Mar '22
  6. Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet detailing the history of Darlington Raceway and how both races were merged into one from 2005. Retrieved 31 Mar '22
  7. Jayski noting the race carries on as the Goodyear 400. Retrieved 31 Mar '22
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 The New York Times reporting on Petty winning the 1967 Rebel 400. Retrieved 31 Mar '22
  9. 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 9.16 9.17 9.18 Bench-Racing detailing the 1967 Rebel 400 and providing photos and newspaper clippings of it. Retrieved 31 Mar '22
  10. NASCAR listing all 200 of Petty's victories. Retrieved 31 Mar '22
  11. 11.0 11.1 Forbes detailing the origin of the Firecracker 400, and its reporting on its 2019 name change. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  12. Racing-Reference detailing results for the 1967 Daytona 500. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  13. 13.0 13.1 Daytona Beach Morning Journal reporting on Yarborough's aim to break his Firecracker qualifying speed record for the 1967 event. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  14. The New York Times reporting on Dieringer winning the pole position for the 1967 Firecracker 400. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 Racing-Reference detailing the start order and results of the 1967 Firecracker 400. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  16. The New York Times reporting on other drivers who qualified for the 1967 Firecracker 400. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  17. Ultimate Racing History detailing results of the qualifying race for the 1967 Firecracker 400. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  18. The New York Times reporting on Yarborough winning the 1967 Firecracker 400 and the Ford clean sweep. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  19. Florida Stock Cars stating the 1967 Firecracker 400 was Yarborough's first win for the Woods Brothers. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  20. Racing-Reference detailing Yarborough's win at the 1968 Daytona 500 for the Woods Brothers. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  21. The Fastlane providing photos of Bettenhausen's crash at the 1967 Firecracker 400. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  22. 22.00 22.01 22.02 22.03 22.04 22.05 22.06 22.07 22.08 22.09 22.10 22.11 22.12 22.13 22.14 Racing-Reference detailing qualifying and race results for the 1967 National 500. Retrieved 26 May '22
  23. Racing-Reference detailing the results of the 1967 World 600. Retrieved 26 May '22
  24. The New York Times Stats detailing the history of the National 500. Retrieved 26 May '22
  25. Motorsport reporting on the Charlotte Roval being reduced to 400 miles. Retrieved 26 May '22
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 26.6 The New York Times reporting on Baker winning the 1967 National 500. Retrieved 26 May '22
  27. 27.00 27.01 27.02 27.03 27.04 27.05 27.06 27.07 27.08 27.09 27.10 27.11 27.12 27.13 Racing-Reference detailing qualifying and race results for the 1968 National 500. Retrieved 26 May '22
  28. Racing-Reference detailing the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series calendar. Retrieved 26 May '22
  29. Racing-Reference detailing the results of the 1968 World 600. Retrieved 26 May '22
  30. The New York Times reporting on Glotzbach winning the 1968 National 500. Retrieved 26 May '22
  31. NASCAR on TV detailing the ABC broadcast of the 1967 Rebel 400. Retrieved 31 Mar '22
  32. NASCAR on TV detailing ABC's coverage of the 1967 Firecracker 400. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  33. Racing-Reference listing video clips of the 1967 Firecracker 400, including a now-taken down video consisting of highlights uploaded by TheRacer120. Retrieved 13 Jan '22
  34. NASCAR on TV detailing the ABC broadcast of the 1967 National 500. Retrieved 26 May '22
  35. NASCAR on TV detailing the ABC broadcast of the 1968 National 500. Retrieved 26 May '22
  36. NASCAR announcing NASCAR Classics. Retrieved 16th Aug '23