| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 14 of 49 in the1968 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | May 5, 1968; 57 years ago (1968-05-05) | ||
| Official name | Fireball 300 | ||
| Location | Asheville-Weaverville Speedway,Weaverville, North Carolina | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.500 miles (0.804 km) | ||
| Distance | 300 laps, 150 mi (241 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures of 63 °F (17 °C); wind speeds of 15.9 miles per hour (25.6 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 75.167 miles per hour (120.970 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver |
| Holman-Moody | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | David Pearson | Holman-Moody | |
| Laps | 299 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 17 | David Pearson | Holman-Moody | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The1968 Fireball 300 was aNASCARGrand National Series event that was held on May 5, 1968, atAsheville-Weaverville Speedway inWeaverville, North Carolina.
It had twenty-sevenAmerican competitors and oneCanadian competitor (Frog Fagan). The entire race spanned a distance of 150 miles (240 km); the "300" portion of the race's name simply referred to the number of laps that were expected to be completed.
This event lasted one hour and fifty-nine minutes over a pavedoval track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km).[2]
David Pearson,Bobby Isaac,Richard Petty,James Hylton,Elmo Langley,Clyde Lynn,Jabe Thomas,Frog Fagan,Henley Gray, andStan Meserve were amongst the drivers who finished in the top ten.[2] There were six cautions for forty-five laps and the margin of victory was more than two laps.[2] The average speed of the race was 75.167 miles per hour (120.970 km/h) per hour while the pole speed was 89.708 miles per hour (144.371 km/h) per hour. Pearson was responsible for leading almost all the laps in the race.[2] After this race, David Pearson moved past Roberts for 8th on the all-time wins list.[2] A crowd of 7,800 people attended this racing event that took place on May 5, 1968, at theAsheville-Weaverville Speedway in theAmerican community ofWeaverville,North Carolina.[2] Out of twenty-eight competitors, only ten managed to finish all 300 laps of the event.[2]
Total winnings for this racing event was $6,900 ($62,391 when adjusted for inflation). making him the dominant driver in the event.
A bumper crop of multi-car "corporate" teams participated in the race because racing expenses have started to become prohibitively expensive for individuals to burden during the late 1960s. Few of the remaining independent teams includedMargo Hamm's team,Neil Castles' team and the driver-owner Gene Black; whose day on the race track came to an abrupt end on the fourth lap due to a problem with his stock car engine.[3]
Notable crew chiefs at this race wereHarry Hyde,Dale Inman,Frankie Scott,Jake Elder, andRay Hicks.[4]
The transition to purpose-built racecars 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.
| Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | David Pearson | '68Ford | Holman-Moody |
| 2 | 43 | Richard Petty | '68Plymouth | Petty Enterprises |
| 3 | 12 | Tom Pistone | '68Mercury | Tom Pistone |
| 4 | 71 | Bobby Isaac | '67Dodge | Nord Krauskopf |
| 5 | 4 | John Sears | '67Ford | L.G. DeWitt |
| 6 | 49 | G.C. Spencer | '67Plymouth | G.C. Spencer |
| 7 | 48 | James Hylton | '67Dodge | James Hylton |
| 8 | 75 | Gene Black | '66Dodge | Gene Black |
| 9 | 3 | Buddy Baker | '67Dodge | Ray Fox |
| 10 | 76 | Roy Tyner | '66Ford | Don Culpepper |
Section reference:[2]
* Driver failed to finish race
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
Section reference:[2]
| Preceded by | NASCAR Grand National Races 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NASCAR Fireball 300 Races 1965-1969 | Succeeded by |