1967 Capital City 300

The 1967 Capital City 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 10, 1967, at Virginia State Fairgrounds (now Richmond Raceway) in Richmond, Virginia. Until the 2020 The Real Heroes 400, this was the last race to have a random draw for the pole position.

1967 Capital City 300
Race details[1]
Race 42 of 49 in the 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Layout of Richmond Speedway
Date September 10, 1967 (1967-September-10)
Official name Capital City 300
Location Virginia State Fairgrounds, Richmond, Virginia
Course Permanent racing facility
0.500 mi (0.800 km)
Distance 300 laps, 150 mi (180 km)
Weather Mild with temperatures up to 75 °F (24 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
Average speed 57.631 mph (92.748 km/h)
Attendance 11,000[2]
Pole position
Driver
Don Culpepper
Most laps led
Driver Richard Petty Petty Enterprises
Laps 177
Winner
No. 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network Untelevised
Announcers None

The time of the race was two hours, thirty-six minutes, and ten seconds with the average speed being 57.631 miles per hour (92.748 km/h).[2] The pole position spot was chosen by a random drawing;[2] the rain that swept through the area had made the track far too muddy for qualifying sessions.[3] Brooks drew the pole and the race was then started under green-yellow. The cars paced for 24 laps to help pack the clay; Richard Petty took over the lead on lap 25 to help bring about true racing.

Those 24 laps were the only laps that Earl Brooks would lead in his NASCAR Grand National career.[2]

Background

In 1953, Richmond International Raceway began hosting the Grand National Series with Lee Petty winning that first race in Richmond.[4] The original track was paved in 1968.[5] In 1988, the track was re-designed into its present D-shaped configuration

The name for the raceway complex was "Strawberry Hill" until the Virginia State Fairgrounds site was bought out in 1999 and renamed the "Richmond International Raceway".

Race report

Richard Petty would defeat Dick Hutcherson after all the laps in the race were completed;[2] which became the 71st win in his 200-win career as a Cup Series race. The other top ten finishers were: Paul Goldsmith, Sam McQuagg, James Hylton, Wendell Scott, Worth McMillion, E.J. Trivette, Henley Gray, and George Davis.[2] There were twenty-eight American competitors and two Canadian competitors (Frog Fagan and Don Biederman).[2] Econo Wash and Nichels Engineering were the main sponsors for the drivers.[2]

Bobby Allison broke a tie rod coming out of turn 4 on the 131st lap.[2] Similar to his wreck at Talladega 20 years later, Allison flipped down the front stretch, cleared a guard rail, smashed through a fence and came to rest near the scorers' table - a table at which his wife Judy was sitting. Fortunately, Bobby, Judy and others were OK.

Most of the team owners in this race were individuals rather than multi-car teams; as the case usually was with NASCAR races prior to the mid-1970s.[6]

Richard Petty would receive ($18,786 when considering inflation) $2,450 for winning the race while Don Biederman would be the lowest finishing driver (27th) to receive a prize bonus for $150 ($1,150 when considering inflation).[2] The drivers who finished 29th and 30th (last place) would not receive any prize money.[2] Total winnings for this race would be $11,610 ($855,788 when considering inflation).

Frog Fagan would make his official NASCAR Cup Series debut in this race.[7] Eleven thousand fans would see a race with eleven cautions for seventy-one laps and three hundred laps were completed on a track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km).[2] J.P. Barthelette would serve as one of the crew chiefs in the race alongside Frankie Scott, Dale Inman and Bud Hartje. Their drivers were Dick Hutcherson, Wendell Scott, Richard Petty and James Hylton.[8]

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.

Qualifying
Grid[2] No. Driver Manufacturer Owner
1 76Earl Brooks'66 FordDon Culpepper
2 43Richard Petty'67 PlymouthPetty Enterprises
3 91Neil Castles'65 PlymouthNeil Castles
4 25Jabe Thomas'67 FordDon Robertson
5 64Elmo Langley'66 FordElmo Langley / Henry Woodfield
6 2Bobby Allison'65 ChevroletDonald Brackins
7 54Tom Raley'66 FordTom Raley
8 4John Sears'66 FordL.G. DeWitt
9 45Bill Seifert'66 FordBill Seifert
10 6Sam McQuagg'67 DodgeCotton Owens
11 20Clyde Lynn'66 FordClyde Lynn
12 99Paul Goldsmith'67 PlymouthRay Nichels
13 11J.T. Putney'66 ChevroletJ.T. Putney
14 63Melvin Bradley'66 FordBob Adams
15 5Ray Hendrick'66 DodgeCotton Owens
16 02Doug Cooper'66 ChevroletBob Cooper
17 07George Davis'66 ChevroletGeorge Davis
18 34Wendell Scott'66 FordWendell Scott
19 29Dick Hutcherson'67 FordBondy Long
20 48James Hylton'65 DodgeBud Hartje
21 57George Poulos'65 PlymouthGeorge Poulos
22 01Paul Dean Holt'67 FordDennis Holt
23 31Bill Ervin'66 FordRalph Murphy
24 97Henley Gray'66 FordHenley Gray
25 19E.J. Trivette'66 ChevroletRoy Dutton
25 75Frog Fagan'66 FordBob Gilreath
26 38Wayne Smith'66 ChevroletArchie Smith
28 94Don Biederman'66 ChevroletRon Stotten
29 83Worth McMillion'66 PontiacAllen McMillion
30 12Johnny Steele'67 FordJohnny Steele

Finishing order

Section reference: [2]

  1. Richard Petty (No. 43)
  2. Dick Hutcherson† (No. 29)
  3. Paul Goldsmith† (No. 99)
  4. Sam McQuagg* (No. 6)
  5. James Hylton† (No. 48)
  6. Wendell Scott† (No. 34)
  7. Worth McMillion (No. 83)
  8. E.J. Trivette (No. 19)
  9. Henley Gray (No. 97)
  10. George Davis (No. 07)
  11. George Poulous (No. 57)
  12. Elmo Langley*† (No. 67)
  13. Bill Seifert* (No. 45)
  14. Wayne Smith* (No. 38)
  15. Johnny Steele* (No. 12)
  16. Earl Brooks† (No. 76)
  17. Melvin Bradley* (No. 63)
  18. J.T. Putney*† (No. 11)
  19. Bobby Allison* (No. 2)
  20. John Sears*† (No. 4)
  21. Ray Hendrick*† (No. 5)
  22. Bill Ervin* (No. 31)
  23. Jabe Thomas* (No. 25)
  24. Paul Dean Holt* (No. 01)
  25. Doug Cooper* (No. 02)
  26. Frog Fagan*† (No. 75)
  27. Don Biederman*† (No. 94)
  28. Neil Castles* (No. 91)
  29. Tom Raley* (No. 54)
  30. Clyde Lynn*† (No. 20)

† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

  • Start of race: Earl Brooks lead the other cars as they started the event.
  • Lap 25: Richard Petty took over the lead from Earl Brooks.
  • Lap 26: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 30: Neil Castles had a terminal crash.
  • Lap 79: Sway bar issues managed to knock Don Biederman out of contention.
  • Lap 90: Dick Hutcherson took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith.
  • Lap 91: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Dick Hutcherson.
  • Lap 97: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
  • Lap 100: Paul Dean Holt would have transmission issues with his vehicle.
  • Lap 102: The frame on Jabe Thomas' vehicle would come off, causing him to leave the race for safety reasons.
  • Lap 107: Ray Hendrick's engine problem would relegate him to the sidelines.
  • Lap 116: Sam McQuagg took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 124: Dick Hutcherson took over the lead from Sam McQuagg.
  • Lap 125: John Sears' engine developed problems, forcing him to exit the race prematurely.
  • Lap 128: Bobby Allison had a terminal crash.
  • Lap 138: Richard Petty took over the lead from Sam McQuagg.
  • Lap 165: J.T. Putney developed problems with his vehicle's transmission.
  • Lap 169: A frame came loose off Melvin Bradley's vehicle.
  • Lap 197: Johnny Steele managed to blow his engine, bringing a premature end to his race.
  • Lap 202: Bill Seifert managed to lose the frame of his vehicle; Wayne Smith's vehicle would suffer from a faulty transmission.
  • Lap 203: An axle came loose off Elmo Langley's vehicle.
  • Lap 289: Sam McQuagg lost the rear end of the vehicle, he was called off the track due to safety reasons.
  • Finish: Richard Petty was official declared the winner of the event.
Preceded by
1967 Buddy Shuman 250		 NASCAR Grand National Races
1967		 Succeeded by
1967 Maryland 300

References
  1. "1967 Capital City 300 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  2. "1967 Capital City 300 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  3. "1967 Capital City 300 qualifying cancellation". Racers' Reunion. Archived from the original on 2013-05-11. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
  4. http://racing.ballparks.com/Richmond/index.htm "Richmond International Raceway has hosted the NASCAR Winston Cup Series since 1953. Lee Petty won the first race that year. "
  5. http://racing.ballparks.com/Richmond/index.htm "The original track was paved in 1968."
  6. "1967 Capital City 300 information (team ownership)". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2015-09-21. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
  7. "Frog Fagan's NASCAR debut". Race Database. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
  8. "1967 Capital City 300 crew chief". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
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