1967 Fireball 300
The 1967 Fireball 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on March 7, 1967, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina.
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 6 of 49 in the 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | March 7, 1967 | ||
| Official name | Fireball 300 | ||
| Location | Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, Weaverville, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.500 mi (0.804 km) | ||
| Distance | 300 laps, 150 mi (241 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures of 71.1 °F (21.7 °C); wind speeds of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 83.360 miles per hour (134.155 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 9,500[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Laps | 150 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The name of the race was named after Fireball Roberts who died years before this race in a racing accident.
Race report
This was the historic site of Richard Petty's 50th career win in front of nine thousand and five hundred people in what is now known as the Cup Series.[2] The average speed of the race was 83.360 miles per hour (134.155 km/h) on a paved oval track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) for three hundred laps.[2] It took one hour and forty-seven minutes for the race to reach its conclusion; Petty defeating Darel Dieringer by outlapping him twice.[2] All twenty-two racers were from the United States of America.[2]
Total winnings for this race were $7,150 ($54,824 when adjusted for inflation). Individual earnings for each driver ranged from the winner's share of $1,800 ($13,802 when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place finisher's portion of $100 ($767 when adjusted for inflation).[3]
Jim Conway would retire from NASCAR Cup Series competition after this event.[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.
Qualifying
| Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Darel Dieringer | '67 Ford | Junior Johnson |
| 2 | 43 | Richard Petty | '67 Plymouth | Petty Enterprises |
| 3 | 14 | Jim Paschal | '65 Plymouth | Tom Friedkin |
| 4 | 2 | Bobby Allison | '66 Chevrolet | Donald Brackins |
| 5 | 4 | John Sears | '66 Ford | L.G. DeWitt |
| 6 | 6 | David Pearson | '66 Dodge | Cotton Owens |
| 7 | 88 | Buck Baker | '66 Oldsmobile | Buck Baker |
| 8 | 64 | Elmo Langley | '66 Ford | Elmo Langley / Henry Woodfield |
| 9 | 19 | J.T. Putney | '66 Chevrolet | J.T. Putney |
| 10 | 75 | Earl Brooks | '66 Ford | Gene Black |
| 11 | 34 | Wendell Scott | '65 Ford | Wendell Scott |
| 12 | 09 | Neil Castles | '66 Chevrolet | Garland Miller |
| 13 | 31 | Paul Dean Holt | '66 Ford | Ralph Murphy |
| 14 | 91 | Jim Conway | '65 Plymouth | Neil Castles |
| 15 | 48 | James Hylton | '65 Dodge | Bud Hartje |
| 16 | 00 | Paul Lewis | '65 Dodge | Emory Gilliam |
| 17 | 20 | Clyde Lynn | '66 Ford | Clyde Lynn |
| 18 | 97 | Henley Gray | '66 Ford | Henley Gray |
| 19 | 46 | Roy Mayne | '66 Chevrolet | Tom Hunter |
| 20 | 45 | Bill Seifert | '65 Ford | Bill Seifert |
| 21 | 38 | Wayne Smith | '66 Chevrolet | Archie Smith |
| 22 | 9 | Roy Tyner | '66 Chevrolet | Truett Rogers |
Finishing order
Section reference: [2]
- Richard Petty (No. 43)
- Darel Dieringer† (No. 26)
- Bobby Allison (No. 2)
- David Pearson† (No. 6)
- John Sears† (No. 4)
- J.T. Putney (No. 19)
- Paul Lewis (No. 00)
- Elmo Langley† (No. 64)
- Clyde Lynn† (No. 20)
- Wendell Scott† (No. 34)
- Bill Seifert (No. 45)
- Henley Gray (No. 97)
- Paul Dean Holt (No. 31)
- Jim Conway* (No. 91)
- Wayne Smith* (No. 38)
- Roy Tyner*† (No. 9)
- Roy Mayne*† (No. 46)
- Neil Castles* (No. 09)
- Earl Brooks*† (No. 75)
- James Hylton* (No. 44)
- Buck Baker*† (No. 88)
- Jim Paschal*† (No. 14)
* Driver failed to finish race
† Signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
Timeline
Section reference: [2]
- Start of race: Darel Dieringer officially began the race with the pole position.
- Lap 41: Jim Paschal's race would be ruined by his vehicle's faulty wiring.
- Lap 51: Engine issues forced Buck Baker out of the race.
- Lap 88: James Hylton's vehicle had a nasty engine problem.
- Lap 93: Problematic lug nuts would drive Earl Brooks out of the event.
- Lap 100: Neil Castles blamed his terrible performance on some nasty clutch issues.
- Lap 104: Richard Petty took over the lead from Darel Dieringer.
- Lap 109: The problems with Roy Mayne's differential knocked him out of the race.
- Lap 116: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Richard Petty.
- Lap 119: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Darel Dieringer.
- Lap 128: The problems with Roy Tyner's differential knocked him out of the race.
- Lap 144: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
- Lap 157: The problems with Wayne Smith's differential knocked him out of the race.
- Lap 215: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Richard Petty.
- Lap 234: Richard Petty took over the lead from Darel Dieringer.
- Finish: Richard Petty was the official winner of the event.
References
- "1967 Fireball 300 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- "1967 Fireball 300 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
- "1967 Fireball 300 prize winnings information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
- "Retirements from NASCAR". Race Database. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
| Preceded by 1967 Augusta 300 |
Richard Petty's Career Wins 1960-1984 |
Succeeded by 1967 Columbia 200 |
| Preceded by 1966 |
NASCAR Fireball 300 Races 1965-1969 |
Succeeded by 1968 |