1961 Daytona 500

Auto race run in Florida in 1961 July 2012 1961 CUST Race 5 of 52 in the 1961 NASCAR Grand National Series season 1961 Daytona 500 program front.jpg 1961 Daytona 500 program cover 1961 2 26 200 500 800 Temperatures reaching 69.1 F C; wind speeds approaching 15 mph km/hhttp://www.almanac.com/weather/history/FL/Daytona%20Beach/1961-02-26 Weather of the 1961 Daytona 500 The Old Farmers' Almanac 2013-06-25 149.601 mi/h Fireball Roberts Smokey Yunick Fireball Roberts Smokey Yunick Joe Weatherly Bud Moore Fireball Roberts Smokey Yunick 170 20 Pontiac Marvin Panch Smokey Yunick none none The 1961 Daytona 500, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on February 26, 1961, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Marvin Panch won the race in the one-year-old 1960 Pontiac built and owned by Smokey Yunick after taking the lead on lap 187. Panch was not originally scheduled to drive, and was only added to Yunick's team after Fireball Roberts suggested adding him. Panch drove the number 20 to victory in three hours and 20 minutes. The race was run in its entirety without a single caution flag. Panch took the lead with 13 laps remaining when race leader Fireball Roberts' car suffered a blown engine. The win was Panch's first, and only victory of the season.Fleischman Pearce 2004 149 Background Tragedy struck during the preliminaries of Daytona Speedweeks when a driver from Phoenix, Arizona crashed in turn 3 of the 2.5 mi km off on track. Harold Haberling was killed when his 1955 modified Chevy flipped in the 31-degree banking. This was the first fatality at the facility since 1959. One week prior to the Daytona 500 drivers competed in a first-ever 150 mi km off on "compact car" race. Lee Petty won the race contested on the 3.1 mi km on infield track in a 1960 Valiant with an average speed of 83.546 mph km/h. Joe Weatherly would flip his 1960 Falcon upside down during the race, but no other cars were involved in the accident, and Weatherly was not injured. Weatherly then went on to win a 10-lap, 25 mi km on event dubbed a "Race of Champions" on the 2.5 mi km on banked tri-oval. Drivers competed in the same cars that they would run in the Daytona 500. The race proved to be a tough loss for Fireball Roberts, who had started at the rear of the field but managed to charge to the lead in only 4 laps. On the last lap, Weatherly overtook Roberts at the finish line, winning by only 2 feet. A total of 70 drivers registered to run in the 1961 Daytona 500, but only the top 60 would be scheduled to start the race. A total of 13 teams came to Daytona with the new, more aerodynamically designed 1961 Pontiacs contributed by the manufacturer. Smokey Yunick brought Fireball Roberts as his primary driver for the new model vehicle, and it was Roberts who suggested that Yunick add teammate Marvin Panch. Panch was a 'last minute' addition to Yunick's team and given the year-old 1960 Pontiac rather than one of the newer models. When approached, Yunick relented to allowing Panch to drive Roberts' Pontiac Catalina from the previous year, saying: "If you think that much about [the '60 Pontiac], take it outside." [the shop], where the mechanics prepared the car for the 500. During the initial 2-lap qualifying trials Fireball Roberts set a new track record of 155.700 mph km/h average speed over the 5 mi km on run. The second fastest average belonged to Joe Weatherly in his 1961 Pontiac, with Cotton Owens, Curtis Turner, and Marvin Panch rounding out the top 5. Roberts broke the previous track record speed of 152.129 mph km/h on set by Jack Smith the previous July. Roberts' effort was the first of three consecutive pole positions that he captured from 1961 through 1963. The 3 "consecutive" poles was a first, and a record which Roberts still shares with Bill Elliott (1985–87) and Ken Schrader (1988–90). Twin qualifying events The two qualifying events which established the starting lineup of the Daytona 500 were marred by multiple crashes in which at least one fan and seven drivers were injured on February 24, 1961. A total of 34 drivers were scheduled for the first of two qualifying events, and 33 cars scheduled for the second event. The top 20 finishers would secure positions in the upcoming 500 mi km on event, with winners of each qualifier also earning a $5,000 purse. The top two time-trial qualifiers were also guaranteed the top two starting spots. An accident early in the first event involved Dave Mader and Wes Morgan in which Morgan's car flipped seven times going into the 4th turn. Both Lee Petty and son Richard Petty crashed during their respective 100 mi km on qualifying events, forcing Petty Enterprises into a noncompetitive role for the 1961 Daytona 500. Son Richard crashed through the guardrail and suffered a sprained ankle in the first qualifier, and while the car remained upright, the crash kept him from starting the 500. The wreck occurred when driver Junior Johnson got thrown out of control as debris from an earlier wreck caused a cut tire, and he made contact with the younger Petty's car. The crash left Johnson with a severe gash to his chin, and Petty with shards of glass in his eye. The younger Petty's crash brought out one of the five cautions in the first 40-lap qualifier, which was shortened due to crashes at both ends of the track during the closing laps. alt=Car No. 73 high above a guardrail. There is mangled debris hanging on to the front of the car.|thumb|Beauchamp's car flying over the guardrail Shortly after Richard Petty left the infield medical center after the first race crash, his attention was drawn to an accident involving his father in the second race. Patriarch Lee tangled with Johnny Beauchamp when Beauchamp caught Petty's back bumper sending the two cars through the guardrail which destroyed both vehicles. The accident started when Banjo Matthews spun in front of the field while leading the second qualifying 100 mi km on race. The senior Petty suffered multiple life-threatening injuries,Fielden 2005 102 including numerous fractures, internal injuries, and a punctured lung. When the two cars left the track, Petty's car struck spectator A. B. Kelley, who suffered severe cuts, but helped evacuate Petty from the twisted metal. Beauchamp and Petty tore out 13 8-inch by 8-inch guardrail support posts while exiting the track. There's been speculation that the early crash between Mader and Morgan may have weakened that section. Some of the drivers felt that much of the blame for the multiple crashes lay in the fact that so many rookie drivers were not capable of running competently; and Joe Weatherly stated: “I know it was veteran drivers in the worst crashes, but it was rookies that caused them, dammit!” Petty was hospitalized for over four months, but did recover. While Beauchamp also suffered injuries to his head, they were less serious.Fielden 2005 102 Petty and Beauchamp were no strangers to each other; having been involved in the iconic finish of the inaugural 1959 Daytona 500 where they crossed the finish line so close to each other that it took NASCAR 3 days before Bill France Sr. declared Lee Petty the winner. Beauchamp never raced again after the accident; and while Petty did return to run a half-dozen races, the wreck effectively ended both driver's careers. Driver Rex White stated that: “If NASCAR doesn’t have a meeting to educate some of these amateurs, there can’t be much of a race on Sunday. There were some goofballs on the track today.”, and even Fireball Roberts, winner of the first race, stated that: “I was scared to death out there,” Fireball Roberts Fireball Roberts and Joe Weatherly each won their respective 100 mi km on qualifying events. Qualifying race results First qualifier Fireball Roberts '61 Pontiac Jim Paschal '61 Pontiac Jack Smith '61 Pontiac Buck Baker '61 Chrysler Ned Jarrett '61 Chevrolet Bobby Johns '61 Ford Nelson Stacy '61 Ford Bob Burdick '61 Pontiac Paul Goldsmith '61 Pontiac Junior Johnson '61 Pontiac (crashed) Second qualifier Joe Weatherly '61 Pontiac Marvin Panch '60 Pontiac Cotton Owens '61 Pontiac Banjo Matthews '61 Ford Darel Dieringer '61 Pontiac Joe Lee Johnson '61 Chevrolet Emanuel Zervakis '61 Chevrolet Jim Reed '61 Chevrolet Tom Pistone '61 Pontiac Don O'Dell '61 Pontiac Race summary Prior to the start of the main event, drivers were apprehensive due to the large number of mishaps during the qualifying races. This prompted officials to hold a meeting explaining that rough driving would not be tolerated, and during the race, two cars were black-flagged for driving too slowly to be considered safe. A total of 51,287 fans arrived in Daytona to witness the race which was run at an average speed of 149.601 mph km/h on. Unofficial estimates placed the total in attendance at over 65,000 people, with speculation of perhaps 100,000. Seventeen drivers in the starting field were designated rookies by NASCAR, and were identified by having their rear bumpers painted with 'Day-glo' paint. Smokey Yunick instructed Panch to not run too close to teammate Roberts so that if Roberts were caught up in any altercations on the track then both cars would not risk being taken out in the same incident. alt=A car driving down pit lane with smoke following it. A crowd watches on behind a barrier.|thumb|Roberts pitting due to his failing engine Fireball Roberts started on the pole for the 500 mi km on event, with Joe Weatherly on the outside front row. Roberts jumped out front and held the lead through lap 12 when Banjo Mathews took the point position. Roberts traded the lead position with Mathews, Junior Johnson, Nelson Stacy for the first 42 laps. At lap 43 Roberts took command of the race in dominating style; and continued to lead for the majority of the race, building a lead of 2 laps over the rest of the field. Although Richard Petty did not start the race, he did drive in relief for Bob Wellborn from lap 120 through 169, after which Wellborn resumed the driving duties. On lap 182 driver Darel Dieringer contacted the outside fence, but managed to make repairs in time to finish the race. There were a total of nine lead changes between five drivers, and the race was completed without a single caution. Roberts would come back and lead a total of 170 of the 200 laps, including 145 consecutive laps from the 45th to the 187th. Then on lap 187, with more than a two-lap lead on second place teammate Panch, Roberts' engine failed knocking him out of the race. Marvin Panch took his first lead of the race with only 13 laps remaining, and held on to reach the checkered flag first, 16 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Joe Weatherly's number 8, who completed the race on one set of tires. The caution-free event was one of only 3 times that the iconic race ran the entire distance under green; with 1959 and 1962 being the only other 2 times it's occurred. alt=A car crosses the finish line while a crowd watches behind the barrier.|thumb|Panch crossing the finish line While Pontiac's factory heads had wanted a new year model to win the race, car owner Yunick was so pleased with Panch's performance that he upped his promised take of 40% to 50% of the winnings, saying: "Tell you what. Anybody good enough to win the race is worth 50 percent to me." Panch completed the 500 mi km off with only one change of tires, and in a then-record for a 500 mi km on closed course race of any kind, completed the contest in 3 hours, 20 minutes, and 32 seconds. That time equated to an average speed of 149.601 mph km/h on, which was more than 2 mph km/h on faster the pole qualifier of the Indianapolis 500 that same year.Eddie Sachs was the 1961 Indy 500 fastest qualifier with a speed of 147.480 mph km/h on. see: Indianapolis 500 starting grid – 1961 Since Daytona did not have a designated "Victory lane" at the time, after the race Panch pulled his winning car into the infield grass, and celebrated the win with Bill France Sr., Yunick, and his family. The victory was Panch's first NASCAR win since the 1957 season, and the only victory of the 1961 season. Years after retiring from the sport, Panch would rebuild a replica of his winning Pontiac and tour the NASCAR circuit. 500 Race results Fin St # Driver Sponsor / Owner Car Laps Number of laps completed Money Lapsled Number of laps led 1 4 20 Marvin Panch Smokey Yunick 1960 Pontiac 200 $21,050.00 13 2 2 8 Joe Weatherly Stephens Pontiac (Bud Moore) 1961 Pontiac 200 $9,150.00 0 3 17 31 Paul Goldsmith Diesi Pontiac (Ray Nichels) 1961 Pontiac 200 $5,900.00 0 4 45 80 Fred Lorenzen Tubby Gonzales 1961 Ford 198 $3,825.00 0 5 6 6 Cotton Owens Cotton Owens 1961 Pontiac 198 $2,975.00 0 6 5 47 Jack Smith Jack Smith 1961 Pontiac 197 $2,075.00 0 7 9 11 Ned Jarrett Dash-Dash-Dash Corp. (B.G. Holloway) 1961 Chevrolet 196 $1,550.00 0 8 47 69 Johnny Allen B.G. Holloway 1961 Chevrolet 196 $1,050.00 0 9 7 87 Buck Baker Buck Baker 1961 Chrysler 196 $850.00 0 10 18 59 Tom Pistone B.G. Holloway 1961 Pontiac 196 $750.00 0 11 29 49 Bob Welborn Bob Welborn 1961 Pontiac 194 $600.00 0 12 41 4 Rex White Rex White 1961 Chevrolet 194 $500.00 0 13 16 7 Jim Reed Jim Reed 1961 Chevrolet 194 $400.00 0 14 46 23 Sal Tovella Bob Rose 1961 Ford 191 $350.00 0 15 22 65 Charlie Glotzbach Melvin Black 1961 Pontiac 191 $350.00 0 16 10 32 Darel Dieringer Ray Nichels 1961 Pontiac 191 $325.00 0 17 32 52 Tom Dill Julian Buesink 1961 Ford 190 $325.00 0 18 14 85 Emanuel Zervakis Toots Transfer (Monroe Shook) 1961 Chevrolet 189 $300.00 0 19 49 37 Joe Kelly Don House 1961 Ford 188 $300.00 0 20 1 22 Fireball Roberts Smokey Yunick 1961 Pontiac 187 $4,750.00 170 21 30 66 David Pearson Tony Lavati 1961 Pontiac 186 $200.00 0 22 37 30 Friday Hassler Fred Clark 1960 Chevrolet 186 $200.00 0 23 57 41 Elmo Henderson Charlie Chapman 1960 Ford 184 $200.00 0 24 31 83 Tim Flock Meilwain Ford (Jack Meeks) 1961 Ford 184 $200.00 0 25 38 16 Elmo Langley Happy Steigel 1959 Pontiac 184 $200.00 0 26 50 88 Harlan Richardson Jim White 1961 Ford 184 $200.00 0 27 8 94 Banjo Matthews Warrior Motel (Banjo Matthews) 1961 Ford 181 $250.00 3 28 26 91 Robert Roeber R.G. Henschel 1960 Pontiac 180 $200.00 0 29 34 68 Ed Livingston Curtis Crider 1960 Ford 177 $200.00 0 30 24 54 Jimmy Pardue Jimmy Pardue 1960 Chevrolet 176 $200.00 0 31 36 40 Bobby Allison Ralph Stark 1960 Chevrolet 175 $200.00 0 32 53 64 Paul Parks Spook Crawford 1960 Ford 173 $200.00 0 33 27 24 Roscoe Thompson James Turner 1960 Pontiac 169 $200.00 0 34 39 19 Herman Beam Herman Beam 1960 Ford 167 $200.00 0 35 40 33 Reb Wickersham Reb Wickersham 1960 Oldsmobile 158 $200.00 0 36 15 53 Bob Burdick McKenzie (Roy Burdick) 1961 Pontiac 157 $200.00 0 37 12 89 Joe Lee Johnson Joe Lee Johnson 1961 Chevrolet 153 $200.00 0 38 25 76 Larry Frank Dick Wright 1960 Ford 152 $200.00 0 39 48 1 Paul Lewis Jess Potter 1961 Chevrolet 149 $200.00 0 40 28 86 Buddy Baker Buck Baker 1961 Chrysler 145 $200.00 0 41 54 39 Marshall Sargent Marshall Sargent 1959 Pontiac 115 $200.00 0 42 58 36 Brian Naylor Warner Brothers 1960 Ford 85 $200.00 0 43 56 38 Ed Markstellar Matt DeMatthews 1961 Ford 81 $200.00 0 44 13 29 Nelson Stacy Holt-Stacy (Dudley Farrell) 1961 Ford 79 $200.00 7 45 19 2 Tommy Irwin Tom Daniels 1960 Chevrolet 67 $200.00 0 46 35 18 Darrell Dake Weldon Wagner 1961 Chevrolet 47 $200.00 0 47 43 27 Junior Johnson Holly Farms (Rex Lovette) 1960 Pontiac 44 $300.00 7 48 51 15 Red Hollingsworth Red Hollingsworth 1960 Chevrolet 35 $200.00 0 49 3 3 Jim Paschal Daytona Kennel (John Masoni) 1961 Pontiac 30 $200.00 0 50 11 72 Bobby Johns Shorty Johns 1961 Ford 26 $200.00 0 51 55 60 George Tet Tetsuo Fuchigami 1960 Ford 24 $200.00 0 52 21 10 T.C. Hunt Fred Wheat 1960 Dodge 23 $200.00 0 53 23 62 Curtis Crider Curtis Crider 1960 Ford 12 $200.00 0 54 20 75 Don O'Dell J.D. Braswell 1961 Pontiac 10 $200.00 0 55 33 21 Curtis Turner Courtesy (Wood Brothers) 1961 Ford 6 $200.00 0 56 44 99 Wilbur Rakestraw Joe Jones 1961 Ford 5 $200.00 0 57 52 55 Ernie Gahan John Koszela 1959 Chevrolet 3 $200.00 0 58 42 50 Ken Johnson James French 1960 Ford 3 $200.00 0 Race results from racing-reference.info 1961 Grand National 1960 1962 References Notes Citations 33em http://www.racing-reference.info/race?id=1961-05&series=W 1961 Daytona 500 racing-reference.info August 15, 2009 http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-racing/nascar/season-recaps/1960s/1961-nascar.htm 1961 NASCAR Grand National Recap HowStuffWorks; Publications International 1 August 15, 2009 Higgins Tom Wrecks mar 1961 qualifying race http://www.thatsracin.com/2011/01/29/54531/horrific-wrecks-mar-1961-qualifying.html The McClatchy Company July 20, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20110203025221/http://www.thatsracin.com/2011/01/29/54531/horrific-wrecks-mar-1961-qualifying.html February 3, 2011 dead mdy-all Kahn Bernard Twin 100 Milers May Draw 15,000 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZAoqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=q8wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1524,4246532&dq=1961+daytona+500+qualifying+races&hl=en July 25, 2012 Daytona Beach Morning Journal February 24, 1961 1961 Daytona 500 Qualifier #1 http://www.racing-reference.info/race/1961_Daytona_500_Qualifier_1/W racing-reference.info July 19, 2012 Martin Whitney Daytona officials hope for normalcy after hectic day https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QSItAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ugQGAAAAIBAJ&pg=2516,3429471&dq=lee+petty+and+beauchamp+careers&hl=en July 19, 2012 The Rock Hill Herald February 25, 1961 9July 2026 InternetArchiveBot The Race: Daytona 500 http://www.jayski.com/next/2009/1dis2009.htm jayski.com and ESPN July 31, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121006055735/http://www.jayski.com/next/2009/1dis2009.htm October 6, 2012 dead Johnny Beauchamp http://www.legendsofnascar.com/Johnny_Beauchamp.htm Legends of NASCAR July 19, 2012 May 2, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120502092737/http://www.legendsofnascar.com/Johnny_Beauchamp.htm dead AP Fireball is Still Looking For Big One https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GYJPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KAUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2215,3617586&dq=1961+daytona+500+qualifying+races&hl=en July 19, 2012 Ocala Star-Banner February 22, 1961 Sports 5 NASCAR Wire Service Today in History: March 23 http://www.nascar.com/news/120323/today-in-history/index.html nascar.com Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 25, 2012 Weatherly Overturns, Still Wins https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uyVSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CHkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6867,5449389&dq=1961+daytona+500&hl=en July 18, 2012 St. Petersburg Times February 20, 1961 2C AP Fireball Sets Five-Mile Record https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=f3ssAAAAIBAJ&sjid=acwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7075,1365507&dq=1961+daytona+500&hl=en July 18, 2012 Spartanburg Herald-Journal February 12, 1961 C3 Phillip Christopher R. Pontiac's First Daytona 500 Win — Take It To The Win http://www.highperformancepontiac.com/features/hppp_0801_marvin_panch_daytona_500_winner/viewall.html How Marvin Panch Took Pontiac To Its Very First Daytona 500 Win Plus An Exclusive Interview With The Living Legend High Performance Pontiac July 25, 2012 January 2008July 2026 InternetArchiveBot Smithson Ryan Where is … M. Panch? http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/features/02/22/where.is.mpanch/index.html 1961 Daytona 500 champ still on the road years later Turner Sports Interactive, Inc July 25, 2012 March 1, 2007 1961 Daytona 500 Qualifier #2 http://www.racing-reference.info/race/1961_Daytona_500_Qualifier_2/W racing-reference.info July 25, 2012 Higgins Tom Drivers on edge as 1961 Daytona 500 green flag nears http://www.thatsracin.com/2011/02/02/54880/drivers-on-edge-as-61-daytona.html ThatsRacin.com July 25, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20110206093233/http://www.thatsracin.com/2011/02/02/54880/drivers-on-edge-as-61-daytona.html February 6, 2011 dead mdy-all Vega Michael Daytona finds a lost treasure http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/autoracing/articles/2006/02/11/daytona_finds_a_lost_treasure/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160304133854/http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/autoracing/articles/2006/02/11/daytona_finds_a_lost_treasure/ dead March 4, 2016 Globe Newspaper Company July 28, 2012 1 February 11, 2006 Sidelights On 500 Mile Race https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZwoqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=q8wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2599,5145492&dq=1961+daytona+500&hl=en July 19, 2012 Daytona Beach Morning Journal February 27, 1961 Sports 13 Daytona International Speedway Timeline http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/images/DIS%20timeline.pdf Daytona International Speedway July 29, 2012 Marvin Panch http://www.racing-reference.info/driver/Marvin_Panch racing-reference.info July 31, 2012 Daytona 500 – Race Notes http://www.race2win.net/wc/05/race/dis/note.html race2win.net July 31, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072558/http://www.race2win.net/wc/05/race/dis/note.html March 4, 2016 dead Bibliography Fleischman Bill Pearce Al The Unauthorized NASCAR Fan Guide: 2004 Checkered Flag Press; Visible Ink Press Canton, MI 2004 10 2004 148–149 At A Glance: Year-by-Year Summaries; 1961 978-0-681-27587-4 registration https://archive.org/details/unauthorizednasc00/page/148 Fielden Greg NASCAR: A Fast History Publications International, Ltd Lincolnwood, Illinois 2005 1 2004 100–109 1960s 978-1-4127-1155-5 External links Video: Petty and Beauchamp crash during qualifying event. 1961 Daytona 500 trivia from nascar.com Daytona 500 Daytona 500 Category:NASCAR races at Daytona International Speedway Daytona 500