1960 Southern 500

May 2021 February 2025 CUST 805.477 Buck Baker Buck Baker 47 175 Buck Baker Buck Baker Jim Stephens Fireball Roberts 80,000 105.901 mi/h Temperatures of 88 F C; wind speeds of 8.9 mph km/h 500.5 Race 35 of 44 in the 1960 NASCAR Grand National Series season 364 2.213 1.375 Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina 1960 Southern 500 program cover 1960_Southern_500_program_cover_and_logo.png 44 35 1960 1960 09 5 Southern 500 The 1960 Southern 500, the 11th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 5, 1960, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 364 laps on the 1.375 mi off on egg-shaped oval, it was the 35th race of the 1960 NASCAR Grand National Series season. The race is known as one of the deadliest Southern 500s in history. On lap 95, race leader Bobby Johns and Roy Tyner locked bumpers, and both crashed on pit road. The crash would kill two mechanics and a NASCAR official.1960-09-06 Baker Declared Southern 500 Winner; Disputed Finish 11 The Greenville News https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80823315/baker-declared-southen-500-winner/ 2021-07-05 Background Darlington Raceway, nicknamed by many NASCAR fans and drivers as "The Lady in Black" or "The Track Too Tough to Tame" and advertised as a "NASCAR Tradition", is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends. The track is a four-turn 1.375 mi off on oval. The track's first two turns are banked at twenty-five degrees, while the final two turns are banked two degrees lower at twenty-three degrees. The front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch is banked at six degrees. Darlington Raceway can seat up to 60,000 people.Darlington Raceway http://www.cbssports.com/nascar/tracks/page/darlington/darlington-raceway dead CBS Sports 2021-05-05 2012-10-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20121019184749/http://www.cbssports.com/nascar/tracks/page/darlington/darlington-raceway Darlington has something of a legendary quality among drivers and older fans; this is probably due to its long track length relative to other NASCAR speedways of its era and hence the first venue where many of them became cognizant of the truly high speeds that stock cars could achieve on a long track. The track allegedly earned the moniker The Lady in Black because the night before the race the track maintenance crew would cover the entire track with fresh asphalt sealant, in the early years of the speedway, thus making the racing surface dark black. Darlington is also known as "The Track Too Tough to Tame" because drivers can run lap after lap without a problem and then bounce off of the wall the following lap. Racers will frequently explain that they have to race the racetrack, not their competition. Drivers hitting the wall are considered to have received their "Darlington Stripe" thanks to the missing paint on the right side of the car. Race recap It would take 4 hours and 43 minutes to complete the race. On lap 95, race leader Bobby Johns and Roy Tyner locked bumpers, and both crashed on pit road. There was no wall separating pit lane from the circuit at the time, as was the case at most motor racing circuits (Indianapolis had added a barrier separating pit lane from the circuit in 1957, and Daytona was built with an entire bend and grass separating pit lane from the circuit) The crash would kill two mechanics and a NASCAR official. Johns's car crashed into an observation post, the pit road retaining wall, and then swiped the pit area where mechanics had just serviced Joe Lee Johnson's car. Paul McDuffie and Charles Sweatland, both mechanics for Joe Lee Johnson's team, were killed. A third, NASCAR official Joe Taylor, was also killed.1960-09-06 Grim Reaper Claims Six Casualties at Darlington 1 Florence Morning News https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12645264/florence-morning-news/ 2021-07-05 Three more mechanics and a spectator were injured.1960-09-06 In South Carolina 15 Die Violently 3 The Item https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80825196/in-south-carolina-15-die-violently/ 2021-07-05 Johns would manage to walk away from the incident.2020-09-05 September 5, 1960 - A deadly Southern 500 https://automotivehistory.org/this-day-in-automotive-history/september-5-1960-a-deadly-southern-500/ 2021-05-04 This Day in Automotive History en-US Joe Lee Johnson would withdraw from the race. Race leader Buck Baker, entering Turn 4 on Lap 364, the final lap, had his right rear tire blow out. Meanwhile, second place Rex White was given an early white flag, and Baker had the white flag waved to him twice as he crossed the line with his blown tire. Baker limped his stricken car around the track to complete one more lap, by which time White had crossed the line and been given the checkered flag.1960-09-06 Baker Gets Confused Southern 500 Win 1 Florence Morning News https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80825393/baker-gets-confused-southern-500-win/ 2021-07-05 In an era before transponder-based timing and scoring implemented in 1993, NASCAR checked the score cards of all cars after the race. Officials would discover that White had accidentally been awarded an extra lap, and that Baker was forced to run an extra lap. Baker would eventually be declared the winner. Race results Source:Race Results https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/ 2021-05-04 Racing-Reference en-USPOSST#DRIVERSPONSOR / OWNERCARLAPSMONEYSTATUSLED1247 Buck BakerBoomershine Pontiac Dealers (Jack Smith)'60 Pontiac36419900running175274 Rex WhitePiedmont / Friendly (Rex White)'60 Chevrolet3649780running43344 Jim PaschalSouth Plymouth (Petty Enterprises)'60 Plymouth3625595running041685 Emanuel ZervakisMonroe Shook'60 Chevrolet3623125running052011 Ned JarrettCourtesy (Ned Jarrett)'60 Ford3622000running06843 Richard PettySouth Plymouth (Petty Enterprises)'60 Plymouth3612575running10671794 Banjo MatthewsBanjo Matthews'60 Ford3611255running082173 Johnny BeauchampDale Swanson'60 Chevrolet3581025running09122 Fireball RobertsJohn Hines'60 Pontiac3532175axle53103423 Doug YatesRaeford Johnson'59 Plymouth353775running0112477 Marvin PanchBillie Ridgeway (W.J. Ridgeway)'60 Ford351700running0122670 Elmo HendersonW.H. Watson'58 Pontiac338600running0133938 Clem ProctorCharlie Chapman'60 Ford338500running014361 Paul LewisFaircloth (Jess Potter)'60 Chevrolet335450engine0152981 Shorty RollinsShorty Rollins'60 Ford331500running0163560 Jim WhitmanPolytronics Lab (Dick Stanley)'60 Dodge320350engine0174174 L.D. AustinL.D. Austin'58 Chevrolet310300running0183719 Herman BeamCarter Country Ford (Herman Beam)'60 Ford305250running0193245 Tiny LundBill Gazaway'59 Oldsmobile304250crash0204383 Curtis CriderCurtis Crider'58 Ford304250running021412 Joe WeatherlyHolman-Moody Racing'60 Ford303200crash0224420 G.C. SpencerSpook Crawford'58 Ford301200running0232561 Jimmy ThompsonDoc White'59 T-Bird278200axle02466 Cotton OwensHedges Pontiac (Cotton Owens)'60 Pontiac277510axle9254510 T.C. HuntFred Wheat'60 Plymouth260200crash0263099 Wilbur RakestrawTalmadge Cochrane'60 Ford217200axle0272267 David PearsonDavid Pearson'59 Chevrolet214200axle0281428 Fred LorenzenRupert Safety Belt (Fred Lorenzen)'60 Ford188250engine0294216 Steve McGrathHappy Steigel'59 Pontiac188200engine030942 Lee PettySouth Plymouth (Petty Enterprises)'60 Plymouth188470crash13313339 Herb TillmanRalph Stark'60 Chevrolet180200rear end0323833 Reb WickershamSons of Confederate Veterans (Reb Wickersham)'60 Oldsmobile163200axle0334654 Jimmy PardueLowe's (Eb Clifton)'59 Dodge143200oil pressure0342387 Buddy BakerDon Allen Chevrolet (Buck Baker)'60 Chevrolet136200fuel pump0354796 Gene White'60 Chevrolet134200engine036287 Jim ReedJim Reed'60 Chevrolet130200a frame0371369 Johnny AllenHanley Dawson'60 Chevrolet125220engine0381259 Tom PistoneThor (W.T. Coppedge)'60 Chevrolet115230engine0391990 Speedy ThompsonJunie Donlavey'60 Ford110250engine04055 Bobby JohnsJustus Pontiac (Cotton Owens)'60 Pontiac95210crash4411189 Joe Lee JohnsonPaul McDuffie'60 Chevrolet95550withdrew042409 Roy TynerRoy Tyner'59 Oldsmobile86200crash043152 Possum JonesTom Daniels'60 Chevrolet76200c pulley0443179 Johnny MillerRobert Ramey'60 Ford26200crash0451892 Elmo LangleyGerald Duke'59 T-Bird25220crash0462764 Bunkie BlackburnSpook Crawford'60 Ford24200crash0471027 Junior JohnsonDaytona Kennel / Holly Farms Poultry (John Masoni)'60 Chevrolet17200engine0484835 E.J. TrivetteM.J. Black'59 Plymouth1200handling0 Category:NASCAR races at Darlington Raceway Category:1960 NASCAR Grand National Series Category:1960 in sports in South Carolina Category:September 1960 sports events in the United States