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1969 National 500
Reference material by Wikipedia contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1969
February 2025
CUST Race 48 of 54 in the 1969 NASCAR Grand National Series season National 500 http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/zipcode/28027/1969-10-12 1969 National 500 weather information The Old Farmers' Almanac 2012-08-02 1969 10 12 1969 48 54 Lowe's Motor Speedway.svg Layout of Charlotte Motor Speedway National 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina 1.500 2.414 334 501 804 131.271 mi/h Temperatures of 82 F C; wind speeds of 6 mph km/h 57,000 https://www.racing-reference.info/race/1969_National_500/W 1969 National 500 information Racing Reference 2020-05-05 Cale Yarborough Wood Brothers Donnie Allison Banjo Matthews 161 27 Donnie Allison Banjo Matthews ABC Jim McKay Chris Economaki
The 1969 National 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on October 12, 1969, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. This race is still being held in today's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series as the 'Bank of America 500'.
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.
Race report
It took three hours and forty-two minutes to complete the race. Nine cautions slowed the race for 50 laps. Donnie Allison defeated Bobby Allison http://www.superbirdclub.com/charlotte69.html 1969 National 500 results Super Bird Club 2011-01-06 by sixteen seconds. Fifty thousand people attended this race to see speeds averaging 131.271 mi/h and Cale Yarborough earning his pole position by qualifying with a speed of 162.162 mi/h. http://www.driveraverages.com/nascar_stats/race.php?sked_id=1969048 1969 National 500 results (ownership information) Driver Averages 2015-01-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20150205135219/http://www.driveraverages.com/nascar_stats/race.php?sked_id=1969048 2015-02-05 dead There was a consolation race for the drivers who failed to qualify, only three cars finished that race; the winner was J.C. Spradley in a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle.
Other notable drivers in this race include: A. J. Foyt, Coo Coo Marlin, Cale Yarborough, J.D. McDuffie, Wendell Scott, and Richard Petty. This would become the forty-eighth race sanctioned by NASCAR out of the 54 in 1969. The 1969 NASCAR Grand National season would later mark its conclusion with the 1969 Texas 500 on December 7, 1969, with David Pearson emerging as the eventual champion for the year.
The winner's purse was considered to be $20,280 ($ when considering inflation). Jim Lineberger would make his only NASCAR Cup Series appearance this event while Bob Cooper would bow out of professional stock car racing after this race.Retirements and one-time driver information at Race Database This was the only career start for Wayne Gillette where his vehicle qualified for the race and made it to the finish; Gillette would fail to qualify in two other races in the NASCAR Grand National Cup Series.
Notable crew chiefs for this race were Herb Nab, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Banjo Matthews, Glen Wood, Dick Hutcherson and Cotton Owens. https://www.racing-reference.info/entrylist/1969-48/W/C 1969 National 500 crew chiefs Racing Reference 2018-08-16
Qualifying
Grid No. Car number Driver Manufacturer Owner 1 21 Cale Yarborough '69 Mercury Wood Brothers 2 43 Richard Petty '69 Ford Petty Enterprises 3 27 Donnie Allison '69 Ford Banjo Matthews 4 98 LeeRoy Yarbrough '69 Ford Junior Johnson 5 6 Buddy Baker '69 Dodge Cotton Owens 6 22 Bobby Allison '69 Dodge Mario Rossi 7 99 Charlie Glotzbach '69 Dodge Ray Nichels 8 17 David Pearson '69 Ford Holman-Moody Racing 9 71 Bobby Isaac '69 Dodge Nord Krauskopf 10 30 Dave Marcis '69 Dodge Milt Lunda 11 3 Jim Vandiver '69 Dodge Ray Fox 12 1 A.J. Foyt '69 Ford Jack Bowsher 13 32 Dick Brooks '69 Plymouth Dick Brooks 14 67 Buddy Arrington '69 Dodge Buddy Arrington 15 4 John Sears '69 Ford L.G. DeWitt
Finishing order
Section reference:
30em
Donnie Allison
Bobby Allison
Buddy Baker†
Charlie Glotzbach
David Pearson†
Dick Brooks
Neil Castles
Friday Hassler
Don Tarr
John Sears*
James Hylton
Wayne Smith
Elmo Langley
Hoss Ellington
John Kennedy
Bill Seifert
Wendell Scott
Ben Arnold
Cecil Gordon
Dub Simpson
Henley Gray
Bill Champion
Wayne Gillette
J.D. McDuffie*
Cale Yarborough*
Jabe Thomas
Richard Petty*
Dave Marcis*
Earl Brooks*
G.C. Spencer*
Roy Tyner*
Sonny Hutchins*
E.J. Trivette*
Jim Lineberger*
Buddy Young*
Buddy Arrington*
Richard Brickhouse*
LeeRoy Yarbrough*
Coo Coo Marlin*
A. J. Foyt*
Bobby Isaac*
Bill Dennis*
Jim Vandiver*
Bob Cooper*
Frank Warren*
* Driver failed to finish race
Timeline
Section reference:
Start of race: Donnie Allison officially began the race with the pole position.
Lap 9: Caution due to Buddy Young's accident on turn two, ended on lap 13.
Lap 25: Caution due to engine problems, ended on lap 31.
Lap 32: Buddy Baker took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
Lap 55: Bob Cooper managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle.
Lap 64: Jim Vandiver just could not steer his vehicle properly anymore.
Lap 69: Bill Dennis managed to destroy his vehicle's engine by racing at excessively high speeds.
Lap 81: Bobby Isaac's engine could not handle the pressures of high-speed racing anymore.
Lap 88: A wheel bearing came off A.J. Foyt's vehicle, giving him a miserable 40th-place finish.
Lap 90: Coo Coo Marlin's race engine no longer worked properly.
Lap 94: LeeRoy Yarbrough's engine had seen better laps around this time.
Lap 95: Richard Brickhouse's engine became as useless as a brick, eliminating him from the race.
Lap 98: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Buddy Baker.
Lap 104: Caution due to engine problems, ended on lap 106.
Lap 109: The rear end of Buddy Young's vehicle came off in a relatively unsafe manner.
Lap 114: Caution due to debris, ended on lap 118.
Lap 126: Caution due to Jim Lineberger's accident on turn two, ended on lap 131.
Lap 131: Jim Lineberger had a terminal crash.
Lap 175: Sonny Hutchins' engine stopped working around this time.
Lap 191: G.C. Spencer blew his vehicle's engine while racing at high speeds.
Lap 195: Caution due to engine problems, ended on lap 199.
Lap 201: Earl Brooks' vehicle developed engine problems.
Lap 205: Caution due to Roy Tyner's oil spill on turn one, ended on lap 211.
Lap 217: Dave Marcis blew his vehicle's engine while racing at high speeds.
Lap 240: Caution due to engine problems, ended on lap 243.
Lap 247: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Donnie Allison.
Lap 260: Caution due to engine problems, ended on lap 267.
Lap 277: J.D. McDuffie had problems dealing with his vehicle's clutch.
Lap 285: Donnie Allison took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
Lap 315: John Sears had problems with his vehicle's engine.
Finish: Donnie Allison was officially declared the winner of the event.
References
1969 Wilkes 400 1969 untitled race at Savannah Speedway NASCAR Grand National Series season 1969
1968 1970 National 500 races 1969
National 500
National 500
National 500
Category:NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway