1968 Volunteer 500

Auto race held at Bristol International Speedway in 1968 February 2025 CUST Race 30 of 49 in the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series season Volunteer 500 Weather information for the 1968 Volunteer 500 at the Old Farmers' Almanac 1968 07 21 1968 30 49 Bristol Motor Speedway map.png Layout of Bristol Motor Speedway Volunteer 500 Bristol International Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee 0.533 0.857 500 266.5 428.8 Extremely hot with temperatures of 93.0 F C; wind speeds of 7 mph km/h 76.31 mph on 20,000 LeeRoy Yarbrough Junior Johnson & Associates David Pearson Holman-Moody 257 17 David Pearson Holman-Moody untelevised none The 1968 Volunteer 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 21, 1968, at Bristol International Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. 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 There were 36 drivers on the racing grid as the green flag waved and the race was underway. It took three hours and sixteen minutes for David Pearson to defeat Cale Yarborough by one and a half laps in front of a live audience of twenty thousand racing fans; about the size of a small city. There were eight lead changes recorded in the NASCAR summary and 13 caution flags were waved for a grueling distance of 92 laps. There were 500 laps in this racing event; speeds of 76.31 mph km/h were recorded during the race while solo qualifying runs would see LeeRoy Yarbrough earn the pole position by driving up to 87.421 mph km/h.1968 Volunteer 500 racing information at Racing-Reference Tiny Lund drove a red and silver 1967 Mercury Cyclone #16 vehicle to a respectable 13th-place finish. Bob Burcham and Ervin Pruitt would make their respective introductions to NASCAR-style racing during this event.1968 Volunteer 500 results at Race-Database Richard Brickhouse ended up being the last-place finisher due to an engine malfunction on the eighth lap. Ford vehicles made up the majority of the racing grid. On lap 187, Dick Johnson would quit the reason for reasons unknown; his final race would be at the 1969 North State 200. Twelve notable crew chiefs participated in the race; including Junior Johnson, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Banjo Matthews, Glen Wood and Bud Moore.1968 Volunteer 500 crew chief information at Racing Reference Five years later, Swede Savage would be killed in a racing accident at the 1973 Indianapolis 500. The winner of this event received $5,175 in total winnings ($ when adjusted for inflation) while the last-place finisher went home with only $250 in total earnings ($ when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse for this race was $24,140 ($ when adjusted for inflation).Official NASCAR Race Results for the 1968 Volunteer 500 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet Considered to be the hottest temperatures for Tennessee during the late-1960s, people were passing out all over the place. Qualifying Grid No. Car number Driver Manufacturer Owner 1 98 LeeRoy Yarbrough '68 Ford Junior Johnson 2 6 Charlie Glotzbach '68 Dodge Cotton Owens 3 29 Swede Savage '68 Ford Bondy Long 4 21 Cale Yarborough '68 Mercury Wood Brothers 5 27 Donnie Allison '68 Ford Banjo Matthews 6 17 David Pearson '68 Ford Holman-Moody Racing 7 99 Paul Goldsmith '68 Dodge Ray Nichels 8 43 Richard Petty '68 Plymouth Petty Enterprises 9 71 Bobby Isaac '67 Dodge Nord Krauskopf 10 3 Buddy Baker '68 Dodge Ray Fox 11 22 Darel Dieringer '68 Plymouth Mario Rossi 12 16 Tiny Lund '68 Mercury Bud Moore 13 5 Pete Hamilton '68 Ford Rocky Hinton 14 48 James Hylton '67 Dodge James Hylton 15 4 John Sears '67 Ford L.G. DeWitt 16 2 Bobby Allison '66 Chevrolet Donald Brackins 17 49 G.C. Spencer '67 Plymouth G.C. Spencer 18 39 Friday Hassler '66 Chevrolet Red Sharp 19 08 Bob Burcham '66 Chevrolet E.C. Reid 20 64 Elmo Langley '66 Ford Elmo Langley / Henry Woodfield 21 20 Clyde Lynn '66 Ford Clyde Lynn 22 28 Earl Brooks '66 Ford Earl Brooks 23 25 Jabe Thomas '67 Ford Don Robertson 24 06 Neil Castles '67 Plymouth Neil Castles 25 51 Stan Meserve '67 Dodge Margo Hamm Top 10 finishers Pos Grid No. Car number Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps completed Winnings Laps led Laps as the lead driver Time/Status 1 6 17 David Pearson Ford 500 $5,175 257 3:16:34 2 4 21 Cale Yarborough Mercury 499 $2,650 1 +1.5 laps 3 3 29 Swede Savage Ford 498 $1,700 0 +2 laps 4 9 71 Bobby Isaac Dodge 497 $900 0 +3 laps 5 18 39 Friday Hassler Chevrolet 488 $800 0 +11 laps 6 10 3 Buddy Baker Dodge 481 $700 0 Engine failure 7 24 06 Neil Castles Plymouth 467 $650 0 +33 laps 8 12 16 Tiny Lund Mercury 465 $625 0 Engine failure 9 32 45 Bill Seifert Ford 464 $600 0 +36 laps 10 29 70 J.D. McDuffie Buick 463 $525 0 +37 laps Timeline Section reference: Start of race: Charlie Glotzbach had the pole position to begin the event. Lap 8: Richard Brickhouse managed to blow his engine while racing. Lap 35: James Hylton managed to blow his engine while racing. Lap 63: Donnie Allison managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle, he was pulled off the track for safety reasons. Lap 75: Pete Hamilton took over the lead from Charlie Glotzbach. Lap 81: Stan Meserve managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle, he was pulled off the track for safety reasons. Lap 86: David Pearson took over the lead from Pete Hamilton. Lap 114: Pete Hamilton took over the lead from David Pearson. Lap 117: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from Pete Hamilton. Lap 120: LeeRoy Yarbrough managed to blow his engine while racing. Lap 135: G.C. Spencer managed to blow his engine while racing. Lap 143: Paul Dean Holt's vehicle had an oil leak, he was forced out of the race for safety reasons. Lap 176: Bob Burcham managed to blow his engine while he was racing. Lap 183: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith. Lap 184: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from Cale Yarborough. Lap 187: Dick Johnson quit the race. Lap 212: Bobby Allison's vehicle ran out of battery power while he was racing. Lap 272: David Pearson took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith. Lap 290: Paul Goldsmith managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle, he was pulled off the track for safety reasons. Lap 329: Pete Hamilton managed to blow his engine while racing. Lap 362: Walson Gardner managed to blow his engine while racing. Lap 385: Charlie Glotzbach managed to blow his engine while racing. Lap 387: Jabe Thomas had a terminal crash, forcing him out of the race. Lap 407: John Sears managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle, he was pulled off the track for safety reasons. Lap 465: Tiny Lund managed to blow his engine while racing. Lap 481: Buddy Baker managed to blow his engine while racing. Finish: David Pearson was officially declared the winner of the event. References 1968 Northern 300 1968 Smoky Mountain 200 NASCAR Grand National Season 1968 1967 1969 Volunteer 500 races 1968 Volunteer 500 Volunteer 500 Category:NASCAR races at Bristol Motor Speedway