1969 Georgia 500 (November 1968)

Auto race held at Middle Georgia Raceway in 1969 the 1969 Georgia 500 held in 1968 the 1969 Georgia 500 held in 1969 1969 Georgia 500 (November 1969) February 2025 CUST Race 1 of 54 in the 1969 NASCAR Grand National Series season Georgia 500 Weather information for the 1969 Georgia 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac 1968 November 17 1969 1 54 Georgia 500 Middle Georgia Raceway, Byron, Georgia 0.548 0.882 500 227 441 Temperatures reaching of 73.9 F C; wind speeds of 14 mph km/h 81.079 mi/h 6,000 David Pearson Holman Moody Richard Petty Petty Enterprises 362 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises untelevised none The 1969 Georgia 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on November 17, 1968, at Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron, Georgia. 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 Thirty drivers qualified for this 500-lap racing event that took three hours and eight minutes to complete. Most of the field was driving vehicles made by Ford.Racing information for the 1969 Georgia 500 at Racing Reference J.D. McDuffie ended up becoming the last-place finisher due to a problem with his engine on lap 20. Ed Negre was the lowest finishing driver to complete the race regardless of being 206 laps behind the drivers on the lead lap. Six thousand excited NASCAR fans were eager to see Richard Petty defeat David Pearson by a margin of five seconds. J.D. McDuffie's vehicle developed engine problems on lap 20. Jabe Thomas's vehicle developed similar issues on lap 26. An oil leak took Bill Champion out of the race on lap 81 while Don Tomberlin's engine stopped working normally on lap 90. The rear end of Don Tarr's vehicle became dangerously loose on lap 94. Driveshaft problems relegated Darel Dieringer to the sidelines on lap 119. E.J. Trivette managed to overheat his vehicle on lap 140. Ervin Pruitt no longer had a safe rear end for his vehicle on lap 162. Earl Brooks inflicted terminal damage on his vehicle on lap 189. G.C. Spencer lost the rear end of his vehicle on lap 210. Wayne Smith fell out with engine failure on lap 222. Bobby Allison's vehicle no longer had a rear end on lap 252; forcing his exit from the race. Engine problems forced Bobby Isaac out of the race on lap 315 while a terminal crash took LeeRoy Yarbrough out of the race on lap 316. Friday Hassler's engine problems were unfortunate enough to kick him out of the race on lap 476 with a "fortunate" sixth-place finish. From the halfway point (lap 251) to the end of the event, Petty and Pearson didn't allow the lead to escape their collective grasps. David Pearson, Bobby Isaac, and Bobby Allison all dominated the opening 100 laps of this racing event. The average racing speed was 85.121 mph km/h; which was overshadowed by David Pearson's solo qualifying speed of 95.472 mph km/h. Thankfully, this would be the final time that NASCAR followed the old tradition of starting the season in November. Notable crew chiefs for the race were Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Mario Rossi, Dick Hutcherson, and John Hill.1969 Georgia 500 crew chiefs information at Racing Reference Individual driver earnings from this racing event ranged from the winner's share of $3,500 ($ when considering inflation) to the lowest possible earnings of $150 ($ when considering inflation). Organizers were authorized to hand over a grand total of $16,935 for all the qualifying drivers ($ when considering inflation).Racing information for the 1969 Georgia 500 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet Qualifying Grid No. Car number Driver Manufacturer Owner 1 17 David Pearson '68 Ford Holman-Moody Racing 2 71 Bobby Isaac '68 Dodge Nord Krauskopf 3 14 Bobby Allison '68 Plymouth Tom Friedkin 4 22 Darel Dieringer '68 Plymouth Mario Rossi 5 43 Richard Petty '68 Plymouth Petty Enterprises 6 48 James Hylton '68 Dodge James Hylton 7 39 Friday Hassler '66 Chevrolet Red Sharp 8 64 Elmo Langley '66 Ford Elmo Langley / Henry Woodfield 9 49 G.C. Spencer '67 Plymouth G.C. Spencer 10 56 LeeRoy Yarborough '67 Mercury Lyle Stelter 11 10 Bill Champion '66 Ford Bill Champion 12 4 John Sears '66 Ford L.G. DeWitt 13 8 Ed Negre '67 Ford Ed Negre 14 96 Don Tomberlin '66 Ford Roy Buckner 15 34 Wendell Scott '66 Ford Wendell Scott 16 26 Jabe Thomas '67 Ford Don Robertson 17 47 Bill Seifert '68 Ford Bill Seifert 18 80 E.J. Trivette '66 Chevrolet E.C. Reid 19 46 Roy Mayne '66 Chevrolet Tom Hunter 20 76 Ben Arnold '66 Ford Don Culpepper 21 06 Neil Castles '66 Plymouth Neil Castles 22 5 Earl Brooks '67 Ford Don Robertson 23 57 Ervin Pruett '67 Dodge Ervin Pruett 24 0 Don Tarr '66 Chevrolet Don Tarr 25 19 Henley Gray '68 Ford Henley Gray 26 38 Wayne Smith '68 Chevrolet Archie Smith 27 93 Walson Gardner '67 Ford Walson Gardner 28 70 J.D. McDuffie '67 Buick J.D. McDuffie 29 45 Cecil Gordon '68 Ford Bill Seifert 30 9 Roy Tyner '67 Pontiac Roy Tyner Finishing order Section reference: 30em Richard Petty (No. 43) David Pearson† (No. 17) James Hylton (No. 48) Elmo Langley† (No. 64) John Sears† (No. 4) Friday Hassler*† (No. 39) Neil Castles (No. 06) Bill Seifert (No. 47) Henley Gray (No. 19) Ben Arnold (No. 76) Cecil Gordon† (No. 45) Roy Mayne† (No. 46) Wendell Scott† (No. 34) Walson Gardner (No. 93) Roy Tyner† (No. 9) LeeRoy Yarbrough*† (No. 56) Bobby Isaac*† (No. 71) Ed Negre (No. 8) Bobby Allison* (No. 14) Wayne Smith* (No. 38) G.C. Spencer*† (No. 49) Earl Brooks*† (No. 5) Ervin Pruitt* (No. 57) E.J. Trivette* (No. 80) Darel Dieringer*† (No. 22) Don Tarr* (No. 0) Don Tomberlin* (No. 96) Bill Champion*† (No. 10) Jabe Thomas* (No. 25) J.D. McDuffie*† (No. 70) † signifies that the driver is known to be deceased * Driver failed to finish race Timeline Section reference: solid 0.1em black lightgrey 0.6em timeline rowStyle 1 white David Pearson 2 500 timeline rowStyle 3 white Bobby Isaac 28 500 timeline rowStyle 29 white David Pearson 31 500 timeline rowStyle 32 white Bobby Allison 57 500 timeline rowStyle 58 white Bobby Isaac 92 500 timeline rowStyle 93 white Bobby Allison 132 500 timeline rowStyle 133 white Richard Petty 219 500 timeline rowStyle 220 white Bobby Allison 222 500 timeline rowStyle 223 white Richard Petty 360 500 timeline rowStyle 361 white David Pearson 361 500 timeline rowStyle 362 white Richard Petty 477 500 timeline rowStyle 478 white David Pearson 479 500 timeline rowStyle 480 white Richard Petty 500 500 scale 1 500 15 References 1968 Peach State 200 1969 Alabama 200 NASCAR Grand National Series Season 1968-69 none November 1969 Georgia 500 races 1969 1968 American 500 1969 Motor Trend 500 Richard Petty's Career Wins 1960-1984 Georgia 500 (November 1968) Georgia 500 (November 1968) Category:NASCAR races at Middle Georgia Raceway