1966 Columbia 200
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 10 of 49 in the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | April 7, 1966 | ||
| Official name | Columbia 200 | ||
| Location | Columbia Speedway, Columbia, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.500 mi (0.805 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 100 mi (160 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with temperatures approaching 70 °F (21 °C); wind speeds up to 25.1 miles per hour (40.4 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 65.574 miles per hour (105.531 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 11,000[3] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Tom Pistone | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | David Pearson | Cotton Owens | |
| Laps | 130 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 6 | David Pearson | Cotton Owens | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1966 Columbia 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) event that was held on April 7, 1966 at Columbia Speedway in Columbia, South Carolina.
Summary
Two hundred laps were done on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km).[2][3] The race took an hour and thirty-one minutes to decide that David Pearson defeated Paul Goldsmith by a margin of one car length (less than one lap[2]).[3] Eleven thousand people attended this race which had eight cautions for 19 laps.[3] All 24 competitors were born in the United States of America and were male.[3] Buck Baker and Tiny Lund failed to collect any winnings from this race.[3] This race was dominated by Chevrolet and Ford entries.[3] Speeds for the racing weekend reached 72.202 miles per hour (116.198 km/h) in qualifying (achieved by Tom Pistone) and 65.747 miles per hour (105.810 km/h) during the actual race.[3]
Buddy Baker was involved in the event's only crash at lap 95.[3][4]
The race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of homologation (and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.
Finishing order
- David Pearson
- Paul Goldsmith
- Tom Pistone
- J.T. Putney
- John Sears
- Richard Petty
- Roy Tyner
- Toy Bolton
- Wendell Scott
- Henley Gray
- Wayne Woodward
- Clyde Lynn
- Gene Cline
- J.D. McDuffie
- Neil Castles
- Joel Davis
- Jim Tatum
- Stick Elliott*
- Jimmy Helms*
- Buddy Baker*
- Bill Seifert*
- Elmo Langley*
- Buck Baker*
- Tiny Lund*
* Driver failed to finish race
Timeline
- Start of race: Tim Pistone started the race with the pole position
- Lap 13: Tiny Lund's overheating vehicle apparently sealed his last-place finish in this event
- Lap 16: The water pump on Buck Baker's vehicle developed problems, causing him to leave the race early
- Lap 54: David Pearson took over the lead from Tom Pistone
- Lap 63: Bill Seifert's brakes acted up; Elmo Langley managed to blow the engine of his vehicle
- Lap 85: J.T. Putney took over the lead from David Pearson
- Lap 86: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from J.T. Putney
- Lap 95: Buddy Baker had a terminal crash, ending his hopes of winning the race
- Lap 102: David Pearson took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith
- Lap 123: Jimmy Helms' vehicle ended up overheating, causing him to withdraw from the event
- Lap 161: Stick Elliott's engine became problematic, forcing him to leave the race
- Finish: David Pearson was officially declared the winner of the event
References
- ^ "1966 Columbia 200 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
- ^ a b c "1966 Columbia 200 information (third reference)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "1966 Columbia 200 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
- ^ "1966 Columbia 200 information (second reference)". Everything Stock Car. Retrieved 2010-12-05.