The 1961 World 500 was a 400-lap NASCAR

NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) event that took place on May 28, 1961 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...

 (Concord

Concord, North Carolina

Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...

, North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

).

Summary

Four hundred laps were done over a paved oval track spanning 1.5 miles (2.4 km) with a time of five hours, twenty-two minutes, and twenty-nine seconds. Seven cautions were done for fifty-seven laps with the result of David Pearson defeating Fireball Roberts

Fireball Roberts

Edward Glenn Roberts, Jr. , nicknamed "Fireball", was one of the pioneering race car drivers of NASCAR.-Background:...

 by more than two laps for his first NASCAR Cup series victory. He and Richard Petty would both acquire wins in what is now called the Coca-Cola 600 (but in different years). There were fifty-five competitors; Cafe Burgundy, Daytona Kennel, and Holly Farms were the main sponsors for some of the drivers. The average speed was 111.633 mi/h while the pole position speed was 131.611 mi/h. Attendance for this race was 46,538 people and the top prize was $24,280 ($ in today's money). The last place competitor received $200 ($ in today's money). Popular competitors for this race included: Ralph Earnhardt (who promised to be a very competitive driver early in the race), Ned Jarrett

Ned Jarrett

Ned Jarrett is a retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR champion.Jarrett was best known for his calm demeanor, and he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett", yet he was an intense competitor when he put his two hands on the steering wheel of a NASCAR Grand National stock car...

, Tiny Lund

Tiny Lund

DeWayne Louis "Tiny" Lund was a NASCAR driver. He was ironically nicknamed "Tiny" due to his rather large and imposing size.-Background:...

, Junior Johnson

Junior Johnson

Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. , better known as Junior Johnson, is a retired moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966...

, Joe Weatherly

Joe Weatherly

Joseph "Joe" Weatherly was a two-time NASCAR championship driver. Weatherly was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009 after winning NASCAR's Grand National championships in 1962 and 1963, three A.M.A...

, Richard Petty

Richard Petty

Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...

, and Roy Tyner

Roy Tyner

William Leroy "Roy" Tyner was a retired Native American NASCAR Grand National driver from Red Springs, North Carolina, USA.-Driver:...

. A terrible crash occurred in this race to driver Reds Kagle; he would lose a leg in this race.

Chris Economaki

Chris Economaki

Christopher "Chris" Constantine Economaki is an American motorsports commentator, pit road reporter, and journalist. Chris Economaki has been given the title "The Dean of American Motorsports." Microsoft chose Economaki to author the auto racing history portion of its Encarta...

 called the race in one of the few televised NASCAR races of the 1960s.

Finishing order

1. David Pearson (only car to finish on lead lap - raced with a 1961 Pontiac Catalina)
2. Fireball Roberts (also drive a 1961 Pontiac Catalina
   Pontiac Catalina
   The Pontiac Catalina was part of Pontiac's full-sized automobile line. Initially, the name was used strictly to denote hardtop body styles, first appearing in the 1950 Chieftain Eight and DeLuxe Eight lines...
   
    vehicle)
3. Rex White
   Rex White
   Rex White is a retired American auto racer and NASCAR champion. White was one of the drivers who competed for the original Chevrolet racing team. He began racing in 1956, grabbing fourteen top-ten finishes. After a part-time run in 1957, White won twice in 1958...
   
    (highest finishing Chevrolet)
4. Ned Jarrett
   Ned Jarrett
   Ned Jarrett is a retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR champion.Jarrett was best known for his calm demeanor, and he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett", yet he was an intense competitor when he put his two hands on the steering wheel of a NASCAR Grand National stock car...
   
   
5. Jim Paschal
   Jim Paschal
   James Roy "Jim" Paschal, Jr. was a NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup driver. He won twenty-five races and twelve poles over his career. Elected to the "Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame" in 1977, he won the World 600 in 1964 and the 1967 Charlotte Motor Speedway...
   
   
6. Tiny Lund
7. Jack Smith
8. Bob Welborn
   Bob Welborn
   Robert "Bob" Joe Welborn of Denton, North Carolina, USA is a former NASCAR Grand National driver. He was named to NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998...
   
   
9. Junior Johnson (sponsored by Holly Farms)
10. Joe Weatherly
11. Ralph Earnhardt
12. Paul Lewis
13. Joe Eubanks
    Joe Eubanks
    Joe Eubanks was a NASCAR Grand National driver from Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA. Eubanks raced from 1950 to 1961 collecting one win, thirty-seven finishes in the top five, and eighty-one finishes in the top ten along the way. His total career earnings were $35,338 and he successfully...
    
     (highest finishing Ford Galaxie
    Ford Galaxie
    The Ford Galaxie was a full-size car built in the United States by the Ford Motor Company for model years 1959 through 1974. The name was used for the top models in Ford’s full-size range from 1959 until 1961, in a marketing attempt to appeal to the excitement surrounding the Space Race...
    
     vehicle)
14. T.C. Hunt (highest finishing Dodge)
15. Emanuel Zervakis
    Emanuel Zervakis
    Emanuel Zervakis was a NASCAR driver and team owner. He won two NASCAR Grand National races in his career, both in 1961...
    
    
16. Lee Reitzel
17. Elmo Langley
    Elmo Langley
    Elmo Langley was a NASCAR driver and owner. Langley primarily used the number "64" on his race cars during his NASCAR career.-Racing career:...
    
     (highest finishing T-Bird)
18. Friday Hassler
    Friday Hassler
    Raymond "Friday" Hassler was a NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver.-Summary:He made his debut in 1960 but only drove a handful of races per year until 1967 when he drove 21 of the 49 races for Red Sharp and finished 32nd in points. He improved to 27th for Sharp the next year and...
    
    
19. Bobby Johns
    Bobby Johns
    Bobby Johns is a retired American racecar driver.Johns raced in the NASCAR series in the 1956-1969 seasons, with 141 career starts. He had 2 wins among his 36 top ten finishes and finished the 1960 season 3rd in the points...
    
    
20. Tommy Irwin
    Tommy Irwin
    Thomas Andrew Irwin was a Major League Baseball player. An alumnus of the University of North Carolina, Irwin was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in and played three games for them in October...
    
    * (highest ranking driver not to finish the race - driveshaft
    Driveshaft
    A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, propeller shaft, or Cardan shaft is a mechanical component for transmitting torque and rotation, usually used to connect other components of a drive train that cannot be connected directly because of distance or the need to allow for relative movement...
    
     problems)
21. Bobby Waddell
22. Ed Markstellar
23. Doug Yates
    Doug Yates
    Doug Yates has been around the sound of revving engines for as long as he can remember. As the son of engine builder and team owner Robert Yates, Doug possesses a passion for stock car racing that is unmatched by others...
    
    
24. Herman Beam
    Herman Beam
    Herman Beam was a NASCAR Grand National driver and team owner from Johnson City, Tennessee who was active as a driver from 1957 until 1963. He is famous for holding the longest streak of races without a DNF, with 84, from 1961 until 1963...
    
    
25. Wes Morgan
    Wes Morgan
    Westley Nathan "Wes" Morgan is an English footballer who plays for Nottingham Forest as a defender. He has been a regular at centre-back for the club for several years, and is currently the club's longest-serving player.-Career:...
    
    
26. Buddy Baker
    Buddy Baker
    Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. , nicknamed "Leadfoot" or more famously Buddy, is a former American NASCAR racecar driver.-Early life:...
    
    *
27. Bob Burdick
    Bob Burdick
    Bob Burdick was a NASCAR driver from Omaha, Nebraska. He competed in fifteen Grand National Series events in his career. His win in Atlanta in 1961 made him the only Nebraska-born driver to win a race on the NASCAR circuit.Burdick made his debut in 1959, where he won the pole at Trenton Speedway...
    
    *
28. Banjo Matthews
    Banjo Matthews
    Edwin Keith "Banjo" Matthews was a NASCAR driver, car owner and builder.-Driver:...
    
    *
29. Tubby Gonzales*
30. Richard Petty*
31. G.C. Spencer
    G.C. Spencer
    G. C. Spencer July 9, 1925 in Owensboro, Kentucky – September 20, 2007 in Johnson City, Tennessee was a NASCAR driver who competed in 415 Grand National/Winston Cup races from 1958 to 1977...
    
     (lowest finishing driver to finish the race - 75 laps behind)
32. Bob Barron
    Bob Barron
    Bob Barron is a former NASCAR driver from Bradenton, Florida, U.S.A.-Summary:He completed in thirty-two Grand National/Nextel Cup Series events in his career, earning five top-tens....
    
    *
33. Johnny Allen*
34. Reds Kagle*
35. Fred Lorenzen
    Fred Lorenzen
    Fred Lorenzen , nicknamed The Golden Boy, Fast Freddie, The Elmhurst Express and Flyin Freddy, is a former NASCAR driver active between 1958 and 1972. He won the 1965 Daytona 500. Lorenzen was born in Elmurst, Illinois.-Early career:Lorenzen first caught the car bug young, and had built his first...
    
    *
36. Roy Tyner
    Roy Tyner
    William Leroy "Roy" Tyner was a retired Native American NASCAR Grand National driver from Red Springs, North Carolina, USA.-Driver:...
    
    *
37. Tim Flock
    Tim Flock
    Julius Timothy Flock was one of NASCAR's early pioneers, and a two time series champion. He was a brother to NASCAR's second female driver Ethel Mobley and NASCAR pioneers Bob Flock and Fonty Flock.- NASCAR career :...
    
     (his final NASCAR Cup race before retiring)
38. Ed Livingston*
39. Jimmy Pardue
    Jimmy Pardue
    Jimmy Pardue is a former race car driver who lived in North Wilkesboro, North America, USA.-Summary:He made his debut in 1955 at Martinsville, where he finished 28th after suffering hub problems in his Chevrolet Bel Air vehicle. He made his first full-time attempt in 1960 where he had eleven top-tens...
    
    *
40. Curtis Crider
    Curtis Crider
    Curtis Crider was a pioneer in NASCAR's early years.He was one of the hardest working and underfinanced racers to ever drive the stock car circuit. Landing in a lake eventually earned him the nickname "Crawfish." Like most early NASCAR racers, Crider was a bootlegger and delievered moonshine to...
    
    *
41. Speedy Thompson
    Speedy Thompson
    Alfred Bruce "Speedy" Thompson was a NASCAR pioneer and driver in the Grand National series from 1950 to 1971; capturing 20 wins along the way.-Racing career:...
    
    *
42. Buck Baker
    Buck Baker
    Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. , better known as Buck Baker, was an American race car driver.-Racing career:...
    
    *
43. Marvin Panch
    Marvin Panch
    Marvin Panch Marvin Panch Marvin Panch (born May 28, 1926, in Menomonie, Wisconsin, is a former NASCAR driver.-Early career:He started his racing career as a car owner in Oakland, California. One week, his driver did not show up, and he raced the car to a third place finish...
    
    *
44. Curtis Turner
    Curtis Turner
    Curtis Turner was an early NASCAR driver. In addition to his success in racing, he made a fortune, lost it, and remade it buying and selling timberlands. Throughout his life he developed a reputation for drinking and partying...
    
    *
45. Marvin Porter*
46. Nelson Stacy
    Nelson Stacy
    Nelson Stacy was an American race car driver from Maysville, Kentucky. He won the 1958, 1959, and 1960 MARC Series Nelson Stacy (December 28, 1921 – May 14, 1986) was an American race car driver from Maysville, Kentucky. He won the 1958, 1959, and 1960 MARC Series Nelson Stacy (December 28, 1921 –...
    
    *
47. Jimmy Thompson*
48. Gene Stokes*
49. Jim Reed
    Jim Reed (racer)
    Jim Reed is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver.-Summary:From 1951 to 1963, Reed has raced 16299 laps - the equivalent of . His total career earnings is $16,299 . Reed's biggest win came in the 1959 Southern 500 driving a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air...
    
    *
50. Roscoe Thompson
    Roscoe Thompson
    Roscoe Thompson is a retired NASCAR Grand National Series driver who drove from 1948 to 1962 .-Career summary:...
    
    *
51. Bobby Allison
    Bobby Allison
    Robert Arthur Allison is a former NASCAR Winston Cup driver and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers. His two sons, Clifford Allison and Davey Allison followed him into racing, and both died within a year of each other....
    
    *
52. Joe Lee Johnson
    Joe Lee Johnson
    Joe Lee Johnson was a NASCAR Grand National driver who won the inaugural World 600 in 1960. He was also the 1959 NASCAR Convertible Division champion. He made his last NASCAR start in 1962. He was the owner of the Cleveland Speedway in Cleveland Tennessee...
    
    *
53. Larry Frank
    Larry Frank
    Larry Frank was an American NASCAR Grand National driver. He is best known for winning the 1962 Southern 500.-Career:...
    
    *
54. Doug Cox
    Doug Cox
    Doug Cox is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and music programmer, and is currently signed to Toronto's NorthernBlues Music.He is well known for his skills on the dobro and slide guitar...
    
    *
55. E.J. Trivette
    E.J. Trivette
    E.J. Trivette is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver.-Career summary:...
    
    *

Note: ^* denotes that the driver failed to finish the race.