1966 Firecracker 400
Encyclopedia
The 1966 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR
Grand National Series racing event that took place on July 4
, 1966 at Daytona International Speedway
in the American
community of Daytona Beach
, Florida
. The series that the race was sanctioned under is now known as the Sprint Cup Series.
Forty-six thousand and two hundred stock car racing fans would watch this live event from the start until the finish. It took two hours and thirty-six minutes to completely finish the race. Four cautions were given out for twenty-three laps. The average speed of the race was 153.813 mi/h. Sam McQuagg
would beat Darel Dieringer
by racing the entire duration of the race exactly one minute and six seconds faster than Darel. This was the first time that a rear spoiler would be used in any NASCAR Cup Series race. On the day of the race, the factory engineers at Dodge
would install this new invention on McQuagg's car (which would eventually cause him to go several miles per hour faster than his opponents).
* Driver failed to finish race
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 Series racing event that took place on July 4
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, 1966 at Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
community of Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The series that the race was sanctioned under is now known as the Sprint Cup Series.
Forty-six thousand and two hundred stock car racing fans would watch this live event from the start until the finish. It took two hours and thirty-six minutes to completely finish the race. Four cautions were given out for twenty-three laps. The average speed of the race was 153.813 mi/h. Sam McQuagg
Sam McQuagg
Samuel "Sam" McQuagg was an American former NASCAR Rookie of the Year driver. He died of cancer on January 3, 2009 at the age of 73...
would beat Darel Dieringer
Darel Dieringer
Darel Dieringer was a NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver.-Summary:...
by racing the entire duration of the race exactly one minute and six seconds faster than Darel. This was the first time that a rear spoiler would be used in any NASCAR Cup Series race. On the day of the race, the factory engineers at Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
would install this new invention on McQuagg's car (which would eventually cause him to go several miles per hour faster than his opponents).
Finishing order
- Sam McQuagg
- Darel Dieringer
- Jim PaschalJim PaschalJames 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...
- Curtis TurnerCurtis TurnerCurtis 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...
- Jim HurtubiseJim HurtubiseIn 1957, Hurtubise started his NASCAR career running two races. Over the next twenty years, he would race 36 races, winning one race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and amassing eleven top ten finishes.-Award:...
- Don WhiteDon WhiteDon White or Donald White may refer to:* Donald C. White , Pennsylvania state senator* Donald J. White , Environmental Strategist* Don White , English rugby union footballer...
- Marvin PanchMarvin PanchMarvin 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...
- Tiny LundTiny LundDeWayne Louis "Tiny" Lund was a NASCAR driver. He was ironically nicknamed "Tiny" due to his rather large and imposing size.-Background:...
- James HyltonJames HyltonJames Harvey Hylton is a part-time race car driver. He is a two-time winner in NASCAR and competes in the ARCA RE/MAX Series,finishing 16th in points in 2006. He made headlines while attempting to qualify for the 2007 Daytona 500 at age 72...
- John Sears
- Buddy BakerBuddy BakerElzie Wylie Baker, Jr. , nicknamed "Leadfoot" or more famously Buddy, is a former American NASCAR racecar driver.-Early life:...
* - Frank WarrenFrank Warren (NASCAR driver)Frank Warren is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver who raced from 1963 to 1980.Out of 88863 laps finished in his career, Warren had led 72 of them. Warren's total career earnings were $625,886 and while his average finish was 20th place in his entire career. The total amount of miles...
- Elmo LangleyElmo LangleyElmo Langley was a NASCAR driver and owner. Langley primarily used the number "64" on his race cars during his NASCAR career.-Racing career:...
- Bobby AllisonBobby AllisonRobert 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....
- David Pearson
- Harold SmithHarold SmithHarold Smith may refer to:*Harold Smith , American diver and Olympic gold medalist*Harold Smith , director of Ipswich Town Football Club...
- Larry HessLarry HessLarry Hess is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1965 to 1969. His choice of vehicles ranged from a Ford to a Rambler and even the occasional Dodge vehicle.-Summary:...
- Eddie MacDonald
- Wendell ScottWendell ScottWendell Oliver Scott was an American stock car racing driver from Danville, Virginia. He is the only black driver to win a race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series. According to a 2008 biography of Scott, he broke the color barrier in Southern stock car racing on May 23, 1952, at the Danville...
- Blackie Watt
- J.D. McDuffieJ.D. McDuffieJohn Delphus McDuffie was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver. He raced in the top division of NASCAR from 1963 to 1991. McDuffie had 106 top-tens in his Cup Series career...
- Jack LawrenceJack LawrenceJack Lawrence was an American songwriter. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975.- Biography :...
- Henley GrayHenley GrayHenley Gray is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1964 to 1977.-Summary:...
- LeeRoy YarbroughLeeRoy YarbroughLonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough was a NASCAR racer. His best season was 1969 when he won seven races, tallied 21 finishes in the top-ten and earned $193,211...
* - Roy Mayne
- Jimmy HelmsJimmy HelmsJames H. Helms is an American soul singer.-Early days:Helms' first release "Ragtime Girl" was put out on Pye Records in 1963...
* - Paul GoldsmithPaul GoldsmithPaul Goldsmith is a motorcycle Hall of Famer, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inductee and former USAC and NASCAR driver.- Motorcycle career :...
* - Doug Cooper*
- Richard PettyRichard PettyRichard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
* - Earl Balmer*
- Mario AndrettiMario AndrettiMario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
* - Wayne Smith*
- Buck BakerBuck BakerElzie Wylie Baker Sr. , better known as Buck Baker, was an American race car driver.-Racing career:...
* - Bunkie BlackburnBunkie BlackburnJames Ronald "Bunkie" Blackburn was a NASCAR racecar driver.-Career:Blackburn's father owned and operated the Fayetteville, North Carolina racetrack....
* - G.C. SpencerG.C. SpencerG. 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...
* - Buddy ArringtonBuddy ArringtonBuddy Arrington is a retired NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup driver.- Biography :...
* - J.T. PutneyJ.T. PutneyJ.T. Putney ) was a former NASCAR Grand National Series race car driver who would accomplish 16 finishes in the "top five" in addition to 49 finishes in the "top ten." Herman Beam would become one of Putney's employers; guiding him to a seventh-place finish at the end of the 1965 NASCAR Grand...
* - Bobby JohnsBobby JohnsBobby 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...
* - Jabe ThomasJabe ThomasCerry Ezra "Jabe" Thomas is a retired NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver who competed from the mid 1960s through the late 1970s. His son Ronnie was also a NASCAR Cup Series driver; competing from 1977 to 1989.-Career:Thomas drove 75243 laps of racing and earned $295,497 in total...
* - Joel DavisJoel DavisJoel Clark Davis is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox from 1985-1988. He is a left-handed batter and is a right-handed thrower. He was drafted in 1983 in the first round and was picked number 13th.After a major surgery on his right shoulder, Joel had to quit baseball...
*
* Driver failed to finish race