1966 Myers Brothers 250
Race details[1][2]
Race 41 of 59 in the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Date August 27, 1966 (1966-08-27)
Official name Myers Brothers 250
Location Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
0.250 mi (0.421 km)
Distance 250 laps, 62.5 mi (100.5 km)
Weather Very hot with temperatures of 84.9 °F (29.4 °C); wind speeds of 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
Average speed 45.928 miles per hour (73.914 km/h)
Attendance 15,000[3]
Pole position
Driver
Petty Enterprises
Most laps led
Driver David Pearson Cotton Owens
Laps 129
Winner
No. 6 David Pearson Cotton Owens
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1966 Myers Brothers 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on August 27, 1966, at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Background

Bowman Gray Stadium is a NASCAR sanctioned 1⁄4-mile (0.40 km) asphalt flat oval short track and longstanding football stadium located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most legendary venues, and is referred to as "NASCAR's longest-running weekly race track". Bowman Gray Stadium is part of the Winston-Salem Sports and Entertainment Complex and is home of the Winston-Salem State University Rams football team.[4] It was also the home of the Wake Forest University football team from 1956 until Groves Stadium (later BB&T Field) opened in 1968.

Race report

The race took one hour and twenty-one minutes to complete.[2][3] Three cautions slowed the race for sixteen laps.[2][3] Notable speeds for this race were: 45.928 miles per hour (73.914 km/h) as the average speed[2] and 54.348 miles per hour (87.465 km/h) for the pole position speed.[3] Because the paved oval course only spanned 0.250 miles (0.402 km),[2][3] speeds on this track emulated that of America's Interstate Highway System.

Fifteen thousand fans came to see David Pearson defeat Richard Petty by ten seconds.[2][3] There were 23 American-born drivers and one foreign driver (Don Biederman).[3] Dale Inman was one of three most notable crew chiefs in the race along with Frankie Scott and Bud Hartje.[5]

Curtis Turner and Bobby Allison were involved in a crash[2] that got them disqualified from the race in addition to police intervention. However, no charges were laid. The incident started on lap eight of the race and the two drivers would knock and spin each other for approximately ten laps. Both vehicles were eventually tossed out as they came out of a demolition derby. However, Allison and Turner eventually became friends again but this incident would be the most heinous in pre-modern NASCAR history. Turner would eventually die in 1970 from an airplane crash which would also take the life of professional golfer Clarence King.[6]

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.

Qualifying

Grid[3] No. Driver Manufacturer Owner
1 42Richard Petty'66 PlymouthPetty Enterprises
2 6David Pearson'65 DodgeCotton Owens
3 2Bobby Allison'65 ChevroletDonald Brackins
4 26Curtis Turner'66 FordJunior Johnson
5 59Tom Pistone'64 FordTom Pistone
6 64Elmo Langley'64 FordElmo Langley / Henry Woodfield
7 4John Sears'64 FordL.G. DeWitt
8 48James Hylton'65 DodgeBud Hartje
9 92Hank Thomas'64 FordW.S. Jenkins
10 65Buddy Arrington'65 DodgeBuddy Arrington
11 94Don Biederman'64 ChevroletRon Stotten
12 40Eddie Yarboro'65 DodgeEddie Yarboro
13 61Joel Davis'66 ChevroletToy Bolton
14 34Wendell Scott'65 FordWendell Scott
15 70J.D. McDuffie'64 FordJ.D. McDuffie
16 38Wayne Smith'66 ChevroletArchie Smith
17 20Clyde Lynn'64 FordClyde Lynn
18 60Ernest Eury'64 ChevroletJoan Petre
19 15Paul Dean Holt'64 FordLyle Stelter
20 97Henley Gray'66 FordHenley Gray
21 00Buddy Baker'64 FordClyde Lynn
22 95Bill Seifert'64 FordBill Seifert
23 73Jimmy Helms'64 FordJoan Petre
24 50Larry Manning'64 ChevroletEdgar Wallen

Timeline

Section reference:[3]

  • Start of race: Richard Petty started with the pole position but David Pearson quickly took over the lead.
  • Lap 6: Jimmy Helms had a faulty fuel pump, which forced him off the track for the rest of the day.
  • Lap 12: Wayne Smith fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 25: Buddy Arrington lost the gas tank from his vehicle.
  • Lap 32: Axle problems forced Hank Thomas to accept a meager 21st-place finish out of 24 drivers.
  • Lap 50: A problematic ball joint caused Paul Dean Holt to finish in a miserable 20th place.
  • Lap 96: Bad vehicle brakes ended Bill Seifert's day on the track.
  • Lap 98: Curtis Turner takes over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 106: Richard Petty takes over the lead from Curtis Turner.
  • Lap 111: Bobby Allison had a terminal crash, he was forced to withdraw from the race.
  • Lap 114: Curtis Turner had a terminal crash, making his exit from the race mandatory.
  • Lap 153: Rising oil pressure forced Buddy Baker to accept 16th place for the race.
  • Lap 169: A faulty axle managed to end Elmo Langley's attempt at a top-ten finish.
  • Lap 209: Canadian driver Don Biederman managed to overheat his vehicle, causing him to leave the race.
  • Lap 219: David Pearson takes over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Finish: David Pearson was officially declared the winner of the event.

Finishing order

Section reference:[3]

  1. David Pearson† (No. 6)
  2. Richard Petty (No. 42)
  3. James Hylton (No. 48)
  4. John Sears† (No. 4)
  5. Tom Pistone (No. 59)
  6. Wendell Scott† (No. 34)
  7. Clyde Lynn† (No. 20)
  8. J.D. McDuffie† (No. 70)
  9. Henley Gray (No. 97)
  10. Eddie Yarboro (No. 40)
  11. Don Biederman*† (No. 94)
  12. Ernest Eury (No. 60)
  13. Larry Manning (No. 50)
  14. Joel Davis (No. 61)
  15. Elmo Langley*† (No. 64)
  16. Buddy Baker*† (No. 00)
  17. Curtis Turner*† (No. 26)
  18. Bobby Allison* (No. 2)
  19. Bill Seifert* (No. 95)
  20. Paul Dean Holt* (No. 15)
  21. Hank Thomas* (No. 92)
  22. Buddy Arrington* (No. 65)
  23. Wayne Smith* (No. 38)
  24. Jimmy Helms* (No. 73)

* Driver failed to finish race
† Driver is deceased

References

  1. ↑ "1966 Myers Brothers 250 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "1966 Myers Brothers 250 racing results (second reference)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "1966 Myers Brothers 250 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
  4. ↑ Zona, Chris; Trevin Goodwin (2007). 2007 Rams Football (PDF). Winston-Salem State Athletics. p. 30.
  5. ↑ "1966 Myers Brothers 250 crew chief information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  6. ↑ "Curtis Turner's Death". Motorsports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
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