1969 Sandlapper 200
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 45 of 54 in the 1969 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | September 18, 1969 | ||
| Official name | Sandlapper 200 | ||
| Location | Columbia Speedway, Columbia, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.500 mi (0.804 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 100 mi (160 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures approaching 86 °F (30 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 70.23 miles per hour (113.02 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 6,500[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Nord Krauskopf | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Laps | 131 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 43 | Bobby Isaac | Nord Krauskopf | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1969 Sandlapper 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) event that was held on September 18, 1969, at Columbia Speedway in Columbia, South Carolina.
The transition to purposely-built racers 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; most of the cars were trailered to events or hauled in by trucks.
Background
Columbia Speedway was an oval racetrack located in Cayce, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. It was the site of auto races for NASCAR's top series from 1951 through 1971.[3] For most of its history, the racing surface was dirt. The races in April and August 1970 were two of the final three Grand National races ever held on a dirt track.[4]
The track was paved before hosting its last two Grand National races in 1971.
Summary
Bobby Isaac defeated Richard Petty by half a lap in front of a live audience of 6,500 NASCAR followers.[2][5][6]
The first-place position of the race changed hands three times and the race lasted one hour and twenty-five minutes.[2][5][7] Only two caution flags were waved for 15 laps.[2][5] While Petty would qualify for the pole position with a top speed of 73.108 miles per hour (117.656 km/h) in qualifying, the average speed of the race winner would be 70.23 miles per hour (113.02 km/h).[2][5][6][7] The race was done on a dirt oval track and Isaac received $1,000 in prize winnings ($6,463.70 when adjusted for inflation).[2][5][7] There were 23 American-born drivers on the starting grid.[2]
Eldon Yarbrough, the brother of the late LeeRoy Yarbrough, would retire from NASCAR after this race with his only top ten finish in NASCAR history.[5] Wayne Gillette would withdraw from the race for reasons unknown and would finish the race in last place.[2][5][7] Johnny Halford would make his NASCAR debut here.[5]
Top ten finishers
| Pos[2] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Winnings | Laps led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 71 | Bobby Isaac | Dodge | 200 | $1,000 | 69 |
| 2 | 1 | 43 | Richard Petty | Ford | 200 | $600 | 131 |
| 3 | 9 | 48 | James Hylton | Dodge | 196 | $400 | 0 |
| 4 | 3 | 4 | John Sears | Ford | 195 | $350 | 0 |
| 5 | 23 | 56 | Eldon Yarbrough | Ford | 194 | $325 | 0 |
| 6 | 13 | 64 | Elmo Langley | Ford | 190 | $300 | 0 |
| 7 | 11 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | Buick | 189 | $275 | 0 |
| 8 | 17 | 34 | Wendell Scott | Ford | 187 | $270 | 0 |
| 9 | 4 | 47 | Cecil Gordon | Ford | 187 | $265 | 0 |
| 10 | 7 | 45 | Bill Seifert | Ford | 186 | $260 | 0 |
Timeline
- Start of race: Richard Petty started the race with the pole position but was quickly overtaken by Bobby Isaac
- Lap 3: Wayne Gillette quits the race due to personal reasons
- Lap 4: Richard Petty retook the lead from Bobby Isaac
- Lap 13: Ed Negre's transmission developed problems, forcing him out of the race
- Lap 34: Paul Dean Holt's engine stopped working properly, ending his race weekend prematurely
- Lap 45: The axle on Neil Castles' vehicle became problematic, ending his day on the track
- Lap 82: David Pearson had a terminal crash, forcing him to withdraw from the event
- Lap 108: Frank Warren's vehicle developed suspension problems, causing him to exit the race
- Lap 135: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Richard Petty
- Finish: Bobby Isaac was officially declared the winner of the event
References
- ↑ Weather information for the 1969 Sandlapper 200 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1969 Sandlapper 200 race information at Racing-Reference.info
- ↑ Columbia Speedway page of Racing-Reference website , retrieved 8 May 2007.
- ↑ Fielden, Greg, "NASCAR Cleans Up", Speedway Illustrated, September 2004.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1969 Sandlapper 200 race information at Race-Database.com
- 1 2 1969 Sandlapper 200 race information at DatabaseRacing.com
- 1 2 3 4 1969 Sandlapper 200 racing information at FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
| Preceded by 1969 Talladega 500 |
NASCAR Grand National races 1969 |
Succeeded by 1969 Old Dominion 500 |