| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 43 of 52 in the 1961 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season | |||
| Date | September 9, 1961 | ||
| Location | Hickory Speedway (Hickory, North Carolina, USA) | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 0.400 mi (0.644 km) |
||
| Distance | 250 laps, 100 mi (150 km) | ||
| Avg Speed | 67.529 miles per hour (108.677 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Rex White | Rex White | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ned Jarrett | B.G. Holloway | |
| Laps | 160 | ||
| Winner | |||
| 4 |
Rex White |
Rex White | |
| Television | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1961 Buddy Shuman 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series racing event that took place on September 8, 1961 at Hickory Speedway in the American community of Hickory, North Carolina.[1][2]
Two hundred and fifty-two laps were accomplished on a dirt track spanning 0.400 miles (0.644 km).[1][2] The race took one hour and twenty-eight minutes to complete[1] (the approximate length of three modern 30-minute sitcoms aired simulatenously). The pole position speed achieved by eventual winner Rex White was 72.290 miles per hour (116.339 km/h).[1] Jack Smith would become the eventual second place finished after being outlapped by White in front of 10500 live spectators.[1] Two cautions were given out of an undetermined length of laps. Junior Johnson would crash on lap 58 in his 1961 Pontiac Catalina machine while the winning vehicle would be classified as a Chevrolet with a 1961 model year[1][2][3] (presumably a Bel Air). Being a modest race on a short dirt track, the highest prize that was awarded at the time was $900 ($6,607.37 in current US dollars).[1]
A young Richard Petty (being only 24 years old during this race) would finish in 17th place due to issues with his vehicle's rear end on lap 102.[1][2][3] The entire 20-car field was made up of American-born males.[1]
| Preceded by 1961 Southern 500 |
NASCAR Grand National Series Season 1961 |
Succeeded by 1961 Capital City 200 |