1966 Firecracker 400

1966 Firecracker 400
Race details
Race 28 of 49 in the 1966 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
Date July 4, 1966 (1966-July-04)
Location Daytona International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.500 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643 km)
Avg Speed 153.813 miles per hour (247.538 km/h)
Pole position
Driver LeeRoy Yarbrough Jon Thorne
Most laps led
Driver Sam McQuagg Ray Nichels
Laps 126
Winner
98
 Sam McQuagg
 Ray Nichels
Television
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Announcers {{{Announcers}}}

The 1966 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series racing event that took place on July 4, 1966 at Daytona International Speedway[1] in the American community of Daytona Beach, Florida.[2] 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.[1][2] It took two hours and thirty-six minutes to completely finish the race.[1][2] Four cautions were given out for twenty-three laps.[2] The average speed of the race was 153.813 miles per hour (247.538 km/h).[2] Sam McQuagg would beat Darel Dieringer by racing the entire duration of the race exactly one minute and six seconds faster than Darel.[1][2] This was the first time that a rear spoiler would be used in any NASCAR Cup Series race.[3] 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).[3]

Finishing order

  1. Sam McQuagg
  2. Darel Dieringer
  3. Jim Paschal
  4. Curtis Turner
  5. Jim Hurtubise
  6. Don White
  7. Marvin Panch
  8. Tiny Lund
  9. James Hylton
  10. John Sears
  11. Buddy Baker*
  12. Frank Warren
  13. Elmo Langley
  14. Bobby Allison
  15. David Pearson
  16. Harold Smith
  17. Larry Hess
  18. Eddie MacDonald
  19. Wendell Scott
  20. Blackie Watt
  21. J.D. McDuffie
  22. Jack Lawrence
  23. Henley Gray
  24. LeeRoy Yarbrough*
  25. Roy Mayne
  26. Jimmy Helms*
  27. Paul Goldsmith*
  28. Doug Cooper*
  29. Richard Petty*
  30. Earl Balmer*
  31. Mario Andretti*
  32. Wayne Smith*
  33. Buck Baker*
  34. Bunkie Blackburn*
  35. G.C. Spencer*
  36. Buddy Arrington*
  37. J.T. Putney*
  38. Bobby Johns*
  39. Jabe Thomas*
  40. Joel Davis*

* Driver failed to finish race

References

  1. ^ a b c d "1966 Firecracker 400 racing results (second reference)". Stat Sheet. http://statsheet.com/nascar/races/1966-07-04-firecracker-400. Retrieved 2011-01-06. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f "1966 Firecracker 400 racing results". Racing Reference. http://racing-reference.info/race/1966-28/W. Retrieved 2010-11-19. 
  3. ^ a b "NASCAR Driver of the Day: Sam McQuagg". NASCAR Driver of the Day. http://www.nascardriveroftheday.com/2010/02/sam-mcquagg.html. Retrieved 2011-01-07. 
Preceded by
1966 Pickens 200		 NASCAR Grand National races
1966		 Succeeded by
1966 untitled race at Old Dominion Speedway