1969 Texas 500

1969 Texas 500
Race details
Race 54 of 54 in the 1969 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
Date December 7, 1956 (1956-December-07)
Location Texas World Speedway (College Station, Texas)
Course Permanent racing facility
2.000 mi (3.218 km)
Distance 250 laps, 500 mi (804 km)
Weather Partly cloudy with a high of 17 °C (63 °F).
Avg Speed 144.277 miles per hour (232.191 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Buddy Baker Cotton Owens
Most laps led
Driver Buddy Baker Cotton Owens
Laps 150
Winner
71
 Bobby Isaac
 Nord Krauskopf
Television
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1969 Texas 500 was a NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) race that took place on December 7, 1969 at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas, USA.[1]

Summary

David Pearson would eventually merge as the eventual champion for the year. Pearson would later be recognized for winnings races more consistently than Richard Petty (who finished 21st in this race and would stop racing in Ford vehicles after this race[1]) but would have an abbreviated racing career compared to him. Bobby Isaac would win this race in his 1969 Dodge Charger; gaining $15,640 in prize winnings ($93,697.56 when inflation is taken into effect).[1] Buddy Baker earned the pole position with a speed of 176.284 miles per hour (283.702 km/h) while the average speed of the race was 144.277 miles per hour (232.191 km/h).[1] More than 23000 race fans would see Donnie Allison lose the race by more than two laps.[1] Don Biederman was the only foreign-born driver (he was born in Port Credit, Ontario) and raced under the employ of Bill Champion for this race in a 1968 Ford Torino.[1]

Roy Tyner would finish in last place after picking up an engine problem on lap 2 with his 1969 Pontiac vehicle.[1] Other notable drivers to develop problems in the race were: Elmo Langley, Cale Yarborough, Ed Negre, and Bill Seifert.[1] Wendell Scott (the first African American driver in NASCAR history to win a race), Buddy Baker (who was the highest finishing driver to DNF from the race in 8th place[1]), and Benny Parsons were three other notable drivers of this decade who participated in the race.

Finishing order

  1. Bobby Isaac
  2. Donnie Allison
  3. Benny Parsons
  4. James Hylton
  5. Dick Brooks
  6. Ray Elder
  7. Jack McCoy
  8. Buddy Baker*
  9. Dave Marcis
  10. LeeRoy Yarbrough*
  11. Cecil Gordon
  12. Jabe Thomas
  13. E. J. Trivette
  14. Johnny Halford
  15. Friday Hassler*
  16. Neil Castles
  17. Henley Gray
  18. Wendell Scott
  19. Don Biederman
  20. H. B. Bailey*
  21. Richard Petty*
  22. Dave Alonzo
  23. Bobby Allison*
  24. Earl Brooks*
  25. Cale Yarborough*
  26. David Pearson*
  27. Elmo Langley*
  28. Bill Shirey*
  29. Ben Arnold*
  30. Frank Warren*
  31. Bill Champion*
  32. John Sears*
  33. Richard Brickhouse*
  34. Joe Hines*
  35. Ed Negre*
  36. Bill Seifert*
  37. Larry Baumel*
  38. Roy Tyner*

* Driver failed to finish race

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "1969 Texas 500 information". Racing Reference. http://racing-reference.info/race?id=1969-54&series=W. Retrieved 2009-10-21. 
Preceded by
1969 Georgia 500		 NASCAR Grand National Series Season
1969–70		 Succeeded by
1970 Motor Trend 500
Preceded by
1968 Peach State 200		 NASCAR season-ending races
1949-present		 Succeeded by
1970 Tidewater 300