1967 Wilkes 400

1967 Wilkes 400
Race details
Race 46 of 49 in the 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Date October 1, 1967
Location North Wilkesboro Speedway (North Wilkesboro, North Carolina)
Course Permanent racing facility
0.625 mi (1.005 km)
Distance 400 laps, 250 mi (402 km)
WeatherTemperatures reaching up to 75.9 °F (24.4 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h)[1]
Average speed 94.837 miles per hour (152.625 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Dick Hutcherson Bondy Long
Most laps led
Driver Richard Petty Petty Enterprises
Laps 256
Winner
No. 43
 Richard Petty
 Petty Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1967 Wilkes 400 was a racing event in the NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series, also formerly known as the Winston Cup Series and the Winston Cup Grand National Series) that took place on October 1, 1967, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the American community of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina).[2] The series is now referred to as the Sprint Cup Series.

This event was the site of Richard Petty's 75th victory in his NASCAR Cup Series career; making him acquire a 10-race win streak.[3] His racing team was Petty Enterprises (now a part of Richard Petty Motorsports) and the vehicle that Petty took to the finish line with him was a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere with the #43 as its racing number.[2] Two hours, thirty-eight minutes, and ten seconds were needed for the race to reach its full conclusion.[2] Richard Petty managed to defeat Dick Hutcherson by more than two laps.[2] Other competitors included Canadian drivers Frog Fagan and Don Biederman along with LeeRoy Yarbrough (in his Ford), Cale Yarborough (in his Dodge), Wendell Scott (in his Dodge), and Elmo Langley (in his Ford).[2]

Notable speeds were 94.837 miles per hour (152.625 km/h) as the average speed and 104.312 miles per hour (167.874 km/h) as the pole position speed.[2] Three cautions were given out for twenty laps.[2] Total winnings for this race were $18,100 ($128,018.66 when considering inflation). Richard Petty received the majority of the bounty with $4,725 in winnings ($33,419.24 when considering inflation).[4]

Top twenty finishers

  1. Richard Petty (only car on lead lap by the end of the race)
  2. Dick Hutcherson
  3. LeeRoy Yarbrough
  4. Bobby Allison
  5. Jim Paschal
  6. Tom Pistone
  7. Cale Yarbrough
  8. Swede Savage
  9. John Sears
  10. Melvin Bradley
  11. Wendell Scott
  12. Bob Cooper
  13. Bill Seifert
  14. Eddie Yarboro
  15. Wayne Smith (lowest finishing car to successfully finish the race)
  16. Doug Cooper
  17. J.T. Putney
  18. James Hylton
  19. G.C. Spencer
  20. Earl Brooks

References

  1. ↑ "1967 Wilkes 400 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "1967 Wilkes 400 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
  3. ↑ "Richard Petty's Situation". Save the Speedway. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
  4. ↑ "1967 Wilkes 400 information (third reference)". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
Preceded by
1967 Old Dominion 500		 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1967 		Succeeded by
1967 National 500
Preceded by
1967 Old Dominion 500		 Richard Petty's Career Wins
1960-1984 		Succeeded by
1968 untitled race at Montgomery Speedway