1968 World 600

1968 World 600

Race details
Race 21 of 54 in the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Map of Charlotte Motor Speedway
Date	May 26, 1968 (1968-May-26)
Location	Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, North Carolina)
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.500 mi (2.414 km)
Distance	255 laps, 378 mi (442.89 km)
Scheduled Distance	400 laps, 600 mi (703 km)
Weather	Temperatures up to 68 °F (20 °C); wind speeds up to 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)[1]
Average speed	104.207 miles per hour (167.705 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Donnie Allison	Banjo Matthews
Most laps led
Driver	Buddy Baker	Ray Fox
Laps	98
Winner
No. 3	Buddy Baker	Ray Fox
Television in the United States
Network	untelevised
Announcers	none

The 1968 World 600 is a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series, also formerly known as the Winston Cup Series and the Winston Cup Grand National Series) racing event that took place on May 26, 1968, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the American community of Concord, North Carolina.

The race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of homologation (and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.

Summary

This race was shortened to 255 laps due to rain after being able to race for three hours and four minutes in front of a live audience of 60,000 people. Buddy Baker would defeat Donny Allison under the race's sixth (and final caution flag). Cale Yarborough would become the last-place finisher due to an automobile crash on lap 45. All the competitors (except for Canadian Frog Fagan) was born in the United States of America. Bobby Allison suffered an engine problem on the 229th lap of the race; forcing him to retire in a respectable 28th place.^[2]

Donnie Allison won the pole position by driving speeds up to 159.223 miles per hour or 256.245 kilometres per hour during solo qualifying runs while actual race speeds would reach 104.207 miles per hour or 167.705 kilometres per hour. Both of Nord Krauskopf's teams would finish in the "top ten" during this race. The top ten finishers included Buddy Baker, Donny Allison, LeeRoy Yarbrough, David Pearson, Bobby Isaac, Charlie Glotzbach, Tiny Lund, James Hylton, Curtis Turner, and Sam McQuagg.^[2]

Darel Dieringer would be a part of the race's second crash on lap 212; giving him a 32nd place finish.^[2] Earl Balmer, Paul Lewis, and Phil Wendt would retire from NASCAR after this racing event.^[3]

References