1966 Smoky Mountain 200

The 1966 Smoky Mountain 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 28, 1966, at Smoky Mountain Raceway in Maryville, Tennessee.

1966 Smoky Mountain 200
Race details[1]
Race 35 of 49 in the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Date July 28, 1966; 58 years ago (1966-07-28)
Official name Smoky Mountain 200
Location Smoky Mountain Raceway, Maryville, Tennessee
Course Permanent racing facility
0.500 mi (0.745 km)
Distance 200 laps, 100 mi (80 km)
Weather Extremely hot with temperatures of 93 °F (34 °C); wind speeds of 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h)
Average speed 69.822 mph (112.368 km/h)
Attendance 6,000[2]
Pole position
Driver Emory Gilliam
Most laps led
Driver David Pearson Cotton Owens
Laps 100
Winner
No. 1 Paul Lewis Paul Lewis
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s.

Race report

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This 200-lap race would last for nearly one and a half hours; six thousand spectators would watch an event where Richard Petty became the last-place finisher by virtue of steering problems on the 17th lap. Buddy Baker and David Pearson would dominate much of the race.[2] Paul Lewis would go on to defeat Pearson by a time of two seconds; making it his only career victory in a car of his own ownership after starting two cars away from last in this unlikely triumph.[2] Lewis would dominate the final 64 laps of this event and would never let go.[2] Unfortunately, Lewis was never able to record another victory in his NASCAR Cup Series career after the end of this event.

Out of the 29 drivers on the grid, there was only one foreigner in the event - Canadian-born Don Biederman. Buzz Gregory became the lowest-finishing driver to finish the race; he was 84 laps behind the lead lap drivers. The number of cautions for this event was never recorded. Throughout the race, the average speed of the vehicles was 69.822 miles per hour (112.368 km/h).[2] Notable crew chiefs that would make an appearance at this race were Herman Beam, Bob Cooper, Clair Jackson, Frankie Scott, Dale Inman and Bud Hartje.[3]

1975 & 1976 Late Model Sportsman Champion and longtime Sportsman and Busch Series Veteran L.D. Ottinger made his Grand National debut; he would not return to the Cup Series until 1973. Ottinger made his last Cup race in 1984, driving for Rod Benfield and the #98 Levi Garrett team, replacing the recently released Joe Ruttman for two races.[4] He finished 21st and 22nd at Charlotte and North Wilkesboro Speedway, respectively.

Buddy Baker clinched the pole position for this racing event with his top speed of 77.821 miles per hour (125.241 km/h) during solo qualifying sessions.[2] Individual race earnings for each driver ranged from $1,000 ($9,391 when adjusted for inflation) to $100 ($939 when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse offered for this NASCAR event was $4,940 ($46,390 when adjusted for inflation).[5]

Qualifying

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Grid[2] No. Driver Manufacturer Owner
1 00 Buddy Baker '65 Dodge Emory Gilliam
2 19 J.T. Putney '66 Chevrolet J.T. Putney
3 6 David Pearson '65 Dodge Cotton Owens
4 48 James Hylton '65 Dodge Bud Hartje
5 64 Elmo Langley '64 Ford Elmo Langley / Henry Woodfield
6 20 Clyde Lynn '64 Ford Clyde Lynn
7 43 Richard Petty '66 Plymouth Petty Enterprises
8 4 John Sears '64 Ford L.G. DeWitt
9 18 Stick Elliott '66 Chevrolet Toy Bolton
10 93 Blackie Watt '64 Ford Harry Neal
11 02 Doug Cooper '65 Plymouth Bob Cooper
12 11 Ned Jarrett '64 Ford Bernard Alvarez
13 97 Henley Gray '66 Ford Henley Gray
14 87 Buck Baker '66 Oldsmobile Buck Baker
15 86 Darel Dieringer '64 Dodge Buck Baker
16 06 Jack Lawrence '64 Mercury John McCarthy
17 73 Buzz Gregory '64 Ford Joan Petre
18 2 Bobby Allison '64 Ford Donald Brackins
19 88 Neil Castles '66 Chevrolet Buck Baker
20 74 Earl Brooks '64 Ford Gene Black
21 35 L.T. Ottinger '65 Oldsmobile Ken Carpenter
22 70 J.D. McDuffie '64 Ford J. D. McDuffie
23 61 Joel Davis '66 Chevrolet Toy Bolton
24 3 Buddy Arrington '65 Dodge Ray Fox
25 25 Jabe Thomas '64 Ford Jeff Handy
26 53 Jimmy Helms '64 Ford David Warren
27 1 Paul Lewis '65 Plymouth Paul Lewis
28 34 Wendell Scott '65 Ford Wendell Scott
29 94 Don Biederman '64 Chevrolet Ron Stotten

Top 20 finishers

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Pos No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps led Time/Status
1 1 Paul Lewis Plymouth 200 64 1:25:56
2 6 David Pearson Dodge 200 100 +2 seconds
3 19 J.T. Putney Chevrolet 199 0 +1 lap
4 02 Doug Cooper Plymouth 195 0 +5 laps
5 2 Bobby Allison Chevrolet 194 0 +6 laps
6 48 James Hylton Dodge 194 0 +6 laps
7 4 John Sears Ford 192 0 +8 laps
8 93 Blackie Watt Ford 191 0 +9 laps
9 97 Henley Gray Ford 190 0 +10 laps
10 06 Jack Lawrence Mercury 189 0 +11 laps
11 87 Buck Baker Oldsmobile 188 0 +12 laps
12 34 Wendell Scott Ford 188 0 +12 laps
13 88 Neil Castles Chevrolet 188 0 +12 laps
14 18 Stick Elliott Chevrolet 183 0 +17 laps
15 74 Earl Brooks Ford 183 0 +17 laps
16 53 Jimmy Helms Ford 175 0 +25 laps
17 61 Joel Davis Chevrolet 171 0 +29 laps
18 20 Clyde Lynn Ford 171 0 +29 laps
19 70 J.D. McDuffie Ford 157 0 +43 laps
20 94 Don Biederman Chevrolet 155 0 +45 laps

Timeline

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Section reference: [2]

  • Start of race: Buddy Baker started the race with the pole position.
  • Lap 17: Richard Petty failed to control his steering in a safe manner.
  • Lap 18: David Pearson takes over the lead from Buddy Baker.
  • Lap 32: L.D. Ottinger noticed that his fender fell off his vehicle.
  • Lap 34: Jabe Thomas developed engine problems, forcing him to exit from the race.
  • Lap 78: Ned Jarrett overheated his race car, causing him to leave the race prematurely.
  • Lap 87: Buddy Arrington's fuel pump stopped acting properly, bringing his day to an end with a 24th-place finish.
  • Lap 116: Buddy Baker takes over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 134: Buddy Baker had a terminal crash, forcing him to withdraw from the event.
  • Lap 135: David Pearson takes over the lead from Buddy Baker.
  • Lap 137: Paul Lewis takes over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Finish: Paul Lewis was officially declared the winner of the event.

References

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  1. ^ Weather information for the 1966 Smoky Mountain 200 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Racing information for the 1966 Smoky Mountain 200 at Racing Reference
  3. ^ 1966 Smoky Mountain 200 crew chief information at Racing Reference
  4. ^ L. D. Ottinger's career at Legends of NASCAR
  5. ^ Racing information for the 1966 Smoky Mountain 200 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
Preceded by NASCAR Grand National Series season
1966
Succeeded by