1967 Carolina 500

Background

North Carolina Motor Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School,

Race report

The 500-lap race took four hours and forty-six minutes in front of 22,000 spectators. Nine cautions were given for 45 laps. Ten of the most notable crew chiefs of the late 1960s would make their appearance here; including Dale Inman, Harry Hyde and Glen Wood. Dick Hutcherson won the pole position with a speed of 116.486 mph. Richard Petty recorded his first Rockingham victory by defeating Buddy Baker.

This win would push Petty onto the top of the NASCAR standings for the first time in his career.

Petty's winning dynasty would eventually expand to 200 career race wins and multiple championship wins. Richard Petty scored his 11th win of an eventual 27 wins on a title-winning 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series season. Most of the manufacturers in this race were either Chevrolet or Ford; with a few other brands as the minority on the racing grid. Buddy Baker was the favorite to win the race and was a dominant force on the track alongside Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough. However, a slow pit stop forced Baker to accept second place, one lap behind the winner. Engine problems and crashes were the primary reasons that drivers didn't finish the race.

All of the 44 drivers on the racing grid were born in the United States of America. J.T. Putney would receive the last-place finish of the race due to a crash on lap 2. Johnny Allen and Gary Sain would retire from NASCAR after the end of this race.

Qualifying

Finishing order

1. Richard Petty
2. Buddy Baker
3. Dick Hutcherson
4. Cale Yarborough
5. Darel Dieringer
6. Paul Lewis
7. Charlie Glotzbach
8. James Hylton
9. John Sears*
10. Jim Paschal
11. Bill Dennis
12. Paul Goldsmith*
13. Clyde Lynn
14. Earl Brooks
15. Paul Dean Holt
16. Bobby Isaac*
17. Buck Baker*
18. LeeRoy Yarbrough*
19. Neil Castles*
20. Ed Negre
21. David Pearson*
22. Roy Tyner*
23. Doug Cooper*
24. Elmo Langley*
25. Bobby Wawak*
26. Roy Mayne*
27. Henley Gray*
28. Jabe Thomas*
29. Bill Seifert*
30. Wendell Scott*
31. G. C. Spencer*
32. Tiny Lund*
33. Dick Johnson*
34. Wayne Smith*
35. Johnny Allen*
36. Bobby Allison*
37. George Davis*
38. Frank Warren*
39. Buddy Arrington*
40. Bobby Johns*
41. Ken Spikes*
42. Gary Sain*
43. Armond Holley*
44. J.T. Putney* ** denotes that the driver failed to finish the race. *

References

before = 1967 East Tennessee 200 | after = 1967 Pickens 200| title = Richard Petty's career wins| years = 1960–1984 |

References

1. "1967 Carolina 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac.
2. "1967 Carolina 500 information". Racing Reference.
3. "Fast Track High Performance Driving School, Inc". Fasttrackracing.com.
4. "1967 Carolina 500 information (second reference)". Ultimate Racing History.
5. "''1967 Carolina 500'' crew chief information". Racing Reference.
6. "1967 Carolina 500 information (third reference)". Everything Stock Car.
7. "1967 Carolina 500 information (fourth reference)". Database Racing.
8. "Richard Petty 1967 NASCAR season points information". How Stuff Works.
9. "''1967 Carolina 500'' retirement information". Race Database.