1966 Firecracker 400
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| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 28 of 49 in the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
Track map of Daytona International Speedway showing mainly the speedway.
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| Date | July 4, 1966 | ||
| Official name | Firecracker 400 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.500 mi (4.023 km) |
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| Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (643 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 93 °F (34 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 153.813 miles per hour (247.538 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 46,200[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Jon Thorne | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Sam McQuagg | Ray Nichels | |
| Laps | 126 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 98 | Sam McQuagg | Ray Nichels | |
The 1966 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) event that was held on July 4, 1966 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.[2]
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 any more.
Summary
Forty-six thousand and two hundred stock car racing fans would watch this live event from the start until the finish.[2] It took two hours and thirty-six minutes to completely finish the race.[2] Four cautions were given out for twenty-three laps.[2] The average speed of the race was 153.813 miles per hour (247.538 km/h).[2] Sam McQuagg would beat Darel Dieringer by racing the entire duration of the race exactly one minute and six seconds faster than Darel.[2]
This was the first time that a rear spoiler would be used in any NASCAR Cup Series race.[3] On the day of the race, the factory engineers at Dodge would install this new invention on McQuagg's car (which would eventually cause him to go several miles per hour faster than his opponents).[3]
Individual winnings for this event ranged from the winner's share of $13,600 ($99,189.33 when considering inflation) to the last-place finisher's share of $350 ($2,552.67 when considering inflation). A grand total of $55,105 was handed out to every qualifying driver who participated in this racing event ($401,899.13 when considering inflation).[4]
Finishing order
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- Sam McQuagg†
- Darel Dieringer†
- Jim Paschal†
- Curtis Turner†
- Jim Hurtubise†
- Don White
- Marvin Panch
- Tiny Lund†
- James Hylton
- John Sears†
- Buddy Baker*†
- Frank Warren
- Elmo Langley†
- Bobby Allison
- David Pearson
- Harold Smith
- Larry Hess
- Eddie MacDonald
- Wendell Scott†
- Blackie Watt
- J.D. McDuffie†
- Jack Lawrence
- Henley Gray
- LeeRoy Yarbrough*†
- Roy Mayne
- Jimmy Helms*
- Paul Goldsmith*
- Doug Cooper*
- Richard Petty*
- Earl Balmer*
- Mario Andretti*
- Wayne Smith*
- Buck Baker*†
- Bunkie Blackburn*†
- G.C. Spencer*†
- Buddy Arrington*
- J.T. Putney*†
- Bobby Johns*
- Jabe Thomas*
- Joel Davis*
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race
References
| Preceded by | NASCAR Grand National races 1966 |
Succeeded by 1966 untitled race at Old Dominion Speedway |
| Preceded by | Firecracker 400 races 1966 |
Succeeded by 1967 |
