1960 Daytona 500
Introduction The '''1960 Daytona 500''' was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on February 14, 1960, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It was the 5th race of the 1960 season, and was won by Junior Johnson in a 1959 Chevrolet.
Summary The 200 lap race started with Cotton Owens on the pole and Jack Smith joining him on the front row. Junior Johnson won the four hour race driving a 59 Chevy owned by John Masoni. A crowd of 38,775 watched as Johnson drove the number 27 to victory after starting in the 9th position.Bud Burdick, Pappy Crane, Dick Foley, Dick Freeman, Tommy Herbert, Dave Hirschfield, Bob Kosiski, Shep Langdon and Bill Lutz would retire from NASCAR after this event.=== Pre-race ===In late January 1960, the CBS network sent anchorman Bud Palmer and 50 other employees to Daytona to cover the events in the first-ever televised coverage of a NASCAR event. CBS announced that their ''CBS Sports Spectacular'' show would televise a couple compact car races and the Grand National Pole Position races at Daytona on January 31.On February 13 a Modified-Sportsman race took place. NASCAR officials lined up 73 cars to take the green flag. Less than a minute and a half after the green flag flew, mayhem ensued when Dick Foley's Chevy got out of shape. While Foley was able to gather control of his car, and finish the race in tenth place, 37 other vehicles behind him crashed while attempting to avoid the confusion. Twelve cars flipped, and a total of 24 drivers were unable to continue the race. Five ambulances responded to transport 8 drivers to local hospitals. Four drivers were released that day, and four drivers were held overnight. Notable drivers Ralph Earnhardt, Wendell Scott, and Speedy Thompson were among those forced out of the race. Driver Speedy Thompson was quoted as saying  It took cleaning crews and tow trucks only 39 minutes to clear the track for the restart. Marion "Bubba" Farr went on to win the record setting crash fest. He drove a 1956 Ford modified with a 1958 Lincoln engine and 6 carburetors, and finished with an average speed of .=== Qualifying races ===Fireball Roberts won the first  qualifying race, and Jack Smith won the second on the  track. Roberts grabbed his victory on the paved oval completing the 40 laps in 45 minutes, with two cautions in a 1960 Pontiac. Roberts started second beside Cotton Owens who won the pole with a speed of . Owens finished second, and Fred Lorenzen rounded out the top 3 with 2 cautions for 5 laps. The first caution came on lap 1 when Gene White, Dave Hirschfield, and Tommy Irwin all got together coming out of turn two. Irwin and his Ford Thunderbird took a trip into lake Lloyd located in the infield, and Irwin had to swim to safety as the car was nearly submerged. By the time the yellow flag had been displayed, Roberts had already advanced to the front of the pack, and would never relinquish the lead. The win would give Roberts his 22nd NASCAR victory. Smith and his 1960 Pontiac captured the victory from the pole with a qualifying speed of , and completed the second race in just over 40 minutes with an average speed of . There were 2 cautions; and Bobby Johns finished second with Jim Reed grabbing the third spot. The first single lap caution came when John Rostek spun on lap six, and the second caution, also a one lap slow down, came when Johnny Dodd Jr. crashed into the wall on lap 15.The dubious distinction of bringing out the first ever black flag fell to Herman "Turtle" Beam on lap 8 when officials noticed that Beam was running without his safety helmet, which he had forgotten on the starting grid. Smith set a record for the time by winning with the combination of his speed, and the minimal caution laps. The win was Smith's second of the year, and 12,500 people looked on as he and Roberts grabbed the two top spots in the qualifying races.=== Race ===Race day was a brisk day with a high of , with steady winds at , strong gusts, and no rain. The high winds, combined with the high speeds resulted in 32 laps being run under caution, and multiple crashes. Tommy Herbert suffered a broken arm and severe eye injury when his T-bird flipped and blew apart when he crashed into the wall on the back straightaway on lap 118.The engine went one direction, the car another, and the front end assembly took flight up to 75 feet in the air. Driving through the wreckage, Pappy Crane spun, then rolled his Chevy, but was not hurt. Also included in the attrition was George Green whose car burst into flame forcing him to leap from the car to safety, and Tom Pistone who lost control with 2 laps remaining and hit the turn 4 wall. Junior Johnson took the lead with nine laps remaining when Bobby Johns spun, and Johnson went on to win the race. Johns had grabbed the lead on lap 172, but the winds pulled his back window out, and he lost control. The win was Johnson's first victory of the season.The 1960 race is remembered as being the slowest Daytona 500 race in history, as Johnson averaged just  over the .=== Legacy ===There were so many cars destroyed or damaged during the 500 that NASCAR officials felt compelled to cancel a couple races that were scheduled for the following weekend. Palmetto Speedway and Hollywood Speedway both lost their scheduled  events due to the carnage at Daytona.Race winner Junior Johnson went on to achieve multiple accolades in the following years; including being inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990 and being selected as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.On February 4, 2010, NASCAR announced that Johnson would be Grand Marshal for the 50th anniversary of his 1960 victory.Part of Johnson's duties as Grand Marshal would be to utter the immortal words "Gentleman, start your engines" at the 52nd running of the Daytona 500 on February 14, 2010.
Official results The race lasted 4:00:30, with an average speed of .FinSt#DriverSponsorMakeTeamLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings1927Junior JohnsonDaytona Kennel1959 ChevroletJohn Masoni20067running19600243Bobby JohnsStephens Pontiac1959 PontiacJim Stephens20022running860031943Richard Petty1960 PlymouthPetty Enterprises20029running645041442Lee Petty1960 PlymouthPetty Enterprises20014running365051169Johnny AllenHanley Dawson Chevrolet1960 ChevroletHanley Dawson1990running330065411Ned JarrettAldridge Motor Co.1960 FordNed Jarrett1990running207575326Curtis TurnerCourtesy Ford1960 FordHolman-Moody1990running16508528Fred LorenzenRupert Safety Belt1960 FordFred Lorenzen1980running1150984Rex WhitePiedmont, Friendly1960 Chevrolet1989running925101585Emanuel ZervakisShook's Transfer1960 Chevrolet1970running800111873Bud BurdickKSTP-TV1959 T-Bird1970running600125259Tom PistoneThor1960 Chevrolet19626crash500131049Bob WelbornAtlanta International Raceway1960 Chevrolet1950running4001467Jim ReedJim Reed's Garage1960 Chevrolet1950running350152029Bob Potter1960 Chevrolet1950running350161248Darrell DakeAtlanta International Raceway1960 Chevrolet1950running325173163Whitey GerkenSkinner Bros.1959 Pontiac1950running325182987Buck BakerDon Allen Chevrolet, Albright Boats1960 Chevrolet1940running300192293Banjo MatthewsSunbeam Systems1959 T-BirdBanjo Matthews1930running375202864Shep LangdonLafayette Motor Sales1960 Ford1920running300213854Jimmy PardueLowe's1959 Dodge1920running200226076Larry FrankThor1959 Chevrolet1910running20023247Jack SmithBoomershine1960 Pontiac19114running900245099Wilbur Rakestraw1960 Ford1890running200252561Joe CaspolichJones Motor Co.1959 T-Bird1880running200266141Gene WhitePat Milliken Ford1960 Ford1870running200273456Ken JohnsonNypenn1960 Ford1860running200283367David PearsonW.M. Mason Motor Co.1959 Chevrolet1850running200291671Gene MarmorSkinner Bros.1959 Pontiac1840running20030371Brownie KingFaircloth Chevy Co.1960 Chevrolet1830running200312734G.C. SpencerWesthair Engineering1959 Chevrolet1830running200326219Herman BeamCarter County Motor Co.1960 Ford1750running200334933Reb WickershamFlying Rebel Racing Team1960 Oldsmobile1750running700346374L.D. Austin1958 Chevrolet1750running100353016Dick JoslinLeppere Pontiac1959 Pontiac1710running200363535Mel LarsonSun City1960 Pontiac1660running275376514Paul ParksArlington Ford Sales1960 Ford1640running200385624Arnold Gardner1960 Ford1600running300392139Herb TillmanStark Special1960 Chevrolet1550running2004016Cotton OwensHedge's Pontiac1960 Pontiac1490transmission20041712Joe WeatherlyCourtesy Ford1960 Ford1460crankshaft30042438Dick Dixon1960 Chevrolet1440crash200434578Roy TynerTuxedo Plumbing Co.1960 Chevrolet1430crash200443630Bob KosiskiAir Lift1959 T-Bird125 0200454825Tommy HerbertAir Lift1960 Ford1180crash200465198Marvin PanchCourtesy Ford, Air Port Auto1960 Ford1170oil leak300474160Jim WhitmanPolytronics Lab Inc.1960 Dodge1160engine700482615Johnny SudderthCrossroads Motel1960 Ford1100engine200495913Harold SmithFlorida Military School1960 Plymouth940engine200506758Pappy Crane1959 Chevrolet890crash200516445Tiny Lund1960 Oldsmobile830steering100525510Elmo LangleyCafe Burgundy1959 Buick770crankshaft275535844Bill LutzWynn's Friction Proofing1960 Ford750engine250544497Parnelli JonesVel's Ford1960 Ford730engine200554632George GreenWatauga Chevrolet1958 Chevrolet670fire200563988Red FarmerKenny Hannan Ford1960 Ford65020057322Fireball RobertsGilman Pontiac1960 Pontiac5119engine400584295Bob DuellMidtown Motors1960 Ford500engine200592470Elmo HendersonJack Purser's Esso Service1958 Pontiac310windshield200601353Bob Burdick1960 Ford31 0275612366Dick Foley1959 ChevroletDick Foley30 0200621794Speedy ThompsonWarrior Motel1960 FordBanjo Matthews280engine20063662Dave Hirschfield1960 Buick210axle100645777Joe Lee JohnsonTuxedo Plumbing Co.1960 Ford180engine200656892Charley GriffithWebster Garage1960 Ford14 0100664051Burrhead NantzW.P. Still Oldsmobile1959 Oldsmobile110clutch200673252Sal TovellaFergus Ford1960 Ford50engine200684750Dick FreemanRazz Bowen Ford1960 FordDick Freeman50crash200Failed to qualify5Chuck ScharfFord9Carl BurrisFord18Fritz WilsonFord31Johnny BeauchampFordHolman-Moody36Tommy IrwinFord38Eddie GrayFord75John Dodd, Jr.Ford79Buzz McCannFord86Johnny DollarChevrolet90Runt HarrisFord96John RostekFord
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