1969 Alabama 200

The 1969 Alabama 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on December 8, 1968, at Montgomery Speedway in Montgomery, Alabama. Seven lead changes were exchanged amongst three different leaders.

1969 Alabama 200
Race details[1]
Race 2 of 54 in the 1969 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Date December 8, 1968 (1968-12-08)
Official name Alabama 500
Location Montgomery Speedway, Montgomery, Alabama
Course Permanent racing facility
0.500 mi (1.414 km)
Distance 200 laps, 100 mi (150 km)
Weather Cold with temperatures reaching a maximum of 48.9 °F (9.4 °C); wind speeds approaching 5.1 miles per hour (8.2 km/h)
Average speed 73.200 miles per hour (117.804 km/h)
Attendance 2,800[2]
Pole position
Driver
Petty Enterprises
Most laps led
Driver Richard Petty Petty Enterprises
Laps 125
Winner
No. 14 Bobby Allison Tom Friedkin
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.

Background

Montgomery Motor Speedway is a half-mile (.805 km) oval race track just west of Montgomery, Alabama. It opened in 1953, and is the oldest operating race track in Alabama. It held six Grand National Series races between 1955 and 1969.[3]

Summary

Bobby Allison managed to defeat Richard Petty by a distance of 4 feet (48 in).[2][4] Two hundred laps were done on a paved oval track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km).[2] Eleven laps were given two cautions flags[5] due to various racing issues.[2] Only 2800 people would attend this live race with the average racing speed being 73.200 miles per hour (117.804 km/h).[2] However, the event was a "crowd pleaser" with most fans going home in a pleasant mood after the ending.[4] Sherral Pruitt would be the last-place finisher due to his 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle overheating.[2] Other finishers in the top ten were (in reverse order): Dave Marcis, Cecil Gordon, Henley Gray, Ben Arnold, John Sears, Neil Castles, Bobby Isaac, and James Hylton.[2][6]

Elmo Langley, Red Farmer, and Roy Tyner were also notable NASCAR drivers who attended this event.[2][6] It took one hour and twenty-one minutes to go from the first green flag to the checkered flag.[2][4] Bill Ervin would retire from NASCAR after this race was held while Lee Gordon would start his NASCAR career here.[5] Hylton still races regularly in the ARCA Series[4] (currently being sponsored by Menards).

While the winner of the race got to take home a thousand dollars in winnings ($7,980.04 when considering inflation), the bottom nine finishers of the race were lucky to receive a paycheck for $100 ($798 when considering inflation).[7]

Qualifying
Grid No. Driver Manufacturer
1 43Richard Petty'68 Plymouth
2 71Bobby Isaac'68 Dodge
3 14Bobby Allison'68 Plymouth
4 48James Hylton'68 Dodge
5 2Red Farmer'66 Chevrolet
6 4John Sears'67 Ford
7 06Neil Castles'67 Plymouth
8 64Elmo Langley'66 Ford
9 76Ben Arnold'66 Ford
10 70J.D. McDuffie'67 Buick
11 8Ed Negre'67 Ford
12 9Roy Tyner'67 Pontiac
13 47Cecil Gordon'68 Ford
14 5Earl Brooks'67 Ford
15 34Wendell Scott'66 Ford

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

  • Start of race: Richard Petty started the race with the pole position.
  • Lap 10: Sherral Pruitt would overheat his vehicle, causing him to end his day on the track prematurely; Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 46: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Isaac.
  • Lap 54: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 68: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Isaac.
  • Lap 81: Issues with the vehicle's clutch would get to Elmo Langley, who would immediately exit the race.
  • Lap 101: Red Farmer left the race because his vehicle's oil pressure was not up to normal standards.
  • Lap 110: Wendell Scott's vehicle developed a problematic manifold, causing him to exit from the race early.
  • Lap 143: Roy Tyner's engine would malfunction, forcing him to withdraw from the race.
  • Lap 144: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 168: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
  • Lap 200: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Finish: Bobby Allison was officially declared the winner of the race.

References
  1. "1969 Alabama 200 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
  2. "1969 Alabama 200 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  3. Race Results at Montgomery Speedway, Racing-Reference.info, retrieved 2009-11-24
  4. "1969 Alabama 200 racing results (second reference)". Hard Core Race Fans. Archived from the original on 2011-08-17. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  5. "1969 Alabama 200 additional yellow flags information". Race Database. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  6. "1969 Alabama 200 racing results (third reference)". Everything Stock Car. Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  7. "Prize winnings information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
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