The 1961 Dixie 400 was a

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 to 1970, then the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand Nation ...

event that was held on September 17, 1961, at

Atlanta International Raceway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series s ...

Hampton, Georgia Hampton is a city in southwestern Henry County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,987, up from 3,857 at the 2000 census. By 2018 the estimated population was 7,922. "Hampton" mailing addresses outside t ...

. A filming of a full-length feature

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

film entitled ''Thundering Wheels'' was a part of the festivities planned for this race in addition to a 210-minute performance by some of the legendary performers from the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

.''Dixie 400 Entries Pour into Atlanta
at Star-News (Google News Archive Search) Local beauty pageant personality

Linda Vaughn Linda Faye Vaughn (born August 11, 1943 in Dalton, Georgia, United States) is an American motor racing personality who has been described as the "preeminent beauty queen of stock car racing", and "The First Lady of Motorsports". Vaughn was named ...

was chosen to be the queen of the 1961 running of the

Dixie 400 The Ambetter Health 400 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. William Byron is the defending race winner. This race was originally Atlanta's second race of the season and was run as a late- ...

.AMS' last September race cause for late celebration
at NASCAR.com

Background

(now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one of ten current intermediate track to hold

races; the others are

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...

Chicagoland Speedway Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and actively hosted NASCAR racing including the NASCAR Cup Series until 2019. Until 2010, the speedway has also hosted the IndyC ...

Darlington Raceway Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located in Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is ...

Homestead Miami Speedway Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses *Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...

Kansas Speedway Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in the Village West area near Kansas City, Kansas, United States. It was built in 2001 and it currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also held races at the venue until 2011 ...

Kentucky Speedway Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Before 2008 J ...

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is ...

New Hampshire Motor Speedway New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a Oval track racing, oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1990, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nickna ...

, and

Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24° ...

. However, at the time, only Charlotte and Darlington were built. The layout at Atlanta International Speedway at the time was a four-turn traditional oval track that is long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five.

Race report

Fireball Roberts would qualify at a speed of to clinch the

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

. The average speed of the race was . While

Fireball Roberts Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts Jr. (January 20, 1929July 2, 1964) was an American stock car racer. Background Roberts was born in Tavares, Florida, and raised in Apopka, Florida, where he was interested in both auto racing and baseball. He was ...

Nelson Stacy Nelson Stacy (December 28, 1921 – May 14, 1986) was an American race car driver from Maysville, Kentucky. He won the 1958, 1959, and 1960 MARC Series (now ARCA Menards Series) championships. He also won four NASCAR Grand National Series races in ...

and

Banjo Matthews Edwin Keith "Banjo" Matthews (February 14, 1932 – October 2, 1996) was an American NASCAR driver, car owner, and builder. As a driver, he had 13 top ten finishes in 51 starts. He was the car builder for the 1976 to 1978 NASCAR Cup Series ch ...

would dominate the earliest parts of this event, the closing moments were a contest between

Junior Johnson Robert Glenn Johnson Jr. (June 28, 1931 – December 20, 2019), better known as Junior Johnson, was an American NASCAR driver of the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966. In the 1970s and 1980s, he became ...

and David Pearson.''1961 Dixie 400'' racing information
at Racing Reference These drivers had the monopoly on the first-place position throughout the race; tying with the

1960 Atlanta 500 The 1960 Atlanta 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 30, 1960, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia. Background Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one of ten current i ...

with the fewest lead changes. The 267-lap race lasted three hours and eleven minutes. There were 42

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

-born drivers on the grid out of the 46 who originally qualified for this event. Tommy Irwin would suffer from a bad

piston A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas-tig ...

in his vehicle that prevented him from starting the race; he was credited as the last-place finisher. Lee Reitzel would be the lowest-finishing driver to complete the entire event while Banjo Matthew's faulty engine prevented him from finishing in the top ten. Lap deficits were noticed between the top cars once Banjo dropped out; forcing the flagman to throw the white flag multiple times. Thirty thousand people would see David Pearson defeat Junior Johnson by five seconds. Fred Lorenzen's engine blew, spewing oil on the track. Lorenzen's car spun into a concrete retaining wall and Fireball Roberts narrowly missed him. Dave Mader spun into a guardrail, knocking him unconscious. This would be the last start for Jesse James Taylor, the same one that finished 2nd in the 1951 Southern 500, and then was critically injured at Lakewood that year. NASCAR originally made a bad judgment call and declared

Bunkie Blackburn James Ronald "Bunkie" Blackburn (April 22, 1936 – February 28, 2006) was a NASCAR racecar driver. Career Blackburn's father owned and operated the Fayetteville, North Carolina racetrack. He later competed at the historic Nashville Speedway USA ...

the winner. The reason behind this bad call was that one of David Pearson's laps were never officially counted; they decided to re-mark it as official. Most of the spectators had left by the time that Pearson was given the actual win. 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. Individual earnings for each driver ranged from the winner's share of $9,330 ($ when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place finisher's share of $200 ($ when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse for this event was $39,960 ($ when adjusted for inflation). Six notable crew chiefs would take part in this race, including

Ray Fox Raymond Lee Fox, Sr. (May 28, 1916 – June 15, 2014) was an American engine builder, NASCAR car owner and NASCAR engine inspector. His cars won fourteen NASCAR Grand National Series events and sixteen pole positions. His son and grandson, ...

Bud Allman In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be spec ...

and

Shorty Johns Shorty is a nickname, usually for a short person. See Shorty (nickname). Shorty may also refer to: Music Artists * Ras Shorty I, Trinidadian artist and founder of soca music. * Shorty (band), an American rock band formed in 1991 * Shorty (Ameri ...

Qualifying

Failed to qualify: Tony Lavati (#66)

Retirements

Dave Mader and

Jesse James Taylor Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' ( ...

would retire from NASCAR Cup Series competition after the conclusion of this event.NASCAR retirements after the ''1961 Dixie 400''
at Race Database

Finishing order

Section reference: # David Pearson (No. 3) # Junior Johnson (No. 27) #

(No. 22) # Jack Smith (No. 47) #

Richard Petty Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...

(No. 43) # Johnny Allen (No. 14) #

Ned Jarrett Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is an American retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR Grand National Series champion. Because of his calm demeanor, he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". He is the father of former drivers Glenn Jar ...

(No. 11) #

Bob Welborn Robert "Bob" Joe Welborn (May 5, 1928 – August 10, 1997) of Denton was a NASCAR Grand National Series driver. He was named to NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998. He won the final three NASCAR Convertible Division championships in 1956, ...

(No. 46) #

Woodie Wilson W. Woodrow "Woodie" Wilson (October 8, 1925 – September 13, 1994) was an American stock car racing driver. One of the pioneers of NASCAR, he competed in the Grand National Division The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of ...

(No. 51) #

Marvin Panch Marvin Panch (May 28, 1926December 31, 2015) was an American stock car racing driver. Winner of the 1961 Daytona 500 and 1966 World 600, he won seventeen NASCAR Grand National Series events during a 17-year career. Early career Born in Menomon ...

(No. 6) #

* (No. 94) #

Bobby Johns Robert James Johns (May 22, 1932 – March 7, 2016) was an American race car driver. Johns raced in the NASCAR series in the 1956–1969 seasons, with 141 career starts. He had two wins among his 36 top ten finishes and finished the 1960 season ...

(No. 72) #

Jim Paschal James Roy Paschal, Jr. (December 5, 1926 – July 5, 2004) was a Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver. Career summary Paschal won twenty-five races and twelve poles over his career. Elected to the "Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame" in 1 ...

(No. 44) #

Emanuel Zervakis Emanuel Zervakis (January 23, 1930 – June 25, 2003) was a NASCAR driver and team owner. He won two NASCAR Grand National Series races in his career, both in 1961 ( Greenville 200 and Yankee 500). He later went on to own a part-time Cup tea ...

(No. 85) #

Tiny Lund DeWayne Louis "Tiny" Lund (November 14, 1929 – August 17, 1975) was an American stock car racer. He was a journeyman racer-for-hire in the top level NASCAR Grand National Series, running partial seasons for a number of years, including a vict ...

(No. 30) #

Joe Weatherly Joseph Herbert Weatherly (May 29, 1922 – January 19, 1964) was an American stock car racing driver. Weatherly was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009 after winning NASCAR's Grand National Series championships in ...

(No. 8) #

Ken Rush Kenneth Rush (September 14, 1931 – October 17, 2011) was a NASCAR Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1957 to 1972.Rex White Rex White (born August 17, 1929) is a retired auto racer and NASCAR champion. White was one of the drivers who competed for the original Chevrolet racing team. He began racing in 1956, grabbing fourteen top-ten finishes. After a part-time run in ...

(No. 4) #

* (No. 29) #

Darel Dieringer Darel Dieringer (June 1, 1926 – October 28, 1989) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He ran 181 NASCAR Grand National Series races during his career, notably racing for Bud Moore Engineering and Junior Johnson & Associates. ...

* (No. 24) # L.D. Austin (No. 74) #

Herman Beam Herman Beam (December 11, 1929 – August 27, 1980) was a NASCAR Grand National Series driver and team owner from Johnson City, Tennessee who was active as a driver from 1957 until 1963. He is famous for holding the longest streak of races wit ...

(No. 19) # Ed Livingston (No. 68) # Lee Reitzel (No. 93) #

Buck Baker Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. (March 4, 1919 – April 14, 2002), better known as Buck Baker, was an American stock car racer. Born in Richburg, South Carolina, Baker began his NASCAR career in 1949 and won his first race three years later at Columbia ...

* (No. 87) # Bill Morgan* (No. 32) # J.C. Hendrix* (No. 78) #

Elmo Langley Elmo Harold Langley (August 21, 1928 – November 21, 1996) was a NASCAR driver and owner. Langley primarily used the number 64 on his race cars during his NASCAR career. Racing career Langley began his racing career racing modified cars in Vir ...

* (No. 96) #

* (No. 9) # T.C. Hunt* (No. 10) #

G.C. Spencer Grover Clifton "G. C." Spencer (July 9, 1925GC Spencer obituaryhttp://www.heartfeltconnections.net/memberEulogy.cfm?memberid=14734&sqry_rownum=1&CFTOKEN=39227896 . – September 20, 2007) was a NASCAR driver who competed in 415 Grand National/ ...

* (No. 48) # Bob Barron* (No. 71) # Doug Yates* (No. 23) # George Alsobrook* (No. 99) #

Ralph Earnhardt Ralph Lee Earnhardt (February 23, 1928 – September 26, 1973) was an American stock car racer. He was the father of 7 time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt, grandfather of Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Dale Earnhardt Jr., a ...

* (No. 5) #

Fred Lorenzen Frederick Lorenzen Jr. (born December 30, 1934), nicknamed The Golden Boy, Fast Freddie, The Elmhurst Express and Fearless Freddy, is a former NASCAR driver from Elmhurst, Illinois. Active from 1958 to 1972, he won 26 races including 1965 Daytona ...

* (No. 28) # Dave Mader* (No. 90) # Tubby Gonzales* (No. 80) #

Herb Tillman In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnish (food), garnishing food, ...

* (No. 86) #

* (No. 15) #

Curtis Crider Curtis "Crawfish" Crider (October 7, 1930 – December 21, 2012) was an American stock car racing driver, and a pioneer in the early years of NASCAR. Career Born in Danville, Virginia, he was one of the hardest working and underfinanced racers t ...

* (No. 62) # Tommy Irwin* (No. 2) ''* Driver failed to finish race''

Timeline

Section reference: * Start of race: Fireball Roberts officially started the race with the pole position; Tommy Irwin had to leave the race due to a problem with one of his pistons. * Lap 3: A bearing came loose off of Curtis Crider's vehicle. * Lap 10: Engine problems managed to bring Jesse James Taylor's race to a screeching halt. * Lap 28: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Fireball Roberts. * Lap 36: Nelson Stacy took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. * Lap 46: Oil pressure issues ended Herb Tillman's day on the track. * Lap 47: Engine problems managed to relegate Tubby Gonzales to the sidelines. * Lap 51: Dave Mader had a terminal crash. * Lap 52: Fred Lorenzen had a terminal crash. * Lap 53: Joe Weatherly took over the lead from Nelson Stacy. * Lap 57: Banjo Matthews took over the lead from Joe Weatherly. * Lap 62: Ralph Earnhardt's vehicle developed problems with its transmission. * Lap 63: A problematic piston managed to take George Alsobrook out of the race. * Lap 65: Oil pressure issues effectively eliminate Doug Yates out of the event. * Lap 200: Bobby Johns took over the lead from Banjo Matthews. * Lap 203: A troublesome piston forced Bill Morgan to leave the race due to safety reasons. * Lap 209: Buck Baker could not cope with a problematic engine, forcing him to finish in a miserable 25th place. * Lap 211: Nelson Stacy took over the lead from Bobby Johns. * Lap 238: Darel Dieringer had a terminal crash; forcing him to exit the event prematurely. * Lap 243: Nelson Stacy managed to blow his engine while racing at high speeds. * Lap 244: Banjo Matthews took over the lead from Nelson Stacy. * Lap 262: Banjo Matthews managed to blow his engine while racing at high speeds. * Lap 264: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Banjo Matthews. * Lap 266: David Pearson took over the lead from Fireball Roberts. * Finish: Fireball Roberts officially became the winner of the event.

References

{{1961 NASCAR Grand National

NASCAR races at Atlanta Motor Speedway