The 1968 Fireball 300 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 May 5, 1968, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in

Weaverville, North Carolina Weaverville is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,120 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Chartered in 1875 and named for Michael Montraville Weaver ...

. It had twenty-seven

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 ...

competitors and one

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

competitor (

Frog Fagan Harold "Frog" Fagan (November 3, 1940 – August 6, 1993) was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver from the Toronto subdivision of Willowdale, Ontario, Canada. History Harold Fagan is the son of Mrs. Yvonne Fagan (who was the owner of the ''Northway Res ...

). The entire race spanned a distance of ; the "300" portion of the race's name simply referred to the number of laps that were expected to be completed.

Race report

This event lasted one hour and fifty-nine minutes over a paved

oval track Oval track racing is a form of closed-circuit motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traffic ...

spanning . David Pearson,

Bobby Isaac Robert Vance Isaac (August 1, 1932 – August 14, 1977) was an American stock car racing driver. Isaac made his first NASCAR appearance in 1961, and quickly forged a reputation of one of the toughest competitors of the 1960s and 1970s. He was most ...

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 ...

James Hylton James Harvey Hylton (August 26, 1934 – April 28, 2018) was an American stock car racing driver. He was a two-time winner in NASCAR Winston Cup Series competition and was a long-time competitor in the ARCA Racing Series. Hylton finished second i ...

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 ...

Clyde Lynn Clyde Lynn (March 3, 1936 – November 1, 1996) was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver from Christiansburg, Virginia and a runner-up for the NASCAR Rookie of the Year award in the year 1965 Events January–February * January 14 – ...

Jabe Thomas Cerry Ezra "Jabe" Thomas (May 12, 1930 – June 4, 2015) was a NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series driver who competed from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s. His son Ronnie was also a NASCAR Cup Series driver; competing from 1977 to 1989 ...

Henley Gray Clarence Henley Gray Jr. (born January 12, 1933) is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1964 to 1977. Career Out of the 76045 laps committed in his career, Gray only led two of them. Gray's total career earnings ...

, and

Stan Meserve Stan Meserve (born August 23, 1941 in Winslow, Maine) is a retired ''NASCAR Grand National'' driver who competed in one year of NASCAR racing. Career He earned a grand total $7,745 through his entire NASCAR racing career (which did not reach beyo ...

were amongst the drivers who finished in the top ten. There were six cautions for forty-five laps and the margin of victory was more than two laps. The average speed of the race was per hour while the pole speed was per hour. Pearson was responsible for leading almost all the laps in the race. After this race, David Pearson moved past Roberts for 8th on the all-time wins list. A crowd of 7,800 people attended this racing event that took place on May 5, 1968, at the Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in the

community of Weaverville,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. Out of twenty-eight competitors, only ten managed to finish all 300 laps of the event. Total winnings for this racing event was $6,900 ($ when adjusted for inflation). making him the dominant driver in the event. A bumper crop of multi-car "corporate" teams participated in the race because racing expenses have started to become prohibitively expensive for individuals to burden during the late 1960s. Few of the remaining independent teams included

Margo Hamm Margo Hamm is a retired NASCAR Grand National Series race car owner who was a pioneer in NASCAR history because she was one of the first females to become a NASCAR race car owner. In later generations, DeLana Harvick and Teresa Earnhardt would jo ...

's team,

Neil Castles Henry Neil Castles (October 1, 1934 – August 4, 2022) was an American NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver. He raced from 1957 to 1976, and won the NASCAR Grand National East Series in 1972. Early life Castles was born in Ma ...

' team and the driver-owner Gene Black; whose day on the race track came to an abrupt end on the fourth lap due to a problem with his stock car engine. Notable crew chiefs at this race were

Harry Hyde Harry Hyde (January 17, 1925 – May 13, 1996) was a leading crew chief in NASCAR stock car racing in the 1960s through the 1980s, winning 56 races and 88 pole positions. He was the 1970 championship crew chief for Bobby Isaac. He inspired t ...

Dale Inman Dale Inman (born August 19, 1936) is a retired NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series crew chief from Level Cross, Randolph County, North Carolina. He is best known for being the crew chief of Richard Petty at Petty Enterprises during three de ...

Frankie Scott Frankie may refer to: People * Frankie (musician), indie pop musician from Los Angeles, California *Frankie Abernathy (1981–2007), American MTV Real World cast member * Frankie Adams (born 1994), Samoan New Zealand actress *Frankie Avalon (born ...

Jake Elder J. C. "Jake" Elder (November 22, 1936 – February 24, 2010) was a NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series crew chief. He was the championship crew chief for two years and for part of a third season. Elder had these successes despite never pas ...

, and

Ray Hicks Lenard Ray Hicks (August 29, 1922 – April 20, 2003) was an Appalachian storyteller who lived his entire life on Beech Mountain, North Carolina. He was particularly known for the telling of Jack Tales. He was a recipient of a 1983 Natio ...

. 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.

Qualifying

Finishing order

Section reference: # David Pearson† (No. 17) # Bobby Isaac† (No. 71) # Richard Petty (No. 43) # James Hylton (No. 48) # Elmo Langley† (No. 64) # Clyde Lynn† (No. 20) # Jabe Thomas† (No. 25) # Frog Fagan† (No. 95) # Henley Gray (No. 19) # Stan Meserve (No. 51) #

Roy Tyner William Leroy "Roy" Tyner (January 3, 1934 – February 23, 1989) was a Native American ''NASCAR Grand National'' driver from Red Springs, North Carolina, United States. NASCAR career Driver Tyner participated in the 1968 Fireball 300 in add ...

*† (No. 76) #

Pete Hamilton Peter Goodwill Hamilton (July 20, 1942 – March 21, 2017) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He competed in NASCAR for six years, where he won four times in his career (including the 1970 Daytona 500), three times driving ...

* (No. 5) # John Sears*† (No. 4) #

* (No. 06) #

Bill Seifert William John Seifert (born July 2, 1939 - Skyland, North Carolina) is a retired NASCAR Sprint Cup Series who raced from 1966 to 1979.Earl Brooks Earl Lee Brooks (August 11, 1929 – July 21, 2010) was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1962 to 1979. His career came at a time where NASCAR was less organized than it is today and drivers independently owned their v ...

*† (No. 28) # Max Ledbetter* (No. 46) #

Buddy Baker Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 198 ...

*† (No. 3) #

J.D. McDuffie John Delphus McDuffie Jr. (December 5, 1938 – August 11, 1991) was an American racing driver. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1963 to 1991, collecting 106 top-10 finishes during his career, despite never finishing on the lead ...

*† (No. 70) #

Tom Pistone "Tiger" Tom Pistone (born March 17, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois, USA) is a former NASCAR Grand National driver from Chicago. He made his Grand National debut in 1955. He won two races and finished 6th in championship points in the 1959 season for ...

* (No. 12) #

Walson Gardener Walson Gardener (born August 21, 1932, in Laurinburg, North Carolina) is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver and a competitor at the 1968 Fireball 300 The 1968 Fireball 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 5, 196 ...

* (No. 93) #

Don Tarr Donald James Tarr (11 March 1910 – 4 June 1980) was a Welsh international hooker who played club rugby for Swansea and Cardiff, county rugby for Hampshire and invitational rugby for the Barbarians. Tarr was a career naval officer, reaching t ...

* (No. 0) #

Wendell Scott Wendell Oliver Scott (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. He was one of the first African-American drivers in NASCAR and the first African-American to win a race in the Grand National Series, NASCAR's h ...

*† (No. 34) #

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. 88) #

Jack Ingram Jack Owen Ingram (born November 15, 1970) is an American country music artist formerly signed to Big Machine Records, an independent record label. He has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, six live albums, and 19 singles. Although ...

* (No. 08) # Paul Dean Holt* (No. 01) #

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. 49) # Gene Black*† (No. 75) ''* Driver failed to finish race''
''† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased''

Timeline

Section reference: * Start of race: David Pearson began the event with the pole position. * Lap 4: Gene Black's vehicle developed a problematic engine. * Lap 13: G.C. Spencer had to leave the race due to a faulty suspension system on his vehicle. * Lap 15: Paul Dean Holt fell out with engine failure. * Lap 25: Jack Ingram fell out with engine failure. * Lap 51: Buck Baker would lose his vehicle's rear end, forcing his exit due to safety reasons. * Lap 61: Wendell Scott's engine managed to blow while he was racing. * Lap 63: Oil pressure issues forced Don Tarr out of the event. * Lap 74: Walson Gardner would have to retire from the race due to nasty engine problems. * Lap 81: Tom Pistone would never see the checkered flag due to having a worn-out engine. * Lap 87: Buddy Baker took over the lead from David Pearson. * Lap 88: David Pearson took over the lead from Buddy Baker. * Finish: David Pearson was officially declared the winner of the event.

References

{{reflist Fireball 300 Fireball 300 Fireball 300 NASCAR races at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway