1969 Sandlapper 200
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The 1969 Sandlapper 200 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 event that was held on September 18, 1969, at
Columbia Speedway Columbia Speedway was an oval racetrack located in Cayce, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. It was the site of auto races for NASCAR's top series from 1951 through 1971.Columbia Speedway page of Racing-Reference websit retrieved 8 May 2007. ...
in
Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...
. 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

Columbia Speedway Columbia Speedway was an oval racetrack located in Cayce, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. It was the site of auto races for NASCAR's top series from 1951 through 1971.Columbia Speedway page of Racing-Reference websit retrieved 8 May 2007. ...
was an oval racetrack located in Cayce, a suburb of
Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...
. It was the site of
auto races Auto may refer to: * An automaton * An automobile * An autonomous car * An automatic transmission * An auto rickshaw * Short for automatic * Auto (art), a form of Portuguese dramatic play * ''Auto'' (film), 2007 Tamil comedy film * Auto (play), ...
for
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 ...
's top series from 1951 through 1971.Columbia Speedway page of Racing-Reference websit

retrieved 8 May 2007.
For most of its history, the racing surface was dirt. The races in April and August 1970 were two of the final three Grand National Series races ever held on a dirt track.Fielden, Greg, "NASCAR Cleans Up", ''Speedway Illustrated'', September 2004. The track was paved before hosting its last two Grand National races in 1971.


Race report

Bobby Isaac defeated
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 ...
by half a lap in front of a live audience of 6,500 NASCAR followers.''1969 Sandlapper 200''
race information at Racing-Reference, retrieved 30 January 2012
''1969 Sandlapper 200''
race information at Race-Database.com

race information at DatabaseRacing.com
Notable crew chiefs that participated in the event were John Hill, Dick Hutcherson,
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 ...
and Harry Hyde.Crew chief information
at Racing Reference The first-place position of the race changed hands three times and the race lasted one hour and twenty-five minutes.''1969 Sandlapper 200''
racing information at FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
Only two caution flags were waved for 15 laps. While Petty would qualify for 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 ...
with a top speed of in qualifying, the average speed of the race winner would be . The race was done on a dirt oval track and Isaac received $1,000 in prize winnings ($ when adjusted for inflation). There were 23
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 starting grid. Eldon Yarbrough, the brother of the late
LeeRoy Yarbrough Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough (September 17, 1938 – December 7, 1984) was an American stock car racer. His best season was 1969 when he won seven races, tallied 21 finishes in the top-ten and earned $193,211 ($ when inflation is taken into accoun ...
, would retire from NASCAR after this race with his only top ten finish in NASCAR history.
Wayne Gillette Wayne may refer to: People with the given name and surname * Wayne (given name) * Wayne (surname) Geographical Places with name ''Wayne'' may take their name from a person with that surname; the most famous such person was Gen. "Mad" Antho ...
would withdraw from the race for reasons unknown and would finish the race in last place.
Johnny Halford Johnny Halford (October 15, 1930 – October 11, 2013) was an American stock car racing driver. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series between 1969 and 1978.
would make his NASCAR debut here.


Qualifying


Top 10 finishers


Timeline

Section reference: * Start of race: Richard Petty started the race with the pole position but was quickly overtaken by Bobby Isaac. * Lap 3: Wayne Gillette quits the race due to personal reasons. * Lap 4: Richard Petty retook the lead from Bobby Isaac. * Lap 13: Ed Negre's transmission developed problems, forcing him out of the race. * Lap 34: Paul Dean Holt's engine stopped working properly, ending his race weekend prematurely. * Lap 45: The axle on Neil Castles' vehicle became problematic, ending his day on the track. * Lap 82: David Pearson had a terminal crash, forcing him to withdraw from the event. * Lap 108: Frank Warren's vehicle developed suspension problems, causing him to exit the race. * Lap 135: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Richard Petty. * Finish: Bobby Isaac was officially declared the winner of the event.


References

{{authority control Sandlapper 200 Sandlapper 200 NASCAR races at Columbia Speedway