The inaugural race in the Talladega 500 (now

Yellawood 500 The YellaWood 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama, hosting an event in the NASCAR playoffs. The race is one of four NASCAR Cup Series races currently run with tapered spacers, the others ...

) series was held on September 14, 1969, at

Alabama International Motor Speedway Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Bas ...

in Talladega,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Background

Talladega Superspeedway – originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS) – is a

motorsports Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

complex located north of

Talladega, Alabama Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham. ...

. It is located on the former

Anniston Air Force Base Anniston Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force airfield located approximately 10 miles north-northeast of Talladega, Alabama. It was active from 1942 to 1945 and 1949 to 1952. It is currently the site of the Talladega Superspeedway a ...

in the small city of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

. The track is a

tri-oval A tri-oval is a shape which derives its name from the two other shapes it most resembles, a triangle and an oval. Rather than meeting at sharp, definable angles as the sides of a triangle do, in a tri-oval these angles are instead rounded into sm ...

and was constructed by

International Speedway Corporation International Speedway Corporation (ISC) was a corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of motorsports race tracks. ISC was founded by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. in 1953 for the construction of Daytona International ...

, a business controlled by the

France Family The France family is known as the "first family" of NASCAR racing. NASCAR was founded by Bill France, Sr. in 1948 and to this day France family members own and operate NASCAR. Jim France, one of the sons of the founder, is the current chairman and ...

, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the

Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

, and the

Gander Outdoors Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of t ...

. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of , and the track at its peak had a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 175,000 spectators.

Summary

Tires controversy and "The Worst NASCAR Race Ever"

The race is primarily remembered because all of the NASCAR stars from the Professional Driver Association (PDA), led by

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 ...

, boycotted the race due to tire failures during tire testing. During tire testing, drivers reported handling problems on their cars. When checking their tires, drivers noticed that the tires were destroyed. The problem occurred throughout the garage. NASCAR was going through a "tire war" at the time, in which two competing tire manufacturers tried to convince teams and drivers to use their tires because they lasted longer, they gripped firmer, etc. Problems did occur with tire wars, due to tire manufacturers sacrificing safety for the sake of speed and thus, more tire blowouts which led to more injuries. Firestone and Goodyear, the two manufacturers that happened to be running in the race, flew in harder compound tires, which made the tires last longer. However, on Thursday, the next day, the same issues still happened, and the tires showed no improvements. The next day, on Friday, the drivers were becoming increasingly angry and frustrated. Firestone decided to pull out of the event and let the drivers pull out of their contracts for the race, allowing them to choose whichever tire they wished to run. However, Goodyear decided to stay, hoping to win the war and prove that their tires were better than Firestone's. During all of this, drivers looked towards the PDA, essentially a union, and asked them what they should do. NASCAR president Bill France hated the PDA and unions in his sport (shown by his banning of

Curtis Turner Curtis Morton Turner (April 12, 1924 – October 4, 1970) was an American stock car racer. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and partying. In 1999, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. History He was ...

for trying to start a union in 1961, although by that time he had been reinstated in 1965), but couldn't do anything to ban them due to the major publicity it would cause. Instead, France never acknowledged that the PDA even existed. The PDA decided to complain to France about the issues they were having and talk solutions. The PDA offered to postpone the race until a tire compound that could withstand the track was made. Bill France refused this idea, partly due to the fact that Alabama International Motor Speedway was barely completed before the race and that France needed his money back as quick as possible. Throughout the garage, drivers talked about what they should do. Some hoped Goodyear could bring a tire soon, some wanted to continue the protests, and some even wanted to boycott the race. France would try to calm the drivers down by running a slower pony car than what the drivers had, running about at 160 mph when drivers were hitting much faster speeds. When drivers point out the speed difference, France said to the drivers "Why don't you just run at that speed?" Drivers took this as a major insult, as they thought it undermined what they do, and the fact that someone would break that rule anyway if they ran it. Sometime during Friday, France was talking to Bobby Allison and LeeRoy Yarbrough, when France said to Allison "I think you're just afraid to race." Per Allison, LeeRoy from behind swung and hit France in the face, putting him on the ground. LeeRoy would proceed to say to the drivers nearby, "Boys, pack up your stuff, we're leaving." Word quickly spread, and most of the PDA with the exception of Richard Brickhouse (who was coerced by Chrysler to drive their new car), packed up and left. Jim Vandiver and Bobby Isaac, who were not with the PDA, proceed to stay at the speedway. Worried that the boycott would adversely affect the fan attendance, Bill France Sr. offered fans free admission to the 1970 Daytona 500 if they bought tickets to this race. France also decided to add that the drivers who ran in the preliminary 400 mile race, running slower cars, could also run in the feature race. On the morning before race day, Goodyear flew in a new set of tires that ran the entire race without failure.

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 ...

won the pole for the race. The race also introduced the

Dodge Charger Daytona Dodge produced three separate models with the name Dodge Charger Daytona, all of which were modified Dodge Chargers. The name was taken from Daytona Beach, Florida, which was an early center for auto racing and still hosts the Daytona 500, NASC ...

cars for the first time in the series. Richard Brickhouse won the race, it was his only victory in the

. John Hill, Jake Elder,

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 ...

, and Mack Howard were the most notable crew chiefs to witness the race.''1969 Talladega 500''
crew chief information at Racing-Reference The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. The PDA disbanded soon after their boycott, with the next union-like organization in NASCAR not occurring again until the

Race Team Alliance The Race Team Alliance (RTA) is a 501(c)(6) Delaware not-for-profit business organization that consists of 16 NASCAR Cup Series teams as of 2022. The RTA is intended to increase revenues and budget efficiency for NASCAR Cup Series organizations, ...

was formed in 2014.

Scoring debacle

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, ...

and

Jim Vandiver Jim Vandiver (December 13, 1939June 18, 2015) was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver who raced from 1968 to 1983. As an independent driver, he had limited financial resources but enjoyed a level of success that relatively few independent drivers ...

, whose No. 3 car finished second, were convinced that they actually lapped Brickhouse and won, but the win stood. The radio commentors also thought that Vandiver was in the lead, saying To the day he died, Vandiver believed that he won the race. Conspiracy theorists cite the difference in the Dodges as the determining factor since Jim was in an older Charger 500 and Brickhouse was in the brand new, winged Dodge Daytona. Therefore, Chrysler talked Bill France into inventing a scoring error and showed that Brickhouse was the winner.

Drivers involved in the 1969 boycott

(President of the PDA) * David Pearson *

Bobby Allison Robert Arthur Allison (born December 3, 1937) is a former American professional stock car racing driver and owner. Allison was the founder of the Alabama Gang, a group of drivers based in Hueytown, Alabama, where there were abundant short tracks ...

Donnie Allison Donnie Allison (born September 7, 1939) is an American former driver on the NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup circuit, who won ten times during his racing career, which spanned from 1966 to 1988. He is part of the "Alabama Gang", and is the bro ...

* Cale Yarborough *

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 ...

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 ...

* Buddy Baker *

Charlie Glotzbach Charles Lee Glotzbach (June 19, 1938 – April 23, 2021) was an ARCA and NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver. He holds one of the oldest race records in NASCAR. He has the record for fastest pace at Bristol Motor Speedway for a NASCAR race. He was ...

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 account ...

Ramo Stott Ramo Stott (April 6, 1934 – August 19, 2021) was an American stock car racing driver from Keokuk, Iowa. He competed in NASCAR Winston Cup, USAC stock car, and ARCA. He was a 2011 inductee in the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Career ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

* John Sears *

Paul Goldsmith Paul Goldsmith (born October 2, 1925) is a former USAC and NASCAR driver. He is an inductee of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, and the USAC Hall of Fame. Later in life Goldsmith became a pilot and, flying ...

* Dave Marcis

Results

References

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Talladega 500 The GEICO 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. The race is usually held in April or May. The 1997 event stands as the fastest NASCAR race to date ever run with an average speed of ...

NASCAR races at Talladega Superspeedway Boycotts of events NASCAR controversies September 1969 sports events in the United States