1962 Volunteer 500

The 1962 Volunteer 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 29, 1962, at Bristol International Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.

1962 Volunteer 500
Race details[1]
Race 17 of 53 in the 1962 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Layout of Bristol Motor Speedway
Layout of Bristol Motor Speedway
Date April 29, 1962 (1962-April-29)
Official name Volunteer 500
Location Bristol International Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.857 km)
Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.8 km)
Weather Warm with temperatures of 79 °F (26 °C); wind speeds of 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)
Average speed 73.397 mph (118.121 km/h)
Attendance 17,000[2]
Pole position
Driver
Banjo Matthews
Time 22.120 seconds
Most laps led
Driver Bobby Johns Shorty Johns
Laps 430
Winner
No. 72 Bobby Johns Shorty Johns
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.

Race report

This 500-lap event lasted for a duration of three hours and 24 minutes. Thirty-six drivers managed to qualify for this racing event; with Fireball Roberts earning a pole position start due to his qualifying speed of 81.374 miles per hour (130.959 km/h). Bobby Johns would beat out the likes of Richard Petty and Fireball Roberts by six laps; a dominating performance made possible by running the high line when nobody else wanted to run up high so he didn't get held up nearly as much as everyone else.[2] This was the only time in Herman Beam's career that he got a top ten in a race with more than thirty cars starting. Granted, only eleven actually finished.[2]

Johns would later credit his win in this event to having a sense of consistency; rather than accelerating the car to full throttle all the time.[3] Johns' vehicle was unsponsored during an era where corporate sponsorships for NASCAR vehicles were very few and far in-between.[2]

Larry Frank was the last-place finisher of this event due to his car overheating on lap 29.[2] George Green would become the final driver to finish the event while David Pearson's faulty lug bolts would prevent him from acquiring a "top five" finish.[2] Most of the vehicles in this race were Pontiac or Chevrolet.[2] All of the drivers were born in the United States of America; no foreigners attempted to qualify for this racing event.[2] Johnny Allen relieved Jack Smith in the #47 and received the checkered flag.[2]

While there are only four cautions to this race, an incredibly long duration of 37 laps were spent under the caution flag due to the various accidents and incidents that happened during the race.[2] Gene Blackburn would retire from NASCAR Cup Series racing after this event.[4]

Individual earnings for each driver ranged from the winner's share of $4,405 ($42,616 when adjusted for inflation) to the meager earnings of $100 ($967 when adjusted for inflation) that was given to several low-ranked drivers. NASCAR only authorized a total sum of $17,865 to the qualifying drivers of this event ($172,833 when adjusted for inflation).[5]

At least eight notable crew chiefs were in attendance for this race; including Bud Moore, Herman Beam, Glen Wood, Ratus Walters and Shorty Johns.[6]

Qualifying
Grid No. Driver Manufacturer Speed[7] Qualifying time[7] Owner
1 22Fireball Roberts'62 Pontiac81.37422.120Banjo Matthews
2 28Fred Lorenzen'62 Ford80.78922.280Holman-Moody
3 21Marvin Panch'62 Ford80.64522.320Wood Brothers
4 29Nelson Stacy'62 Ford80.60922.330Holman-Moody
5 27Junior Johnson'62 Pontiac80.28522.420Rex Lovette
6 72Bobby Johns'62 Pontiac80.17822.450Shorty Johns
7 54Jimmy Pardue'62 Pontiac80.00022.500Jimmy Pardue
8 8Joe Weatherly'62 Pontiac79.78722.560Bud Moore
9 4Rex White'62 Chevrolet79.78722.560Rex White
10 47Jack Smith'62 Pontiac79.75122.570Jack Smith

Major wrecks

The first major wreck of the race occurred when Nelson Stacy, on his 302nd lap, skidded into the second-turn guardrail after the '62 Ford had blown a tire. It bounced back on the track in time to be hit by Maurice Petty's '62 Plymouth.[2] Stacy was shaken up, got a few minor bruises, and was sent to the hospital for observation. He was released before the race ended.

The second major wreck occurred when cars driven by Ned Jarrett and George Green collided on the fourth turn. Nobody was hurt. Both cars were badly damaged and hauled off the track by the wreckers. They were quickly repaired, however, and they got back into the race and were running at the finish.[2]

Top 20 finishers
Pos[2] No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps led Time/Status
1 72Bobby JohnsPontiac5004303:24:22
2 22Fireball RobertsPontiac49461+6 laps
3 47Jack SmithPontiac4920+8 laps
4 11Ned JarrettChevrolet4750+25 laps
5 60Tom CoxPlymouth4700+30 laps
6 19Herman BeamFord4690+31 laps
7 6David PearsonPontiac4610Missing lug bolts
8 34Wendell ScottChevrolet4600+40 laps
9 61Bill MortonFord4590+41 laps
10 62Curtis CriderMercury4470+53 laps
11 8Joe WeatherlyPontiac4440Missing rear end
12 86Buddy BakerChrysler4300Engine problems
13 54Jimmy ParduePontiac4190+81 laps
14 1George GreenChevrolet4170+83 laps
15 17Fred HarbFord3700Head gasket problems
16 43Richard PettyPlymouth3689Engine problems
17 26Bunkie BlackburnPontiac3590Missing rear end
18 29Nelson StacyFord3020Terminal vehicle damage
19 41Maurice PettyPlymouth2970Terminal vehicle damage
20 64Gene BlackburnChevrolet2740Axle problems

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

  • Start of race: Fireball Roberts starts the race with the pole position.
  • Lap 29: Larry Frank managed to overheat his vehicle.
  • Lap 60: Larry Thomas fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 61: Fred Lorenzen fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 62: Bobby Johns takes over the lead from Fireball Roberts.
  • Lap 68: Ralph Earnhardt managed to overheat his vehicle.
  • Lap 81: Oil pressure issues forced Stick Elliott out of the race.
  • Lap 160: Richard Petty takes over the lead from Bobby Johns.
  • Lap 161: G.C. Spencer fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 163: Bobby Johns takes over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 191: The oil line started acting strangely on Darel Dieringer's vehicle.
  • Lap 223: Joe Lee Johnson fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 225: Johnny Allen fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 297: Maurice Petty had a terminal crash, forcing him to exit the event.
  • Lap 302: Nelson Stacy had a terminal crash, forcing him to exit the event.
  • Lap 321: Richard Petty takes over the lead from Bobby Johns.
  • Lap 327: Bobby Johns takes over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 359: Bunkie Blackburn noticed that the rear end of his vehicle was missing.
  • Lap 368: Richard Petty fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 370: Fred Harb noticed that the head gasket of his vehicle was loose.
  • Lap 430: Buck Baker's engine would stop working properly, causing him not to finish the race.
  • Lap 444: The rear end of Joe Weatherly's vehicle came off, forcing him to exit the race.
  • Lap 461: Problems with his lug bolts forced David Pearson to exit the race prematurely.
  • Finish: Bobby Johns was officially declared the winner of the event.

References
  1. Weather information for the 1962 Volunteer 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. Racing information for the 1962 Volunteer 500 at Racing Reference
  3. Consistency -- not speed -- pays off for Johns at NASCAR.com
  4. Results for the 1962 Volunteer 500 at Race Database
  5. Winnings information for the 1962 Volunteer 500 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
  6. 1962 Volunteer 500 crew chiefs at Racing Reference
  7. Qualifying information at Racing Reference
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