1967 Fireball 300

The 1967 Fireball 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on March 5, 1967, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina.

1967 Fireball 300
Race details[1][2]
Race 6 of 49 in the 1967 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Date March 5, 1967 (1967-03-05)
Official name Fireball 300
Location Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, Weaverville, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
0.500 mi (0.804 km)
Distance 300 laps, 150 mi (241 km)
Weather Chilly with temperatures of 71.1 °F (21.7 °C); wind speeds of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
Average speed 83.360 miles per hour (134.155 km/h)
Attendance 9,500[2]
Pole position
Driver
Junior Johnson & Associates
Most laps led
Driver Richard Petty Petty Enterprises
Laps 150
Winner
No. 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The name of the race was named after NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Fireball Roberts, who died in 1964 following an accident in that year's World 600 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Race report

This was the historic site of Richard Petty's 50th career win in front of 9,500 people in what is now known as the Cup Series.[2] The average speed of the race was 83.360 miles per hour (134.155 km/h) on a paved oval track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) for three hundred laps.[2] It took one hour and forty-seven minutes for the race to reach its conclusion; Petty defeating Darel Dieringer by outlapping him twice.[2] All twenty-two racers were from the United States of America.[2]

Total winnings for this race were $7,150 ($62,752 when adjusted for inflation). Individual earnings for each driver ranged from the winner's share of $1,800 ($15,798 when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place finisher's portion of $100 ($878 when adjusted for inflation).[3]

Jim Conway would retire from NASCAR Cup Series competition after this event.[4] 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
Grid[2] No. Driver Manufacturer Owner
1 26Darel Dieringer'67 FordJunior Johnson
2 43Richard Petty'67 PlymouthPetty Enterprises
3 14Jim Paschal'65 PlymouthTom Friedkin
4 2Bobby Allison'66 ChevroletDonald Brackins
5 4John Sears'66 FordL.G. DeWitt
6 6David Pearson'66 DodgeCotton Owens
7 88Buck Baker'66 OldsmobileBuck Baker
8 64Elmo Langley'66 FordElmo Langley / Henry Woodfield
9 19J.T. Putney'66 ChevroletJ.T. Putney
10 75Earl Brooks'66 FordGene Black
11 34Wendell Scott'65 FordWendell Scott
12 09Neil Castles'66 ChevroletGarland Miller
13 31Paul Dean Holt'66 FordRalph Murphy
14 91Jim Conway'65 PlymouthNeil Castles
15 48James Hylton'65 DodgeBud Hartje
16 00Paul Lewis'65 DodgeEmory Gilliam
17 20Clyde Lynn'66 FordClyde Lynn
18 97Henley Gray'66 FordHenley Gray
19 46Roy Mayne'66 ChevroletTom Hunter
20 45Bill Seifert'65 FordBill Seifert
21 38Wayne Smith'66 ChevroletArchie Smith
22 9Roy Tyner'66 ChevroletTruett Rogers

Finishing order

Section reference: [2]

  1. Richard Petty (No. 43)
  2. Darel Dieringer (No. 26)
  3. Bobby Allison (No. 2)
  4. David Pearson (No. 6)
  5. John Sears (No. 4)
  6. J.T. Putney (No. 19)
  7. Paul Lewis (No. 00)
  8. Elmo Langley (No. 64)
  9. Clyde Lynn (No. 20)
  10. Wendell Scott (No. 34)
  11. Bill Seifert (No. 45)
  12. Henley Gray (No. 97)
  13. Paul Dean Holt (No. 31)
  14. Jim Conway* (No. 91)
  15. Wayne Smith* (No. 38)
  16. Roy Tyner* (No. 9)
  17. Roy Mayne* (No. 46)
  18. Neil Castles* (No. 09)
  19. Earl Brooks* (No. 75)
  20. James Hylton* (No. 44)
  21. Buck Baker* (No. 88)
  22. Jim Paschal* (No. 14)

* Driver failed to finish race

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

  • Start of race: Darel Dieringer officially began the race with the pole position.
  • Lap 41: Jim Paschal's race would be ruined by his vehicle's faulty wiring.
  • Lap 51: Engine issues forced Buck Baker out of the race.
  • Lap 88: James Hylton's vehicle had a nasty engine problem.
  • Lap 93: Problematic lug nuts would drive Earl Brooks out of the event.
  • Lap 100: Neil Castles blamed his terrible performance on some nasty clutch issues.
  • Lap 104: Richard Petty took over the lead from Darel Dieringer.
  • Lap 109: The problems with Roy Mayne's differential knocked him out of the race.
  • Lap 116: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 119: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Darel Dieringer.
  • Lap 128: The problems with Roy Tyner's differential knocked him out of the race.
  • Lap 144: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
  • Lap 157: The problems with Wayne Smith's differential knocked him out of the race.
  • Lap 215: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 234: Richard Petty took over the lead from Darel Dieringer.
  • Finish: Richard Petty was the official winner of the event.

References
  1. "1967 Fireball 300 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  2. "1967 Fireball 300 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  3. "1967 Fireball 300 prize winnings information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
  4. "Retirements from NASCAR". Race Database. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
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