| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 13 of 49 in the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
Augusta International Raceway layout
| |||
| Date | May 3, 1968; 56 years ago (1968-05-03) | ||
| Official name | Dixie 250 | ||
| Location | Augusta Speedway, Augusta, Georgia | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.500 mi (0.804 km) | ||
| Distance | 300 laps, 125 mi (216 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures of 84.9 °F (29.4 °C) with wind speeds of 14 miles per hour (23 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 73.099 miles per hour (117.641 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Nord Krauskopf | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Isaac | Nord Krauskopf | |
| Laps | 242 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 71 | Bobby Isaac | Nord Krauskopf | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1968 Dixie 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 3, 1968, at Augusta SpeedwayinAugusta, Georgia.
This is the only race of the year that eventual 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series champion David Pearson didn't run.
Two hundred and fifty laps were done on a paved oval track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) for a grand total of 125.0 miles (201.2 km).[1] The race took one hour, forty-two minutes, and thirty-six seconds to reach its full conclusion: Bobby Isaac defeated Buddy Baker[3] by more than a lap; bringing home $1,100 as the winner's top prize ($9,638 when considering inflation).[4]
Canadian driver Frog Fagan participated in this event as the only non-American driver.[1] Four thousand and five hundred people went to see speeds averaging 73.099 miles per hour (117.641 km/h) with Bobby Isaac gaining the pole position with a speed of 83.877 miles per hour (134.987 km/h).[1] Bobby Isaac would go on to earn three pole positions during the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series season and 19 pole positions during the following season; making him a prototypical version of Ryan Newman with his blistering speeds that he would register during qualifying.[5]
Notable crew chiefs who attended the race were Ray Hicks, Frankie Scott, Dale Inman and Harry Hyde.[6]
Total winnings for this event were $6,260 ($54,848 when considering inflation).[1] In this race, Bob Cooper finished in 22nd place and won $100 just for driving a stock car as fast and as efficiently as possible.[1] A man could have easily supported himself by earning $100 a week back in the late-1960s and lived comfortably. In the 21st century, a typical person needs to make at least $1000 a week in order to make ends meet.
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.
| Grid[1] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 71 | Bobby Isaac | '67 Dodge | Nord Krauskopf |
| 2 | 55 | LeeRoy Yarborough | '67 Ford | Lyle Stelter |
| 3 | 12 | Tom Pistone | '68 Mercury | Tom Pistone |
| 4 | 43 | Richard Petty | '68 Plymouth | Petty Enterprises |
| 5 | 48 | James Hylton | '67 Dodge | James Hylton |
| 6 | 4 | John Sears | '67 Ford | L.G. DeWitt |
| 7 | 3 | Buddy Baker | '67 Dodge | Ray Fox |
| 8 | 79 | Frank Warren | '67 Chevrolet | Harold Rhodes |
| 9 | 94 | Elmo Langley | '66 Ford | Elmo Langley / Henry Woodfield |
| 10 | 06 | Neil Castles | '67 Plymouth | Neil Castles |
Section reference:[1]
Section reference:[1]
* Driver failed to finish race
| Preceded by | NASCAR Grand National Season 1968 |
Succeeded by |
