1962 Daytona 500

1962 Daytona 500
Race details
Race 5 of 53 in the 1962 NASCAR Grand National Series season
1962 Daytona 500 program cover
1962 Daytona 500 program cover
Date February 18, 1962 (1962-02-18)
Location Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Weather Mild with temperatures approaching 78.1 °F (25.6 °C); wind speeds up to 13.8 miles per hour (22.2 km/h)[1]
Average speed 152.529 miles per hour (245.472 km/h)
Attendance 58,070[2]
Pole position
Driver
Jim Stephens
Qualifying race winners
Duel 1 Winner Fireball Roberts Jim Stephens
Duel 2 Winner Joe Weatherly Bud Moore Engineering
Most laps led
Driver Fireball Roberts Jim Stephens
Laps 144
Winner
No. 22 Pontiac Fireball Roberts Jim Stephens
Television in the United States
Network ABC's WWOS
Announcers Jim McKay and Stirling Moss

The 1962 Daytona 500, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on February 18, 1962, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

It was won by Fireball Roberts driving a 1962 Pontiac. Roberts drove his famous number 22 to victory in three hours and 10 minutes. The race was run in its entirety without a single caution flag.[2] Roberts dominated the event by leading 144 of the 200 laps.[3] The win was Roberts' second victory of the season.[4]

Speedweeks

This year's Speedweeks followed a familiar pattern, Fireball was the class of the field. he won the pole for his qualifying race in his Smokey Yunick prepared 1962 Pontiac and again led from flag to flag, averaging 156.999 mph (252.665 km/h) over the 40 laps to set the all-time Grand National race speed record.

The Indy Invasion

For the top Indianapolis drivers, including the three previous winners of the Indianapolis 500--A. J. Foyt, Rodger Ward and Jim Rathmann—this was irresistible. They clamored to get the United States Auto Club (which had replaced the AAA as the nation's leading auto racing sanctioned body) to lift its ban on racing at Daytona, but USAC, which sanctioned the Indy 500, would not budge. It wanted the drivers to focus on its own stock car racing series. The Indy drivers would have to wait another year.

Race Day

A furious battle erupted right from the green flag. Five different drivers traded the lead during the first 50 laps, including Joe Weatherly, who had won his qualifying race. Few, if anyone, paid attention when the no. 52 Ford dropped out of the race on lap four with electrical problems. Behind the wheel was 22-year-old Cale Yarborough of Timmonsville, South Carolina, destined to finish last in the 48-car field.

The pitched battle at the front saw Roberts lead the 15th lap, Cotton Owens lead on lap 16, Junior Johnson on lap 17 and Roberts again on lap 18. The blistering pace allowed the front-runners to lap nearly the entire field. But Yunick's flat-out strategy caused Roberts to run out of gas twice in the early going. During pit stops, Roberts pulled down his window by hand, just like a passenger car driver, to accept a drink.

Not far behind the front-runners was Richard Petty. He took the lead for the first time on lap 42. Petty was in a Plymouth that had started 10th, but his car was at least 10 mph (16 km/h) slower than Roberts' Pontiac. Petty's team decided to try Junior Johnson's 1960 race-winning strategy and stay with Roberts at all costs, to draft him incessantly and pit when he did. Lee Petty, still limping from his devastating 1961 crash, stalked the pits during the last 125 miles (201 km), placed his hands on his lips, his cigar in his mouth, with his intention on watching the battle on the track.

But this time, Roberts would not be denied. His nerves were frayed by the fear of yet another late race calamity, but he nonetheless turned laps at more than 155 miles per hour (249 km/h) in the late going and gradually distanced himself from Petty. Roberts won by 27 seconds. Petty finished second, becoming the only other driver on the lead lap.

It was Fireball's only Daytona 500 victory. He would die two years later from a fiery crash in the World 600.

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Entrant Manufacturer Laps Winnings Laps led Time/Status
1 1 22 Fireball Roberts Jim Stephens 1962 Pontiac 200 $24,190 144 3:10:41
2 10 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises 1962 Plymouth 200 $10,250 32 +27 seconds
3 4 8 Joe Weatherly Bud Moore Engineering 1962 Pontiac 199 $7,100 1 +1 Lap
4 3 47 Jack Smith Jack Smith 1962 Pontiac 199 $4,025 0 +1 Lap
5 34 28 Fred Lorenzen Holman-Moody 1962 Ford 199 $2,975 0 +1 Lap
6 2 39 David Pearson Ray Fox 1962 Pontiac 198 $2,075 0 +2 Laps
7 8 4 Rex White Rex White 1962 Chevrolet 197 $1,550 0 +3 Laps
8 35 94 Banjo Matthews Banjo Matthews 1962 Pontiac 197 $1,050 0 +3 Laps
9 38 11 Ned Jarrett B. G. Holloway 1962 Chevrolet 196 $850 0 +4 Laps
10 17 44 Bob Welborn Julian Petty 1962 Pontiac 194 $750 0 +6 Laps
11 36 32 Bill Wimble Dave McCredy 1961 Pontiac 193 $600 0 +7 Laps
12 16 84 Ernie Gahan Rocky Hinton 1961 Ford 192 $500 0 +8 Laps
13 24 42 Bunkie Blackburn Petty Enterprises 1962 Plymouth 192 $500 0 +8 Laps
14 28 2 Jim Paschal Cliff Stewart 1961 Pontiac 186 $475 0 +14 Laps
15 42 95 Jim Cushman Jack Russell 1961 Plymouth 186 $475 0 +14 Laps
16 12 7 Johnny Allen B. G. Holloway 1962 Chevrolet 183 $450 0 +17 Laps
17 33 15 Speedy Thompson Holman-Moody 1962 Ford 182 $450 0 Engine
18 45 01 Billy Wade Luther Costales 1962 Ford 182 $425 0 +18 Laps
19 46 98 Paul Burrow Ronald Hawk 1962 Ford 181 $425 0 +19 Laps
20 47 60 Tom Cox Ray Herlocker 1960 Plymouth 180 $425 0 +20 Laps
21 43 9 Art Brady Wildcat Williams 1962 Ford 176 $400 0 +24 Laps
22 29 19 Herman Beam Herman Beam 1962 Ford 175 $400 0 +25 Laps
23 27 62 Curtis Crider Curtis Crider 1961 Mercury 173 $400 0 +27 Laps
24 26 31 Jim McGuirk – 1961 Ford 157 $400 0 Engine
25 44 92 Gerald Duke Don Harrison 1962 Ford 150 $400 0 Engine
26 19 63 George Alsobrook Ratus Walters 1961 Ford 144 $400 0 +56 Laps
27 7 0 Dan Gurney Holman-Moody 1962 Ford 134 $400 0 Engine
28 31 87 Buck Baker Buck Baker 1962 Chrysler 89 $400 0 Crash
29 15 86 Buddy Baker Buck Baker 1962 Chrysler 83 $400 0 Overheating
30 30 72 Bobby Johns Shorty Johns 1962 Pontiac 81 $400 0 Transmission
31 40 36 Larry Thomas Wade Younts 1962 Dodge 76 $400 0 Distributor
32 25 68 Ed Livingston Ed Livingston 1961 Ford 75 $400 0 Oil pressure
33 5 6 Cotton Owens Cotton Owens 1962 Pontiac 73 $400 1 Clutch
34 9 27 Junior Johnson Rex Lovette 1962 Pontiac 72 $400 22 Engine
35 13 53 Bob Burdick Roy Burdick 1962 Pontiac 55 $400 0 Crankshaft
36 20 75 Ralph Earnhardt Robert Smith 1961 Pontiac 54 $400 0 Engine
37 14 37 Wally Dallenbach Don House 1961 Ford 53 $400 0 Engine
38 22 14 Charley Griffith Joe Lee Johnson 1962 Chevrolet 53 $400 0 Rocker arm
39 41 88 Sal Tovella Tom Hawkins 1961 Ford 41 $400 0 Head gasket
40 23 23 Red Farmer Frank Rhoads 1961 Ford 34 $400 0 Spindle
41 18 25 Jim Bennett Thurman Wilkes 1961 Ford 31 $400 0 Head gasket
42 32 85 Tommy Irwin Monroe Shook 1962 Chevrolet 26 $400 0 Piston
43 6 29 Nelson Stacy Holman-Moody 1962 Ford 25 $400 0 Engine
44 37 90 Marvin Panch Bob Osiecki 1962 Dodge 19 $400 0 Rear end
45 48 38 G. C. Spencer Matt DeMatthews 1961 Ford 15 $400 0 Clutch
46 11 66 Larry Frank Ratus Walters 1962 Ford 14 $400 0 Engine
47 39 77 Elmo Langley Ratus Walters 1961 Ford 4 $400 0 Engine
48 21 52 Cale Yarborough Julian Buesink 1961 Ford 4 $400 0 Electrical
Source:[5]

References

  1. ^ "Weather of the 1962 Daytona 500". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  2. ^ a b "1962 Daytona 500". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  3. ^ "1961 NASCAR Grand National Recap". HowStuffWorks, Inc ; Publications International, Ltd. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  4. ^ Fleischman, Bill; Pearce, Al (2004). "Race Results: 1949-2002; 1960". The Unauthorized NASCAR Fan Guide: 2004. Vol. 2004 (10 ed.). Canton, MI: Checkered Flag Press; Visible Ink Press. pp. 225 of 576. ISBN 0-681-27587-1.
  5. ^ 1962 Daytona 500