NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series:
*National-level stock car series:
**NASCAR Cup Series (the top NASCAR series, known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 and 1970, then the NASCAR ...
event that was held on May 11, 1968, at
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a egg-shaped oval track in Darlington, South Carolina. The track has hosted a variety of racing events since its inaugural season of racing in 1950; primarily races sanctioned by NASCAR. The venue has a capacity of 47,00 ...
in
Darlington, South Carolina
Darlington is a city located in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,289. It is the county seat of Darlington County. It is part of the Florence, South Carolina metropolitan area.
Darlington is known f ...
.
Summary
Two-hundred and ninety one laps were completed on the paved
oval track
Oval track racing is a form of motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traffic is almost univ ...
spanning for a total of . The time of the race was three hours and fifty-four seconds with a crowd of 22,500 attending. There were four cautions for twenty-three laps.
David Pearson David or Dave Pearson may refer to:
* David Pearson (librarian) (born 1955), British librarian and scholar
* David Pearson (racing driver) (1934–2018), American car racing champion
* David Pearson (geologist) (born 1942), Canadian scientist, acad ...
defeated Darel Dieringer in his 1968 Ford by eighteen seconds. Pearson took advantage of the NASCAR engine and weight rules for 1968 and used a 396 cid engine instead of the normal 427. At that time the car had to be 4,000 pounds with the 427 cid engine but only 3,707 pounds with the 396 cid engine. The lighter weight paid off as Pearson used less fuel and had fewer tire troubles than many of the other teams. Pearson would continue to use the 396 throughout the year.
Canadian racer Frog Fagan finished in 22nd place. The average speed was while the pole position speed was . Other notable drivers included
Wendell Scott
Wendell Oliver Scott Sr. (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. He was the first African-American driver and team owner to compete and win in all divisions of NASCAR at its highest level.
Scott began his ...
,
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "the King", is an American former stock car racing driver who competed from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most nota ...
,
Buddy Baker
Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 19 ...
, Elmo Langley, and Roy Tyner. Out of the thirty-four drivers, fifteen of them did not finish the race.
Total winnings for the 1968 Rebel 400 were $53,455 ($ when adjusted for inflation); first-place finisher Pearson earned $13,700 ($ when adjusted for inflation) while last-place finisher Hess walked away with $460 ($ when adjusted for inflation).
Lennie Waldo made his NASCAR Grand National Series debut in this event.
Qualifying
Finishers
# David Pearson
# Darel Dieringer
# Richard Petty
#
Buddy Baker
Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 19 ...
† (highest finishing
Dodge
Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
entry)
#
LeeRoy Yarbrough
Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough (September 17, 1938 – December 7, 1984) was an American stock car racing, stock car racer. His best season was 1969 when he won seven races, had 21 finishes in the top-ten and earned $193,211 ($ when adjusted for infl ...
†
#
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 secon ...
#
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 ...
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
Curtis Turner
Curtis Morton Turner (April 12, 1924 – October 4, 1970) was an American stock car racer who won 17 NASCAR Grand National Division races and 38 NASCAR Convertible Division races. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and ...
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb Yarborough (March 27, 1939 – December 31, 2023) was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, farmer, and rancher. He was the first driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winn ...
Bobby Allison
Robert Arthur Allison (December 3, 1937 – November 9, 2024) was an 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 ...
*
#
Paul Goldsmith
Paul Edward Goldsmith (October 2, 1925 – September 6, 2024) was an American racing driver. During his career he raced A.M.A. Grand National Championship, motorcycles, Stock car racing, stock cars, and American open-wheel car racing, Indianapol ...
Charlie Glotzbach
Charles Lee Glotzbach (June 19, 1938 – April 23, 2021) was an American Auto Racing Club of America, ARCA and NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Winston Cup Series driver. He holds one of the oldest race records in NASCAR. He has the recor ...
*
#
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 br ...
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 ...
*
#
Neil Castles
Henry Neil Castles (October 1, 1934 – August 4, 2022) was an American NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver. He raced from 1957 to 1976, and won the NASCAR Grand National East Series in 1972.
Early life
Castles was born in Ma ...
*
#
Larry Hess
Larry Hess (born May 3, 1935) is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1965 to 1969.Rambler entry in the race)
''* Driver failed to finish race''
Timeline
Section reference:
* Start: David Pearson had the first-class position as the green flag was waved.
* Lap 19: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from David Pearson.
* Lap 28: Buddy Baker took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarbrough.
* Lap 59: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Buddy Baker.
* Lap 63: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
* Lap 65: Buddy Baker took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith.
* Lap 91: Donnie Allison had an accident on turn four.
* Lap 108: Charlie Glotzbach took over the lead from Buddy Baker.
* Lap 116: Buddy Baker took over the lead from Charlie Glotzbach.
* Lap 158: David Pearson took over the lead from Buddy Baker.
* Lap 203: Bobby Allison spun his vehicle on turn two.
* Lap 205: Richard Petty took over the lead from David Pearson.
* Lap 219: David Pearson took over the lead from Richard Petty.
* Lap 231: Cale Yarborough blew his vehicle's engine.
* Lap 233: Richard Petty took over the lead from David Pearson.
* Lap 240: David Pearson took over the lead from Richard Petty.
* Lap 243: Curtis Turner blew his vehicle's engine.
* Finish: David Pearson was officially declared the winner of the event.