1961 Wilkes 200
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| Race details[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 48 of 52 in the 1961 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 The 1961 Wilkes 200 program cover. | |||
| Date | October 1, 1961 | ||
| Official name | Wilkes 200 | ||
| Location | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.005 km (0.625 miles) | ||
| Distance | 320 laps, 200 mi (250 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with temperatures reaching up to 77 °F (25 °C); winds speeds approaching 13 miles per hour (21 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 84.675 miles per hour (136.271 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Rex Lovette | ||
| Time | 23.800 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rex White | Rex White | |
| Laps | 201 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 4 | Rex White | Rex White | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1961 Wilkes 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 1, 1961, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Through the 1960s and 1970s the NASCAR Grand National Series began focusing on bigger, faster, and longer tracks. Like other short tracks in NASCAR at the time, crowd capacity and purses were small compared to the larger tracks. Over time, Enoch Staley and Jack Combs attempted to keep the facility modern and on pace with the growth of the sport. The West Grandstand was rebuilt with chair-type seats rather than the old bare concrete slabs. New larger restroom facilities were built, and the South Grandstand was expanded. A garage facility was also built within the track, which at the time was rare for short-track venues. But the main focus was on keeping ticket prices affordable. Food and beverage prices were kept low, and event parking and camping were always free. As long as profits covered maintenance costs, Staley was satisfied with the income of the track.
In the Gwyn Staley 160 of 1960, Junior Johnson beat 21 other drivers for the pole position with a lap speed of 83.860 mph. Glen Wood overtook Johnson to lead the first lap, but Johnson had the race under control and led the next 145 laps. Lee Petty moved up from the eighth starting position to challenge Johnson late in the race. With 14 laps remaining, Johnson and Petty made contact. Johnson's car was sent spinning into the guardrail. Petty led the final 14 laps to win his third straight race at North Wilkesboro. The crowd of 9,200 pelted Petty with bottles, rocks, and debris after his win; he had done their local hero wrong. When Petty took the microphone in Victory Lane to explain his side of the story, the crowd began jeering. Rex White finished second, and Wood placed third. Ned Jarrett finished fourth under the alias John Lentz.
The length of the fall race in 1960 was increased from its usual 160 laps / 100 miles to 320 laps / 200 miles, this it became known as the Wilkes 320. Speeds increased immensely from the previous record, 1.83 seconds quicker than any previous qualifying lap (86.806 to 93.399 mph). Rex White posted the fastest qualifying lap and dethroned Lee Petty from his three-race winning streak at North Wilkesboro. Junior Johnson finished about half a lap behind White in second place.