1969 Pickens 200
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| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 26 of 54 in the 1969 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | June 21, 1969 | ||
| Official name | Pickens 200 | ||
| Location | Greenville-Pickens Speedway (Greenville, South Carolina) | ||
| Course | Dirt oval | ||
| Course length | 0.500 miles (0.805 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 100.000 mi (160.934 km) | ||
| Weather | Very hot with temperatures of 89.1 °F (31.7 °C); wind speeds of 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 61.813 mph (99.478 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 9,300[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Nord Krauskopf | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Isaac | Nord Krauskopf | |
| Laps | 197 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 71 | Bobby Isaac | Nord Krauskopf | |
The 1969 Pickens 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on June 21, 1969, at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina.
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
25 drivers competed in this 200-lap racing event that took more than one hour and thirty minutes to successfully complete. Paul Dean Holt was credited with the last-place finish due to an engine problem on the first regulation lap of racing. Bobby Isaac would defeat David Pearson by nine seconds. Isaac, Pearson, and Richard Petty would be the only drivers on the lead lap by the end of the event after dominating the entire race.[2]
James Hylton would compete directly against Nord Krauskopf as a NASCAR team owner for supremacy; Krauskopf's 1969 Dodge vehicle would prove to be superior to Hylton's 1967 Plymouth vehicle. The model year of the vehicles varied from 1967 to 1969 in compliance with NASCAR's regulations of that era. Cecil Gordon quit the race on lap 123 due to personal issues. Other notable drivers to appear at this race included: Neil Castles, J.D. McDuffie, Elmo Langley, Wendell Scott, and Bill Champion. Buster Sexton was black flagged during this race and was eventually disqualified on the ninth lap of the race.[2]
Individual winnings for this race varied from a meager $200 ($1,715 when adjusted for inflation) to an incredible $1,000 ($8,574 when adjusted for inflation).[2] The total prize purse for this racing event was $6,795 ($58,263 when adjusted for inflation).[3]
Notable crew chiefs that witnessed the race were John Hill, Dick Hutcherson, Dale Inman and Harry Hyde. These individuals helped provide pit road services for John Sears, David Pearson, Richard Petty and Bobby Isaac.[4]
| Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 71 | Bobby Isaac | '69 Dodge | Nord Krauskopf |
| 2 | 43 | Richard Petty | '69 Ford | Petty Enterprises |
| 3 | 4 | John Sears | '68 Ford | L.G. DeWitt |
| 4 | 18 | Dick Johnson | '68 Ford | Dick Johnson |
| 5 | 06 | Neil Castles | '67 Plymouth | Neil Castles |
| 6 | 64 | Elmo Langley | '68 Ford | Elmo Langley |
| 7 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | '67 Buick | J.D. McDuffie |
| 8 | 0 | Dick Poling | '67 Chevrolet | Don Tarr |
| 9 | 10 | Bill Champion | '68 Ford | Bill Champion |
| 10 | 26 | Earl Brooks | '67 Ford | Earl Brooks |
| 11 | 08 | E.J. Trivette | '69 Chevrolet | E.C. Reid |
| 12 | 25 | Jabe Thomas | '68 Plymouth | Don Robertson |
| 13 | 04 | Ken Meisenhelder | '67 Oldsmobile | Ken Meisenhelder |
| 14 | 34 | Wendell Scott | '68 Ford | Wendell Scott |
| 15 | 76 | Ben Arnold | '68 Ford | Don Culpepper |
| 16 | 47 | Cecil Gordon | '68 Ford | Bill Seifert |
| 17 | 19 | Henley Gray | '68 Ford | Harry Melton |
| 18 | 80 | Wayne Gillette | '67 Chevrolet | E.C. Reid |
| 19 | 12 | Pete Hazelwood | '67 Ford | Pete Hazelwood |
| 20 | 17 | David Pearson | '69 Ford | Holman-Moody Racing |
| 21 | 48 | James Hylton | '68 Dodge | James Hylton |
| 22 | 82 | Buster Sexton | '67 Chevrolet | Mack Sellers |
| 23 | 45 | Bill Seifert | '69 Ford | Bill Seifert |
| 24 | 23 | Paul Dean Holt | '67 Ford | Dennis Holt |
| 25 | 57 | Ervin Pruitt | '67 Dodge | Ervin Pruitt |