1968 Beltsville 300
Encyclopedia
The 1968 Beltsville 300 was a NASCAR
Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) racing event that took place on May 17, 1968 at Beltsville Speedway
in the American
community of Beltsville
, Maryland
. The average temperature of this race was 70.7 °F (21.5 °C).
) to defeat Bobby Isaac
(in his '67 Dodge Charger
) by one lap and five seconds in front of 8,700 people. Notable speeds were: 74.844 miles (120.4 km) per hour as the average speed and 83.604 miles (134.5 km) per hour as the pole position speed. The track was a paved oval track spanning 0.5 mile (0.80467 km). Three hundred laps were raced on this track for a grand total of 150 miles (241.4 km). The other finishers in the top ten were: Buddy Baker
, James Hylton
, John Sears, Jabe Thomas
(who failed to finish the race due to an engine
problem), Neil Castles
, Roy Tyner
, Bill Champion
, and Henley Gray
. There was one Canadian
participant named Frog Fagan
; he started in 20th place and finished the race in 22nd place. Total winnings for this race were $6,800 ($ in today's money). Tim Pistone was the start and park
car for this race; he quit the race for reasons unknown.
Other notable racers who participated included Wendell Scott
(who would end up with a last-place finish), Buck Baker
, and J.D. McDuffie
.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) racing event that took place on May 17, 1968 at Beltsville Speedway
Beltsville Speedway
The Beltsville Speedway was an asphalt oval track in the American community of Beltsvile, Maryland; it spanned .-Summary:It was specially designed with banked turns for stock car racing. Originally known as the Baltimore-Washington Speedway, this track would receive its final name in its 19th month...
in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
community of Beltsville
Beltsville, Maryland
Beltsville is a census-designated place in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,691 at the 2000 census. Beltsville includes the unincorporated community of Vansville.-Geography:...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The average temperature of this race was 70.7 °F (21.5 °C).
Summary
It took two hours for David Pearson (in his Holman-Moody owned '68 Ford TorinoFord Torino
The Ford Torino is an intermediate automobile produced by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market between 1968 and 1976. The car was named after the city of Turin , which is considered the Detroit of Italy...
) to defeat Bobby Isaac
Bobby Isaac
Bobby Isaac is a former NASCAR Grand National champion.-Early life:Isaac grew up on a farm near Catawba, North Carolina, the second youngest of nine children...
(in his '67 Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger
The Dodge Charger is an American automobile manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler. There have been several different Dodge vehicles, built on three different platforms and sizes, all bearing the Charger nameplate...
) by one lap and five seconds in front of 8,700 people. Notable speeds were: 74.844 miles (120.4 km) per hour as the average speed and 83.604 miles (134.5 km) per hour as the pole position speed. The track was a paved oval track spanning 0.5 mile (0.80467 km). Three hundred laps were raced on this track for a grand total of 150 miles (241.4 km). The other finishers in the top ten were: Buddy Baker
Buddy Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. , nicknamed "Leadfoot" or more famously Buddy, is a former American NASCAR racecar driver.-Early life:...
, James Hylton
James Hylton
James Harvey Hylton is a part-time race car driver. He is a two-time winner in NASCAR and competes in the ARCA RE/MAX Series,finishing 16th in points in 2006. He made headlines while attempting to qualify for the 2007 Daytona 500 at age 72...
, John Sears, Jabe Thomas
Jabe Thomas
Cerry Ezra "Jabe" Thomas is a retired NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver who competed from the mid 1960s through the late 1970s. His son Ronnie was also a NASCAR Cup Series driver; competing from 1977 to 1989.-Career:Thomas drove 75243 laps of racing and earned $295,497 in total...
(who failed to finish the race due to an engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
problem), Neil Castles
Neil Castles
Neil "Soapy" Castles is a retired NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver that participate from 1957 to 1976.-History:...
, Roy Tyner
Roy Tyner
William Leroy "Roy" Tyner was a retired Native American NASCAR Grand National driver from Red Springs, North Carolina, USA.-Driver:...
, Bill Champion
Bill Champion
Buford Billy Champion , is a retired American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who played in 202 games in the Major Leagues from -. He would play for the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies.-External links:...
, and Henley Gray
Henley Gray
Henley Gray is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1964 to 1977.-Summary:...
. There was one Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
participant named Frog Fagan
Frog Fagan
Harold "Frog" Fagan was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver from the Toronto subdivision of Willowdale, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
; he started in 20th place and finished the race in 22nd place. Total winnings for this race were $6,800 ($ in today's money). Tim Pistone was the start and park
Start and park
Start and park is a term used in NASCAR-sanctioned and other auto racing sanctioning bodies to describe the practice of racing teams starting races but pulling the car off the track after just a few laps in order to collect prize money while avoiding expenses such as replacement tires, engine wear...
car for this race; he quit the race for reasons unknown.
Other notable racers who participated included Wendell Scott
Wendell Scott
Wendell Oliver Scott was an American stock car racing driver from Danville, Virginia. He is the only black driver to win a race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series. According to a 2008 biography of Scott, he broke the color barrier in Southern stock car racing on May 23, 1952, at the Danville...
(who would end up with a last-place finish), Buck Baker
Buck Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. , better known as Buck Baker, was an American race car driver.-Racing career:...
, and J.D. McDuffie
J.D. McDuffie
John Delphus McDuffie was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver. He raced in the top division of NASCAR from 1963 to 1991. McDuffie had 106 top-tens in his Cup Series career...
.