1968 Daytona 500
Encyclopedia
The 1968 Daytona 500 was won by Cale Yarborough
driving a 1968 Mercury on February 25, 1968. Yarborough drove his number 21 to victory in just over 3 hours and 23 minutes after starting the race on the pole. There were 11 cautions flags which slowed the race for a total of 60 laps. Yarborough squeaked out the victory by less than a second over LeeRoy Yarbrough
. The win was Yarborough's first victory of the season.
This was also the only Daytona 500 where the grid was set exclusively by qualifying times. The 125-mile qualifying races
, which had its distance increased by 10 laps, would not be held because of inclement weather.
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
driving a 1968 Mercury on February 25, 1968. Yarborough drove his number 21 to victory in just over 3 hours and 23 minutes after starting the race on the pole. There were 11 cautions flags which slowed the race for a total of 60 laps. Yarborough squeaked out the victory by less than a second over LeeRoy Yarbrough
LeeRoy Yarbrough
Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough was a NASCAR racer. His best season was 1969 when he won seven races, tallied 21 finishes in the top-ten and earned $193,211...
. The win was Yarborough's first victory of the season.
This was also the only Daytona 500 where the grid was set exclusively by qualifying times. The 125-mile qualifying races
Gatorade Duel
The Gatorade Duel is NASCAR Sprint Cup Series preliminary event to the Daytona 500 held annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. It consists of two races, and serves as a qualifying race for the Daytona 500...
, which had its distance increased by 10 laps, would not be held because of inclement weather.