1961 National 400 - NASCAR Race
| Name of Race: | 1961 National 400 |
| Name of Track: | Lowe's Motor Speedway |
| Date: | N/A |
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a superspeedway in Concord, North Carolina, a few miles north of Charlotte.
First NASCAR Night RaceIt features a 1.5 mile long quad-oval track that seats 167,000 people, with room for 50,000 more spectators in the infield. Constructed in 1959, it was the first speedway to host nighttime racing (in 1992) and to offer year-round residences (in 1984) with 52 condominiums now available over turn one. It is presently owned by, and is the main facility of, Speedway Motorsports, Inc.,/p> The Center Of NASCAR
The speedway is considered the center of NASCAR, with 90% of NASCAR teams being based within 50 miles.
Along with the main oval, the speedway also has a 2.25 mile road course in the infield, an 0.6 mile kart course in the infield, a quarter-mile oval using part of the front stretch and pit road, and an 0.2 mile oval outside turn three. Also, across U.S. Highway 29 from the speedway is a 0.4 mile dirt track, opened in May 2000.
LevigationThe surface of the circuit had started to wear from its last paving in mid-1994, resulting in the track's treatment in a diamond-grinding process to smooth out bumps in 2005 and caused major tire problems during both NASCAR Nextel Cup Series events there, with a record 22 cautions at the showcase Coca-Cola 600, making it the first Nextel Cup Series event to go more than five hours (excluding red flags) in 25 years. Speed increases were also a result of the repaving. After the problem with the tires, speedway officials promptly announced that they plan to repave with a new generation asphalt.
Lowes Motor Speedway The Busiest VenueThe facility is considered one of the busiest sports venues in the country, with typically over 380 events a year. Along with many races, the speedway also hosts the Food Lion Auto Fair twice a year, one of the nation's largest car shows. Movies and commercials are filmed there, like Days of Thunder, and it is a popular tourist stop and testing grounds.
Courtesy of Wikipedia.1961 National 400 NASCAR Race Results
Below are the race results for 1961 National 400, in order of finishing place.
| Fin | Driver | Num | Start | Money | Laps | Pts | Status | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Weatherly | 8 | 6 | $9,510 | 267 | 0 | running | Bud Moore |
| 2 | Richard Petty | 43 | 22 | $4,870 | 267 | 0 | running | Petty Enterprises |
| 3 | Bob Welborn | 18 | 14 | $3,275 | 267 | 0 | running | Bud Moore |
| 4 | Cotton Owens | 6 | 21 | $2,275 | 266 | 0 | running | Cotton Owens |
| 5 | Rex White | 4 | 13 | $1,800 | 264 | 0 | running | White-Clements |
| 6 | Darel Dieringer | 42 | 29 | $1,375 | 263 | 0 | running | Petty Enterprises |
| 7 | Emanuel Zervakis | 85 | 24 | $1,250 | 261 | 0 | running | Monroe Shook |
| 8 | Joe Lee Johnson | 14 | 25 | $1,125 | 258 | 0 | running | Joe Lee Johnson |
| 9 | Junior Johnson | 27 | 12 | $1,535 | 256 | 0 | wheel | Holly Farms |
| 10 | J.C. Hendrix | 30 | 30 | $875 | 254 | 0 | running | Fred Clark |
| 11 | Speedy Thompson | 21 | 10 | $825 | 252 | 0 | engine | Wood Brothers |
| 12 | Johnny Allen | 15 | 40 | $650 | 249 | 0 | running | Beau Morgan |
| 13 | L.D. Austin | 74 | 34 | $600 | 243 | 0 | running | L.D. Austin |
| 14 | Woodie Wilson | 5 | 26 | $600 | 242 | 0 | running | Leroy Faucett |
| 15 | Tiny Lund | 96 | 36 | $550 | 234 | 0 | running | J.L. Cheatham |
| 16 | Herman Beam | 19 | 32 | $450 | 233 | 0 | running | Herman Beam |
| 17 | Buck Baker | 87 | 19 | $525 | 232 | 0 | running | Buck Baker |
| 18 | Ned Jarrett | 11 | 15 | $550 | 223 | 0 | engine | B.G. Holloway |
| 19 | Jimmy Pardue | 54 | 31 | $450 | 221 | 0 | running | Jimmy Pardue |
| 20 | Joe Jones | 77 | 33 | $450 | 220 | 0 | running | Joe Jones |
| 21 | David Pearson | 3 | 1 | $470 | 217 | 0 | fuel pump | Daytona Kennel |
| 22 | Wendell Scott | 34 | 42 | $350 | 191 | 0 | running | Wendell Scott |
| 23 | George Green | 1 | 43 | $350 | 175 | 0 | running | Jess Potter |
| 24 | Elmo Langley | 32 | 18 | $360 | 169 | 0 | engine | J.L. Cheatham |
| 26 | Marvin Panch | 20 | 5 | $600 | 136 | 0 | crash | Smokey Yunick |
| 27 | Elmo Henderson | 82 | 23 | $310 | 122 | 0 | running | |
| 28 | Ed Livingston | 68 | 28 | $310 | 121 | 0 | running | Curtis Crider |
| 29 | Fireball Roberts | 22 | 2 | $1,110 | 113 | 0 | crash | Smokey Yunick |
| 31 | Fred Lorenzen | 28 | 4 | $275 | 104 | 0 | h gasket | Holman-Moody |
| 32 | Bobby Johns | 72 | 8 | $250 | 55 | 0 | crash | Shorty Johns |
| 35 | Bunkie Blackburn | 9 | 11 | $325 | 42 | 0 | crash | Wildcat Williams |
| 36 | Tubby Gonzales | 80 | 41 | $250 | 38 | 0 | engine | Tubby Gonzales |
| 37 | Jack Smith | 47 | 7 | $550 | 34 | 0 | fuel pump | Jack Smith |
| 40 | Curtis Crider | 62 | 37 | $250 | 27 | 0 | engine | Curtis Crider |
| 41 | Nelson Stacy | 29 | 9 | $400 | 27 | 0 | heating | Holt-Stacy |
| 42 | Tommy Irwin | 2 | 16 | $350 | 20 | 0 | rod | Tom Daniels |
