1962 Dixie 400

1962 Dixie 400
Race details[1]
Race 53 of 53 in the 1962 NASCAR Grand National Series season

Layout of Atlanta International Speedway, used until 1996
Date October 28, 1962 (1962-October-28)
Official name Dixie 400
Location Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia
Course Permanent racing facility
1.500 mi (2.400 km)
Distance 267 laps, 401 mi (645 km)
Weather Chilly with temperatures approaching 68 °F (20 °C); wind speeds up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
Average speed 124.74 miles per hour (200.75 km/h)
Attendance 25,000[2]
Pole position
Driver
Jim Stephens
Most laps led
Driver Fireball Roberts Jim Stephens
Laps 144
Winner
No. 4 Rex White Rex White
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1962 Dixie 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) event that was held on October 28, 1962, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

The transition to purposely-built racers 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; most of the cars were trailered to events or hauled in by trucks.

Background

Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one of ten current intermediate track to hold NASCAR races; the others are Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway.[3] However, at the time, only Charlotte and Darlington were built.

The layout at Atlanta International Speedway at the time was a four-turn traditional oval track that is 1.54 miles (2.48 km) long.[4] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five.[4]

Summary

All 44 drivers in this race were born in the United States of America.[2] The major sponsors in this race were Holman Moody, Rex White, and Fred Lovette.[2] H.B. Bailey would make his NASCAR debut here while Jimmy Thompson and Woodie Wilson would retire from NASCAR after this race.[5] 23 of these drivers would fail to finish the race.[2] Three cautions would slow down this 267-lap race that took place on paved oval track that spanned 1.500 miles (2.414 km).[2] The total distance of this race was approximately 401 miles or 645 kilometres.[6] Fireball Roberts would qualify for the pole position at the top speed of 124.74 miles per hour (200.75 km/h).[2] George Green would acquire the last-place finish due to an engine problem in his Chevrolet vehicle on the third lap.[2] Other notable drivers in this race would be Marvin Panch, Richard Petty, Fred Lorenzen, Buck Baker, and Elmo Langley.[2]

At the end of three hours and twelve minutes of racing, Rex White defeated Joe Weatherly by 12 seconds in his 1962 Chevrolet machine. David Pearson makes a one-off start for owner Bud Moore. They wouldn't team up again until 1972, though each found plenty of success separately.[2] In order to acquire the win in the 1962 running of the Dixie 400, White had to receive assistance from Marvin Panch's vehicle in order to conserve fuel. Individual take-home earnings for each driver ranged from the winner's share of $10,315 ($80,829.20 when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place finisher's share of $250 ($1,959.02 when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse in this event was $42,510 ($333,111.91 when adjusted for inflation).[6]

While the aftermath of the Cuban missile crisis would somewhat overshadow this racing event, people still attended this live race. They also listened in on their transistor radios if they lived within a reasonable distance but could not attend; a prelude to the later days of televised NASCAR coverage on channels like FOX and ESPN. The tense 13-day confrontation did not prevent this or any other NASCAR Grand National Cup Series event from taking place.

Top twenty finishers

  1. Rex White (No. 4)
  2. Joe Weatherly (No. 8)
  3. Marvin Panch (No. 21)
  4. Richard Petty (No. 43)
  5. Fred Lorenzen (No. 28)
  6. Larry Frank (No. 77)
  7. Stick Elliott (No. 18)
  8. Buck Baker (No. 47)
  9. Jack Smith (No. 17)
  10. Fireball Roberts (No. 22)
  11. David Pearson (No. 08)
  12. Bob Welborn (No. 49)
  13. Elmo Langley (No. 66)
  14. Ralph Earnhardt (No. 91)
  15. Buddy Baker (No. 87)
  16. G.C. Spencer (No. 48)
  17. Jim Paschal (No. 42)
  18. Bunkie Blackburn (No. 83)
  19. Tiny Lund (No. 12)
  20. Johnny Allen (No. 46)

Timeline

References

  1. ↑ Weather information for the 1962 Dixie 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1962 Dixie 400 racing information at Racing Reference
  3. ↑ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "NASCAR Tracks—The Atlanta Motor Speedway". Atlanta Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  5. ↑ 1962 Dixie 400 results at Race-Database
  6. 1 2 1962 Dixie 400 racing results at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
Preceded by
1962 National 400		 NASCAR Grand National Series Season
1962-63 		Succeeded by
1963 untitled race at Fairgrounds Raceway
Preceded by
1961		 Dixie 400 races
1962 		Succeeded by
1963
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