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. Thirty thousand spectators would attend this live spectacle where
Bobby Johns (in his 1960
Pontiac Catalina) would defeat
Johnny Allen (in his 1960
Chevrolet Bel Air) by a distance of one lap. The late-season combination of Speedy Thompson and the Wood Brothers racing organization paid off as they managed to win their first two races. Thompson tried to win his third race in a row, but came up short as he finished in fourth-place; with Bobby Johns out-lapping him four times over. It would completely shatter the record set by Lee Petty in 1959, but still wouldn't come close to the all-time record. The race itself took four hours and thirty-six minutes to fully resolve 334 laps; with speeds averaging .),
Lee Petty,
Richard Petty,
Joe Weatherly,
Bob Welborn and
Fred Lorenzen. The record for the shortest NASCAR career would be broken in 1990 by
Rich Vogler. He qualified for a 1990 race at Pocono, but he died the night before the race. He was given a 40th-place finish and a "Did Not Start", which means he completed zero laps. The fewest lead changes were committed here; this record would be officially tied with the
1961 Dixie 400 the following year.
Qualifying ==Timeline==