NASCAR HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS BY YEAR - 1960's
1960 - By the 1960 NASCAR Grand National season, work had already begun on new super-tracks in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Hanford, Calif. NASCAR had also found its way into the electronic media with CBS Sports' live telecast of three preliminary races during the Daytona Speedweeks. The CBS television network sends a skeleton production crew to Daytona International Speedway to televise the pole position and compact car races during the opening of Speedweeks. Bud Palmer is the anchorman for the first live telecast of NASCAR stock cars. In the qualifying race, Herman Beam becomes the first driver to be black-flagged in a NASCAR event at Daytona International Speedway. Race officials notice that Beam forgot to put on his helmet before the Twin 100-mile qualifying race. NASCAR officials park Beam for the remainder of the race. The in the Daytona 500, Junior Johnson passes a spinning Bobby Johns with nine laps remaining and hustles to victory in the second annual race. Driving a 1959 Chevrolet Impala, Johnson beats a record 68-car field and wins $19,600. Two weeks later a young Richard Petty scores the first win of his career in the 100-mile NASCAR Grand National event at the Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway. On March 27, Lee Petty finishes first in the controversial 100-mile race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. Petty bumps his way past Junior Johnson with 14 laps remaining to claim his 49th career NASCAR Grand National win. Petty is pelted with rocks and debris in victory lane. The victory makes Petty the top race winner in NASCAR history, surpassing 48-time-winner Herb Thomas. With NASCAR races beginning to show up on the tube in American homes, the automobile industry realized the Automobile Manufacturers Association 1957 ban on participation was hindering their efforts in promotions, sales, and performance. Factory representation in NASCAR was on a dramatic rise by 1960, although all members of the AMA said publicly that they were still adhering to the original guidelines of the 1957 resolution. Ford and General Motors even hired individuals to spy on each other. On June 19, unheralded Joe Lee Johnson gallops to a four-lap victory in the inaugural World 600 at the new Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jack Smith, who had built a five-lap lead, sees his hopes dashed when a piece of debris slices a hole in his fuel tank. On July 31 at another of the new super speedways, Fireball Roberts wheels Smokey Yunick's Pontiac to victory in the Dixie 300 at the new Atlanta International Raceway. Tragic events unfolded at this years Southern 500. Buck Baker is declared the winner of the tragic Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Three men in the pits, including crew chief Paul McDuffie, are killed when Bobby Johns' Pontiac careens into the backstretch pit area. On October 30, Bobby Johns drives Cotton Owens' Pontiac to his first career NASCAR Grand National victory in the inaugural Atlanta 500 at Atlanta International Raceway. Rex White finishes fifth and is officially declared the 1960 NASCAR Grand National champion. In 1960, GM won 20 NASCAR Grand National events, including the Daytona 500, Charlotte's World 600, and the NASCAR Grand National championship. Ford won 15 times, while Chrysler's conservative effort with the Petty Engineering camp scored nine wins.
1961 - In the 1961 NASCAR Grand National season, General Motors continued winning, taking 41 races in all. Pontiac won 30 and Chevrolet won 11, but Ford won only seven times. Chrysler managed to win four short-track events. Also in 1961, ABC's Wide World of Sports began to televise a number of the major super speedway races in a tape-delayed format. On Saturday afternoon, a half-hour or so of edited highlights of the 1961 NASCAR Grand Nationals were beamed into American homes. New Fords, Pontiacs, Chevrolets, and Plymouths were performing on a speedy stage in the living rooms of a car-buying public. Pontiacs were winning most of the races aired on television. Not surprisingly, Pontiac sales showed a brisk increase. Soon, Pontiac ranked third in automobile sales in the United States, a position that could be directly attributed to lofty results on NASCAR tracks. February 24 would see Fireball Roberts and Joe Weatherly share victory lane in Daytona's crash-marred Twin 100-mile qualifying races. Lee Petty is badly injured when he sails over the guardrail in the second event. Richard Petty sprains his ankle after soaring over the rail in the opening 100-miler. Lee Petty suffered multiple life-threatening injuries. In the 500, Marvin Panch takes the lead 13 laps from the finish and wins the third annual Daytona 500. Panch cruises into first place when teammate Fireball Roberts blows his engine while holding a commanding lead. May 28 saw Sophomore driver David Pearson scores his first career win in the second annual World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Pearson crosses the finish line on three wheels after blowing a tire with just over a lap to go. Pearson's victory comes in his first start with crew chief Ray Fox. On August 8, Curtis Turner announces that "most of the NASCAR drivers" have joined the Teamsters Union and the Federation of Professional Athletes. NASCAR president Bill France says, "No known union member can compete in a NASCAR race, and I'll use a pistol to enforce it." Three days later, Fireball Roberts withdraws from the Teamsters Union. "The more I thought about it [joining the union], the more I realized that we could possibly accomplish more harm than good for racing." Roberts is reinstated by NASCAR upon his resignation. Rex White and Ned Jarrett also submit resignations and are permitted to resume racing. On August 13, Junior Johnson is declared the winner of the shortened Western North Carolina 500 at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. The race is halted after 258 laps due to a deteriorating track. About 4,000 angry spectators create a mob scene and hold the drivers and team owners hostage in the infield for nearly four hours. Two days after the race, NASCAR president Bill France bans Curtis Turner and Tim Flock "for life" from all NASCAR racing. Turner and Flock are the only two drivers who refuse to abandon the Teamsters Union project. IN the annual labor day classic; the Southern 500; Rookie Nelson Stacy becomes the 19th different winner of the season by passing Marvin Panch with seven laps remaining to win the storied Southern 500 at Darlington. October 29 sees Joe Weatherly dominates the season finale at Orange Speedway in Hillsboro, N.C., for his ninth win of the season. Ned Jarrett, winner of only one race during the season, is declared the NASCAR Grand National champion. Jarrett beats seven-time winner Rex White
1962 - Early in the 1962 NASCAR Grand National season, General Motors was racking up impressive numbers in the victory column. GM won 18 of the first 20 races, 12 by Pontiac. Plymouth scored twice and Ford had a big zero. In June 1962, Ford Motor Co. president Henry Ford II announced his company was stepping out of the 1957 Automobile Manufacturers Association ban on NASCAR participation and would actively -- and publicly -- be involved in NASCAR racing. NASCAR president Bill France greeted the Ford announcement with enthusiasm and approval. Veteran driver Buck Baker, who won the 1956 and 1957 NASCAR Grand National championships while a member of factory teams, said a full-scale return to racing by the factory teams would mean "a better sport, better equipment, better pay, and a better show. All the top drivers would be bid for, just like baseball players." Fireball Roberts leads 144 of the 200 laps in his overwhelming triumph in the fourth annual Daytona 500. Roberts caps off a perfect Speedweeks, winning the American Challenge invitational event for winners of 1961 events, the pole position for the 500, the Twin 100-mile qualifier, and the Daytona 500. In May, Nelson Stacy, driving a Ford, overtakes David Pearson with eight laps to go and scores a big victory in the third annual World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Pearson is headed for his second straight 600 win when the engine in his Pontiac blows in the final laps. On June 16, Veteran driver Johnny Allen scores his first career NASCAR Grand National victory in the 50-mile race at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem. Allen edges Rex White by six inches, then crashes over the wall after taking the checkered flag. There is more damage to Allen's Pontiac than the winner's prize of $580 will cover. Fireball Roberts continues his mastery of Daytona International Speedway by winning the Firecracker 250. Speedway officials announce the July 1963 race will be lengthened to 400 miles. At Darlington, Larry Frank is declared the winner of the Southern 500 almost five hours after the checkered flag dropped in the Labor Day event. Junior Johnson had been flagged the winner, but after a check of the scorecards, Frank is given credit for his first NASCAR Grand National win. The season concluded at Atlanta where Rex White drives his Chevrolet into the lead three laps from the finish and nips Joe Weatherly in a frantic duel to win the Dixie 400 at Atlanta. The win is White's first on a superspeedway. Weatherly wraps up his first NASCAR Grand National championship in the season finale.
1963 - For the 1963 NASCAR Grand National season, NASCAR established a new set of rules to address the potential of unlimited engineering by the factories. For one, a 428 cubic inch limit on engine displacement was put into effect. By limiting the cid, NASCAR could keep the factories in check and keep the present components from becoming obsolete. Regardless, Ford started the 1963 Grand National campaign with a bang, finishing 1-2-3-4-5 in the celebrated Daytona 500. Tiny Ling picked the surprise win. Lund had come to Daytona without a ride; but Marvin Panch crashed in testing and his car burst into flames. Lund was there and drug him out of his burning machine and saved his life. From his hospital bed; he told his team owners (Wood Brothers) that he wanted Lund to drive his car in the 500; and Lund drove to victory. Fireball Roberts and Joe Weatherly, who had been the dominant drivers for Pontiac in 1961 and 1962, simply couldn't keep up with the speedier Fords and Chevys. In the meantime, "Golden Boy" Fred Lorenzen, the lead driver for the Holman-Moody Ford team, was racking up big prizes and collecting lots of handsome trophies for his deeds in speed. By mid-season, Fireball Roberts and Joe Weatherly had abandoned the sinking Pontiac ship and joined Ford -- Roberts was a teammate with Lorenzen, and Weatherly in the Bud Moore Mercury effort. In June Fred Lorenzen takes the lead with four laps to go and wins the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Junior Johnson's bid for victory is foiled when he blows a tire while holding a narrow lead over Lorenzen. Cagey Fireball Roberts swoops under Fred Lorenzen on the final lap and wins the frantic Firecracker 400 at Daytona. Roberts edges Lorenzen and Marvin Panch in a three-car finish. The lead changes hands 39 times among six drivers. Two weeks later Glen Wood edges Ned Jarrett to win the 200-lap NASCAR Grand National race at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. Lee Petty, making his first start since his bad accident at Daytona in 1961, finishes a strong fourth. In the Southern 500, Fireball Roberts breezes into the lead in the late stages to grab the win at Darlington. Roberts averages a record 129.784 mph in the caution-free event, the only nonstop Southern 500 in history. Third-place finisher Fred Lorenzen tops the $100,000 mark for season earnings, making him the first to reach six digits in winnings. The Wilkes 250 in September saw Marvin Panch, on the comeback trail after suffering serious injuries at Daytona in February, wheel the Wood Brothers Ford to victory in the Wilkes 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Panch leads the final 49 laps to score his first win since the 1961 Daytona 500. Darel Dieringer posts a major upset by driving his Bill Stroppe Mercury to victory in the season finale at Riverside, Calif. It is Dieringer's first NASCAR Grand National win. Joe Weatherly, who drives for nine different teams during the course of the season, is the NASCAR Grand National champion claiming his second championship in a row.
1964 - As the curtain lifted for the 1964 NASCAR Grand National season, Chrysler was loaded for bear. The Plymouths and Dodges were more streamlined aerodynamically and packed with a bundle of horsepower, but Chrysler dusted off an idea from the early 1950s and came up with a "new" engine -- the 426 Hemi. Cars could now travel up to 175 mph, but with the increased speeds came increased danger, and the unlimited horsepower race exacted a heavy toll. It would turn out to be a tragic year. The season started in December and it saw Wendell Scott become the first African-American driver to win a race in NASCAR's premier division. The win came at Jacksonville Raceway Park. Scott retired in 1973 due to injuries suffered in an accident at Talladega Superspeedway. As of the beginning of 2019 Scott is still the only driver to win at the Cup level. Then at Riverside Dan Gurney lapped the field and easily and wins the Riverside 500. Joe Weatherly, two-time defending NASCAR Grand National champion, loses his life when he crashes into a concrete wall in the late stages. In the Daytona 500, driving a potent Plymouth with the new Hemi engine, Richard Petty leads 184 of the 200 laps to win the Daytona 500 going away. Plymouths run 1-2-3 at the finish. The triumph is Petty's first on a super speedway. Jim Paschal wins Charlotte's World 600 to post his first career superspeedway victory. Tragedy struck again however, as NASCAR great Fireball Roberts is near death after a fiery pile-up on the eighth lap. Roberts suffered second- and third-degree burns over eighty percent of his body and was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. Roberts was able to survive for several weeks, and it appeared he might pull through, but he took a turn for the worse on June 30, 1964. He contracted pneumonia and sepsis and had slipped into a coma by the next day. Roberts died from his burns on July 2. Roberts' death, as well as the deaths of Eddie Sachs and Dave McDonald at the Indianapolis 500, six days after Roberts' crash, led to an increase in research for fire-retardant uniforms. It also led to the development of the Firestone RaceSafe fuel cell, and all race cars today use a foam-backed fuel cell to prevent fuel spillage of the massive degree that Roberts had. After Roberts' death, NASCAR mandated that all drivers wear flame retardant coveralls while on track. They also instituted the five point safety harness, and the special, contoured drivers seat. Fresh off of winning this years Indy 500, A.J. Foyt nips Bobby Isaac at the finish of Daytona's Firecracker 400. Foyt and Isaac are in Dodges prepared by Ray Nichels. Foyt and Isaac swap the lead 16 times in the final 56 laps. On July 19, Billy Wade wheels his Mercury to his fourth straight win in the 150-miler at Watkins Glen. Wade, the 1963 Rookie of the Year, is the first driver to win four consecutive NASCAR Grand National races. Fred Lorenzen won five straight starts earlier in the year, but not in consecutive races. The Southern 500 saw Richard Petty win the pole and lead a race high 252 laps; but it would be Buck Baker who claimed the win. It would be the final win of Bakers career. In September, Team owner Cotton Owens ends his retirement as a driver and wins the Capital City 300 at Richmond, beating his hired driver David Pearson by a full lap. On September 20 tragedy would again rear it's ugly head as Jimmy Pardue dies in a tire-test crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ned Jarrett won the season finale at Jacksonville, N.C. It is Jarrett's 15th win of the season. Richard Petty wraps up his first NASCAR Grand National championship. The Jacksonville event is the 62nd race of the campaign, the most races ever staged during a single NASCAR season.
1965 - On October 19, 1964, NASCAR issued new rules for the 1965 NASCAR Grand National campaign designed to curb speeds and increase the focus on safety. The engine displacement remained unchanged, but special limited edition engines were banned, including the Chrysler Hemi. Chrysler packed up and pulled out of NASCAR in protest. Richard Petty would not defend his championship, and top contenders David Pearson, Paul Goldsmith, Bobby Isaac, Jim Paschal, and LeeRoy Yarbrough were on the sidelines. It was a season marked by protest, controversy and more tragedy. On January 5, Billy Wade is killed during a tire test at Daytona. Wade had replaced the late Joe Weatherly on the Bud Moore Mercury team who had been killed the previous season. The Daytona 500 saw Fred Lorenzen wins the rain-shortened race, finishing a lap ahead of runner-up Darel Dieringer. Fords and Mercurys take the top 13 positions as the factory Chrysler team continues its boycott. Two weeks later Ned Jarrett wins the 100-mile race at Spartanburg by an incredible 22 laps. Only 16 cars start the race. Independent driver G.C. Spencer finishes second despite only completing 178 of the 200 laps. During the Chrysler boycott Richard Petty went drag racing. On Feb 28, Petty loses control of his 1965 Plymouth Barracuda drag car at a dragstrip in Dallas, Georgia. The car veers into a group of spectators, killing an eight-year-old boy. Fred Lorenzen would battle little know Earl Balmer and win the World 600 by just six seconds. On July 25, Ned Jarrett edges Dick Hutcherson to win Bristol's Volunteer 500. It is the 32nd consecutive victory for Ford, an all-time NASCAR Grand National record. Richard Petty returns to NASCAR Grand National racing as NASCAR relaxes the rules against the Hemi engine on short tracks. On July 31, following a meeting with concerned promoters, Bill France lifts the lifetime ban on Curtis Turner. Turner plans to enter selected NASCAR Grand National events for the first time since 1961. Turner was a fan favorite, and his ban was hurting race attendance. Title-bound Ned Jarrett wins the Southern 500 at Darlington. Jarrett crosses the finish line 14 laps (19.25 miles) ahead of runner-up Buck Baker, the largest margin of victory (in miles) in NASCAR Grand National history. Rookie Buren Skeen is fatally injured in a lap-three crash. On October 17, Fred Lorenzen wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Lorenzen outruns Dick Hutcherson, A.J. Foyt, and Curtis Turner in what is regarded as a "race for the ages." Harold Kite, the 1950 Daytona winner who was ending a nine-year retirement, loses his life in a multi-car crash on lap two. On October 31, Curtis Turner returns from exile by winning the inaugural American 500 at the new North Carolina Motor Speedway. Turner wheels his Wood Brothers Ford to a narrow victory over upstart driver Cale Yarborough. In November Ned Jarrett outruns Bobby Isaac to win the 100-mile race at Dog Track Speedway in Moyock, N.C. Jarrett's 13th win of the season helps him wrap up his second championship.
1966 - The 1966 NASCAR season was marked by the re-introduction of Chrysler's legendary Hemi engine and Ford's departure from the sport. With less competition and more power than ever, Chrysler was a frequent visitor to the winner's circle early in the season, though Ford's boycott took a big bite out of attendance. By the end of the season, Ford had realized that without NASCAR performances, sales were suffering, and so returned to the speedways in force. In this seasons Daytona 500, Richard Petty overcomes a two-lap deficit and wins the Daytona 500 in a runaway. Petty is a full lap in front of runner-up Cale Yarborough when a thunderstorm halts the race after 198 of the scheduled 200 laps. On April 7, David Pearson wins the 100-mile race at Columbia, S.C., as Ford announces its factory teams will boycott the NASCAR Grand National season in a dispute over engine rules. On April 30, Richard Petty dominates the Rebel 400 at Darlington, finishing three laps ahead of runner-up Paul Goldsmith. The Ford boycott has a telling effect on the attendance as only 7000 spectators show up, plus 5000 Boy Scouts, who are admitted free. In May, Marvin Panch quits the Ford camp and drives a Petty Engineering Plymouth to victory in Charlotte's World 600. Only 11 cars in the field of 44 finish the race. Meanwhile in June, Independent driver Elmo Langley steers his Ford to victory in the 100-mile NASCAR Grand National race at Spartanburg, S.C. Langley leads the final 40 laps to score his first NASCAR win. In the Firecracker 400, sophomore Sam McQuagg wheels the Nichels Engineering Dodge Charger to his first career win in the Daytona Firecracker 400. McQuagg's slope-backed Dodge is equipped with a strip of aluminum on the rear deck to make the car more stable. It is the first NASCAR Grand National race to permit cars equipped with "spoilers." Funny event in August in a 100 mile race at Columbia SC. David Pearson scores his 12th win of the season, meanwhile Curtis Turner finishes third in Junior Johnson's Ford while wearing a three-piece business suit. Turner says sponsor Holly Farms "wanted me to wear a suit, but they didn't specify what kind. So I wore my best." In the Southern 500, 65,000 people, came and saw a battle between Richard Petty and Darel Dieringer. The last 170 laps saw the duo duel hammer and tong with many lead changes as Dieringer pulled off the win. Three weeks later in the Old Dominion 500, Fred Lorenzen is flagged the winner of the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville, but has his victory stripped due to an oversized fuel tank. Three days later, NASCAR reverses its decision and restores Lorenzen's victory, even though the fuel cell in his Ford held 23.1 gallons of fuel, 1.1 gallons too many. NASCAR announces that since the fuel cell in question was bought directly from a Firestone dealer, the spirit of the rules wasn't encroached. In the season finale, Fred Lorenzen outruns a star-studded field to win the American 500 at Rockingham. Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson, who have both won 50 NASCAR Grand National races, compete in their final race. Jarrett finishes third while Johnson comes home fifth. David Pearson would wheel his Cotton Owens Ford to his first Championship.
1967 - By 1967, the car makers were back in the NASCAR Grand National chase in full force. At Daytona, more than 80 cars filed into the big speedway, and all factory teams were on hand with the exception of General Motors. A record crowd of 94,250 paid to attend the Daytona 500, which was won in 1967 by Mario Andretti. The excitement at Daytona set the tone for the rest of the thrilling season. Andretti's story is an interesting one. Some Holman-Moody crew members didn't like the Indy car transplant coming down into NASCAR and racing. They gave him the least powered motors and he caught on. Andretti confronts them about what was happening and was told "all the motors are the same" SO he said "Good, you won't have a problem swapping the motor I have for a different one. Andretti took his motor and lead the final 33 laps and wins the Daytona 500. It is Andretti's first NASCAR Grand National win. Richard Petty was strong this season. In May, Petty guides his Plymouth to victory in the Darlington Rebel 400, finishing a lap ahead of David Pearson. It is Petty's 55th career NASCAR Grand National win, putting him first on the all-time victory list. Ford star Fred Lorenzen retires before the race, giving up his seat in the Holman-Moody Ford to Pearson. Pearson would again see his Holman-Moody car finish second. This time in the World 600 as he was beat out by Jim Paschal with a narrow five second win. In August, Richard Petty hustles his Plymouth to another win in the 250-lapper at Bowman Gray Stadium. The triumph is Petty's 19th of the season, breaking Tim Flock's record of 18 wins during the 1955 campaign. Petty would claim another win; this time in the Southern 500, beating David Pearson by five laps. Then in October, with several of the top racing officials from Ford Motor Co. looking on, Richard Petty continues his phenomenal winning streak by taking the Wilkes 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Petty scores his record-shattering 10th consecutive victory, a feat that might never be topped. As the season wound down, Bobby Allison prevailed in a bumper-grinding shootout with Richard Petty to win the season finale at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. Petty wraps up the NASCAR Grand National championship by a huge margin over runner-up James Hylton.
1968 - The 1968 NASCAR Grand National season would pit the sleek Ford Torino and Mercury Cyclone models against the brute horsepower of Chrysler's Hemi. General Motors was still on the sidelines, staying out of racing because it feared violating federal safety standards. The Fords and Caleb Yarborough's lone Mercury were the top dogs on the super speedways, while Richard Petty's Ford racked up wins on the short tracks. Ford scored in nine of the 12 major races on big tracks. The excitement of the season gave NASCAR a needed boost in popularity among fans as well. As the season kicked off, on November 12, 1967; Bobby Allison wins the 1968 NASCAR Grand National season opener at Middle Georgia Raceway in Macon. An elaborate moonshine operation is discovered beneath the track. Peach County Sheriff Reggie Mullis calls it, "one of the most well-built moonshine stills ever operated." Cale Yarborough wins the Daytona 500 by less than a second over LeeRoy Yarbrough. The first of four. Buddy Baker would win a rain shortened World 600. A crown of 60,00 saw 255 of 400 laps completed and Baker best Donnie Allison. In August, David Pearson wins his third consecutive race in the Western North Carolina 500 at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. Pearson is the 11th driver to win in the 11 runnings of the event. The following year Bobby Isaac would win this race making him the twelfth different winner; and the track closed. Cale Yarborough nips David Pearson by four car lengths and wins the Southern 500 at Darlington. It is Yarborough's record fourth superspeedway win of the season. Two weeks later, Richard Petty finishes seven laps ahead of the field in the 150-miler at Orange Speedway in Hillsborough, N.C. It is the last NASCAR Grand National race staged at the venerable 0.9-mile dirt oval. On November 3, Cale Yarborough wins the season finale at Jefferson, Ga., as David Pearson is declared the NASCAR Grand National champion. At the end of the month, Richard Petty announces he will leave Plymouth to drive Fords in the 1969 season. All of Petty's 92 wins have come in Plymouths.
1969 - At the beginning of the 1969 NASCAR Grand National season, Ford and Mercury were virtually unbeatable. On the big tracks hosting races of 300 miles or more, Ford tied together a 13-race winning streak. Fords took the top five spots at Atlanta, the top four at Michigan, and finished first and second in eight of the 13 victories. All of that changed in September with the introduction of the Dodge Charger Daytona at the Talladega 500. As the season kicked off, Richard Petty would win the Motor Trend 500 in his first start in a Ford on the road course at Riverside. Petty finishes 25 seconds ahead of runner-up A.J. Foyt. At Daytona LeeRoy Yarbrough passes Charlie Glotzbach on the final lap to win the Daytona 500. Yarbrough wins in his back-up car. Yarbrough wins again in May, and then he whipped the field at Charlotte; winning the World 600 by over two laps. Yarbrough would again visit victory lane in the Firecracker 400. Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes frustrations built among the drivers, who held a secret meeting in Ann Arbor in August and formed the Professional Drivers Association. Once again LeeRoy Yarbrough would claim a win in a major event. He would sweep past David Pearson on the final lap to get this win. He became the first driver to win the Daytona 500, World 600 and Southern 500 in the same season. Two weeks later we saw Talladega Speedway open. The rough track at Talladega proved to be a catalyst for a driver boycott: Drivers wanted to postpone the race to wait for safer tires to be developed that could handle the surface, but officials refused. Most of the drivers loaded up their cars and went home. The first official drivers boycott in NASCAR history had become a reality. Afraid the boycott would keep fans away; Bill France said that anyone who bought a ticket for the Talladega race would get a FREE ticket to the next season's Daytona 500. The race went off without a hitch after GoodYear was able to provide better tires on Sunday morning prior to the race. In October, LeeRoy Yarbrough scores his seventh superspeedway win of the season in the American 500 at Rockingham. Yarbrough loses a lap when a tire blows, sending him into the wall. He scrambles back into contention and takes the lead for keeps with 57 laps remaining. In the final months of the 1969 campaign, the PDA drivers returned to the speedway, albeit with considerable tension, to cap off another season of thrills and controversy. On December 12, Bobby Isaac claims his first career superspeedway victory in the inaugural Texas 500 at the new Texas International Speedway. Cale Yarborough is seriously injured when his Mercury clobbers the wall. David Pearson claims the Cup Championship for the third time. Before the year was out, NASCAR signs a contract with ABC Television, which will televise nine NASCAR Grand National races, including five live broadcasts during the 1970 season.