Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is a race track located in Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The sports car racing facility is owned by the International Speedway Corporation. It was long known around the world as the home of the United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for 20 consecutive years (1961–1980) but since 1948, it has been home to road racing of nearly every class, such as Formula One, the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, the NASCAR Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series. Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956, a permanent circuit for the race was built. The circuit's current layout has more/less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after a fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event. The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers.
Race report
Five lead changes were made (consisting of Ned Jarrett, Darel Dieringer, Billy Wade, and Ned Jarrett).[2] After one hour and thirty-two minutes of racing, Billy Wade managed to defeat LeeRoy Yarbrough by six seconds in front of 10,000 live spectators (approximately 24% of the racetrack's modern capacity).[2] The total prize purse handed out for this racing event was $6,395 ($62,825 when inflation is taken into effect); Billy Wade received $1,400 of it ($13,754 when inflation is taken into effect) while Lee Petty received a meager $150 ($1,474 when inflation is taken into effect).[3]
Pete Boland would receive the last-place finish due to a brake problem on lap 2 of 66. The actual race spanned for 151.8 miles (244.3km); with the pole position speed at 102.222 miles per hour (164.510km/h) and the average race speed at 97.988 miles per hour (157.696km/h).[2] All 26 of the drivers on the grid were American-born males.[2]Lee Petty would retire from NASCAR after this race.[4] From the next race onward, his son Richard would race alone. Bob Welborn would make his second-to-last NASCAR appearance at this racing event. Walt Hansgen would become the first road course ringer by being at this track three times. He would drive a 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle during this race after driving a Ford vehicle at a previous race.
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.
Start of race: Billy Wade started the race with the pole position, but was quickly overtaken by Ned Jarrett.
Lap 2: Pete Boland's faulty brakes made him the last-place finisher of the event; Frank Tanner could no longer handle his racing vehicle in a safe manner.
Lap 3: Marvin Panch had troubles handling his vehicle, causing him to exit the race early.
Lap 5: The rear end fell off of Al White's vehicle, ending his race day too soon.
Lap 7: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Ned Jarrett.
Lap 9: Lee Petty's vehicle could not handle properly, causing his untimely exit.
Lap 10: Richard Petty had a terminal crash, forcing him to leave the race prematurely.
Lap 13: Oil pressure issues got the best of Paul Goldsmith.
Lap 15: Billy Wade took over the lead from Darel Dieringer.
Lap 25: Problems with the vehicle's shift lever forced Bernard Alvarez out of contention.
Lap 26: Overheating issues forced Bob Derrington off the track.
Lap 28: Ned Jarrett took over the lead from Billy Wade.
Lap 33: The rear window of Neil Castles' vehicle fell off, forcing him to exit the race.
Lap 35: Earl Brooks' steering problem forced him to leave the race.
Lap 36: Billy Wade took over the lead from Ned Jarrett.
Lap 49: Darel Dieringer notice his engine wasn't working properly anymore, forcing him to withdraw from the race.
Lap 58: Ned Jarrett managed to blow his engine while racing.
Lap 59: Jimmy Pardue blew his engine.
Finish: Billy Wade was officially declared the winner of the event.
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