Decades before the reality television show “Survivor” debuted, one event truly tested man’s survival skills. No script existed for this “survivor” show, however, because there had never been a 600-mile stock car race.
There were no fire retardant uniforms, no fuel cells, no full-face helmets and no safety equipment for crew members. Drivers and crew members had much more leeway with what they could do to their race cars in that decade and it certainly was needed for Charlotte Motor Speedway’s inaugural World 600 (now known as the Coca-Cola 600) on June 19, 1960.
It was a challenging race for everyone – drivers, crew members, NASCAR officials and track owner Bruton Smith; a challenge that began long before race day.
Construction delays and weather issues forced the race to be pushed back from the originally scheduled date of May 29 to June 19. Paving of the track wasn’t completed until the morning of the first qualifying round.
“They were doing the best they could, but they didn’t know how thick the pavement needed to be or the type of asphalt that they needed to put down,” said NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Ned Jarrett, who finished 30th after cutting a tire and hitting the wall while running in the top five.
Despite the track’s deterioration throughout practice and qualifying, “Tiger Tom” Pistone never considered withdrawing from the event.
“I had eight kids to feed,” recalled Pistone, who used a brush with a long handle to clean his car’s windshield from the driver’s seat during the race.
Drivers had more with which to concern themselves than the track. Jarrett’s biggest worry was his appetite. He conquered that issue during the five-hour, 34-minute event by drinking Slim Fast, a nutrient-providing beverage, instead of water on specified pit stops.
“That extra 100 miles … man, you had to talk to yourself,” recalled fellow Hall of Famer Rex White, who finished sixth. “I didn’t realize what that extra 100 miles would mean to the driver and the car. The way that race track was it was really a chore to finish that race. I tried to dodge the holes as much as I could and not follow close behind a car because they would throw up the gravel and beat the front off the car.”
Seven-time series champion and Hall of Fame inductee Richard Petty, who finished fourth before being disqualified, used a similar tactic.
“I just tried to miss the holes to survive,” Petty said. “You could drive around the holes, but every once in a while somebody would hit one and throw out another rock or (chunk of asphalt). It was a mess, but at the time everything was so crude.”
Despite the conditions, the Wood Brothers didn’t make any special preparations to their race cars.
“You just took it as another race and prepared your car as good as you could prepare it and trust that it would make it,” Leonard Wood said. “You didn’t know if it would make that extra 100 miles or not until you did it. We blew head gaskets on our cars and we didn’t finish the race.”
Drivers weren’t accustomed to lengthy events. Prior to the 600, only two races on NASCAR’s 44-race 1960 schedule surpassed 250 miles in length – the Daytona 500 and a 300-miler at Darlington Raceway. Therefore, the drivers’ attitude during a race was to run every lap at their car’s limit. It was a view that Pistone believed kept him from finishing the event.
“I ran as hard as the car could run and that was stupid,” said Pistone, who finished 31st in the 60-car field. “Fireball (Roberts), myself, Junior Johnson, Jack Smith, all we knew was flat out. I should have backed off, but I was just stupid. I had a hydraulic motor inside the car and I would jack wedge into the car. I jacked in so much wedge that I broke the A-frame.”
Prior to the race, NASCAR told the drivers no one was allowed to enter pit road across the dirt apron separating pit road from the racing surface. To do so would result in disqualification. There had been no time to sow grass and NASCAR was concerned about the dust cloud that would occur.
NASCAR’s directive led to Junior Johnson, Lee and Richard Petty being disqualified after the event. Bob Welborn, Paul Lewis and Lennie Page were also disqualified for the same infraction.
While the disqualification was disappointing for those six drivers, Jack Smith’s loss was heartbreaking. Smith had driven his Pontiac to a five-lap lead when with less than 50 laps remaining a chunk of asphalt ripped a hole in his car’s fuel tank. Gasoline began gushing from the fuel tank and not even rags and steel wool stuffed into the hole could stop it. Car owner Bud Moore desperately searched for a bar of Octagon soap which was large and soft, perfect for plugging the hole. However, one couldn’t be found.
With Smith forced to exit the race after completing 352 of the 400 laps, Joe Lee Johnson inherited the lead. He then set the pace for 48 laps to claim his second and final NASCAR Cup Series victory, the biggest of his career. Johnson beat runner-up Johnny Beauchamp by four laps.
“It certainly was a great learning experience for Bruton Smith and his crew, NASCAR and the competitors,” Jarrett recalled.
TICKETS:
Coca-Cola 600 tickets for adults start at just $49 while kids 13 and under get in for $10. Tickets, camping and upgrades for every event are available at the gates, by visiting charlottemotorspeedwa
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