1968 Columbia 200
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 10 of 49 in the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | April 18, 1968 | ||
| Official name | Columbia 200 | ||
| Location | Columbia Speedway, Columbia, South Carolina | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 0.500 mi (0.804 km) |
||
| Distance | 200 laps, 100 mi (160 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures approaching 84 °F (29 °C); wind speeds up to 10.24 miles per hour (16.48 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 71.358 miles per hour (114.840 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Petty Enterprises | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Isaac | K&K Insurance Racing | |
| Laps | 186 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 37 | Bobby Isaac | K&K Insurance Racing | |
The 1968 Columbia 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series stock car race that was held on April 18, 1968, at Columbia Speedway in Columbia, South Carolina.
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; most of the cars were trailered to events or hauled in by trucks.
Columbia Speedway was an oval racetrack located in Cayce, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. It was the site of auto races for NASCAR's top series from 1951 through 1971. For most of its history, the racing surface was dirt. The races in April and August 1970 were two of the final three Grand National races ever held on a dirt track.
The track was paved before hosting its last two Grand National races in 1971.
Two hundred laps took place on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) per lap; for a grand total of 100.0 miles (160.9 km). The race lasted one hour and twenty-four minutes with five cautions being handed out by NASCAR officials.
Bobby Isaac would defeat Charlie Glotzbach by less than one lap in front of 6500 live spectators (thus recording Nord Krauskopf's first win as a NASCAR team owner. After this race, no vehicle with the number 37 would even win a NASCAR Grand National Series race ever again.
While the average speed of the race was 71.358 miles per hour (114.840 km/h), Richard Petty would qualify for the race with a pole position speed of 75.282 miles per hour (121.155 km/h). Out of the 23-car field, 22 cars would be driven by American-born drivers while the other vehicle would be driven by Canadian driver Frog Fagan.Bob Cooper would acquire the race's last-place finish due to an alternator issue on lap 42. Until 1972, Daytona 500 qualifiers were valid for the championship, Isaac would get his second win of the season at this race.
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