The 1960 Rebel 300 is the 16th race of the 1960 Grand National Series season, held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina on May 7, 1960. However, after the first 74 laps were completed, rain forced NASCAR to schedule the finish of the race to May 14.
Summary[]
Fireball Roberts won the pole for the event with a speed of 127.75 mph. On May 7, Roberts led 71 of the first 74 laps before NASCAR rescheduled the race. During the 1-week period, no cars were allowed to get any service. The race was also planned to restart under caution instead of under green. Joe Weatherly, who was 2nd at the time, protested NASCAR's rule since he had pitted during the rain and would lose the advantage that a full tank of gas gave him. To compromise, track president Bob Colvin decided to drive the pace car under the cautions laps, and promised that it would be "the fastest caution laps ever run." On May 14, Roberts pitted for fuel and Lee Petty would briefly lead the field until Weatherly passed him on lap 92. Roberts worked his way up the field, and by lap 167, Roberts finally regained the lead. However, it wouldn't take long before mechanical issues sidelined him. Weatherly led the last 46 laps and won the Rebel 300, his 4th career Cup Series win and his 3rd win of the season.
The biggest incident of the day happened on lap 148, when Johnny Allen's #69 Chevrolet blew a tire in turn 3 and sailed outside the guardrail. When his car came crashing down the embankment, it nearly tore down the scoring stand. Johnny miraculously only suffered a scratch on his nose, and no spectators were injured.
When the race began on May 7, only 27,000 people came to watch. However, during the week, Joe Weatherly went on several television and radio programs across Darlington, South Carolina. When the race restarted on May 14, 37,000 people crammed into the stands to watch the finish.
Results[]
| Pos. | Start | No. | Driver | Owner | Manufacturer | Laps | Laps led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 12 | Joe Weatherly | Holman-Moody | Ford | 219 | 107 | Running |
| 2 | 7 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth | 219 | 0 | Running |
| 3 | 3 | 4 | Rex White | Rex White | Chevrolet | 218 | 0 | Running |
| 4 | 11 | 42 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth | 218 | 17 | Running |
| 5 | 31 | 87 | Buck Baker | Buck Baker | Chevrolet | 216 | 0 | Running |
| 6 | 10 | 93 | Bobby Johns | James Bryan | Ford | 215 | 0 | Running |
| 7 | 23 | 49 | Bob Welborn | Bob Welborn | Chevrolet | 214 | 0 | Running |
| 8 | 14 | 85 | Emanuel Zervakis | Monroe Shook | Ford | 214 | 0 | Running |
| 9 | 5 | 15 | Tim Flock | Beau Morgan | Ford | 213 | 0 | Running |
| 10 | 15 | 77 | Marvin Panch | W.J. Ridgeway | Ford | 213 | 0 | Running |
| 11 | 28 | 39 | Herb Tillman | Ralph Stark | Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Running |
| 12 | 21 | 45 | Joe Caspolich | Bill Gazaway | Oldsmobile | 213 | 0 | Running |
| 13 | 4 | 5 | Cotton Owens | Cotton Owens | Pontiac | 213 | 0 | Running |
| 14 | 19 | 78 | Joe Lee Johnson | E.C. Wilson | Chevrolet | 210 | 0 | Running |
| 15 | 25 | 48 | G.C. Spencer | Weldon Wagner | Chevrolet | 208 | 0 | Running |
| 16 | 9 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | Ned Jarrett | Ford | 206 | 0 | Running |
| 17 | 26 | 1 | Buddy Baker | Jess Potter | Chevrolet | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 18 | 16 | 76 | Larry Frank | Lynton Tyson | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Oil pressure |
| 19 | 8 | 26 | Curtis Turner | Holman-Moody | Ford | 194 | 0 | Bearing |
| 20 | 1 | 22 | Fireball Roberts | John Hines | Pontiac | 173 | 78 | A-frame |
| 21 | 13 | 61 | Jimmy Thompson | Doc White | Ford | 158 | 0 | Push rod |
| 22 | 6 | 69 | Johnny Allen | Hanley Dawson | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | Crash |
| 23 | 12 | 59 | Tom Pistone | W.T. Coppedge | Chevrolet | 119 | 0 | Piston |
| 24 | 17 | 27 | Junior Johnson | John Masoni | Chevrolet | 95 | 0 | Steering |
| 25 | 20 | 64 | Bunkie Blackburn | Spook Crawford | Ford | 47 | 0 | Crash |
| 26 | 22 | 9 | Carl Burris | A.J. Blackwelder | Ford | 46 | 0 | Crash |
| 27 | 24 | 94 | Banjo Matthews | Banjo Matthews | Ford | 11 | 0 | Engine |
| 28 | 30 | 90 | Runt Harris | Junie Donlavey | Chevrolet | 9 | 0 | Steering |
| 29 | 18 | 23 | Doug Yates | Raeford Johnson | Plymouth | 3 | 0 | Head gasket |
| 30 | 27 | 86 | Johnny Dollar | Matt DeMatthews | Ford | 3 | 0 | Crash |
| 31 | 32 | 83 | Curtis Crider | Curtis Crider | Ford | 2 | 0 | Rear end |
| 32 | 29 | 80 | Neil Castles | Neil Castles | Ford | 2 | 0 | Engine |
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