The 1962 Southeastern 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 29, 1962, at Bristol International Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.
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.
Race report A lineup of 44 American-born drivers made the starting grid for this 500-lap event. Fireball Roberts earned the pole position with a lap of qualifying. Approximately 4% of this race was run under a caution flag. The model years ranged from 1960 to 1962; with most drivers using a Pontiac or a Chevrolet. Although official NASCAR records state that Joe Weatherly started in 13th place, he often preferred to call the position as "12A.1962 Southeastern 500 racing information at Racing Reference"
While Fireball Roberts and Junior Johnson dominated the first 100 laps, Fred Lorenzen and Jim Paschal would rule the final 100 laps of this race. Fifteen thousand fans would see an event that lasted three hours and nineteen minutes. Worth McMillion was the lowest-finishing driver to complete the event; he was 68 laps behind.
Paschal would go on to defeat Lorenzen by half a lap at an average speed of for the race; in a 1962 Plymouth Belvedere. Although he was not a member of the Petty family, his victory was a great asset for Petty Enterprises and would eventually pave the way for non-family members to belong in the organization. Allan Harley was given the credit for the last-place finish due to car handling issues on lap 5. Eleven drivers did not have their winnings recorded by NASCAR officials. Notable crew chiefs in this race included Bud Moore, Herman Beam, Glen Wood, Banjo Matthews and Lee Petty.Crew chief information at Racing Reference
Individual earnings for each driver varied from $3,930 ($ when adjusted for inflation) to $100 ($ when adjusted for inflation). The total purse for this event was $17,925 ($ when adjusted for inflation).1962 Southeastern 500 racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
Qualifying Grid Driver Manufacturer Qualifying information at Racing Reference Owner 1 22 Fireball Roberts '62 Pontiac 80.717 22.300 Jim Stephens 2 6 Junior Johnson '62 Pontiac 79.893 22.530 Cotton Owens 3 72 Bobby Johns '62 Pontiac 79.751 22.570 Shorty Johns 4 28 Fred Lorenzen '62 Ford 79.646 22.600 Holman-Moody 5 61 Sherman Utsman '62 Ford 79.470 22.650 Sherman Utsman 6 54 Jimmy Pardue '62 Pontiac 79.400 22.670 Jimmy Pardue 7 21 Marvin Panch '62 Ford 79.330 22.690 Wood Brothers 8 29 Nelson Stacy '62 Ford 79.295 22.700 Holman-Moody 9 47 Jack Smith '62 Pontiac 79.225 22.720 Jack Smith 10 20 Emanuel Zervakis '62 Mercury 79.190 22.730 Emanuel Zervakis
Failed to qualify: John Dodd Jr. (#38), Paul Lewis (#58), Darel Dieringer (#90), Al White (#31)
Top 10 finishers Pos Grid Driver Manufacturer Winnings Time/Status 1 12 42 Jim Paschal Plymouth 500 $3,930 77 3:19:16 2 4 28 Fred Lorenzen Ford 500 $2,370 121 Lead lap under green flag 3 16 43 Richard Petty Plymouth 500 $1,540 47 Lead lap under green flag 4 14 46 Johnny Allen Pontiac 498 $1,270 60 +2 laps 5 8 29 Nelson Stacy Ford 498 $875 0 +2 laps 6 13 8 Joe Weatherly Pontiac 498 $900 0 +2 laps 7 11 4 Rex White Chevrolet 494 $650 0 +6 laps 8 21 41 Bunkie Blackburn Plymouth 491 $550 0 +9 laps 9 19 11 Ned Jarrett Chevrolet 491 $675 0 +9 laps 10 6 54 Jimmy Pardue Pontiac 491 $450 0 +9 laps
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