The 1966 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 4, 1966, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.[2]
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 28 of 49 in the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 1966 Daytona 500 program cover | |||
| Date | July 4, 1966 | ||
| Official name | Firecracker 400 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.500 mi (4.023 km) | ||
| Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (643 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures of 93 °F (34 °C); wind speeds of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 153.813 miles per hour (247.538 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 46,200[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Jon Thorne | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Sam McQuagg | Ray Nichels | |
| Laps | 126 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 98 | Sam McQuagg | Ray Nichels | |
Race report
Forty-six Thousand two hundred fans would attended this event.[2] It took two hours and thirty-six minutes to finish.[2] Four cautions slowed the race for 23 laps.[2] The average speed of the race was 153.813 miles per hour (247.538 km/h).[2] Sam McQuagg would beat Darel Dieringer by one minute and six seconds.[2]
This was the first time that a rear spoiler would be used in any NASCAR Cup Series race.[3] On the day of the race, the factory engineers at Dodge would install this new invention on McQuagg's car (which caused him to go several miles per hour faster than his opponents).[3]
Individual winnings for this event ranged from the winner's share of $13,600 ($127,714 when considering inflation) to the last-place finisher's share of $350 ($3,287 when considering inflation). A total of $55,105 was handed out to every driver ($517,478 when considering inflation).[4]
Qualifying
| Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | '66 Dodge | Jon Thorne |
| 2 | 43 | Richard Petty | '64 Plymouth | Petty Enterprises |
| 3 | 13 | Curtis Turner | '66 Chevrolet | Smokey Yunick |
| 4 | 98 | Sam McQuagg | '66 Dodge | Ray Nichels |
| 5 | 99 | Paul Goldsmith | '66 Plymouth | Ray Nichels |
| 6 | 56 | Jim Hurtubise | '66 Plymouth | Norm Nelson |
| 7 | 31 | Don White | '66 Dodge | Ray Nichels |
| 8 | 5 | Mario Andretti | '66 Dodge | Cotton Owens |
| 9 | 3 | Buddy Baker | '65 Dodge | Ray Fox |
| 10 | 71 | Earl Balmer | '65 Dodge | Nord Krauskopf |
Finishing order
- Sam McQuagg† (No. 98)
- Darel Dieringer† (No. 16)
- Jim Paschal† (No. 14)
- Curtis Turner† (No. 13)
- Jim Hurtubise† (No. 56)
- Don White (No. 31)
- Marvin Panch (No. 04)
- Tiny Lund† (No. 24)
- James Hylton (No. 48)
- John Sears† (No. 4)
- Buddy Baker*† (No. 3)
- Frank Warren (No. 79)
- Elmo Langley† (No.64)
- Bobby Allison (No. 2)
- David Pearson† (No. 6)
- Harold Smith (No. 55)
- Larry Hess (No. 44)
- Eddie MacDonald (No. 89)
- Wendell Scott† (No. 34)
- Blackie Watt (No. 93)
- J.D. McDuffie† (No.70)
- Jack Lawrence (No. 06)
- Henley Gray (No. 97)
- LeeRoy Yarbrough*† (No. 12)
- Roy Mayne† (No. 00)
- Jimmy Helms* (No. 53)
- Paul Goldsmith* (No. 99)
- Doug Cooper* (No. 02)
- Richard Petty* (No. 43)
- Earl Balmer* (No. 71)
- Mario Andretti* (No. 5)
- Wayne Smith* (No. 38)
- Buck Baker*† (No. 86)
- Bunkie Blackburn*† (No. 39)
- G.C. Spencer*† (No. 49)
- Buddy Arrington* (No. 69)
- J.T. Putney*† (No. 19)
- Bobby Johns* (No. 7)
- Jabe Thomas*† (No. 25)
- Joel Davis* (No. 33)
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race