# 1966 World 600

The 1966 World 600, the 7th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series race held on May 22, 1966, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Contested over 400 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) speedway, it was the 20th race of the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series season.
Marvin Panch of Petty Enterprises would win his final NASCAR Grand National Series race while Gene Cline would retire from professional stock car racing after the race was over. When Buddy Baker suffered a blown engine during the 44th lap, he was setting a pace of 145.291 miles per hour or 233.823 kilometres per hour; speeds that were unprecedented during the late 1960s.

## Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States, 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious World 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the National 500. Bruton Smith established the speedway in 1959, and it is considered NASCAR's home track, with many race teams based in the Charlotte region. Speedway Motorsports Inc. owns and operates the track. (SMI).

### Final results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Make | Laps | Led | Status |
| 1 | 7 | 42 | Marvin Panch | '65 Plymouth | 400 | 99 | running |
| 2 | 20 | 49 | G.C. Spencer | '65 Plymouth | 398 | | running |
| 3 | 19 | 31 | Don White | '66 Dodge | 394 | | running |
| 4 | 18 | 48 | James Hylton | '65 Dodge | 391 | | running |
| 5 | 37 | 87 | Neil Castles | '66 Oldsmobile | 371 | | running |
| 6 | 32 | 86 | Paul Connors | '64 Dodge | 370 | | running |
| 7 | 40 | 34 | Wendell Scott | '65 Ford | 370 | | running |
| 8 | 22 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | '66 Ford | 362 | | engine |
| 9 | 29 | 93 | Blackie Watt | '64 Ford | 351 | | running |
| 10 | 13 | 88 | Buck Baker | '66 Chevrolet | 348 | | running |
| 11 | 28 | 46 | Roy Mayne | '66 Chevrolet | 333 | | engine |
| 12 | 34 | 68 | Larry Manning | '65 Plymouth | 322 | | engine |
| 13 | 42 | 20 | Clyde Lynn | '64 Ford | 313 | | engine |
| 14 | 17 | 99 | Paul Goldsmith | '66 Plymouth | 303 | 112 | engine |
| 15 | 3 | 71 | Earl Balmer | '65 Dodge | 301 | 3 | engine |
| 16 | 44 | 53 | Jimmy Helms | '64 Ford | 297 | | running |
| 17 | 4 | 6 | David Pearson | '66 Dodge | 295 | 134 | crash |
| 18 | 39 | 95 | Gene Cline | '64 Ford | 291 | | running |
| 19 | 15 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | '64 Dodge | 273 | | engine |
| 20 | 33 | 72 | Bill Champion | '64 Ford | 256 | | oil leak |
| 21 | 2 | 14 | Jim Paschal | '66 Plymouth | 240 | 7 | engine |
| 22 | 1 | 43 | Richard Petty | '66 Plymouth | 236 | 6 | engine |
| 23 | 26 | 18 | Stick Elliott | '66 Chevrolet | 236 | | engine |
| 24 | 27 | 4 | John Sears | '64 Ford | 157 | | engine |
| 25 | 12 | 64 | Elmo Langley | '64 Ford | 144 | | crash |
| 26 | 11 | 55 | Tiny Lund | '64 Ford | 140 | | engine |
| 27 | 14 | 90 | Sonny Hutchins | '64 Ford | 129 | | engine |
| 28 | 38 | 38 | Wayne Smith | '66 Chevrolet | 122 | | axle |
| 29 | 6 | 98 | Sam McQuagg | '66 Dodge | 112 | | engine |
| 30 | 30 | 73 | Earl Brooks | '64 Ford | 92 | | engine |
| 31 | 21 | 79 | Frank Warren | '64 Chevrolet | 89 | | engine |
| 32 | 25 | 59 | Tom Pistone | '64 Ford | 84 | | transmission |
| 33 | 31 | 5 | Harold Smith | '64 Ford | 76 | | engine |
| 34 | 23 | 36 | H.B. Bailey | '66 Pontiac | 70 | | engine |
| 35 | 36 | 06 | Jack Lawrence | '64 Mercury | 63 | | engine |
| 36 | 10 | 1 | Paul Lewis | '65 Plymouth | 54 | 3 | crash |
| 37 | 5 | 3 | Buddy Baker | '65 Dodge | 51 | 36 | engine |
| 38 | 43 | 96 | Sonny Lamphear | '64 Ford | 29 | | driveshaft |
| 39 | 9 | 16 | Darel Dieringer | '66 Mercury | 21 | | differential |
| 40 | 35 | 19 | J.T. Putney | '66 Chevrolet | 20 | | engine |
| 41 | 8 | 24 | Curtis Turner | '66 Ford | 19 | | engine |
| 42 | 41 | 74 | Gene Black | '64 Ford | 6 | | engine |
| 43 | 16 | 22 | Bobby Allison | '65 Chevrolet | 3 | | engine |
| 44 | 24 | 33 | Joel Davis | '66 Chevrolet | 1 | | gas tank |