Beauchamp Captures Rain‑Shortened Nashville 400
White Loses Lead After Mistimed Pit Stop; Race Halted at 333 Laps
NASHVILLE, Aug. 7 — Johnny Beauchamp, driving a 1960 Chevrolet with steady precision, won the rain‑shortened 400‑lap NASCAR event at Fairgrounds Speedway Sunday afternoon. A crowd of roughly 10,000 sat through intermittent showers that produced seven caution periods and ultimately stopped the race at 333 laps.
Beauchamp, who last won at Atlanta in 1959, led 122 laps and finished just ahead of Rex White, whose late pit stop under caution cost him the victory. The winner’s average speed was held to 56.82 miles per hour due to 92 laps run under the yellow flag.
White’s Costly Stop
White, the pole starter in a 1960 Chevrolet, led 205 laps and appeared in full command until lap 305. During a long caution period from lap 240 through 305, White waited too long to make his fuel stop. When he finally pulled in, the green flag returned almost immediately, dropping him behind Beauchamp.
Chief scorer Johnny Bruner told White afterward, “Rex, you lost your own race.” White admitted he had misjudged the timing of the caution.
White closed rapidly in the final laps and finished on Beauchamp’s bumper, but the race was halted by rain before he could attempt a pass.
Beauchamp’s Steady Run
Beauchamp made only two fuel stops, totaling 85 seconds, and said afterward he never needed a tire change. “I feel sure I could have gone all the way with the same tires,” he said. He briefly ran out of fuel during his second stop and had to be pushed from the pits.
His victory paid $3,666.
Johnson Leads Briefly
Joe Lee Johnson of Chattanooga took the lead on lap 145 after pressing White for several circuits. Johnson’s hopes faded when he made a full pit stop on lap 151 — the only stop among the top finishers made under green. The 90‑second delay dropped him from contention.
Beauchamp regained the lead until his own fuel stop on lap 244, after which White again moved ahead until his late miscalculation.
Final Standings
Jack Smith finished third, followed by Lee Petty, Johnson, Richard Petty, Jim Paschal, Doug Yates, Roz Howard, and G. C. Spencer.
White used 85 seconds for two stops; Buck Baker 80 seconds for three; Lee Petty 66 seconds for two; Richard Petty 136 seconds for three, including a 70‑second delay when his right‑front tire came off and rolled down the straightaway.
Bob Reuther, with relief help from Roy Tyner, finished 13th. Tyner and L. D. Austin were first to the pits, each completing only one lap.
Penalties Issued
NASCAR executive director Pat Purcell levied penalties on several drivers who failed to appear after filing entries. Herb Shannon, Banjo Matthews, and Fred Harb each forfeited 500 championship points. Relief drivers Marvin Panch, Johnny Allen, and Charley Griffith were present but unable to compete due to mechanical issues with their teams’ cars.