White Wins Hot Duel With Joe Weatherly
Martinsville, Va., Sept. 26 — Rex White captured one of the most thrilling stock car duels in NASCAR history Sunday afternoon, bumping Joe Weatherly for 20 miles before finally passing him on the 490th lap to win the 500‑lap Virginia Sweepstakes at Martinsville Speedway.
It was a two‑man race from start to finish before an estimated 13,500 fans who watched White and Weatherly steer clear of a spectacular mid‑race collision near the halfway point. Except for the first five laps, when pole‑sitter Glenn Wood led the field, either White or Weatherly held the lead.
Weatherly paced the race from lap six to 133, then White took over until 328, when Weatherly regained the front. The real battle began at lap 490, as the two engaged in a bumper‑to‑bumper struggle on the tight half‑mile asphalt track. Each time Weatherly opened a car‑length gap, White closed it again on the straightaways, the pair practically rubbing fenders as the crowd roared. White finally pulled ahead five miles from the finish and crossed the line 200 yards in front after a grueling contest that saw his winning speed average 60.3 miles per hour.
The race was slowed by 31 caution laps. Junior Johnson finished third in a 1960 Ford, followed by Jim Paschal in a 1960 Plymouth and Buck Baker in a 1960 Chevrolet.
It was White’s fifth Grand National victory of the year, earning him $2,300 and boosting his season total to more than $40,000. Weatherly collected $1,375 for second place. The win also extended White’s lead in the national point standings to 2,064 over Baker.
The race was marred by several accidents, the most serious on lap 192 when Lee Petty’s car blew a tire and crashed against the wall. Petty was unhurt, but his car was badly damaged. Richard Petty and Junior Johnson were also involved in spins, though no one was injured.
White’s triumph added another highlight to his championship campaign and gave Chevrolet another victory in the season’s hard‑fought short‑track battles.