White Takes Wilkes 200 Stock Race
North Wilkesboro, N.C., Oct. 2 — Rex White drove his 1960 Chevrolet to victory Sunday afternoon in the first annual “Wilkes 200” stock car race before a crowd that packed the North Wilkesboro Speedway.
White, who battled Jim Paschal in a furious bumper‑to‑bumper duel through the late stages, motored home unchallenged after Paschal blew a tire with eight laps remaining. Paschal, steering a 1960 Plymouth, finished tenth after leading much of the way.
Junior Johnson, overtaking Possum Jones with four laps left, claimed second place in another 1960 Chevrolet. Jones finished third, followed by Joe Weatherly in a 1958 Ford, Buck Baker in a 1960 Chevrolet, Richard Petty in a 1960 Plymouth, Ned Jarrett in a 1960 Ford, David Pearson in a 1959 Chevrolet, Tom Pistone in a 1960 Chevrolet, and Paschal rounding out the top ten.
The race was completed in two hours, thirty‑four minutes, and fifty‑seven seconds at an average speed of 77.1 miles per hour.
Several accidents marred the afternoon, the most serious occurring on the 130th lap when Lee Petty blew a tire, crashed against the fence, and overturned in his 1960 Plymouth. Petty escaped injury, though his car was badly battered.
Many of the drivers who competed here are also entered in the 100‑mile NASCAR‑sanctioned race at the Charlotte Fairgrounds Thursday night, where the season’s top contenders will again meet under the lights.
White’s victory marked another triumph for Chevrolet’s growing dominance on the southern short tracks and added another chapter to the spirited rivalry among the sport’s leading names.
Courtesy of The Charlotte Observer October 3, 1960 via Newspapers.com