The 1966 Hickory 250s – NASCAR Cup Series Video

New historic race in the NASCAR Cup Series with this week a gravel race of the 1966 season contested at the Hickory Speedway, the Hickory 250.

On Sunday, the NASCAR Premier Division will contest its first gravel race in the modern era, so it’s an opportunity to watch a race on one of these tracks. We must therefore go back to the era of pioneers to find traces of a race on gravel in the NASCAR Cup Series. Hickory Speedway has hosted 35 of the 501 land races in history.

In the 1966 season, the 0.4 mile track located in Hickory, North Carolina, twice hosted NASCAR. In April for the ninth round, then in September for the forty-third of the forty-nine races on the calendar.

Twenty-six pilots will take the start for this April race. Elmo Langley takes pole at the wheel of a 1964 Ford at an average speed of 75.117 mph. Only eight of the drivers have a current year car for this event.

This 1966 season will mark the withdrawal of Ford’s financial support to its teams on the grounds that NASCAR authorizes Chrysler to use its Hemi engines. This decision will be made on April 7, the day of the tenth race of the season.

Asphalted in 1967, the track will be called Hickory Motor Speedway from the 1984 season. If it does not survive the passage of the modern era in the NASCAR Cup Series, the track will be used by the second division, from 1982 to 1998 In 1982 the route will be on the program six times!

Find more historic NASCAR races on the dedicated page of the site.