| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 10 of 52 in the 1961 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | April 1, 1961 | ||
| Official name | Greenville 200 | ||
| Location | Greenville-Pickens Speedway (Greenville, South Carolina) | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.500 mi (0.804 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 100 mi (160 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures of 62.1 °F (16.7 °C); wind speeds of 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 52.189 miles per hour (83.990 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 5,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Rex Lovette | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rex White | Rex White | |
| Laps | 106 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 85 | Emanuel Zervakis | Monroe Shook | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1961 Greenville 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 1, 1961, at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina.
After nearly two hours of racing 200 laps, Emanuel Zervakis emerged as the winner as he managed to defeat Richard Petty by an unknown margin in front of a crowd of 5000 people. This would make the first of two career victories for Zervakis and the only time that a driver with the number 85 to have two career victories in NASCAR Cup Series history.[2] All 21 of the drivers on the grid were American-born males.[2] Doug Yates would receive the last-place finish due to a driveshaft issue on the eighth lap.[2] Other notable names who competed were: Junior Johnson, Roy Tyner, and Ned Jarrett.[2] Johnson would qualify for the pole position with speeds up to 62.09 miles per hour (99.92 km/h) during the qualifying sessions.[2] Four cautions slowed the race for 20 laps; there was only one crash during the entire race.[2]
Bob Barron was a middle-aged rookie who started in 20th place and finished in 18th place. After the 1961 NASCAR Grand National Series season, Barron attempted to do only one more NASCAR Cup Series race while making attempts to look into it further.[2]
Zervakis would make his first win in his NASCAR career at this racing event.[3] Bud Allman was one of the notable crew chiefs at the race; he worked on Ned Jarrett's #11 Ford vehicle.[4]
The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s.
| Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Junior Johnson | '60 Pontiac | Rex Lovette |
| 2 | 85 | Emanuel Zervakis | '60 Chevrolet | Monroe Shook |
| 3 | 47 | Jack Smith | '61 Pontiac | Jack Smith |
| 4 | 4 | Rex White | '60 Chevrolet | Rex White |
| 5 | 43 | Richard Petty | '60 Plymouth | Petty Enterprises |
| 6 | 23 | Doug Yates | '59 Plymouth | Raeford Johnson |
| 7 | 86 | Buck Baker | '61 Chrysler | Buck Baker |
| 8 | 67 | David Pearson | '60 Chevrolet | G.C. Spencer |
| 9 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | '60 Ford | B.G. Holloway |
| 10 | 48 | G.C. Spencer | '60 Chevrolet | G.C. Spencer |
| 11 | 54 | Jimmy Pardue | '59 Chevrolet | Jimmy Pardue |
| 12 | 2 | Tommy Irwin | '67 Ford T-Bird | Tom Daniels |
| 13 | 17 | Fred Harb | '59 Ford | Fred Harb |
| 14 | 9 | Roy Tyner | '60 Ford | Roy Tyner |
| 15 | 0 | Bobby Waddell | '59 Dodge | Bobby Waddell |
| 16 | 1 | Paul Lewis | '61 Chevrolet | Jess Potter |
| 17 | 35 | George Green | '59 Plymouth | M.J. Black |
| 18 | 62 | Curtis Crider | '59 Plymouth | Curtis Crider |
| 19 | 19 | Herman Beam | '60 Ford | Herman Beam |
| 20 | 71 | Bob Barron | '60 Dodge | Bob Barron |
| 21 | 30 | Doug Cox | '59 Ford T-Bird | Doug Cox |
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