Editor’s Note: Popular open-wheel racer Jim Hurtubise was also a frequent stock car competitor with USAC. He also dabbled in the NASCAR Cup Series, making 35 starts in the series. His lone NASCAR Cup Series victory came at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March of 1966. Below is the original race report from March 30, 1966 issue of National Speed Sport News.
ATLANTA — “Little” Jim Hurtubise proclaimed the most courageous man in auto racing, captured the seventh annual Atlanta 500 Sunday in a calm and convincing finish to one of the most grueling contests on the NASCAR circuit this season — and a record crowd of 71,000 loved it.
Hurtubise, who almost lost his life in a burning championship car crash at Milwaukee two summers ago, put his 1966 Norm Nelson Plymouth ahead of the pack for good on the 277th lap of the 334-lap affair and that’s where he stayed.
The determined visitor from the rival USAC circuit finished the 500-mile test over a lap ahead of Ford driving Fred Lorenzen to snare $17,920 of the $77.000 purse.
Hurtubise, of North Tonawanda, N. Y., put his white and flame orange machine into the lead on eight different occasions before it was all over and he led for a total of 139 laps.
And Hurtubise was the only other competitor in the 44-car field who could keep up with early leader Richard Petty, who went out of the race with a blown engine after leading 131 of the first 186 laps in his 1966 Plymouth.
Petty’s problems came early in the race, when his car started smoking from under the rear bumper. It developed that he had a cracked oil pan and leaking fluid was cooking on the exhaust pipe. Each time he stopped, oil was added, but apparently he allowed the level to get too low, and the engine exploded.
Nine drivers traded the lead 23 times before the dust settled and Hurtubise was never out of the picture. With Petty there was little doubt that Plymouth was on the way to its third major win of the young season.
Dick Hutcherson, Lorenzen’s Ford teammate, finished in the same lap as his partner to collect third money.
Paul Goldsmith, also in a factory-backed Plymouth, rolled into fourth place, four laps behind the winner, and Jim Paschal, in another Plymouth, finished fifth, eight laps off the winning pace of 131.247 mph.
Petty, the pole winner and popular favorite making his return after being sidelined for a month with a busted finger, roared off the line in convincing fashion and lead the first 31 laps of the scramble before things got testy.
It was obvious Chrysler Corp. was going to win another round in its fight for speed with Ford Motor Co. in the early going. Hurtubise added the clincher.
It was the third 500-mile victory for Plymouth in less than a month (Petty won Daytona and Goldsmith was victorious at Rockingham, N. C.) and fifth victory in eight races this season.
lt was a sweet day for the Chrysler Corp., as Lynn Townsend, president of Chrysler, Bob Anderson, Chrysler Veep and General Manager of Chrysler-Plymouth Division and Chief Engineer Bob Roger along with competitions boss Ronnie Householder, were all on hand to congratulate Hurtubise when it was over.
Hurtubise, who moved from his fifth starting spot and running in the 117-mph category at times. wound up with the lead on the 32nd lap when Lionel Johnson’s Ford blew up an engine and spewed oil on the track bringing out the first of five caution flags.
Hurtubise pitted along with Lorenzen and Dodge-driving Don White took over until Petty passed him on the 47th lap.
David Pearson and his ’65 Dodge Coronet led briefly during the frantic scramble when often the top ten cars were within 200 yards of each other. Pearson, who could also run with Hurtubise and Petty, lost several valuable laps in the pits replacing a fuel pump on the 14lst lap and he finished well down the line.
Gordon Johncock, also in a ’65 Dodge, led three laps of the tray and Curtis Turner ran ahead of the pact for three laps before Petty, Hurtubise and Lorenzen took over for good on the 155th lap.
The five caution flags consumed only 28 laps of the race and only Bobby Isaac, Junior Johnson’s Ford chauffer, and Ned Jarrett wrecked.
Lionel Johnson brought out the first yellow when he blew in the first turn on the 30th lap. John Sears blew in the same spot on the 41st lap and it was yellow again, giving all the 15 factory cars who didn’t pit on the first yellow, time to get it over with.
Isaac, after cutting a right-front tire, slammed into the fourth-turn rail on the 76th lap bringing out the third caution and Walter Wallace blew an engine on the 96th lap for two more under the yellow.
It was smooth sailing until the 295th lap when Ford’s Ned Jarrett, running in the top five at the time, blew an engine and hit the first tum rail.
When the green came out on the 297th lap, Hurtubise was keeping everybody guessing whether or not he could make it. He did. Cale Yarborough finished sixth in a factory-financed Ford, five laps behind the winner. Dodge Charger’s Sam McQuagg followed and White put his Dodge in eighth spot.
Tiny Lund collected ninth place money in his ’64 Ford and Bobby Allison finished next in an independent ’66 Ford.