1970 CAMP DOGWOOD 250
Stock Car Racing History
CAMP DOGWOOD 250
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Sunday April 12, 1970
Race #5 was the second annual Camp Dogwood 250. A state wide project of the North Carolina Lions Club for the benefit of the North Carolina Association for the Blind. The proceeds from the event went to the Associations Camp Dogwood, a summer camp located on Lake Norman especially designed for the use and enjoyment of people who are blind or have major sight impairment.
There was a record number of 47 entrants for a Grand American race with 39 cars making qualifying runs. The first 10 positions were claimed on the first day of qualifying on Saturday. The rest of the field was set in the second qualifying session at noon on Sunday.
Tiny Lund claimed the pole position with a record lap of 35.59 seconds for a speed of 152.585 MPH in the Ronnie Hopkins prepared Camaro. The lap was almost 2 MPH faster than last years pole speed set by Pete Hamilton who had run 2 four barrel carburetors while Tiny had only one four barrel this year. Jim Paschal in a Warren Prout prepared Javelin started second with Larry Wallace in a Holman-Moody Mustang third and Modified ace Sonny Hutchins in Johhny Divers Camaro that James Hylton had driven to victory at Daytona in fourth.
Wayne Andrews, the fastest second day qualifier, in the Shaw Racing Enterprises Cougar entered the race with the point lead even with Tiny having won 3 of the first 4 races. After qualifying the normally care free Lund was a little worried that the worm is going to turn as he put it. Feeling that he had had his share of good luck in two of those wins he was hoping it would not run out in one of the richest races of the year.
There was excitement early with a power failure in the scorers stand and a brush fire off turn 3 during the 2:00 PM parade laps. With these problems quickly fixed Tiny set the pace early leading the first 54 laps when Ed Conner crashed his Camaro into the inside guard rail on the back stretch. Paschal went into the lead when Tiny pitted for gas. Tiny thought he may have fouled a plug so as the crew checked it out a plug wire was dropped. To keep from going a lap down he went out and came right back in to get the wire put back on. Thinking he had lost the chance to get tires he saw the wrecker was having trouble hooking up the wrecked car so he headed down pit road for the third time to get fresh rubber. With only 2 men allowed over the wall he had to blast out of the pits and only beat the pace car back on the track by a few feet. Tinys luck was still holding as the caution had lasted 9 laps.
On the restart Jim Paschal was out front thru lap 75 when Tiny went back to the lead. The second caution came on lap 97 but was only out for 2 laps when Paschal lost the engine in his Javelin. The third caution came quickly on lap 110 when Johnny Allen blew the engine in his Mustang. Sonny Hutchins went to the lead when Tiny pitted under the caution and led one green flag lap before Tiny regained the lead on lap 118. Tiny led the rest of the way with Hutchins getting close a couple of times but Tiny had a 4 second advantage at the end for his first Charlotte win. Wayne Andrews was third 4 laps down with Bobby Brack and Cales brother J.C. Yarborough fourth and fifth 8 laps down.
Attendance was reported as 15,000. There were 3 cautions for 18 laps with 21 of the 37 starters running at the finish. Tinys take of the $15,453 purse was $3,000.
Fin Srt Car # Driver Car Laps Reason out
1 1 55 Tiny Lund 69 Camaro 167 Running
2 4 48 Sonny Hutchins 70 Camaro 167 Running
3 11 15 Wayne Andrews 70 Cougar 163 Running
4 12 75 Bobby Brack 69 Camaro 159 Running
5 7 59 J.C. Yarborough 70 Cougar 159 Running
6 9 44 Ken Rush 69 Camaro 158 Ignition
7 8 77 Joie Chitwood Jr. 68 Camaro 157 Running
8 5 95 Butch Harben 68 Camaro 156 Running
9 23 8 Phil Wills 68 Camaro 154 Running
10 22 37 Bill Hemby 68 Camaro 153 Running
11 26 26 Richard Childress 68 Camaro 153 Running
12 24 54 Bobby Fleming 68 Camaro 151 Running
13 20 01 Tommy Andrews 68 Mustang 150 Running
14 21 0 Stan Starr, Jr. 68 Camaro 149 Running
15 31 88 T.C. Hunt 68 Camaro 143 Running
16 14 2 Randy Hutchison 69 Camaro 143 Running
17 29 24 Bobby Wilson 68 Camaro 140 Running
18 10 39 Earl Briggs 68 Camaro 138 Running
19 6 42 Charlie Blanton 69 Camaro 136 Engine
20 28 56 Les Covey 68 Camaro 136 Running
21 19 07 Bob Burcham 68 Camaro 135 Engine
22 34 9 Stan Starr, Sr. 68 Camaro 134 Running
23 33 72 Doug Easton 68 Mustang 129 Running
24 15 66 Phil Kendrick 68 Camaro 127 A frame
25 37 17 Ernie Shaw 68 Mustang 126 Running
26 13 97 Johnny Allen 69 Mustang 104 Engine
27 2 14 Jim Paschal 70 Javelin 97 Engine
28 16 21 Frank Sessoms 68 Camaro 81 Rocker arm
29 3 49 Larry Wallace 70 Mustang 72 Engine
30 18 31 Earl Canavan 68 Javelin 65 Engine
31 35 7 Jimmy Vaughn 68 Camaro 53 Engine
32 27 04 C.B. Gwyn 68 Cougar 34 Engine
33 17 62 Ed Conner 68 Camaro 34 Engine
34 30 71 David Boggs 68 Camaro 24 Oil leak
35 36 74 Al Straub 69 Mustang 7 Engine
36 36 87 Buck Baker 69 Firebird 6 Handling
37 32 12 Alvin Brown 68 Mustang 2 Oil leak
J.C. Yarborough goes by a spinning Butch Harben
updated by @dennis-andrews: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
