| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 48 of 49 in the 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 Layout of Rockingham Speedway | |||
| Date | October 27, 1968 | ||
| Official name | American 500 | ||
| Location | North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.017 mi (1.636 km) | ||
| Distance | 492 laps, 500 mi (804 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures of 67.3 °F (19.6 °C); wind speeds of 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 105.06 miles per hour (169.08 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 32,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Laps | 216 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1968 American 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 27, 1968, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina.
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.
- ^ Weather information for the 1968 American 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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