First Union 400
{{short description|Defunct NASCAR auto race}}
{{refimprove|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox motor race
| Name = First Union 400
| Logo = 134px
| Track map = 200px
| Series long = NASCAR Winston Cup Series
| Venue = North Wilkesboro Speedway, Wilkes County, North Carolina
| Sponsor = First Union
| First race = 1951
| Last race = 1996
| Distance = {{Convert|250|mi|km|1}}
| Laps = 400
| Previous names = Wilkes County 150 (1951)
Wilkes County 200 (1952–1953)
Wilkes County 160 (1954–1958)
Gwyn Staley 160 (1959–1960)
Gwyn Staley 400 (1961–1978)
Northwestern Bank 400 (1979–1985)
First Union 400 (1986–1996)
}}
The First Union 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held annually from 1951 to 1996 at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in Wilkes County, North Carolina. It was the first of two Winston Cup Series races held annually (with the autumn's Tyson Holly Farms 400) at North Wilkesboro Speedway before the track was abandoned in 1996.{{cite web | url=http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/features/04/01/enterprise.north.wilkesboro.economic.impact/index.html | title=North Wilkesboro alive and well, even without racing | publisher=NASCAR | date=April 1, 2009 | access-date=April 22, 2012 | author=Aumann, Mark}} The race was normally held in late March or early April.
Past winners
class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
rowspan="2"|Year
! rowspan="2"|Date ! rowspan="2"|{{Tooltip|No.|Car number}} ! rowspan="2"|Driver ! rowspan="2"|Team ! rowspan="2"|Manufacturer ! colspan="2"|Race Distance ! rowspan="2"|Race Time ! rowspan="2"|Average Speed ! rowspan="2"|Report ! rowspan="2"|Ref |
---|
Laps
! Miles (km) |
1951
| April 29 |align="center"|14 |align="center"|150 |align="center"|93.75 (150.876) |align="center"| |align="center"| | Report |
1952
| March 30 |align="center"|92 | Hudson |align="center"|200 |align="center"|125 (201.168) |align="center"|2:08:00 |align="center"|58.597 | Report |
1953
| March 29 |align="center"|92 | Hudson |align="center"|200 |align="center"|125 (201.168) |align="center"|1:44:18 |align="center"| 71.907 | Report |
1954
| April 4 |align="center"|3 | Hudson |align="center"|160 |align="center"|100 (160.934) |align="center"|1:27:32 |align="center"|68.545 | Report |
1955
| April 3 |align="center"|87 |align="center"|160 |align="center"|100 (160.934) |align="center"|1:22:03 |align="center"|73.126 | Report |
1956
| April 8 |align="center"|300A | Chrysler |align="center"|160 |align="center"|100 (160.934) |align="center"|1:24:28 |align="center"|71.034 | Report |
1957
| April 7 |align="center"|22 | Ford |align="center"|160 |align="center"|100 (160.934) |align="center"|1:19:59 |align="center"|75.015 | Report |
1958
| May 18 |align="center"|11 | Ford |align="center"|160 |align="center"|100 (160.934) |align="center"|1:16:18 |align="center"|78.636 | Report |
1959
| April 5 |align="center"|43 |align="center"|160 |align="center"|100 (160.934) |align="center"|1:23:21 |align="center"|71.985 | Report |
1960
| March 27 |align="center"|42 | Plymouth |align="center"|160 |align="center"|100 (160.934) |align="center"|1:30:26 |align="center"|66.347 | Report |
1961
| April 16 |align="center"|4 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"| 3:00:11 |align="center"|83.248 | Report |
1962
| April 15 |align="center"|43 | Plymouth |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:57:01 |align="center"|84.737 | Report |
1963
| April 28 |align="center"|43 | Plymouth |align="center"|257* |align="center"|160.625 (258.5) |align="center"|1:57:06 |align="center"|83.301 | Report |
1964
| April 19 |align="center"|28 | Ford |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|3:03:05 |align="center"|81.93 | Report |
1965
| April 18 |align="center"|26 | Ford |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:37:49 |align="center"| 95.047 | Report |
1966
| April 17 |align="center"|14 | Plymouth |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:50:22 |align="center"|89.045 | Report |
1967
| April 16 |align="center"|26 | Ford |align="center"|400 |align="center"|270 (434.522) |align="center"|2:40:16 |align="center"|93.594 | Report |
1968
| April 21 |align="center"|17 | Holman-Moodybo | Ford |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:45:33 |align="center"|90.425 | Report |
1969
| April 20 |align="center"|22 | Dodge |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:37:27 |align="center"|95.268 | Report |
1970
| April 18 |align="center"|43 | Plymouth |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"| 2:38:41 |align="center"|94.246 | Report |
1971
| April 18 |align="center"|43 | Plymouth |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:32:19 |align="center"|98.479 | Report |
1972
| April 23 |align="center"|43 | Plymouth |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:53:19 |align="center"|86.381 | Report |
1973
| April 8 |align="center"|43 | Dodge |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:34:17 |align="center"|97.224 | Report |
1974
| April 21 |align="center"|43 | Dodge |align="center"|360* |align="center"|225 (362.102) |align="center"|2:20:20 |align="center"|96.2 | Report |
1975
| April 6 |align="center"|43 | Dodge |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:46:39 |align="center"|90.009 | Report |
1976
| April 4 |align="center"|11 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:34:52 |align="center"| 96.858 | Report |
1977
| March 27 |align="center"|11 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"| 2:48:38 |align="center"|88.95 | Report |
1978
| April 16 |align="center"|88 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:42:26 |align="center"|92.345 | Report |
1979
| March 25 |align="center"|15 | Ford |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:49:41 |align="center"| 88.4 | Report |
1980
| April 20 |align="center"|43 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:37:04 |align="center"|95.501 | Report |
1981
| April 5 |align="center"|43 | Buick |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"| 2:55:41 |align="center"|85.381 | Report |
1982
| April 18 |align="center"|11 | Buick |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:33:37 |align="center"|97.646 | Report |
1983
| April 17 |align="center"|11 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:44:03 |align="center"| 91.436 | Report |
1984
| April 8 |align="center"|27 | Pontiac |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:33:19 |align="center"|97.83 | Report |
1985
| April 21 |align="center"|12 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:39:53 |align="center"| 93.818 | Report |
1986
| April 20 |align="center"|3 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:49:40 |align="center"| 88.408 | Report |
1987
| April 5 |align="center"|3 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:39:24 |align="center"|94.103 | Report |
1988
| April 17 |align="center"|11 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:31:24 |align="center"|99.075 | Report |
1989
| April 16 |align="center"|3 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:46:47 |align="center"|89.937 | Report |
1990
| April 22 |align="center"|26 | Buick |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:58:46 |align="center"|83.908 | Report |
1991
| April 21 |align="center"|17 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|3:08:26 |align="center"|79.604 | Report |
1992
| April 12 |align="center"|28 | Ford |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:45:28 |align="center"|90.653 | Report |
1993
| April 18 |align="center"|2 | Pontiac |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:41:59 |align="center"|92.602 | Report |
1994
| April 17 |align="center"|5 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:36:33 |align="center"|95.816 | Report |
1995
| April 9 |align="center"|3 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:26:27 |align="center"|102.424 | Report |
1996
| April 14 |align="center"|5 |align="center"|400 |align="center"|250 (402.336) |align="center"|2:35:39 |align="center"|96.37 | Report |
- 1963: Race shortened due to rain.
- 1974: Race shortened due to energy crisis.
- 1977: Yarborough won on his birthday, the first driver to do so.
- 1990: Bodine's lone Winston Cup victory and last win for Buick; finish disputed due to a scoring error.
=Multiple winners (drivers)=
class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
# Wins
! Driver ! Years Won |
---|
10
| 1962, 1963, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981 |
rowspan="2" | 4
| 1978, 1982, 1983, 1991 |
Dale Earnhardt
| 1986, 1987, 1989, 1995 |
3
| 1988, 1994, 1996 |
rowspan="5" | 2
| 1952, 1953 |
Lee Petty
| 1959, 1960 |
Junior Johnson
| 1958, 1965 |
Cale Yarborough
| 1976, 1977 |
Bobby Allison
| 1969, 1979 |
=Multiple winners (manufacturers)=
class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
# Wins
! Manufacturer ! Years Won |
---|
15
| 1961, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996 |
8
| Ford | 1957, 1958, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1979, 1992 |
7
| Plymouth | 1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1972 |
4
| Dodge | 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975 |
rowspan="3" | 3
| Hudson | 1952, 1953, 1954 |
Oldsmobile
| 1951, 1955, 1959 |
Buick
| 1981, 1982, 1990 |
2
| Pontiac | 1984, 1993 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Racing-Reference track|North_Wilkesboro_Speedway|North Wilkesboro Speedway}}
{{NASCAR Cup Series races}}