1966 World 600

1966 World 600

Race details
Race 20 of 49 in the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series season
1966 World 600 program cover
Date	May 22, 1966 (1966-05-22)
Location	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance	400 laps, 600 mi (965.606 km)
Average speed	135.042 mph (217.329 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Richard Petty
Most laps led
Driver	David Pearson
Laps	134
Winner
No. 42	Marvin Panch

The 1966 World 600, the 7th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series race held on May 22, 1966, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Contested over 400 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) speedway, it was the 20th race of the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series season.

Marvin Panch of Petty Enterprises would win his final NASCAR Grand National Series race while Gene Cline would retire from professional stock car racing after the race was over.^[1] When Buddy Baker suffered a blown engine during the 44th lap,^{[citation needed]} he was setting a pace of 145.291 miles per hour or 233.823 kilometres per hour; speeds that were unprecedented during the late 1960s.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States, 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious World 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the National 500. Bruton Smith established the speedway in 1959, and it is considered NASCAR's home track, with many race teams based in the Charlotte region. Speedway Motorsports Inc. owns and operates the track. (SMI).