The 1961 Atlanta 500, the ninth race of the 1961 NASCAR Grand National Series, was contested on March 26, 1961, at the 1.500‑mile paved Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia. The event was scheduled for 334 laps (501 miles) and was run under relatively high speeds for the era, with an average race pace near 124.172 mph on a day that drew a large crowd to the newly established superspeedway. Marvin Panch posted the pole position with a qualifying speed of 135.755 mph for the 46‑car field, but race day fortunes would shift away from the early pace setter.
In a surprising result, Bob Burdick, driving a family‑run Pontiac prepared by his father and crew, took the lead from his seventh‑starting position and led 44 laps en route to his only career NASCAR Grand National victory. Burdick completed all 334 circuits to score the win ahead of runner‑up Rex White and third‑place finisher Ralph Earnhardt. White drove a Chevrolet to the runner‑up spot, and Earnhardt brought his Pontiac home in third. Nelson Stacy finished fourth, with Ned Jarrett in fifth. Marvin Panch, despite leading the most laps with 127, slipped to sixth place by the finish.
Numerous competitors failed to complete the full distance due to mechanical issues typical of the era; only a fraction of the starters were running at the race’s conclusion. Banjo Matthews finished 16th after leading earlier in the event before a mechanical problem ended his day. Burdick’s victory in Atlanta marked him as the only Nebraska‑born driver to win a NASCAR Grand National event and stood out as a rare triumph for an independent, family‑owned effort in an increasingly factory‑backed series.
