The Firecracker 250, held on Monday, July 4, 1960, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, was a major Independence Day event in the NASCAR Grand National Series. This was the 23rd race of the 1960 season, contested on the famous 2.5-mile high-banked tri-oval superspeedway. The race was scheduled for 100 laps (covering 250 miles), drawing a strong field of 37 cars and featuring intense high-speed competition typical of Daytona’s early superspeedway era.
Jack Smith, starting from the pole in his #47 Pontiac (owned by himself), dominated much of the event by leading 67 laps and holding off challenges to secure the victory. The race saw 10 lead changes, with an average winning speed of 146.842 mph and a time of race around 1:42:09. Smith’s margin of victory was a close 30 feet over the runner-up, highlighting the competitive pack racing at Daytona.
Cotton Owens finished second in a Pontiac (leading 25 laps), followed by Fred Lorenzen in third, one lap down. Lee Petty took fourth in a Plymouth, and Bunkie Blackburn rounded out the top five in a Ford. Other notable finishers included Rex White (6th, Chevrolet), Ned Jarrett (7th, Ford), Banjo Matthews (8th, Chevrolet), and Richard Petty (11th, Plymouth). The field experienced significant attrition, with retirements due to issues like engines, axles, overheating, and other mechanical failures—common in the high-stress superspeedway races of the time.
This Independence Day classic showcased the growing spectacle of NASCAR’s superspeedway racing, contrasting sharply with the short-track battles at venues like Bowman Gray Stadium earlier in the year. Jack Smith’s win in a Pontiac added to the manufacturer’s strong performance that season on the big tracks, while drivers like the Pettys and Lorenzen demonstrated their versatility across different track types.
