The Gwyn Staley Memorial at North Wilkesboro Speedway on April 16, 1961 was the first North Wilkesboro race held in honor of Gwyn Staley, the local favorite who had been killed during a 1958 convertible division crash at the Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds in Richmond. A crowd of 12,500 fans attended the 400-lap Grand National event on the track’s .625-mile paved oval, with 25 cars taking the green flag. Junior Johnson won the pole at 95.66 mph and thrilled the hometown crowd by leading the first 62 laps, but his challenge ended when transmission failure knocked him out of the race.
That setback of Johnson and others opened the way for Rex White, who methodically took control and turned the afternoon into a commanding victory. White handled the pace through six caution periods totaling 33 laps and steadily built a huge advantage over the field. By the finish he was more than two laps ahead, averaging 83.246 mph for a decisive win.
Tommy Irwin finished second, followed by Richard Petty in third, Fireball Roberts in fourth, and Johnny Allen in fifth. While White dominated the race itself, the day also marked the beginning of a new spring tradition at Wilkesboro, where Staley’s name would remain attached to one of the track’s signature events for years to come.
