The 1961 Wilkes 200, the 48th race of the 52-race 1961 NASCAR Grand National Series season, was held on Sunday, October 1 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
A crowd of 9,000 watched the 30-car field tackle the 0.625-mile paved oval for 320 laps (200 miles). Junior Johnson, driving the #27 Pontiac for owner Rex Lovette, captured the pole position with a qualifying speed of 94.54 mph.
Rex White, in his own #4 Chevrolet, took the lead from Johnson on lap 120 and dominated the remainder of the event, leading a race-high 201 laps. He made just one pit stop and won by a full lap over Fireball Roberts. Richard Petty finished third, followed by Junior Johnson in fourth and Ned Jarrett in fifth. White’s victory came at an average speed of 84.675 mph in a race lasting about two hours and twenty-two minutes. He earned $3,105 for the win.
The race was slowed by four cautions for 23 laps. This strong performance helped bolster Rex White’s championship credentials in what was already a highly competitive season on the rugged North Wilkesboro dirt track.
