On March 27, 1966, a crowd of 71,000 fans packed Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Atlanta 500. The 1.5-mile Georgia oval hosted a strong 44-car field. Richard Petty earned the pole position with a qualifying speed of 147.742 mph, but his day ended early with engine failure on lap 185 after leading the opening stages.
In one of the biggest upsets of the season, Jim Hurtubise scored his first — and only — NASCAR victory. Driving the #56 Norm Nelson Plymouth, Hurtubise took control and won by a full lap over Fred Lorenzen. Dick Hutcherson finished third, followed by Paul Goldsmith in fourth and Jim Paschal in fifth. The race featured 23 lead changes among five drivers and was slowed by five cautions for 31 laps.
Hurtubise posted a winning average speed of 131.247 mph and collected $17,920 for the triumph. His dominant run in the Plymouth delivered a memorable breakthrough for the popular USAC star on NASCAR’s superspeedway stage.
