1966 World 600

The 1966 World 600, the 7th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series race held on May 22, 1966, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Contested over 400 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) speedway, it was the 20th race of the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series season.

Marvin Panch of Petty Enterprises would win his final NASCAR Grand National Series race while Gene Cline would retire from professional stock car racing after the race was over. When Buddy Baker suffered a blown engine during the 44th lap, he was setting a pace of 145.291 mph; speeds that were unprecedented during the late 1960s.

Background
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States, 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious World 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the National 500. Bruton Smith established the speedway in 1959, and it is considered NASCAR's home track, with many race teams based in the Charlotte region. Speedway Motorsports Inc. owns and operates the track. (SMI).