The NASCAR Southern 500 is one of the most storied races on the calendar — but the 1960 edition represents a dark chapter in the sport’s history.

The Southern 500 historically takes place over Labor Day weekend. Last year, Chase Briscoe secured victory in the Southern 500 — the final regular season race of the season — to clinch a place in the NASCAR Playoffs at the last.

Given its place on the calendar, the Southern 500 finalizes the postseason field with a race usually littered with crashes. While this often leads to scenes of jubilation, Darlington Raceway has been the site of great tragedy in the past.

Darlington is known as “The Track Too Tough to Tame” because drivers can run lap after lap without a problem and then bounce off the wall the following lap. Drivers who hit the wall are considered to have received their “Darlington Stripe,” thanks to the missing paint along the side of the car.

In 1960, the Southern 500 was filled with grueling wrecks; one car crashed into the pit area, injuring Ankrum ‘Spook’ Crawford. However, the worst was yet to come.

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Later in the race, Bobby Johns crashed into the pits and killed mechanics Paul McDuffie and Charles Sweatland, as well as race official Joe Taylor. On lap 95, Johns and Roy Tyner were competing for the lead when they locked bumpers and crashed on the pit road.

No wall separated the pit lane from the circuit at the time, as was the case at most motor racing circuits. As a result, John’s car crashed into an observation post, the pit road retaining wall, and then swiped the pit area where mechanics had just serviced Joe Lee Johnson’s car.

The incident left McDuffie, Sweatland, and Taylor dead. Meanwhile, three more mechanics and a spectator were injured.

More crashes continued; pole-sitter Glenn ‘Fireball’ Roberts suffered a broken axle, leading to a ninth-place finish. However, controversy arrived at the finish line as Rex White was initially declared the winner, only for officials to discover he had been credited with an extra lap, so Buck Baker ultimately took the checkered flag.

DON’T MISS…

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin with the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 31.