1969 Season Recap

Bobby Isaac won 17 of the 50 races he entered, but in a season marked with consistency, his performance was only good enough for sixth in the standings. David Pearson added to his legendary status in 1969 by collecting his third NASCAR Grand National (now NASCAR Winston Cup Series) championship and his second straight.

Pearson's consistent top five finishes and 11 wins gave him a padded lead in the standings as the course of the season wore on, but Bobby Isaac and other drivers experienced hot streaks late in the season in efforts to make things "interesting."

FIVE RACES TO GO: Augusta, GA - With five races remaining in the 1969 season, defending champion David Pearson held a 272 point lead over two-time champion Richard Petty and an 899 point lead over sixth place Bobby Isaac, who was coming off his 14th win of the year. Isaac's success carried over to Augusta Speedway where he won the caution-free event. Petty finished the race in the runner-up position while Pearson frustrated his challengers with a third place finish. Title contenders Neil Castles and Elmo Langley finished seventh and fifth, respectively.

FOUR RACES TO GO: Rockingham, NC - With a runner-up finish at North Carolina Motor Speedway, David Pearson clinched his third NASCAR Grand National championship with a lead of 363 points over Richard Petty, who came in 32nd after a crash on lap 142. The other title contenders struggled. Neil Castles finished 10th, Bobby Isaac 16th, James Hylton 28th and Elmo Langley came in 22nd. Langley remained fifth in the standings while Castles held down the fourth position.

THREE RACES TO GO: Jefferson, GA - Bobby Isaac outran points leader David Pearson at Jeffco Speedway to win for the 16th time on the season, but found himself still mired in sixth in the standings. Richard Petty finished right behind his two rivals in third. Neil Castles finished fifth and Elmo Langley sixth, as James Hylton was the only title contender who had a bad day, coming in 24th.

TWO RACES TO GO: Macon, GA - Three-time champion David Pearson ran runner-up to Bobby Allison at Middle Georgia Speedway and grew his point lead over Richard Petty. Bobby Isaac continued his torrid pace with a third place effort at Macon. Petty finished in the sixth position. James Hylton, currently third in the season standings, finished the race in 10th. Neil Castles came in 16th and Elmo Langley followed four positions behind in 20th.

FINAL RACE: College Station, TX - Bobby Isaac completed his incredible season with another victory, his 17th of the season. New champion David Pearson had trouble with his clutch and retired on lap 142, finishing 26th. Richard Petty also had clutch problems and was relegated to 21st place, finishing 357 points behind Pearson on the season. James Hylton's fourth place finish sealed third place in the standings for the year. Neil Castles finished the race at Texas International Speedway in 16th and wrapped up a fourth place finish in the season-long standing. Elmo Langley struggled to a 27th place finish in the event but finished fifth on the season, despite Isaac's winning ways.