1960: Gone with the wind

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- With two laps to go in the second annual Daytona 500, Bobby Johns had everything in hand except the trophy and the nearly $20,000 first-place check.

	Robert "Junior" Johnson

That was, until a freak gust of wind shattered the rear window on Johns' 1960 Pontiac, sending his car spinning backwards down the backstretch where it narrowly missed splashing into Lake Lloyd.

By the time Johns regained his composure -- and control of his car -- Junior Johnson had motored by, leaving Johns a frustrated runner-up. The Petty family -- Lee and Richard -- claimed third and fourth, the only other cars on the lead lap at the finish.

KNOW YOUR NASCAR  •  1960 Season Recap  •  50 Greatest Drivers: Robert "Junior" Johnson  •  More NASCAR History    1960 Daytona 500 Top 10  1. Junior Johnson  2. Bobby Johns  3. Richard Petty  4. Lee Petty  5. Johnny Allen  6. Ned Jarrett  7. Curtis Turner  8. Fred Lorenzen  9. Rex White  10. Emanuel Zervakis

Johns wasn't the only driver in a bad mood. Fast qualifier Fireball Roberts led the first 19 laps but retired with mechanical problems one-quarter of the way into the race, finishing 57th out of 68 starters. Pole-sitter Cotton Owens, another pre-race favorite, ended up 40th. Jack Smith, who started second, led 14 laps before damaged lugnuts put an early end to his day.

The wind played havoc with the field, causing 14 spinouts and crashes, the most serious being Tommy Herbert's wild ride down the backstretch. Herbert's car flipped several times in the air as Lee Petty drove underneath it and Johnson swerved to avoid it. Herbert was hospitalized with a broken arm and eye injuries.

Tiger Tom Pistone, who led 26 laps, spun into an infield fence on the last lap, hitting hard enough to fracture his nose.

David Pearson made his Daytona 500 debut, finishing 28th.

This is one in a series of articles counting down to the 2003 Daytona 500.