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David Pearson won 11 races in 1969 and claimed his third NASCAR Cup Series championship aboard the No. 17 Ford Torino fielded by Holman Moody, Ford’s factory racing operation.
The end of the decade marked Pearson’s 10th season of racing in the NASCAR premier series and the 34-year-old native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, was on top of his game.
John Holman and Ralph Moody formed the Holman Moody race car factory in 1956 with Ford Motor Co. supplying cars, parts and engineering. In order to showcase the team’s craftsmanship, the powerhouse organization fielded top drivers in NASCAR with Pearson as the primary wheelman. He had joined the operation the previous year after scoring championships with team owner Cotton Owens in 1966 and 1967.
Pearson was victorious in one of the 50-mile qualifying events at Daytona International Speedway early in 1969. He also scored superspeedway victories at Rockingham Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Trenton Speedway and the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina. He notched short-track victories at Augusta Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Langley Speedway, Thompson Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway.
With so many wins, Pearson remained a strong championship contender throughout the year and found Richard Petty to be his toughest rival for the title.
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ON MONDAY, Sept. 1, 1969, the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway came down to LeeRoy Yarbrough in the Junior Johnson and Associates Ford and Pearson’s Holman Moody Ford. In a race shortened from 367 to 230 laps by rain, Yarbrough pitted for hard tires while Pearson took soft tires. On lap 220, Pearson raced past Yarbrough but lost traction in the third turn on the final lap, opening the door for Yarbrough to win.
DATE | LOCATION | WINNER
November 17 | Middle Georgia Raceway | Richard Petty
December 8 | Montgomery Speedway | Bobby Allison
February 1 | Riverside International Raceway | Richard Petty
February 20 | Daytona International Speedway | David Pearson
February 20 | Daytona International Speedway | Bobby Isaac
February 23 | Daytona International Speedway | LeeRoy Yarbrough
March 9 | Rockingham Speedway | David Pearson
March 16 | Augusta Speedway | David Pearson
March 23 | Bristol Motor Speedway | Bobby Allison
March 30 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | Cale Yarborough
April 3 | Columbia Speedway | Bobby Isaac
April 6 | Hickory Motor Speedway | Bobby Isaac
April 8 | Greenville-Pickens Speedway | Bobby Isaac
April 13 | Richmond Raceway | David Pearson
April 20 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | Bobby Allison
April 27 | Martinsville Speedway | Richard Petty
May 4 | Asheville-Weaverville Speedway | Bobby Isaac
May 10 | Darlington Raceway | LeeRoy Yarbrough
May 16 | Beltsville Speedway | Bobby Isaac
May 17 | Langley Speedway | David Pearson
May 25 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | LeeRoy Yarbrough
June 1 | Middle Georgia Raceway | Bobby Isaac
June 5 | Smoky Mountain Raceway | Bobby Isaac
June 15 | Michigan International Speedway | Cale Yarborough
June 19 | Kingsport Speedway | Richard Petty
June 21 | Greenville-Pickens Speedway | Bobby Isaac
June 26 | State Fairgrounds Speedway | David Pearson
July 4 | Daytona International Speedway | LeeRoy Yarbrough
July 6 | Dover International Speedway | Richard Petty
July 10 | Thompson Speedway | David Pearson
July 13 | Trenton Speedway | David Pearson
July 15 | Beltsville Speedway | Richard Petty
July 20 | Bristol Motor Speedway | David Pearson
July 26 | Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville | Richard Petty
July 27 | Smoky Mountain Speedway | Richard Petty
August 10 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | LeeRoy Yarbrough
August 17 | Michigan International Speedway | David Pearson
August 21 | South Boston Speedway | Bobby Isaac
August 22 | Bowman Gray Stadium | Richard Petty
August 24 | Asheville-Weaverville Speedway | Bobby Isaac
September 1 | Darlington Raceway | LeeRoy Yarbrough
September 5 | Hickory Motor Speedway | Bobby Isaac
September 7 | Richmond Raceway | Bobby Allison
September 14 | Talladega Superspeedway | Richard Brickhouse
September 18 | Columbia Speedway | Bobby Isaac
September 28 | Martinsville Speedway | Richard Petty
October 5 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | David Pearson
October 12 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Donnie Allison
October 17 | Savannah Speedway | Bobby Isaac
October 19 | Augusta Speedway | Bobby Isaac
October 26 | Rockingham Speedway | LeeRoy Yarbrough
November 2 | Jeffco Speedway | Bobby Isaac
November 9 | Middle Georgia Raceway | Bobby Allison
December 7 | Texas World Speedway | Bobby Isaac
