1964 Savannah 200
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 20 of 62 in the 1964 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | November 8, 1964 | ||
| Location | Savannah Speedway (Savannah, Georgia, U.S.A.) | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 0.500 mi (0.804 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 100 mi (160 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 72.3 °F (22.4 °C); wind speeds up to 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 70.326 miles per hour (113.179 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Jimmy Pardue | Charles Robinson | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jimmy Pardue | Charles Robinson | |
| Laps | 137 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 45 |
LeeRoy Yarbrough |
Louis Weathersbee | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1964 Savannah 200 is a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series, also formerly known as the Winston Cup Series and the Winston Cup Grand National Series) racing event that took place on May 1, 1964, at Savannah Speedway in the American community of Savannah, Georgia.
Summary
There were 12 American-born drivers on the grid; Ned Jarrett was credited with the last-place finish due to an engine problem on lap 127 of 200.[2] Jimmy Pardue traded the lead with LeeRoy Yarbrough before he defeated Marvin Panch by one lap.[2] Lug bolts forced Cale Yarborough to end the race on lap 185; though he finished in fifth place.[2] It took nearly 90 minutes for the drivers to complete all 200 laps at speeds averaging up to 70.326 miles per hour (113.179 km/h).[2] Pardue qualified for the pole position by achieving a top speed of 73.111 miles per hour (117.661 km/h) during the solo qualifying sessions.[2] Monetary prizes after this race ranged from $1,000 ($7,604.08 when adjusted for inflation) to $150 ($1,140.61 when adjusted for inflation).[2] The combined purse of the entire race was $3,790 ($28,819.45 when adjusted for inflation).[3]
Andy Buffington made his only start in the racing event, while Yarbrough acquired his first NASCAR Cup Series win.[4] More than half of the racing grid has been nominated to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. An untitled 1964 NASCAR Cup Series racing event at Rambi Speedway in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina ultimately became the final race to host less than 15 drivers on the starting grid.
The race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of homologation (and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power any more.
Finishing order
- 45-LeeRoy Yarbrough†
- 21-Marvin Panch
- 43-Richard Petty
- 87-Buddy Baker
- 19-Cale Yarborough*
- 01-Curtis Crider
- 6-David Pearson*
- 71-Andy Buffington
- 9-Roy Tyner†
- 88-Jimmy Helms
- 54-Jimmy Pardue*†
- 11-Ned Jarrett*
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* signifies that the driver failed to finish the race
Timeline
- Start of race: Jimmy Pardue started the race with the pole position
- Lap 127: Ned Jarrett's vehicle had an engine problem; forcing him out of the race
- Lap 137: Jimmy Pardue developed problems with his vehicle's rear end; causing him to leave the race early
- Lap 138: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Jimmy Pardue
- Lap 176: David Pearson excused himself from the event because of a problem with his vehicle's rear end
- Lap 185: The lug bolts on Cale Yarborough's vehicle became loose; forcing him to withdraw from the race
- End of race: LeeRoy Yarbrough won the race
References
- ↑ Weather information for the 1964 Savannah 200 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 1964 Savannah 200 racing information at Racing-Reference
- ↑ 1964 Savannah 200 racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
- ↑ 1964 Savannah 200 racing information at Race-Database
| Preceded by 1964 Virginia 500 |
NASCAR Grand National Races 1964 |
Succeeded by 1964 Rebel 300 |