1963 Old Dominion 500
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 48 of 55 in the 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
|
A map showing the layout of Martinsville Speedway | |||
| Date | September 22, 1963 | ||
| Official name | Old Dominion 500 | ||
| Location | Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.525 mi (0.844 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 262.5 mi (442.4 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with temperatures approaching 73.9 °F (23.3 °C); wind speeds up to 17.1 miles per hour (27.5 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 67.486 miles per hour (108.608 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 20,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Fox Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Fred Lorenzen | Holman-Moody | |
| Laps | 421 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 28 | Fred Lorenzen | Holman-Moody | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1963 Old Dominion 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on September 22, 1963, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.
Background
Martinsville Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races.[2] The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.526 miles (0.847 km) long.[3] The track's turns are banked at eleven degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at zero degrees. The back stretch also has a zero degree banking.[3]
Summary
The race was scheduled for 500 laps; taking three hours and forty-two minutes to complete. Fred Lorenzen defeated Marvin Panch by a single lap and two seconds. Twenty thousand people came to witness three lead changes and five cautions for eighteen laps. Junior Johnson won the pole position for this race; driving speeds up to 73.379 miles per hour (118.092 km/h) in qualifying. Speeds during the actual race managed to reach up to 67.486 miles per hour (108.608 km/h). Jimmy Massey became the last-place finisher after having to drop out prior to the race due to a terminal crash with Jimmy Pardue.[4] Most of the car owners that were involved in the race were independents and had no affiliation with a multi-car team.[5]
This race still holds the record for the fewest leaders in a NASCAR Cup Series race along with the 1961 Old Dominion 500, the 1965 Old Dominion 500 and the 1976 Old Dominion 500.[6] Individual winnings for this race were as low as $100 ($782.28 when adjusted for inflation) and as high as $3,800 ($29,726.74 when adjusted for inflation).[7]
The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s; most of the cars were trailered to events or hauled in by trucks.
Qualifying
| Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Speed[8] | Qualifying time[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Junior Johnson | '63 Chevrolet | 73.379 | 24.530 |
| 2 | 28 | Fred Lorenzen | '63 Ford | 73.289 | 24.560 |
| 3 | 22 | Fireball Roberts | '63 Ford | 72.845 | 24.710 |
| 4 | 4 | Rex White | '63 Mercury | 72.144 | 24.950 |
| 5 | 21 | Marvin Panch | '63 Ford | 72.144 | 24.960 |
| 6 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | '63 Ford | 71.884 | 25.040 |
| 7 | 8 | Joe Weatherly | '63 Mercury | 71.827 | 25.060 |
| 8 | 6 | David Pearson | '63 Dodge | 71.770 | 25.080 |
| 9 | 41 | Richard Petty | '63 Plymouth | 71.741 | 25.090 |
| 10 | 5 | Billy Wade | '63 Dodge | 71.400 | 25.210 |
Failed to qualify: Bobby Keck (#57), Possum Jones (#05)[8]
Top twenty finishers
| Pos | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Reason for DNF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Fred Lorenzen | Ford | 500 | |
| 2 | 21 | Marvin Panch | Ford | 499 | |
| 3 | 8 | Joe Weatherly | Mercury | 497 | |
| 4 | 6 | David Pearson | Dodge | 396 | |
| 5 | 41 | Richard Petty | Plymouth | 496 | |
| 6 | 5 | Billy Wade | Dodge | 495 | |
| 7 | 22 | Fireball Roberts | Ford | 489 | |
| 8 | 29 | Nelson Stacy | Ford | 488 | |
| 9 | 47 | Jack Smith | Plymouth | 488 | |
| 10 | 87 | Buck Baker | Pontiac | 477 | |
| 11 | 36 | Larry Thomas | Dodge | 477 | |
| 12 | 19 | Cale Yarborough | Ford | 474 | |
| 13 | 62 | Curtis Crider | Mercury | 461 | |
| 14 | 60 | Bud Harless | Pontiac | 461 | |
| 15 | 09 | Larry Manning | Chevrolet | 459 | |
| 16 | 86 | Worth McMillion | Pontiac | 447 | |
| 17 | 67 | Reb Wickersham | Pontiac | 430 | Crash |
| 18 | 34 | Wendell Scott | Chevrolet | 403 | |
| 19 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | Ford | 362 | Engine |
| 20 | 99 | Larry Frank | Ford | 300 | Overheating |
Timeline
- Start of race: Junior Johnson had the pole position to begin the event, two drivers would crash into each other before the first official lap
- Lap 13: The head gasket on Jack Anderson's vehicle came off
- Lap 26: An oil leak from Bobby Keck's vehicle forced him to leave to track as not to endanger his fellow drivers
- Lap 41: A bearing came off Perk Brown's vehicle, forcing him to accept a 32nd-place finish
- Lap 52: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Junior Johnson
- Lap 53: Junior Johnson took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen
- Lap 81: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Junior Johnson
- Lap 82: The hub on J.D. McDuffie's vehicle broke off, denying him yet another NASCAR Cup Series victory
- Lap 101: The ball joint on Bill Widenhouse's vehicle became non-functional
- Lap 130: The valve on Roy Tyner's vehicle somehow became problematic
- Lap 183: Rex White had a terminal crash, causing him not to finish the race
- Lap 211: Al White managed to overheat his vehicle from high speed stock car racing
- Lap 296: Junior Johnson had a terminal crash, ending his race a bit too soon
- Lap 300: Larry Frank's vehicle managed to overheat while racing
- Lap 362: Ned Jarrett's engine became problematic, ending his race weekend early
- Lap 430: Reb Wickersham had a terminal crash, forcing him to leave the race prematurely
- Finish: Fred Lorenzen was officially declared the winner of the event
References
- ↑ Weather information for the 1963 Old Dominion 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ↑ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- 1 2 "NASCAR Tracks—The Martinsville Speedway". Martinsville Speedway. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ↑ Race information about the 1963 Old Dominion 500 at Racing Reference
- ↑ Car ownership information at Driver Averages
- ↑ List of fewest leaders at Martinsville Speedway at CBS Sports
- ↑ Winnings information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
- 1 2 3 Qualifying information at Racing Reference
| Preceded by 1963 Capital City 300 |
NASCAR Grand National Series Season 1963 |
Succeeded by 1963 untitled race at Dog Track Speedway |
| Preceded by 1962 |
Old Dominion 500 races 1963 |
Succeeded by 1964 |