1963 South Boston 400 (April)

Last updated
1963 South Boston 400
Race details [1]
Race 17 of 55 in the 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series season
South Boston Speedway.png
Date April 14, 1963;61 years ago (1963-04-14)
Official name South Boston 400
Location South Boston Speedway, South Boston, Virginia
Course Permanent racing facility
0.375 mi (0.816 km)
Distance 400 laps, 150.0 mi (229.7 km)
Weather Cold with temperatures of 60.1 °F (15.6 °C); wind speeds of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
Average speed 75.229 miles per hour (121.069 km/h)
Attendance 5,000 [2]
Pole position
DriverCharles Robinson
Most laps led
Driver Richard Petty Petty Enterprises
Laps 325
Winner
No. 43Richard PettyPetty Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1963 South Boston 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 14, 1963, at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virginia.

Contents

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.

Race report

Ned Jarrett and Richard Petty would be the only lap leaders for this race; with Petty leading the most laps. There were 400 laps in this one-hour-and-fifty-nine-minute race. Last-place finisher Joe Weatherly had to withdraw from the race on lap 48 due to troubles with his vehicle's rear end. Only him, Jimmy Pardue, Neil Castles, Billy Wade and Larry Thomas failed to finish the race out of this grid of 16 American-born drivers. [2]

Jim Paschal was defeated by his Petty Enterprises teammate Richard Petty by two laps in front a live audience of five thousand people. Ned Jarrett qualified for the pole position while driving speeds up to 78.72 miles per hour (126.69 km/h). The average speed of the actual racing event was 75.229 miles per hour (121.069 km/h). Most of the drivers on the starting grid used Chevrolet as their manufacturer while Plymouth and Dodge took up a sizeable amount of the grid; model years for the vehicles varied from 1961 to 1963, as allowances were made for older vehicles before NASCAR become modernized. [2]

Larry Manning scores his first of two career top five finishes. [2]

Winnings for this race varied from $1,500 for the winner ($14,928.26 when considering inflation) and $380 for the last-place driver ($3,781.83 when considering inflation); with the total prize purse consisting of $6,095 ($60,658.5 when considering inflation). [2] [3] Earl Brooks would make first "top five" finish here out of the three that he performed during his professional stock car racing career. [4]

Notable crew chiefs for this race include Crawford Clements, Franklin McMillion, Johnny Divers, and Herman Beam. [5]

Qualifying

Grid [2] No.DriverManufacturerOwner
111Ned Jarrett'63 FordCharles Robinson
243Richard Petty'63 PlymouthPetty Enterprises
341Jim Paschal'62 PlymouthPetty Enterprises
45Billy Wade'62 DodgeCotton Owens
56David Pearson'63 DodgeCotton Owens
687Buck Baker'62 ChryslerBuck Baker
719Herman Beam'62 FordHerman Beam
854Jimmy Pardue'63 FordPete Stewart
909Larry Manning'62 ChevroletBob Adams
1086Neil Castles'62 ChryslerBuck Baker
1183Joe Weatherly'62 PontiacWorth McMillion
1234Wendell Scott'62 ChevroletWendell Scott
1362Curtis Crider'62 MercuryCurtis Crider
140E.J. Trivette'62 ChevroletBill Church
1549Larry Thomas'63 DodgeJ.C. Parker
16134Earl Brooks'61 ChevroletWendell Scott

Finishing order

Section reference: [2]

  1. Richard Petty (No. 43)
  2. Jim Paschal (No. 41)
  3. Ned Jarrett (No. 11)
  4. Larry Manning (No. 09)
  5. Earl Brooks (No. 134)
  6. Herman Beam (No. 19)
  7. Wendell Scott (No. 34)
  8. David Pearson (No. 6)
  9. Buck Baker (No. 87)
  10. E.J. Trivette (No. 0)
  11. Curtis Crider (No. 62)
  12. Larry Thomas* (No. 49)
  13. Billy Wade* (No. 5)
  14. Neil Castles* (No. 86)
  15. Jimmy Pardue* (No. 54)
  16. Joe Weatherly* (No. 83)

* Driver failed to finish race

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

Related Research Articles

The 1962 Myers Brothers 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on June 16, 1962, at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 Textile 250</span> Auto race held at Concord Speedway in 1964

The 1964 Textile 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on November 10, 1963, at Concord Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1961 World 600</span> Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1961

The 1961 World 600, the second running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that took place on May 28, 1961, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Chris Economaki called the race in one of the few televised NASCAR races of the 1960s. A series of two qualifying events took place on May 21 to determine the starting grid for this event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 Nashville 400</span> Auto race held at Music City Motorplex in 1964

The 1964 Nashville 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on August 2, 1964, at Nashville Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee.

The 1963 Sandlapper 200 was the site of Richard Petty's 25th NASCAR Grand National win for Petty Enterprises.

The 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series was an American stock car racing competition. It was the fourteenth running of what is now called the NASCAR Cup Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 World 600</span> Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1964

The 1964 World 600, the fifth running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that took place on May 24, 1964, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

The 1963 Turkey Day 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on November 22, 1962, at Tar Heel Speedway in Randleman, North Carolina.

The 1963 Western North Carolina 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on August 11, 1963, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 Wilkes 400</span> Auto race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1964

The 1964 Wilkes 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 11, 1964, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

The 1961 Buddy Shuman 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 8, 1961, at Hickory Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1963 Speedorama 200</span> Auto race held at Rambi Raceway in 1963

The 1963 Speedorama 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 7, 1963, at Rambi Raceway in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The 1963 Pickens 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on June 30, 1963, at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 The Glen 151.8</span> Auto race held at Watkins Glen International in 1964

The 1964 The Glen 151.8 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 19, 1964, at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 Old Dominion 500</span> Auto race held at Martinsville Speedway in 1964

The 1964 Old Dominion 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 24, 1964, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. Forty professional stock car racing drivers would become involved in an event that would become legendary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1962 Dixie 400</span> Auto race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1962

The 1962 Dixie 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 28, 1962, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 Capital City 300</span> Auto race held at Virginia State Fairgrounds in 1964

The 1964 Capital City 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 14, 1964, at Virginia State Fairgrounds in Richmond, Virginia. Notable drivers who appeared at this race were Elmo Langley, Wendell Scott, Tiny Lund, Roy Tyner, and Richard Petty.

The 1964 Savannah 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 1, 1964, at Savannah Speedway in Savannah, Georgia.

The 1959 Hickory 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 2, 1959, at Hickory Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960 Gwyn Staley 160</span> Auto race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1960

The 1960 Gwyn Staley 160 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on March 27, 1960, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

References

  1. Weather information for the 1963 South Boston 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1963 South Boston 400 racing information at Racing Reference
  3. NASCAR Race Results for the 1963 South Boston 400 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
  4. 1963 South Boston 400 racing information at Race Database
  5. Crew chief information at Racing Reference
Preceded by NASCAR Grand National Series Season
1963
Succeeded by
1963 untitled race at Bowman-Gray Stadium
Preceded by
none
South Boston 400 races
April 1963
Succeeded by