1964 World 600

Last updated
1964 World 600
Race details [1] [2] [3]
Race 25 of 62 in the 1964 NASCAR Grand National Series season
1964 World 600 program cover and logo.png
1964 World 600 program cover
Date May 24, 1964 (1964-May-24)
Official name World 600
Location Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.500 mi (2.414 km)
Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (965.5 km)
Weather Temperatures between 64.9 °F (18.3 °C) and 82.0 °F (27.8 °C); wind speeds of 10.10 miles per hour (16.25 km/h)
Average speed 125.772 miles per hour (202.410 km/h)
Attendance 66,311
Pole position
Driver Burton-Robinson
Time 149.64 seconds
Most laps led
Driver Jim Paschal Petty Enterprises
Laps 126
Winner
No. 41Jim PaschalPetty Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network NBC
Announcers Unknown

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.

Contents

There was a 30-mile consolation race the day before this to determine the final 14 starters.

The crash that hospitalized Fireball Roberts before he died of pneumonia 6 weeks later. FireballRobertsAccident1964World600.PNG
The crash that hospitalized Fireball Roberts before he died of pneumonia 6 weeks later.

Bobby Keck finished 14th in that race (in a 1963 Ford) but he was unable to start the 600 and his car was withdrawn, with Pete Stewart taking the last starting position as the first alternate starter. Major Melton finished 16th in that race driving a 1963 Dodge and was the second alternate.

Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race, as well as the Bank of America 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

Race report

The race covered four hundred laps of the paved oval track spanning 1.500 miles (2.414 km). It took four hours, forty-six minutes, and fourteen seconds. [2] [3] Seven cautions slowed the race for 48 laps. [2] The race averaged 125.772 miles per hour (202.410 km/h) and 144.346 miles per hour (232.302 km/h) was the pole position speed. [2] [3] The attendance was 66,311. [2] [3] Notable crew chiefs for this race included Bud Moore, Herman Beam, Ralph Gray, Glen Wood, Banjo Matthews and Dale Inman. [4]

Miss Linda Vaughn was selected to be Pontiac's representative at this event; she was an adolescent during that time. [5]

Jim Paschal defeated Richard Petty by more than four laps. [2] Other notable drivers included: Ralph Earnhardt, Roy Tyner, Fireball Roberts, Elmo Langley, and Buddy Baker. [2] [3] The top two finishers were teammates at Petty Enterprises (now Richard Petty Motorsports). [2] [3] Jim Paschal would receive $24,785 ($233,862 when adjusted for inflation) in prize money after becoming the only driver to finish all 400 laps of the race. [2] [3] Pete Stewart was rewarded with $600 ($5,661 when adjusted for inflation) for finishing only one lap; resulting in a last place finish. [2] [3] Jimmy Pardue started in pole position while the winner started in 12th place. [2] [3]

Qualifying

Grid [2] No.DriverManufacturer
154Jimmy Pardue'64 Plymouth
228Fred Lorenzen'64 Ford
326Bobby Isaac'64 Dodge
425Paul Goldsmith'64 Plymouth
543Richard Petty'64 Plymouth
621Marvin Panch'64 Ford
716Darel Dieringer'64 Mercury
811Ned Jarrett'64 Ford
927Junior Johnson'64 Ford
106David Pearson'64 Dodge
1122Fireball Roberts'64 Ford
1241Jim Paschal'64 Plymouth
134Rex White'64 Mercury
141Billy Wade'64 Mercury
1503LeeRoy Yarbrough'64 Dodge
165Larry Thomas'64 Dodge
173Buck Baker'64 Dodge
1819Cale Yarborough'64 Ford
192Ken Rush'63 Pontiac
2095Ken Spikes'64 Plymouth

Death of Fireball Roberts

Fireball Roberts was involved in a crash while trying to avoid Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett's crash on lap 7. [2] [3] [6] Roberts was sent to Charlotte hospital. [6] While he was not seriously injured by the crash itself, Roberts was trapped when his ankle became pinned under the dashboard and caught by either the clutch or brake pedal. [6] The death would have occurred at the speedway if Jarrett hadn't pulled Roberts out. [6] He died on July 2 of that year; leaving behind a wife (Doris Roberts) and a young daughter (Pamela Jane Roberts Trivette). [6] Jarrett would go up to Roberts, and Roberts, who was uninjured and conscious, told Jarrett "Oh my God, Ned, help me! I'm on fire!" after being caught on fire because of the crash. [7]

Before the fatal accident, Roberts was going to announce his retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series after the race to work as a spokesperson for a beer company. [7] Fireball, as he was known to his racing fans and to his fellow drivers, was the first superstar of the superspeedway era. [7]

Doctors ultimately blamed his death on pneumonia and he spent the last 39 days of his life at Charlotte Memorial Hospital (now Carolinas Medical Center) in extremely critical condition. [7] The entire week from May 24 through May 30, 1964, ultimately became one of the darkest weeks in motorsports history as Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald were both killed in that year's Indianapolis 500. Actual home video footage of the accident was being recorded as the race occurred. The race would be televised tape delayed as a 30 minute broadcast on NBC. Roberts' body was eventually delivered to his burial crypt in Daytona Beach, Florida. [7] One of the quotes that came in an earlier race sometime prior to his death was "I fear fire the most!"

Numerous safety innovations came about as a result of Roberts' death including the fire suit, as some drivers still raced wearing jeans and t-shirts, as well as a specialized fuel cell for racing. [8] These inventions would first see usage at the 1964 Firecracker 400; just two days after Roberts' death.

Finishing order

Section reference: [9]

POSST#DRIVERSPONSOR / OWNERCARLAPSMONEYSTATUSLED
11241  Jim PaschalPetty Enterprises'64 Plymouth40024785running126
2543  Richard PettyPetty Enterprises'64 Plymouth39610455running0
3134  Rex WhiteBud Moore'64 Mercury3938095running0
4228  Fred LorenzenLaFayette   (Holman-Moody Racing)'64 Ford3936425running65
5141  Billy WadeBud Moore'64 Mercury3904050running0
63349  G.C. SpencerG.C. Spencer'64 Chevrolet3762950running0
73176  Larry FrankLarry Frank'63 Ford3642650running0
8106  David PearsonCotton Owens'64 Dodge3632085running1
94034  Wendell ScottWendell Scott'63 Ford3591775running0
102420  Jack AndersonJack Anderson'63 Ford3581500running0
112602  Curtis CriderCurtis Crider'63 Mercury3581450running0
122146  J.T. PutneyWalt Hunter'62 Chevrolet3581325running0
13716  Darel DieringerBill Stroppe'64 Mercury3441250engine0
143783  Worth McMillionWorth McMillion'62 Pontiac3401200running0
153260  Doug CooperBob Cooper'63 Ford3381350running0
16419  Roy TynerRoy Tyner'64 Chevrolet329925running0
174268  Bob DerringtonBob Derrington'63 Ford305825running0
182542  Bunkie BlackburnCasper Hensley'62 Pontiac255850rear end0
19425  Paul GoldsmithRay Nichels'64 Plymouth2531915engine123
20173  Buck BakerRay Fox'64 Dodge238990engine24
213082  Bill McMahanCasper Hensley'64 Pontiac231625clutch0
222095  Ken SpikesKen Spikes'64 Plymouth217625flagged0
23165  Larry ThomasCotton Owens'64 Dodge199600axle0
24154  Jimmy PardueBurton-Robinson   (Charles Robinson)'64 Plymouth1951280engine43
25326  Bobby IsaacRay Nichels'64 Dodge169775engine mount10
261503  LeeRoy YarbroughRay Fox'64 Dodge151620pinion b8
272318  Stick ElliottToy Bolton'63 Pontiac137600engine0
281819  Cale YarboroughHerman Beam'64 Ford117650crash0
29621  Marvin PanchWood Brothers'64 Ford52625crash0
302809  Roy MayneBob Adams'62 Chevrolet50625oil leak0
31192  Ken RushCliff Stewart'63 Pontiac28625ignition0
322739  Mark HurleyMark Hurley'63 Ford11625transmission0
33811  Ned JarrettCourtesy Ford   (Bondy Long)'64 Ford7700crash0
34927  Junior JohnsonBanjo Matthews'64 Ford7700crash0
351122  Fireball RobertsYoung Ford   (Holman-Moody Racing)'64 Ford7650crash0
362287  Buddy BakerJ.C. Parker'63 Dodge6625overheating0
373570  Ralph EarnhardtPaul Clayton'62 Pontiac5675engine0
383688  Neil CastlesBuck Baker'62 Chrysler4650radiator0
394386  Jimmy HelmsBuck Baker'62 Chrysler4625oil line0
403401  Bob CooperCurtis Crider'63 Mercury4700radiator0
413940  Bud HarlessFred Harless'62 Pontiac3650engine0
422964  Elmo LangleyJohn Berejoski'63 Ford1625engine0
433852  E.J. TrivetteJess Potter'62 Chevrolet1650engine0
444484  Pete StewartPete Stewart'63 Pontiac1600con rod0

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

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References

  1. "Concord, North Carolina Weather for May 24, 1964". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "1964 World 600 racing information". Racing Reference. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "1964 World 600". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  4. "1964 World 600 crew chief information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  5. "Miss Cadillac 1964". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "NASCAR.com - General Information about the 1964 World 600 and Fireball Roberts' death". NASCAR. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Fireball Roberts Information". FireballRoberts.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-29. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  8. "NASCAR.com - TECHNOLOGY COUNTDOWN: FIRE SUIT, FUEL CELL". NASCAR. Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  9. "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
Preceded by NASCAR Grand National Races
1964
Succeeded by
Preceded by World 600 races
1964
Succeeded by