1965 Atlanta 500

Last updated

1965 Atlanta 500
Race details [1]
Race 9 of 55 in the 1965 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Atlanta International Speedway.svg
Layout of Atlanta International Raceway, used until 1996
Date April 11, 1965 (1965-04-11)
Official name Atlanta 500
Location Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 2.400 km (1.500 miles)
Distance 334 laps, 501.0 mi (804 km)
Weather Temperatures of 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); wind speeds up to 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)
Average speed 129.410 miles per hour (208.265 km/h)
Attendance 50,700 [2]
Pole position
Driver Wood Brothers
Time 150.547 seconds
Most laps led
Driver Marvin Panch Wood Brothers
Laps 241
Winner
No. 24Marvin PanchWood Brothers
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1965 Atlanta 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 11, 1965, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

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.

Background

Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one of ten current intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway. [3] However, at the time, only Charlotte and Darlington were built.

The layout at Atlanta International Speedway at the time was a four-turn traditional oval track that is 1.54 miles (2.48 km) long. [4] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five. [4]

Race report

There were 44 American-born male drivers on the grid. [2] This race was the sixth Atlanta 500 to ever take place in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, the racing series would ultimately come to an end in 2011 to make room for a race at Kentucky Speedway. [5] While the previous year's race was televised on CBS, this race was completely unbroadcast on television.

Jim Conway would be the race's last-place finisher due to a clutch issue on lap 1 out of 334 laps. [2] Marvin Panch defeated Bobby Johns by two seconds in front of 50,700 people in his 1965 Ford Galaxie vehicle. [2] However, it was relief driver and fellow Woods Brothers racer A.J. Foyt who took the checkered flag in the No. 21 Ford, Panch received credit for the win by virtue of NASCAR rules and regulations. [2] There were eight lead changes in addition to five caution flags waved for 26 laps; making this race last almost four hours in length. [2]

The average speed of the race was 129.410 miles per hour (208.265 km/h) while Panch earned the pole position with a qualifying speed of 145.581 miles per hour (234.290 km/h). [2] [6] Other drivers in the top ten were: Ned Jarrett, Dick Hutcherson, Buddy Baker, Tiny Lund, Bobby Allison, Larry Hess, Paul Lewis, and Bub Strickler. [2] [6]

Vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company had the monopoly on this race. [2] [6] Jim Conway would make his introduction into the NASCAR Cup Series while Danny Byrd would leave the series after this race. [7]

This race took place on the same day as the infamous 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado outbreak that occurred in the Ohio Valley.

Qualifying

GridNo.DriverManufacturerQualifying time [8] Speed [8] Owner
121Marvin Panch'65 Ford150.547145.581Wood Brothers
216Darel Dieringer'64 Mercury150.556145.572Bud Moore
315Earl Balmer'64 Mercury150.699145.434Bud Moore
411Ned Jarrett'65 Ford152.332143.875Bondy Long
529Dick Hutcherson'65 Ford152.403143.808Holman-Moody Racing
641A.J. Foyt'65 Ford152.505143.712Wood Brothers
77Bobby Johns'65 Ford152.688143.540Holman-Moody Racing
876Larry Frank'64 Ford154.057142.264Larry Frank
926Junior Johnson'65 Ford154.087142.236Junior Johnson
1024Sam McQuagg'65 Ford155.468140.973Betty Lilly

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

References

  1. "1965 Atlanta 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "1965 Atlanta 500 racing information". Racing Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  3. "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "NASCAR Tracks—The Atlanta Motor Speedway". Atlanta Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  5. "Atlanta Motor Speedway Announces Schedule For 2011 NASCAR Season". www.atlantamotorspeedway.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 "1965 Atlanta 500 racing information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  7. "Introductions to and departures from NASCAR". Race Database. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  8. 1 2 "1965 Atlanta 500 qualifying information". Racing Reference. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
Preceded by
1965 untitled race at Orange Speedway
NASCAR Grand National races
1965
Succeeded by
Preceded by Atlanta 500 races
1965
Succeeded by