Race details [1] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 9 of 55 in the 1965 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
Date | April 11, 1965 | ||
Official name | Atlanta 500 | ||
Location | Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia | ||
Course | Permanent racing facility 1.500 mi (2.400 km) | ||
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. 24 | Marvin Panch | Wood 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.
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.
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]
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.
Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Qualifying time [8] | Speed [8] | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 21 | Marvin Panch | '65 Ford | 150.547 | 145.581 | Wood Brothers |
2 | 16 | Darel Dieringer | '64 Mercury | 150.556 | 145.572 | Bud Moore |
3 | 15 | Earl Balmer | '64 Mercury | 150.699 | 145.434 | Bud Moore |
4 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | '65 Ford | 152.332 | 143.875 | Bondy Long |
5 | 29 | Dick Hutcherson | '65 Ford | 152.403 | 143.808 | Holman-Moody Racing |
6 | 41 | A.J. Foyt | '65 Ford | 152.505 | 143.712 | Wood Brothers |
7 | 7 | Bobby Johns | '65 Ford | 152.688 | 143.540 | Holman-Moody Racing |
8 | 76 | Larry Frank | '64 Ford | 154.057 | 142.264 | Larry Frank |
9 | 26 | Junior Johnson | '65 Ford | 154.087 | 142.236 | Junior Johnson |
10 | 24 | Sam McQuagg | '65 Ford | 155.468 | 140.973 | Betty Lilly |
Section reference: [2]
The 1965 Daytona 500, the 7th running of the event, was held on February 14, 1965, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Fred Lorenzen, driving a 1965 Ford, won the race from fourth position in a two-hour-and-23-minute time span by Darel Dieringer by a full lap. There were 3 cautions flags which slowed the race for 43 laps. The race ended on lap 133 due to persistent rain. This was Lorenzen's first victory of the season.
The 1966 NASCAR Grand National Series evolved into the first of three NASCAR Grand National championships for David Pearson, whose 15 wins through the season was second only to Tim Flock's 18 victories in 1955 at that time. NASCAR allowed the return of the Chrysler Hemi engine in 1966, and at the same time Ford decided to boycott NASCAR for the season. The season marked series first visit to the state of Maine. Pearson captured the championship with 35,638 points over second place James Hylton who finished the season with no wins, but 33,638 points for his consistency and efforts.
The 1961 NASCAR Grand National season was the 13th season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and contested over 52 events from November 6, 1960, to October 29, 1961. Ned Jarrett captured the championship which was run on 20 dirt tracks, 31 paved tracks, and one road course. Seventeen events were considered short tracks, and 14 events were held at super speedways. Joe Weatherly won the season opening's event at Charlotte, and Jarrett went on to capture the championship with 27,272 points; 830 more than second-place finisher Rex White. Emanuel Zervakis finished third in points, with Joe Weatherly fourth and Fireball Roberts fifth.
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