1965 Fireball 200

Last updated
1965 Fireball 200
Race details [1] [2]
Race 6 of 55 in the 1965 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Date February 28, 1965;55 years ago (1965-02-28)
Official name Fireball 200
Location Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, Weaverville, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
0.500 mi (0.804 km)
Distance 200 laps, 100 mi (151 km)
Weather Chilly with temperatures of 64.9 °F (18.3 °C); wind speeds of 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h)
Average speed 75.678 miles per hour (121.792 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Bondy Long
Most laps led
Driver Ned Jarrett Bondy Long
Laps 199
Winner
No. 11 Ned Jarrett Bondy Long
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1965 Fireball 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on February 28, 1965, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina.

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

Two hundred laps took place on a paved oval track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) for a grand total of 100.0 miles (160.9 km). [2] It took an hour and nineteen minutes for the race to reach its conclusion; Ned Jarrett defeated Dick Hutcherson by an unknown length of time in front of 6500 people. [2] Notable speeds were: 75.678 miles per hour (121.792 km/h) as the average speed and 84.230 miles per hour (135.555 km/h) as the pole position speed. [2] Two cautions were given for an unknown number of laps. [2]

Total winnings for this race were $4,490 ($36,427 when adjusted for inflation). [3]

Most of the stock car owners were independent with only three "corporate" racing teams showing up for the event. Buddy Baker ended up as the last-place finisher; he would only finish nine laps out of the regulation length of 200 laps due to a problem with the back of his Plymouth vehicle. Most of the starting grid would drive automobiles designed by the Ford Motor Company; with the now-dominant Chevrolet brand only fielding three vehicles. [4]

Notable crew chiefs who actively participated in the race were Lanty McClung, Herb Nab, and John Ervin. [5]

Qualifying

Grid [2] No.DriverManufacturerOwner
111Ned Jarrett'65 Ford Bondy Long
249G.C. Spencer'64 Ford G.C. Spencer
329Dick Hutcherson'65 Ford Holman-Moody
426Junior Johnson'65 Ford Junior Johnson
510Cale Yarborough'64 Ford Gary Weaver
638Neil Castles'64 Dodge Buck Baker
719J.T. Putney'65 Chevrolet Herman Beam
855Tiny Lund'64 Ford Lyle Stelter
937Bub Strickler'64 Ford Bub Strickler
1075Gene Black'64 Ford C.L. Crawford

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

Finishing order

Section reference: [2]

  1. Ned Jarrett (No. 11)
  2. Dick Hutcherson (No. 29)
  3. Cale Yarborough (No. 10)
  4. G.C. Spencer (No. 49)
  5. Danny Byrd (No. 08)
  6. J.T. Putney (No. 19)
  7. Neil Castles (No. 38)
  8. Bub Strickler (No. 37)
  9. Ned Setzer (No. 16)
  10. Tiny Lund (No. 55)
  11. Bob Derrington (No. 68)
  12. Junior Johnson* (No. 26)
  13. Gene Hobby (No. 99)
  14. Frank Weathers* (No. 81)
  15. Barry Brooks* (No. 61)
  16. Darel Dieringer* (No. 31)
  17. Wendell Scott* (No. 34)
  18. Gene Black* (No. 75)
  19. Doug Moore* (No. 58)
  20. Doug Cooper* (No. 60)
  21. Buddy Baker* (No. 86)

* Driver failed to finish race

Related Research Articles

The 1968 Fireball 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 5, 1968, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina.

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.

1961 World 600 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.

1967 Wilkes 400 Auto race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1967

The 1967 Wilkes 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 1, 1967, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro.

The 1965 Greenville 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 17, 1965, at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina.

1964 World 600 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.

1965 Southern 500 Auto race held at Darlington Raceway in 1965

The 1965 Southern 500, the 16th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 6, 1965, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South 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.

1965 Virginia 500 Auto race held at Martinsville Speedway in 1965

The 1965 Virginia 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 25, 1965, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.

1965 Gwyn Staley 400 Auto race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1965

The 1965 Gwyn Staley 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 18, 1965, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

1964 Wilkes 400 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.

1963 Speedorama 200 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.

1967 Carolina 500 Auto race held at Rockingham Speedway in 1967

The 1967 Carolina 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on June 18, 1967, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina.

The 1967 Greenville 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on March 25, 1967, at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina.

1967 Gwyn Staley 400 Auto race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1967

The 1967 Gwyn Staley 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 16, 1967, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

1966 Southern 500 Auto race held at Darlington Raceway in 1966

The 1966 Southern 500, the 17th running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 5, 1966, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

The 1961 Greenville 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 1, 1961, at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina.

1964 Capital City 300 Auto race held at Richmond Raceway 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 1959 Western North Carolina 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on August 16, 1959, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina. This event took place after the 1959 Nashville 300; which was set at Nashville Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee.

References

  1. "1965 Fireball 200 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1965 Fireball 200 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  3. "Total prize purse for the 1965 Fireball 200". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
  4. "Additional 1965 Fireball 200 information". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
  5. "1965 Fireball 200 crew chiefs information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-08-28.