1964 Jacksonville 200
 |
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3 of 62 in the 1964 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | December 1, 1963 | ||
| Official name | 1964-03 | ||
| Location | Speedway Park (Jacksonville, Florida) | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.500 mi (0.805 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 100 mi (160.934 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures ranging between 37.9 °F (3.3 °C) and 54.0 °F (12.2 °C); average wind speeds of 7.48 miles per hour (12.04 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 58.252 miles per hour (93.748 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver |
| Archie Smith | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Laps | 103 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 34 | Wendell Scott | Scott Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | n/a | ||
| Announcers | n/a | ||
Commonly known as the 1964 Jacksonville 200 and the 1964 Turkey Day 200 (despite being closer to Christmas Day instead of American Thanksgiving),[2], the third race of the 1964 NASCAR Cup Series calendar (despite taking place on December 1, 1963) is best known for being won by the first (and so far, only) African-American driver to win a race, Wendell Scott.
Summary
Ned Jarrett had a huge lead early on, but had to go the garage after damaging a rear wheel hub. Richard Petty led the most laps, 103, when his steering broke. Scott took the lead with 27 laps to and never let go. However, after 200 laps, he never saw a checkered flag. Two laps later, 2nd placer Buck Baker took the checkered flag and the win. But two hours later, NASCAR said Scott had won.[3] Some said it was a racial problem, others say it was simply a scoring error, very common in the pre-electronic scoring system.[4]
Stats
The race officially lasted a duration of one hour and forty-three minutes. The average speed was 58.252 miles per hour (93.748 km/h). Jack Smith won the pole at 70.921 miles per hour (114.136 km/h). The margin of victory was over two laps after there was scoring error, resulting in an addition of two laps to the race. Five thousand people entered the race.[5]
Top ten finishers
- 34-Wendell Scott
- 87-Buck Baker
- 47-Jack Smith
- 68-Ed Livingston
- 42-Richard Petty
- 86-Neil Castles
- 11-Ned Jarrett
- 78-Buddy Arrington
- 92-Johnny Allen
- 5-Billy Wade
References
- ^ Weather conditions for the 1964 Jacksonville 200 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ Race results at ESPN
- ^ Controvery at the 1964 Jacksonville 200 at Jacksonville.com
- ^ Wendell Scott's lost trophy at Jacksonville.com
- ^ Stats for the 1964 Jacksonville 200 at Racing Reference