1963 Pickens 200
| Race details[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 38 of 55 in the 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | July 30, 1963 | ||
| Official name | Pickens 200 | ||
| Location | Greenville-Pickens Speedway (Greenville, South Carolina) | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.500 mi (0.804 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 100 mi (160 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures approaching 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); wind speeds up to 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 62.456 miles per hour (100.513 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Charles Robinson | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ned Jarrett | Charles Robinson | |
| Laps | 112 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 41 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1963 Pickens 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) event that was held on June 30, 1963 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina.
The transition to purposely-built racers occurred gradually begain in the early 1960s. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s; most of the cars were trailered to events or hauled in by trucks.
Summary
Three lead changes ended up circulating amongst three different race leaders.[4]
Two cautions were initiated by NASCAR with the average speed of the competitors being 62.456 miles per hour (100.513 km/h).[2][3] Pole position winner Ned Jarrett would earn the post with a speed of 65.526 miles per hour (105.454 km/h) on his 1963 Ford Galaxie before losing to Richard Petty driving his 1963 Plymouth Belvedere in the actual race.[2][5] J. D. McDuffie would crash into the wall on his first lap in his 1961 Ford Galaxie vehicle; causing him to become the last-place finisher of the race.[2][3][4] Frank Warren would make his NASCAR debut racing against Buck Baker, Neil Castles, Joe Weatherly, Wendell Scott (NASCAR's first African-American competitor), and Cale Yarborough.[2][3][4]
This racing event took place on a dirt track oval with 200 laps being the pre-determined number of laps according to the NASCAR officials who sanctioned the event.[2][3]
Timeline
- Start of race: Ned Jarrett started the race with the pole position while J.D. McDuffie's vehicle suffered from a terminal crash
- Lap 10: Jack Smith's vehicle overheated, causing him to withdraw from the race
- Lap 23: Bunkie Blackburn's engine came to a screeching halt; Billy Wade developed problems with his vehicle's differential
- Lap 70: David Pearson takes over the lead from Ned Jarrett
- Lap 71: Stick Elliott's V-gasket became problematic, causing him to leave the race
- Lap 90: Curtis Crider's fuel pump developed problems, forcing him out of the race
- Lap 106: Ned Jarrett takes over the lead from David Pearson
- Lap 149: Richard Petty takes over the lead from Ned Jarrett
- Lap 172: Neil Castles' vehicle had its spindle become problematic, forcing him to withdraw from the event
- Finish: Richard Petty was officially declared the winner of the event
Top ten finishers
- Richard Petty (#41)
- Ned Jarrett (#11)
- Buck Baker (#87), 1 lap behind
- Fred Harb (#2), 5 laps behind
- Bobby Isaac (#99), 5 laps behind
- David Pearson (#6), 5 laps behind
- Tiny Lund (#32), 8 laps behind
- Joe Weatherly (#05), 9 laps behind
- Frank Warren (#X), 10 laps behind
- Wendell Scott (#34), 10 laps behind
References
- ^ "1963 Pickens 200 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
- ^ a b c d e f "1963 Pickens 200 racing information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
- ^ a b c d e "1963 Pickens 200 racing information (second reference)". Ultimate Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- ^ a b c "NASCAR debut for Frank Warren/J.D. McDuffie's accident". Race Database. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- ^ "1963 Pickens 200 pole winner and race winner". Jacobs USA. Retrieved 2011-01-31.