1964 World 600

Auto race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1964 February 2025 CUST Race 25 of 62 in the 1964 NASCAR Grand National Series season World 600 http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/zipcode/28025/1964-05-24 Concord, North Carolina Weather for May 24, 1964 The Old Farmers' Almanac 2012-03-23 http://racing-reference.info/race?id=1964-25&series=W 1964 World 600 racing information Racing Reference 2012-03-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20121020043439/http://racing-reference.info/race?id=1964-25&series=W 2012-10-20 dead http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=6666 1964 World 600 Ultimate Racing History 2012-03-23 1964 05 24 1964 25 62 1964_World_600_program_cover_and_logo.png 1964 World 600 program cover World 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina 1.500 2.414 400 600 965.5 Temperatures between 64.9 F C and 82.0 F C; wind speeds of 10.10 mph km/h 125.772 mi/h 66,311 Jimmy Pardue Burton-Robinson 149.64 seconds Jim Paschal Petty Enterprises 126 41 Jim Paschal Petty Enterprises NBC Unknown 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. There was a 30-mile consolation race the day before this to determine the final 14 starters. thumb|The crash that hospitalized Fireball Roberts before he died of pneumonia 6 weeks later. Bobby Keck finished 14th in that race (in a 1963 Ford) but he was unable to start the 600 and his car was withdrawn, with Pete Stewart taking the last starting position as the first alternate starter. Major Melton finished 16th in that race driving a 1963 Dodge and was the second alternate. Background Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race, as well as the Bank of America 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president. Race report The race covered four hundred laps of the paved oval track spanning 1.500 mi km. It took four hours, forty-six minutes, and fourteen seconds. Seven cautions slowed the race for 48 laps. The race averaged 125.772 mi/h and 144.346 mi/h was the pole position speed. The attendance was 66,311. Notable crew chiefs for this race included Bud Moore, Herman Beam, Ralph Gray, Glen Wood, Banjo Matthews and Dale Inman. http://racing-reference.info/entrylist/1964-25/W/C 1964 World 600 crew chief information Racing Reference 2017-06-17 Miss Linda Vaughn was selected to be Pontiac's representative at this event; she was an adolescent during that time.https://bleacherreport.com/articles/202274-joe-weatherly-1964-and-nascars-not-so-good-good-old-days Miss Cadillac 1964 Bleacher Report 2013-06-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20121014061802/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/202274-joe-weatherly-1964-and-nascars-not-so-good-good-old-days 2012-10-14 live Jim Paschal defeated Richard Petty by more than four laps. Other notable drivers included: Ralph Earnhardt, Roy Tyner, Fireball Roberts, Elmo Langley, and Buddy Baker. The top two finishers were teammates at Petty Enterprises (now Richard Petty Motorsports). Jim Paschal would receive $24,785 ($ when adjusted for inflation) in prize money after becoming the only driver to finish all 400 laps of the race. Pete Stewart was rewarded with $600 ($ when adjusted for inflation) for finishing only one lap; resulting in a last place finish. Jimmy Pardue started in pole position while the winner started in 12th place. Qualifying Grid No. Car number Driver Manufacturer 1 54 Jimmy Pardue '64 Plymouth 2 28 Fred Lorenzen '64 Ford 3 26 Bobby Isaac '64 Dodge 4 25 Paul Goldsmith '64 Plymouth 5 43 Richard Petty '64 Plymouth 6 21 Marvin Panch '64 Ford 7 16 Darel Dieringer '64 Mercury 8 11 Ned Jarrett '64 Ford 9 27 Junior Johnson '64 Ford 10 6 David Pearson '64 Dodge 11 22 Fireball Roberts '64 Ford 12 41 Jim Paschal '64 Plymouth 13 4 Rex White '64 Mercury 14 1 Billy Wade '64 Mercury 15 03 LeeRoy Yarbrough '64 Dodge 16 5 Larry Thomas '64 Dodge 17 3 Buck Baker '64 Dodge 18 19 Cale Yarborough '64 Ford 19 2 Ken Rush '63 Pontiac 20 95 Ken Spikes '64 Plymouth Death of Fireball Roberts Fireball Roberts was involved in a crash while trying to avoid Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett's crash on lap 7. http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/features/05/13/charlotte.moments.fireball.roberts/index.html NASCAR.com - General Information about the 1964 World 600 and Fireball Roberts' death NASCAR 2012-03-23 Roberts was sent to Charlotte hospital. While he was not seriously injured by the crash itself, Roberts was trapped and engulfed in a blazing inferno as his fuel tank exploded, while his ankle became pinned under the dashboard and caught by either the clutch or brake pedal. The death would have occurred at the speedway if Jarrett hadn't pulled Roberts out of the fire. He died on July 2 of that year; leaving behind a wife (Doris Roberts) and a young daughter (Pamela Jane Roberts Trivette). Jarrett would go up to Roberts, and Roberts, who was uninjured and conscious, told Jarrett "Oh my God, Ned, help me! I'm on fire!" after being immersed in flames, as a result of the crash. Before the fatal accident, Roberts was going to announce his retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series after the race to work as a spokesperson for a beer company. http://www.fireballroberts.com/ Fireball Roberts Information FireballRoberts.com 2012-03-23 2012-04-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20120429063828/http://www.fireballroberts.com/ dead Fireball, as he was known to his racing fans and to his fellow drivers, was the first superstar of the superspeedway era. Doctors ultimately blamed his death on pneumonia and he spent the last 39 days of his life at Charlotte Memorial Hospital (now Carolinas Medical Center) in extremely critical condition. The entire week from May 24 through May 30, 1964, ultimately became one of the darkest weeks in motorsports history as Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald were both killed in that year's Indianapolis 500. Actual home video footage of the accident was being recorded as the race occurred. The race would be televised tape delayed as a 30 minute broadcast on NBC. Roberts' body was eventually delivered to his burial crypt in Daytona Beach, Florida. One of the quotes that came in an earlier race sometime prior to his death was "I fear fire the most!" Numerous safety innovations came about as a result of Roberts' death including the fire suit, as some drivers still raced wearing jeans and t-shirts, as well as a specialized fuel cell for racing.http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/nascar-nation/nascar-edu/mobil1-technology-hub/nascar-mobil1-technology-fire-suit-fuel-cell.html NASCAR.com - TECHNOLOGY COUNTDOWN: FIRE SUIT, FUEL CELL NASCAR 2012-06-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20130602165538/http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/nascar-nation/nascar-edu/mobil1-technology-hub/nascar-mobil1-technology-fire-suit-fuel-cell.html 2013-06-02 live These inventions would first see usage at the 1964 Firecracker 400; just two days after Roberts' death. Finishing order Section reference:Race Results https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/ 2021-05-24 Racing-Reference en-US POSST#DRIVERSPONSOR / OWNERCARLAPSMONEYSTATUSLED11241  Jim PaschalPetty Enterprises'64 Plymouth40024785running1262543  Richard PettyPetty Enterprises'64 Plymouth39610455running03134  Rex WhiteBud Moore'64 Mercury3938095running04228  Fred LorenzenLaFayette   (Holman-Moody Racing)'64 Ford3936425running655141  Billy WadeBud Moore'64 Mercury3904050running063349  G.C. SpencerG.C. Spencer'64 Chevrolet3762950running073176  Larry FrankLarry Frank'63 Ford3642650running08106  David PearsonCotton Owens'64 Dodge3632085running194034  Wendell ScottWendell Scott'63 Ford3591775running0102420  Jack AndersonJack Anderson'63 Ford3581500running0112602  Curtis CriderCurtis Crider'63 Mercury3581450running0122146  J.T. PutneyWalt Hunter'62 Chevrolet3581325running013716  Darel DieringerBill Stroppe'64 Mercury3441250engine0143783  Worth McMillionWorth McMillion'62 Pontiac3401200running0153260  Doug CooperBob Cooper'63 Ford3381350running016419  Roy TynerRoy Tyner'64 Chevrolet329925running0174268  Bob DerringtonBob Derrington'63 Ford305825running0182542  Bunkie BlackburnCasper Hensley'62 Pontiac255850rear end019425  Paul GoldsmithRay Nichels'64 Plymouth2531915engine12320173  Buck BakerRay Fox'64 Dodge238990engine24213082  Bill McMahanCasper Hensley'64 Pontiac231625clutch0222095  Ken SpikesKen Spikes'64 Plymouth217625flagged023165  Larry ThomasCotton Owens'64 Dodge199600axle024154  Jimmy PardueBurton-Robinson   (Charles Robinson)'64 Plymouth1951280engine4325326  Bobby IsaacRay Nichels'64 Dodge169775engine mount10261503  LeeRoy YarbroughRay Fox'64 Dodge151620pinion b8272318  Stick ElliottToy Bolton'63 Pontiac137600engine0281819  Cale YarboroughHerman Beam'64 Ford117650crash029621  Marvin PanchWood Brothers'64 Ford52625crash0302809  Roy MayneBob Adams'62 Chevrolet50625oil leak031192  Ken RushCliff Stewart'63 Pontiac28625ignition0322739  Mark HurleyMark Hurley'63 Ford11625transmission033811  Ned JarrettCourtesy Ford   (Bondy Long)'64 Ford7700crash034927  Junior JohnsonBanjo Matthews'64 Ford7700crash0351122  Fireball RobertsYoung Ford   (Holman-Moody Racing)'64 Ford7650crash (fatal)0362287  Buddy BakerJ.C. Parker'63 Dodge6625overheating0373570  Ralph EarnhardtPaul Clayton'62 Pontiac5675engine0383688  Neil CastlesBuck Baker'62 Chrysler4650radiator0394386  Jimmy HelmsBuck Baker'62 Chrysler4625oil line0403401  Bob CooperCurtis Crider'63 Mercury4700radiator0413940  Bud HarlessFred Harless'62 Pontiac3650engine0422964  Elmo LangleyJohn Berejoski'63 Ford1625engine0433852  E.J. TrivetteJess Potter'62 Chevrolet1650engine0444484  Pete StewartPete Stewart'63 Pontiac1600con rod0 Timeline Section reference: Start of race: Jimmy Pardue has the pole position to begin the event. Lap 3: Bud Harless didn't race for long before his vehicle's engine could not handle the pressure anymore. Lap 5: Ralph Earnhardt ruined his engine. Lap 6: Buddy Baker managed to overheat his vehicle. Lap 7: Ned Jarrett, Junior Johnson, and Fireball Roberts were jointly involved in a terminal crash. Lap 11: Mark Hurley managed to bust his vehicle's transmission. Lap 28: The ignition on Ken Rush's vehicle stopped working. Lap 34: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Jimmy Pardue. Lap 44: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from Bobby Isaac. Lap 50: Roy Mayne's vehicle had an oil leak. Lap 52: Marvin Panch had a terminal crash. Lap 60: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith. Lap 67: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarbrough. Lap 70: Jimmy Pardue took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith. Lap 80: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from Jimmy Pardue. Lap 117: Cale Yarborough had a terminal crash. Lap 122: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith. Lap 123: David Pearson took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarbrough. Lap 124: Buck Baker took over the lead from David Pearson. Lap 137: Stick Elliott fell out with engine failure. Lap 148: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from Buck Baker. Lap 169: The engine mount on Bobby Isaac's vehicle was giving him problems. Lap 189: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith. Lap 195: Jimmy Pardue fell out with engine failure. Lap 199: The axle on Larry Thomas' vehicle forced him out of the race. Lap 217: Ken Spikes' was disqualified from the race by virtue of a black flag. Lap 223: Paul Goldsmith took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. Lap 231: Problems with the vehicle's clutch forced Bill McMahan to leave the race prematurely. Lap 238: Buck Baker fell out with engine failure. Lap 253: Paul Goldsmith fell out with engine failure. Lap 254: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Paul Goldsmith. Lap 255: The rear end came loose off of Bunkie Blackburn's vehicle. Lap 275: Jim Paschal took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. Lap 344: Darel Dieringer fell out with engine failure. Finish: Jim Paschal was officially declared the winner of the event. References 1964 South Boston Speedway 1964 Pickens 200 NASCAR Grand National Races 1964 1963 1965 World 600 races 1964 World 600 World 600 Category:NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway World 600