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The 1965 Southern 500, the 16th running of the
event
Event may refer to:
Gatherings of people
* Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion
* Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest
* Event management, the organization of eve ...
, was a NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series:
*National-level stock car series:
**NASCAR Cup Series (known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 to 1970, then the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand Nation ...
event that was held on September 6, 1965, at Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located in Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is ...
in Darlington, South Carolina
Darlington is a city located in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,289. It is the county seat of Darlington County. It is part of the Florence, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Darlington ...
.
The entire racing grid was set by time trials and there was no consolation race to determine the final few spots.
It took four hours and nineteen minutes for the race to be completed with Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is an American retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR Grand National Series champion.
Because of his calm demeanor, he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". He is the father of former drivers Glenn Jar ...
beating Buck Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. (March 4, 1919 – April 14, 2002), better known as Buck Baker, was an American stock car racer. Born in Richburg, South Carolina, Baker began his NASCAR career in 1949 and won his first race three years later at Columbia ...
by fourteen laps and 19 laps over third and fourth-place finishers: Darel Dieringer
Darel Dieringer (June 1, 1926 – October 28, 1989) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He ran 181 NASCAR Grand National Series races during his career, notably racing for Bud Moore Engineering and Junior Johnson & Associates. ...
and Roy Mayne
Roy Mayne (May 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He was a driver in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Au ...
. This would remain a NASCAR record to this day.
Background
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located in Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is ...
, nicknamed by many NASCAR fans and drivers as "The Lady in Black" or "The Track Too Tough to Tame" and advertised as a "NASCAR Tradition", is a race track
A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also u ...
built for NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
racing located near Darlington, South Carolina
Darlington is a city located in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,289. It is the county seat of Darlington County. It is part of the Florence, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Darlington ...
. It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.
The track is a four-turn oval. The track's first two turns are banked at twenty-five degrees, while the final two turns are banked two degrees lower at twenty-three degrees. The front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch is banked at six degrees. Darlington Raceway can seat up to 60,000 people.
Darlington has something of a legendary quality among drivers and older fans; this is probably due to its long track length relative to other NASCAR speedways of its era and hence the first venue where many of them became cognizant of the truly high speeds that stock cars could achieve on a long track. The track allegedly earned the moniker The Lady in Black because the night before the race the track maintenance crew would cover the entire track with fresh asphalt sealant, in the early years of the speedway, thus making the racing surface dark black. Darlington is also known as "The Track Too Tough to Tame" because drivers can run lap after lap without a problem and then bounce off of the wall the following lap. Racers will frequently explain that they have to race the racetrack, not their competition. Drivers hitting the wall are considered to have received their "Darlington Stripe" thanks to the missing paint on the right side of the car.
Race report
In mileage, the gap between Jarrett and Baker was the equivalent of . Drivers who failed to qualify for this race were: Pee Wee Ellwanger (Dodge),Wendell Scott
Wendell Oliver Scott (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. He was one of the first African-American drivers in NASCAR and the first African-American to win a race in the Grand National Series, NASCAR's h ...
(Ford), Worth McMillion (Pontiac) and Bernard Alvarez
Bernard Alvarez is a retired NASCAR Grand National Series race car driver whose career spanned from 1964 to 1965. Buddy Baker's vehicle overheated on lap 123 even though he was the favorite to win the race.
Jarrett would go on to claim his second NASCAR championship title after the November 7 race at the
Dog Track Speedway
Dog Track Speedway was a 1/4-mile dirt then 1/3-mile paved oval in Moyock, North Carolina. It hosted seven NASCAR Grand National (now NASCAR Cup Series) races between 1962 and 1966. The track switched from a quarter mile to third mile between 1963 ...
in Moyock, North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. While 44 cars would start the race, only 15 would survive until the end. On the third lap Buren Skeen spun out and was fatally injured when Reb Wickersham's Ford plowed into Skeen's drivers door. Darel Dieringer
Darel Dieringer (June 1, 1926 – October 28, 1989) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He ran 181 NASCAR Grand National Series races during his career, notably racing for Bud Moore Engineering and Junior Johnson & Associates. ...
broke with 39 laps to go after leading 199 laps, leaving Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is an American retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR Grand National Series champion.
Because of his calm demeanor, he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". He is the father of former drivers Glenn Jar ...
alone by 14 laps en route to the win. Every competitive car had problems with the exception of Jarret.
The race saw a scary melee when young Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough (born March 27, 1939) is an American former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, and farmer. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winning in 1 ...
crashed with Sam McQuagg
Samuel "Sam" McQuagg (November 11, 1937 – January 3, 2009) was an American former NASCAR Rookie of the Year driver. He died of cancer on January 3, 2009 at the age of 71. He and his wife Joy had recently celebrated their 54th wedding anni ...
in Turn One and Cale's car flew over the guardrail and landed outside the speedway; he was uninjured and interviewed for ABC Sports
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
by Chris Economaki
Christopher Constantine Economaki (October 15, 1920 – September 28, 2012) was an American motorsports commentator, pit road reporter, and journalist. Economaki was given the title "The Dean of American Motorsports Journalism."
.
The polesitter, Junior Johnson, went out after the first lap and finished last.
Curtis Turner
Curtis Morton Turner (April 12, 1924 – October 4, 1970) was an American stock car racer. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and partying. In 1999, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
History
He was ...
would be permitted to race after Bill France dropped his lifetime ban for promoting a trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
with NASCAR. Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...
did not race even though he stopped boycotting Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
and the Grand National Series.
Other notable names who participated included: LeeRoy Yarbrough
Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough (September 17, 1938 – December 7, 1984) was an American stock car racer. His best season was 1969 when he won seven races, tallied 21 finishes in the top-ten and earned $193,211 ($ when inflation is taken into accoun ...
, Elmo Langley
Elmo Harold Langley (August 21, 1928 – November 21, 1996) was a NASCAR driver and owner. Langley primarily used the number 64 on his race cars during his NASCAR career.
Racing career
Langley began his racing career racing modified cars in Vir ...
, and Darel Dieringer
Darel Dieringer (June 1, 1926 – October 28, 1989) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He ran 181 NASCAR Grand National Series races during his career, notably racing for Bud Moore Engineering and Junior Johnson & Associates. ...
. The winner would walk away with $21,060 while last place would receive $7505. Notable crew chiefs for this race were Franklin McMillion, Herb Nab
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
, Jimmy Thomas
Jimmy Thomas (January 20, 1939 – April 25, 2022) was an American soul singer and songwriter. He was best known as a vocalist for Ike Turner. Thomas joined Turner's Kings of Rhythm in 1958, and remained with the band when the Ike & Tina T ...
, John Ervin, Ray Fox, and Bruce Bacon.
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.
Qualifying
Finishing order
Section reference: #Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is an American retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR Grand National Series champion.
Because of his calm demeanor, he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". He is the father of former drivers Glenn Jar ...
# Buck Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. (March 4, 1919 – April 14, 2002), better known as Buck Baker, was an American stock car racer. Born in Richburg, South Carolina, Baker began his NASCAR career in 1949 and won his first race three years later at Columbia ...
†
# Darel Dieringer
Darel Dieringer (June 1, 1926 – October 28, 1989) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He ran 181 NASCAR Grand National Series races during his career, notably racing for Bud Moore Engineering and Junior Johnson & Associates. ...
*†
# Roy Mayne
Roy Mayne (May 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He was a driver in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Au ...
†
# Buddy Arrington
# H. B. Bailey
Herring Burl "H. B." Bailey (November 15, 1936 – April 17, 2003) was a NASCAR driver. He raced his No. 36 Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac part-time as an independent driver in the Grand National/Winston Cup series from 1962 to 1993, making 85 rac ...
†
# Stick Elliott
Gene "Stick Elliott" Daves (July 27, 1934 – November 1, 1980) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He was a driver in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1962 to 1971. He was a 2009 inductee in the National Dirt Late Model Hall ...
# Frank Warren
# J. T. Putney
# Wendell Scott
Wendell Oliver Scott (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. He was one of the first African-American drivers in NASCAR and the first African-American to win a race in the Grand National Series, NASCAR's h ...
†
# Fred Lorenzen*
# Jimmy Helms
James D. Helms (born September 27, 1941) is an American soul singer, known as a member of Londonbeat but who also had solo hits such as " Gonna Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse".
Early years
James D. Helms was born in Florida, United States. ...
# Bob Derrington
Bob Derrington was a NASCAR Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series:
*National-level stock car series:
**NASCAR Cup Series (known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1 ...
†
# Paul Lewis
# Wayne Smith
# E. J. Trivette
# Bobby Johns*†
# Don Hume
Don Hume (born May 8, 1938) is a former NASCAR driver from Belvidere, New Jersey. In his limited NASCAR career, Hume competed in fifteen Winston Cup events.
Winston Cup
1964
Hume appeared in the series in 1964, completing two races late in the y ...
# Dick Hutcherson*†
# G. C. Spencer
Grover Clifton "G. C." Spencer (July 9, 1925GC Spencer obituaryhttp://www.heartfeltconnections.net/memberEulogy.cfm?memberid=14734&sqry_rownum=1&CFTOKEN=39227896 . – September 20, 2007) was a NASCAR driver who competed in 415 Grand National/ ...
*†
# Larry Hess
Larry Hess (born May 3, 1935) is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1965 to 1969.Jim Paschal*†
# Bud Harless*†
# Gene Black*†
#
Neil Castles
Henry Neil Castles (October 1, 1934 – August 4, 2022) was an American NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver. He raced from 1957 to 1976, and won the NASCAR Grand National East Series in 1972.
Early life
Castles was born in Ma ...
*
# Elmo Langley
Elmo Harold Langley (August 21, 1928 – November 21, 1996) was a NASCAR driver and owner. Langley primarily used the number 64 on his race cars during his NASCAR career.
Racing career
Langley began his racing career racing modified cars in Vir ...
*†
# LeeRoy Yarbrough
Lonnie "LeeRoy" Yarbrough (September 17, 1938 – December 7, 1984) was an American stock car racer. His best season was 1969 when he won seven races, tallied 21 finishes in the top-ten and earned $193,211 ($ when inflation is taken into accoun ...
*†
# Buddy Baker
Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker Jr. (January 25, 1941 – August 10, 2015) was an American professional stock car racing driver and commentator. Over the course of his 33-year racing career, he won 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 198 ...
*†
# Sam McQuagg
Samuel "Sam" McQuagg (November 11, 1937 – January 3, 2009) was an American former NASCAR Rookie of the Year driver. He died of cancer on January 3, 2009 at the age of 71. He and his wife Joy had recently celebrated their 54th wedding anni ...
*†
# Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough (born March 27, 1939) is an American former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, and farmer. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winning in 1 ...
*
# Bunkie Blackburn James Ronald "Bunkie" Blackburn (April 22, 1936 – February 28, 2006) was a NASCAR racecar driver.
Career
Blackburn's father owned and operated the Fayetteville, North Carolina racetrack.
He later competed at the historic Nashville Speedway USA a ...
*†
# Earl Balmer
Earl Franklin Balmer (December 13, 1935 – October 25, 2019) was an American racing driver who drove stock cars and motorcycles. Balmer competed in the ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Grand National Series, winning a Daytona 500 qualifying race in ...
*
# Doug Cooper*†
# Junior Spencer*
# Curtis Turner
Curtis Morton Turner (April 12, 1924 – October 4, 1970) was an American stock car racer. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and partying. In 1999, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
History
He was ...
*†
# Bobby Wawak
Robert Laurence Wawak (September 4, 1939 – April 17, 2004) was an American NASCAR driver from Villa Park, Illinois. He made 141 Grand National/Winston Cup Series starts, with fourteen top-10 finishes.Marvin Panch*†
#
''* Driver failed to finish race''
Henley Gray
Clarence Henley Gray Jr. (born January 12, 1933) is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1964 to 1977.
Career
Out of the 76045 laps committed in his career, Gray only led two of them. Gray's total career earnings ...
*
# Tiny Lund
DeWayne Louis "Tiny" Lund (November 14, 1929 – August 17, 1975) was an American stock car racer. He was a journeyman racer-for-hire in the top level NASCAR Grand National Series, running partial seasons for a number of years, including a vict ...
*†
# Bud Moore*
# Bert Robbins*
# Buren Skeen*†
# Red Wickersham*
# Junior Johnson*†
''† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased'' ''* Driver failed to finish race''
Timeline
Section reference: * Start of race: Fred Lorenzen was the pole position as the drivers are given the green flag. * Lap 1: Junior Johnson's ignition fails to work. * Lap 2: Reb Wickersham had a terminal crash along with Buren Skeen. * Lap 3: Bert Robbins had a terminal crash. * Lap 9: Bud Moore had to leave the race because his vehicle had terrible oil pressure. * Lap 25: A frame came loose enough off of Tiny Lund's vehicle that he could not race anymore. * Lap 29: Problems with the vehicle's clutch sent Henley Gray into the garage. * Lap 33: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. * Lap 42: Marvin Panch fell out with engine failure. * Lap 46: Earl Balmer took over the lead from Darl Dieringer, Bobby Wawak managed to ruin his engine. * Lap 47: Bobby Johns took over the lead from Earl Balmer. * Lap 49: Jim Paschal took over the lead from Bobby Johns. * Lap 51: A wheel bearing came off Curtis Turner's vehicle, rendering him a noncompetitor for the remainder of the event. * Lap 54: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Cale Yarbrough. * Lap 79: Junior Spencer fell out with engine failure. * Lap 85: The differential of Doug Cooper's vehicle was acting strangely, knocking him out of the race. * Lap 87: Earl Balmer took over the lead from Darel Deringer. * Lap 88: Sam McQuagg took over the lead from Earl Balmer. * Lap 94: Earl Balmer had a terminal crash. * Lap 109: Bunkie Blackburn had a terminal crash. * Lap 118: Sam McQuagg and Cale Yarborough both suffered from terminal crashes. * Lap 119: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Sam McQuagg. * Lap 122: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Darel Dieringer. * Lap 123: Jim Paschal took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen; Buddy Baker's engine blew up. * Lap 129: Ned Jarrett took over the lead from Jim Paschal. * Lap 134: The differential on LeeRoy Yarbrough's vehicle developed major issues. * Lap 145: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Ned Jarrett. * Lap 148: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. * Lap 167: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Darel Dieringer. * Lap 168: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. * Lap 173: Neil Castles had a terminal crash. * Lap 222: Bud Harless' engine stopped working properly. * Lap 228: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Darel Dieringer. * Lap 233: Ned Jarrett took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. * Lap 240: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Ned Jarrett. * Lap 288: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Darel Dieringer. * Lap 293: Dick Hutcherson's engine stopped working properly. * Lap 301: The differential on Bobby Johns' vehicle developed major issues. * Lap 303: Darel Dieringer took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. * Lap 319: Fred Lorenzen's engine stopped working properly. * Lap 326: Ned Jarrett took over the lead from Darel Dieringer. * Lap 345: The differential on Darel Dieringer's vehicle developed major issues. * Finish: Ned Jarrett was officially declared the winner of the event.References
{{1965 NASCAR Grand National Southern 500 Southern 500 NASCAR races at Darlington Raceway