The 1965 Virginia 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 25, 1965, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. Fred Lorenzen, the winning driver of this race, would become the only driver to win four consecutive Martinsville races.

Background

Martinsville Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races. The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is long. The track's turns are banked at eleven degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at zero degrees. The back stretch also has a zero degree banking. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by partners H. Clay Earles, Henry Lawrence and Sam Rice per Virginia House Joint Resolution No. 76 on the death of H. Clay Earles. (Whereas Clay Earles and his partners, Sam Rice and Henry Lawrence, opened the Martinsville Speedway in 1947 on a 30-acre site, one of the first of its kind in the nation ...) It is also the only race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948. Along with this, Martinsville is the only NASCAR oval track on the entire NASCAR track circuit to have asphalt surfaces on the straightaways, then concrete to cover the turns.

Race report

The racing event (in what is now known as the ''Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series'') took approximately three hours and forty-four minutes to completely finish. Five cautions were handed out by NASCAR officials for forty-nine laps. Fred Lorenzen beat Marvin Panch by two car lengths in front of ten thousand people.

Curtis Crider Curtis "Crawfish" Crider (October 7, 1930 – December 21, 2012) was an American stock car racing driver, and a pioneer in the early years of NASCAR. Career Born in Danville, Virginia, he was one of the hardest working and underfinanced racers t ...

retired from NASCAR after competing in this race. Most of the contenders in the race were driving Ford vehicles with the model years ranging from 1963 through 1965. Terry Murchinson had a

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

problem with his unsponsored 1964

Ford Galaxie The Ford Galaxie is a full-sized car that was built in the United States by Ford for model years 1959 through to 1974. The name was used for the top models in Ford's full-size range from 1958 until 1961, in a marketing attempt to appeal to the e ...

after only two laps of racing and became the last-place finisher of the day. Jabe Thomas initially qualified in 11th position, withdrew from the event due to engine problem. Total winnings of the race were $20,725 ($ when adjusted for inflation). Each driver took home winnings between $4,350 ($ when adjusted for inflation) and $250 ($ when adjusted for inflation) on an individual basis. 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. Ford ended up dominating NASCAR in 1965. This came about because

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

discouraged their vehicles from participating in the league due to the

Hemi Hemi may refer to: People Surname * Jack Hemi (1914–1996), New Zealand freezing worker, rugby union and league player, shearer * Ronald Hemi (1933–2000), New Zealand rugby union player Given name * Hemi Bawa, Indian painter and sculptor * H ...

engine being banned from competition.

Petty Enterprises Petty Enterprises (formerly Lee Petty Engineering) was a NASCAR racing team based in Level Cross, North Carolina, USA. It was founded by Lee Petty with his two sons Richard Petty and Maurice Petty. The team was later owned by Richard Petty, hi ...

ended up going into

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

until Dodge solved its issues with the people who ran NASCAR at that time. All but one of the top ten finishers drove a Ford vehicle; the sixth-place finisher drove a Dodge (which no longer races in the NASCAR Cup Series as of

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

). Notable crew chiefs for this race include Don Snyder, Lanty McClung,

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 ...

, and John Ervin.

Qualifying

Finishing order

Section reference: # Fred Lorenzen (No. 28) # Marvin Panch (No. 21) # Dick Hutcherson† (No. 29) # Tiny Lund† (No. 10) # Buddy Arrington (No. 67) #

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 ...

† (No. 64) # Paul Lewis (No. 27) # Doug Cooper* (No. 60) #

Buren Skeen Whitson Buren Skeen (September 28, 1936 – September 13, 1965) was an American NASCAR driver from Denton, North Carolina. Career Skeen competed in eight Grand National Series events in his career, earning three finishes in the top ten. A ...

† (No. 23) # Ned Jarrett (No. 11) # Bob Derrington (No. 68) #

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/ ...

*† (No. 49) #

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 ...

(No. 97) # Clyde Lynn† (No. 20) # Darel Dieringer*† (No. 37) # Wendell Scott† (No. 34) # Curtis Crider* (No. 53) #

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 ...

(No. 31) #

Roy Tyner William Leroy "Roy" Tyner (January 3, 1934 – February 23, 1989) was a Native American ''NASCAR Grand National'' driver from Red Springs, North Carolina, United States. NASCAR career Driver Tyner participated in the 1968 Fireball 300 in add ...

*† (No. 9) # Larry Frank*† (No. 76) # Donald Tucker (No. 74) # Junior Johnson* (No. 26) # Tom Pistone* (No. 59) # Bud Harless*† (No. 40) # Sonny Hutchins*† (No. 90) # Bobby Johns* (No. 7) # Gene Hobby* (No. 99) # Buck Baker*† (No. 87) #

Larry Manning Larry Niles Manning, Senior (October 4, 1942 – May 23, 2012) was an American stock car racing driver. A native of Salisbury, North Carolina,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 ...

* (No. 86) # Junior Spencer* (No. 17) # G.T. Nolen* (No. 80) # Bill Morton* (No. 56) #

E.J. Trivette E. J. Trivette (born June 6, 1936, in Deep Gap, North Carolina, US) is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver. Career In his thirteen-year career, Trivette has raced 177 races and has accomplished twenty-nine finishes in the top ten. He ha ...

* (No. 52) #

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 ...

*† (No. 88) # Terry Murchison* (No. 0) ''† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased''
''^* denotes that the driver did not finish the race''

Timeline

Section reference: * Start of race: Junior Johnson officially began the race with the pole position. * Lap 61: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Junior Johnson. * Lap 74: Bobby Johns took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. * Lap 89: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Bobby Johns. * Lap 92: Bobby Johns took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. * Lap 93: Junior Johnson took over the lead from Bobby Johns. * Lap 179: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Junior Johnson. * Lap 344: Larry Frank fell out with engine failure while racing at competitive speeds. * Lap 362: Transmission issues forced Roy Tyner to exit the race prematurely. * Lap 390: Curtis Crider had to leave the race due to crankshaft issues. * Lap 404: Darel Dieringer fell out with engine failure while racing at competitive speeds. * Lap 432: G.C. Spencer had a terminal crash, forcing him to retire from the race. * Lap 468: Doug Cooper fell out with engine failure while racing at competitive speeds. * Finish: Fred Lorenzen was officially declared the winner of the event.

References

{{authority control Virginia 500 Virginia 500 NASCAR races at Martinsville Speedway