The 1963 Pickens 200 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 June 30, 1963, at

Greenville-Pickens Speedway Greenville-Pickens Speedway is a race track located in Easley, South Carolina, just west of Greenville, South Carolina. The track hosted weekly NASCAR sanctioned races. Several NASCAR touring series have raced at the track in prior years, includi ...

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

. 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.

Race report

Three lead changes ended up circulating amongst three different race leaders.

Herman Beam Herman Beam (December 11, 1929 – August 27, 1980) was a NASCAR Grand National Series driver and team owner from Johnson City, Tennessee who was active as a driver from 1957 until 1963. He is famous for holding the longest streak of races wit ...

, Johnny Divers and Crawford Clements were three of the notable crew chiefs that witnessed the event. Two cautions were initiated by NASCAR with the average speed of the competitors being . Pole position winner

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 J ...

would earn the post with a speed of on his 1963

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 ...

before losing to

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 ...

driving his 1963

Plymouth Belvedere Plymouth Belvedere is a series of American automobile models made by Plymouth from 1954 until 1970. The Belvedere name was first used for a new hardtop body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the 1951 model year. In 1954 the Belvedere re ...

in the actual race.

J. D. McDuffie John Delphus McDuffie Jr. (December 5, 1938 – August 11, 1991) was an American racing driver. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1963 to 1991, collecting 106 top-10 finishes during his career, despite never finishing on the lead ...

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. Frank Warren would make his NASCAR debut racing against

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 ...

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 ...

Joe Weatherly Joseph Herbert Weatherly (May 29, 1922 – January 19, 1964) was an American stock car racing driver. Weatherly was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009 after winning NASCAR's Grand National Series championships in ...

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 ...

(NASCAR's first African-American competitor), and Cale Yarborough. 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.

Qualifying

Timeline

Section reference: * 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.

Finishing order

Section reference: # Richard Petty (No. 41) # Ned Jarrett (No. 11) #

(No. 87) #

Fred Harb Fareed "Fred" Joseph Harb Jr. (June 14, 1930December 18, 2016) was an American stock car racing driver. The High Point, North Carolina resident made 144 NASCAR Grand National Series starts from 1955 to 1965, earning 13 top fives and 42 top tens. ...

(No. 2) #

Bobby Isaac Robert Vance Isaac (August 1, 1932 – August 14, 1977) was an American stock car racing driver. Isaac made his first NASCAR appearance in 1961, and quickly forged a reputation of one of the toughest competitors of the 1960s and 1970s. He was most ...

(No. 99) # David Pearson (No. 6) #

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 ...

(No. 32) #

(No.05) # Frank Warren (No. X) #

(No. 34) # Ed Livingston (No. 56) #

Jimmy Pardue James Pardue (October 26, 1930 – September 22, 1964) was a NASCAR race car driver who lived in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA. Summary He made his debut in 1955 at Martinsville, where he finished 28th after suffering hub problems in hi ...

(No. 54) #

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. 1) #

(No. 86) # Cale Yarborough (No. 19) #

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 ...

(No. 89) # Stick Elliott (No. 18) # Billy Wade (No. 5) #

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 ...

(No. 75) # Jack Smith (No. 48) #

J.D. McDuffie John Delphus McDuffie Jr. (December 5, 1938 – August 11, 1991) was an American racing driver. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1963 to 1991, collecting 106 top-10 finishes during his career, despite never finishing on the lead ...

(No. 76)

References

{{1963 NASCAR Grand National

Pickens 200 Greenville-Pickens Speedway is a race track located in Easley, South Carolina, just west of Greenville, South Carolina. The track hosted Whelen All-American Series, weekly NASCAR sanctioned races. Several NASCAR touring series have raced at the tr ...

South Car South Carolina NASCAR races at Greenville-Pickens Speedway