1964 Old Dominion 500

The 1964 Old Dominion 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 24, 1964, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. Forty professional stock car racing drivers would become involved in an event that would become legendary.

1964 Old Dominion 500
Race details[1]
Race 56 of 62 in the 1964 NASCAR Grand National Series season
A map showing the layout of Martinsville Speedway
A map showing the layout of Martinsville Speedway
Date September 24, 1964 (1964-September-24)
Official name Old Dominion 500
Location Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia
Course Permanent racing facility
0.525 mi (0.844 km)
Distance 500 laps, 262.5 mi (442.4 km)
Weather Warm with temperatures of 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); wind speeds of 15.9 miles per hour (25.6 km/h)
Average speed 67.32 mph (108.34 km/h)
Attendance 18,214
Pole position
Driver
Holman-Moody
Time 24.260 seconds
Most laps led
Driver Fred Lorenzen Holman-Moody
Laps 493
Winner
No. 28 Fred Lorenzen Holman-Moody
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

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.

Background

Martinsville Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races.[2] The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.526 miles (0.847 km) long.[3] 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.[3]

Race report

Fred Lorenzen defeated Richard Petty by 1⁄3 of a second in front of a live audience of 18,214 spectators; becoming the first recipient of the now-famous Martinsville Grandfather Clock.[4][5] Lorenzen would also pick up his third win in a row at Martinsville.

Typical qualifying times for the race ranged from 24.2 seconds to 25.2 seconds with vehicles driving between 71.2 miles per hour (114.6 km/h) and 74.1 miles per hour (119.3 km/h).[6] In addition to six changes in the lead driver, there were also six caution flags given out for 28 laps.[4] The entire race took three hours and twenty-four minutes to go from green flag to the checkered flag. Top prize at the race was $4,715 ($44,489 when adjusted for inflation).[4] Doug Yates and Buddy Arrington both qualified for the race but failed to start in it.[4] Major Melton would make his final NASCAR Grand National Cup Series appearance in this race.[4] The majority of the entries belonged to the Ford Motor Company. Model years for each vehicle ranged from 1962 to 1964; complying with the NASCAR rules and regulations for that era.[4]

NASCAR was authorized to hand out a grand total of $17,580 to each of the drivers who participated in this event ($165,878 when adjusted for inflation).[7] Even with his second-place finish, Petty clinched his first NASCAR championship after this race.[4] Bill Whitley was credited as the actual last-place driver after acquiring a transmission problem on lap 6; bringing home a paycheck of $150 ($1,415 when adjusted for inflation).[7]

At least 16 notable crew chiefs were recorded as attending this race; including Bud Moore, Herman Beam, Glen Wood, Bud Allman, Banjo Matthews and Vic Ballard.[8]

Doug Wilson would retire from the NASCAR Cup Series after this race.

Qualifying
Grid No. Driver Manufacturer Speed[6] Qualifying time[6] Owner
1 28Fred Lorenzen'64 Ford74.19624.260Holman-Moody
2 27Junior Johnson'64 Ford73.77024.400Banjo Matthews
3 11Ned Jarrett'64 Ford73.61924.450Bondy Long
4 7Bobby Johns'64 Ford73.52924.480Holman-Moody
5 21Marvin Panch'64 Ford73.46924.500Wood Brothers
6 25Paul Goldsmith'64 Plymouth73.28924.560Ray Nichels
7 41Jim Paschal'64 Plymouth73.17024.600Petty Enterprises
8 1Billy Wade'64 Mercury73.05124.640Bud Moore
9 00Cale Yarborough'64 Ford72.78624.730Holman-Moody
10 49G.C. Spencer'64 Ford72.55124.810G.C. Spencer

A non-championship race determined the final 20 starters in the Old Dominion 500. Only Richard Petty and Doug Yates managed to lead laps in the event; Petty would go on to win the qualifying race.[9]

Top 20 finishers
Pos[4] No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps led Time/Status
1 28Fred LorenzenFord5004933:42:49
2 43Richard PettyPlymouth5005+0.33 laps
3 27Junior JohnsonFord4991+1 lap
4 21Marvin PanchFord4990+1 lap
5 11Ned JarrettFord4971+3 laps
6 16Darel DieringerMercury4910+9 laps
7 26Bobby IsaacDodge4910+9 laps
8 6David PearsonDodge4910+9 laps
9 1Billy WadeMercury4900+10 laps
10 00Cale YarboroughFord4890+11 laps
11 5Earl BalmerDodge4870+13 laps
12 49G.C. SpencerFord4860+14 laps
13 3Buck BakerDodge4840+16 laps
14 19Larry ThomasFord4800+20 laps
15 46J.T. PutneyPlymouth4520+48 laps
16 84Bert RobbinsFord4510+49 laps
17 31Al WhiteFord4410+59 laps
18 09Roy MayneFord4360+64 laps
19 17Junior SpencerFord4360+66 laps
20 83Worth McMillionPontiac4360+66 laps

Timeline

Section reference: [4]

  • Start of race: Fred Lorenzen had the pole position to begin the race; Doug Yates and Buddy Arrington failed to start the race.
  • Lap 6: Transmission problems forced Bill Whitley into the sidelines.
  • Lap 11: Ronnie Croy would have oil pressure issues with his vehicle.
  • Lap 18: Faulty brakes would relegate Jack Anderson to the sidelines.
  • Lap 44: An overheating vehicle forced Buddy Baker off the track.
  • Lap 124: Bunkie Blackburn would fail to finish the race due to issues with his vehicle's clutch.
  • Lap 128: Bob Derrington's vehicle lost his rear end, forcing him off the track for safety reasons.
  • Lap 164: Richard Petty took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen.
  • Lap 165: Transmission problems managed to end Neil Castles' hopes of winning the event.
  • Lap 169: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 171: Ned Jarrett took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen.
  • Lap 172: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Ned Jarrett.
  • Lap 184: Paul Goldsmith started feeling some "bad vibrations" from his vehicle.
  • Lap 260: Doug Wilson managed to overheat his vehicle when he needed it the most.
  • Lap 268: A wheel bearing came off Bill McMahan's vehicle.
  • Lap 325: Bobby Johns had a terminal crash, forcing him to leave the event prematurely.
  • Lap 338: Doug Cooper's brakes no longer worked, forcing him out of the race.
  • Lap 339: Major Melton fell out with engine failure.
  • Lap 340: Junior Johnson took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen.
  • Lap 341: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Junior Johnson.
  • Lap 344: LeeRoy Yarborough's vehicle started handling a little bit too funny, causing him not to finish the race.
  • Lap 380: Wendell Scott managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle.
  • Lap 383: Jim Paschal managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle.
  • Lap 397: Elmo Langley managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle.
  • Lap 414: Curtis Crider managed to lose his vehicle's rear end.
  • Finish: Fred Lorenzen was officially declared the winner of the event.

References
  1. Weather information for the 1964 Old Dominion 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  3. "NASCAR Tracks—The Martinsville Speedway". Martinsville Speedway. Archived from the original on October 7, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  4. 1964 Old Dominion 500 at Racing-Reference.info
  5. From Sandstone To Sterling: The Top 10 Trophies In NASCAR Archived 2013-05-04 at the Wayback Machine at Front Stretch
  6. Qualifying information for the 1964 Old Dominion 500 at Racing Reference
  7. 1964 Old Dominion 500 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
  8. 1964 Old Dominion 500 crew chiefs at Racing Reference
  9. 1964 Old Dominion 500 Qualifying Race at Ultimate Racing History
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