1963 Golden State 400
| Race details[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 55 of 55 in the 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 Layout of Riverside International Raceway | |||
| Date | November 3, 1963 | ||
| Official name | Golden State 400 | ||
| Location | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.620 mi (4.216 km) | ||
| Distance | 153 laps, 400.9 mi (645.1 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures approaching 66.9 °F (19.4 °C); wind speeds up to 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 91.645 miles per hour (147.488 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 20,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers Racing | ||
| Time | 96.190 seconds | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dave MacDonald | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Laps | 92 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 16 | Darel Dieringer | Bill Stroppe | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1963 Golden State 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on November 3, 1963, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.
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; most of the cars were trailered to events or hauled in by trucks.
Background
Riverside International Raceway a race track or road course in Moreno Valley, California. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989. The original course design proved to be dangerous, and it was partially reconfigured in 1969.
The track was built to accommodate several different configurations, depending on the type of car and race length. The three options on Riverside Raceway were the long course (3.27 miles (5.26 km)), the short course (2.5 miles (4.0 km)), and the NASCAR (2.62 miles (4.22 km)) course. The original racetrack had a 1.1-mile (1.8 km) backstretch from 1957 to 1968. When the track was redesigned in 1969, Turn 9 was reconfigured with a wider radius and a dogleg approach added to reduce strain on the cars' brakes.
Summary
This event took four hours and twenty-one seconds to resolve itself; Darel Dieringer defeated Dave MacDonald by at least one lap.[2] More than 32000 people would watch a 148-lap race on a road course spanning 2.700 miles (4.345 km) and speeds averaging 91.465 miles per hour (147.199 km/h).[2][3] Dan Gurney won the pole position driving at speeds of up to 101.050 miles per hour (162.624 km/h) but Marvin Panch substituted for him on the day of the race.[2] Only one caution was given out for the entire racing event.[2][3] Forty-one American-born races would qualify for this race and Bruce Worwell would finish in last place due to an engine problem on the first lap of the race. This would end up becoming the only 1963 race of 300 miles or more where a Holman-Moody Ford failed to secure a place in the top two.[2][3]
The race purse would add up to $33,780 ($270,019.70 when adjusted for inflation); with the winner receiving $7,875 ($62,948.64 when adjusted for inflation) and the last place finisher receiving only $200 ($1,598.70 when adjusted for inflation).[4] Joe Weatherly would go on to win the 1963 title over Richard Petty, who overshadowed Weatherly in nearly every statistical category that year.[5]
Notable crew chiefs who actively participated in the race were Herb Nab, Bradley Denis, Mario Rossi, and Louis Clements.[6]
Richard Petty attempted to drive five laps using automatic transmission but his transmission failed after only five laps into the race; proving that NASCAR may always be for vehicles with manual transmission. He would go on to become a replacement driver for Junior Johnson; although Johnson got credit for the fifth-place finish.
Qualifying
| Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Qualifying time[7] | Speed[7] | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 121 | Marvin Panch | '63 Ford | 1:36.190 | 101.050 | Wood Brothers |
| 2 | 22 | Fireball Roberts | '63 Ford | 1:37.810 | 99.376 | Holman-Moody |
| 3 | 16 | Darel Dieringer | '63 Mercury | 1:38.110 | 99.072 | Bill Stroppe |
| 4 | 28 | Fred Lorenzen | '63 Ford | 1:38.160 | 99.022 | Holman-Moody |
| 5 | 4 | Rex White | '63 Mercury | 1:38.210 | 98.971 | Rex White |
| 6 | 21 | Dave MacDonald | '63 Ford | 1:38.400 | 98.780 | Wood Brothers |
| 7 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | '63 Ford | 1:38.420 | 98.760 | Charles Robinson |
| 8 | 33 | Clem Proctor | '63 Pontiac | 1:38.850 | 98.330 | Clem Proctor |
| 9 | 8 | Joe Weatherly | '63 Mercury | 1:39.980 | 97.219 | Bud Moore |
| 10 | 281 | Ken Miles | '63 Ford | 1:40.310 | 96.899 | Holman-Moody |
Failed to qualify: Danny Weinberg (#3), A. J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Rodger Ward, Roger Penske[7]
Driver change: Dan Gurney (#121)[7]
Top ten finishers
| Pos[2] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Winnings | Laps led | Time/Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 16 | Darel Dieringer | Mercury | 148 | $7,845 | 35 | 4:21:37 |
| 2 | 6 | 21 | Dave MacDonald | Ford | 147 | $4,655 | 92 | +1 lap |
| 3 | 1 | 121 | Marvin Panch | Ford | 147 | $2,860 | 1 | +1 lap |
| 4 | 2 | 22 | Fireball Roberts | Ford | 147 | $1,775 | 0 | +1 lap |
| 5 | 19 | 26 | Junior Johnson | Mercury | 145 | $1,300 | 0 | +3 laps |
| 6 | 15 | 47 | Jack Smith | Plymouth | 144 | $1,175 | 0 | +4 laps |
| 7 | 9 | 8 | Joe Weatherly | Mercury | 143 | $1,475 | 0 | +5 laps |
| 8 | 22 | 62 | Bill Amick | Mercury | 142 | $1,000 | 0 | +6 laps |
| 9 | 40 | 18 | Bob Ross | Mercury | 140 | $950 | 0 | +8 laps |
| 10 | 33 | 97 | Ron Hornaday | Ford | 140 | $850 | 0 | +8 laps |
Timeline
Section reference: [2]
- Start of race: Fred Lorenzen leaves the start/finish line as the lead driver
- Lap 1: Rex White had a terminal crash, forcing him to retire from the race
- Lap 22: Dave MacDonald takes over the lead from Fred Lorenzen
- Lap 42: Paul Goldsmith had a terminal crash, forcing him out of the race
- Lap 44: Bob Bondurant had a terminal crash, forcing him out of the race
- Lap 67: Scotty Cain managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 74: Chuck Shove managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 77: Darel Dieringer takes over the lead from Dave MacDonald
- Lap 80: Dave MacDonald takes over the lead from Darel Dieringer
- Lap 116: Darel Dieringer takes over the lead from Dave MacDonald
- Lap 117: Jimmy Pardue's vehicle had a major case of transmission issues
- Lap 118: Dave MacDonald takes over the lead from Darel Dieringer
- Lap 119: Darel Dieringer takes over the lead from Dave MacDonald
- Lap 133: Jim Cook had a terminal crash, forcing himself to exit the race prematurely
- Lap 134: Pete Brock managed to run out of fuel while racing
- Finish: Darel Dieringer was officially declared the winner of the event
References
- ↑ "1963 Golden State 400 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1963 Golden State 400 race information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
- 1 2 3 4 "1963 Golden State 400 race information (second reference)". Database Racing. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
- ↑ "1963 Golden State 400 purse information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
- ↑ "NASCAR Grand National standings for 1963". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
- ↑ "1963 Golden State 400 crew chiefs information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
- 1 2 3 4 "1963 Golden State 400 qualifying information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
| Preceded by 1963 untitled race at Orange Speedway |
NASCAR Grand National Races 1963-64 |
Succeeded by 1964 Textile 250 |