1963 Pickens 200
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| Race details[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 38 of 55 in the 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | July 30, 1963 | ||
| Official name | Pickens 200 | ||
| Location | Greenville-Pickens Speedway (Greenville, South Carolina) | ||
| Course | Dirt oval | ||
| Course length | 0.500 miles (0.805 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 100.000 mi (160.934 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures of 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); wind speeds of 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 62.456 miles per hour (100.513 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 7,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Charles Robinson | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ned Jarrett | Charles Robinson | |
| Laps | 112 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 41 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | |
The 1963 Pickens 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 30, 1963, at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina.
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
Three lead changes ended up circulating amongst three different race leaders.[4] Herman Beam, Johnny Divers and Crawford Clements were three of the notable crew chiefs that witnessed the event.[5]
Two cautions were initiated by NASCAR with the average speed of the competitors being 62.456 miles per hour (100.513 km/h).[2][3] Pole position winner Ned Jarrett would earn the post with a speed of 65.526 miles per hour (105.454 km/h) on his 1963 Ford Galaxie before losing to Richard Petty driving his 1963 Plymouth Belvedere in the actual race.[2][6] J. D. McDuffie 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.[2][3][4] Frank Warren would make his NASCAR debut racing against Buck Baker, Neil Castles, Joe Weatherly, Wendell Scott (NASCAR's first African-American competitor), and Cale Yarborough.[2][3][4]
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.[2][3]
| Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | '63 Ford | Charles Robinson |
| 2 | 5 | Billy Wade | '62 Dodge | Cotton Owens |
| 3 | 32 | Tiny Lund | '63 Ford | Dave Kent |
| 4 | 6 | David Pearson | '63 Dodge | Cotton Owens |
| 5 | 87 | Buck Baker | '63 Pontiac | Buck Baker |
| 6 | 99 | Bobby Isaac | '63 Ford | Bondy Long |
| 7 | 41 | Richard Petty | '63 Plymouth | Petty Enterprises |
| 8 | 18 | Stick Elliott | '62 Pontiac | Toy Bolton |
| 9 | 48 | Jack Smith | '63 Dodge | Jack Smith |
| 10 | 75 | Bunkie Blackburn | '62 Pontiac | Robert Smith |
| 11 | 2 | Fred Harb | '62 Pontiac | Cliff Stewart |
| 12 | 05 | Joe Weatherly | '62 Pontiac | Possum Jones |
| 13 | 19 | Cale Yarborough | '62 Ford | Herman Beam |
| 14 | 1 | E.J. Trivette | '62 Chevrolet | Jess Potter |
| 15 | 54 | Jimmy Pardue | '63 Ford | Pete Stewart |
| 16 | 34 | Wendell Scott | '62 Chevrolet | Wendell Scott |
| 17 | 86 | Neil Castles | '62 Chrysler | Buck Baker |
| 18 | 89 | Curtis Crider | '62 Pontiac | Joel Davis |
| 19 | 56 | Ed Livingston | '62 Ford | Mamie Reynolds |
| 20 | X | Frank Warren | '61 Pontiac | unknown |
| 21 | 76 | J.D. McDuffie | '61 Ford | J.D. McDuffie |