Official name Speedorama 200 | ||
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Date July 7, 1963; 53 years ago (1963-07-07) Location Rambi Raceway, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Course Permanent racing facility
0.500 mi (0.804 km) Distance 200 laps, 100 mi (160 km) Weather Warm with temperatures reaching up to 82.0 °F (27.8 °C) with a maximum wind speed of 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) | ||
The 1963 Speedorama 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on July 7, 1963, at Rambi Raceway in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Contents
Chuck Huckabee's NASCAR Cup debut nets him his lone top-10 finish in ninth place. He wouldn't finish higher than 12th in any of his other 11 Cup starts.
Summary
Two hundred laps were done on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) for a grand total of 100 miles (160 km) of racing action. The entire race lasted one hour and thirty-eight seconds with four thousand people watching Ned Jarrett defeat Buck Baker by more than seven laps. This was the first race competed in by J. D. McDuffie (who drove in a self-sponsored 1961 Ford Galaxie).
The transition to purposely-built racers 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.
The average speed of the race was 60.996 miles per hour (98.164 km/h) while Richard Petty would be the fastest driver in qualifying with a speed of 68.700 miles per hour (110.562 km/h). There were no records kept of any cautions committed in this race. Despite McDuffie's later problems, he would finish in 12th place in this race. Bobby Isaac would lead 30 laps before an engine problem would force him to finish in last place.
The winner would receive $1,000 in winnings ($7,822.83 in current US dollars) while the last-place finisher would receive a meager $100 for his "hard work" ($782.28 in current US dollars). The total winnings of the race would add up to $4,540 ($35,515.63 in current US dollars).
Timeline
Finishing order
* DNF