Official name The Glen 151.8 | ||
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Date July 19, 1964 (1964-July-19) Location Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York Course Permanent racing facility
2.300 mi (3.701 km) Distance 66 laps, 151.8 mi (244.2 km) Weather Hot with temperatures approaching 88 °F (31 °C); wind speeds up to 13 miles per hour (21 km/h) | ||
The 1964 The Glen 151.8 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on July 19, 1964, at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York.
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Background
Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The sports car racing facility is owned by the International Speedway Corporation. It was long known around the world as the home of the United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for 20 consecutive years (1961–1980) but since 1948, it has been home to road racing of nearly every class, such as Formula One, the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the Verizon IndyCar Series. Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956, a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968, the race was extended to six hours, earning the nickname "6 Hours of Watkins Glen". The circuit's current layout has more/less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after a fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event. The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers.
Summary
Five lead changes were made (consisting of Ned Jarrett, Darel Dieringer, Billy Wade, and Ned Jarrett). After one hour and thirty-two minutes of racing, Billy Wade managed to defeat LeeRoy Yarbrough by six seconds in front of 10,000 live spectators (approximately 24% of the racetrack's modern capacity). The total prize purse handed out for this racing event was $6,395 ($49,382.85 when inflation is taken into effect); Billy Wade received $1,400 of it ($10,810.94 when inflation is taken into effect) while Lee Petty received a meager $150 ($1,158.32 when inflation is taken into effect).
Pete Boland would receive the last-place finish due to a brake problem on lap 2 of 66. The actual race spanned for 151.8 miles (244.3 km); with the pole position speed at 102.222 miles per hour (164.510 km/h) and the average race speed at 97.988 miles per hour (157.696 km/h). All 26 of the drivers on the grid where American-born males. Lee Petty would retire from NASCAR after this race. From the next race onward, his son Richard would race alone. Bob Welborn would make his second-to-last NASCAR appearance at this racing event. Walt Hansgen would become the first road course ringer by being at this track three times. He would drive a 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle during this race after driving a Ford vehicle at a previous race.
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.
Finishing order
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race