Official name Wilkes 400 | ||
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Date October 3, 1965 (1965-October-03) Course Permanent racing facility0.625 mi (1.005 km) Distance 400 laps, 250 mi (402 km) Weather Warm with temperatures reaching up to 79 °F (26 °C); wind speeds up to 10.1 miles per hour (16.3 km/h) | ||
The 1965 Wilkes 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on October 3, 1965, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
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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.
Summary
During this 400-lap event, the only drivers to clinch the lead were Fred Lorenzen, Junior Johnson, and Cale Yarborough. There were 35 drivers who qualified for this race; Buddy Arrington would be credited as the last-place due to being involved in a crash with three other drivers on his thirteenth lap. All of the drivers on the racing grid were born in the United States of America. Most of automobiles present at this race belong to the Ford manufacturer.
Fifteen thousand fans would see an event that would last for two hours and forty-eight minutes. Fred Lorenzen would qualify for the pole position by virtue of driving up to 101.58 miles per hour or 163.48 kilometres per hour during his solo qualifying session. Only two of the top-ten finishers would drive a Dodge vehicle while Chevrolet stock cars would finish anywhere between the middle of the pack to near the end of the pack. Junior Johnson defeated Cale Yarborough by two laps in order to clinch his final victory ever in the NASCAR Cup Series. Frank Weathers would retire from driving in the top-level NASCAR series after this event.
Individual winnings for each driver ranged from $4,475 for Junior Johnson ($34,009.05 when inflation is taken into effect) and $150 for Buddy Arrington ($1,139.97 when inflation is taken into effect). Total winnings assigned for this racing event by NASCAR officials was $17,050 ($129,576.40 when inflation is taken into effect).