1963 Speedorama 200

1963 Speedorama 200

Race details[1]
Race 30 of 55 in the 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Rambi Raceway
Date	July 7, 1963; 61 years ago (1963-07-07)
Official name	Speedorama 200
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	Very hot with temperatures of 82.0 °F (27.8 °C); wind speeds of 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
Average speed	60.996 miles per hour (98.164 km/h)
Attendance	4,000[2]
Pole position
Driver	Richard Petty	Petty Enterprises
Time	26.2 seconds[3]
Most laps led
Driver	Ned Jarrett	Charles Robinson
Laps	140
Winner
No. 11	Ned Jarrett	Charles Robinson
Television in the United States
Network	untelevised
Announcers	none

The 1963 Speedorama 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 7, 1963, at Rambi Raceway in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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.

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.^[2] 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.^[2][4] This was the first race competed in by J. D. McDuffie (who drove in a self-sponsored 1961 Ford Galaxie).^[2][5]

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.

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).^[2] There were no records kept of any cautions committed in this race.^[2] Despite McDuffie's later problems, he would finish in 12th place in this race.^[2] Bobby Isaac would lead 30 laps before an engine problem would force him to finish in last place. Cale Yarborough would receive his first top-5 finish of his career at this race.^[2]

Notable crew chiefs at this race were Herman Beam and Crawford Clements.^[6]

The winner would receive $1,000 in winnings ($9,952 in current US dollars) while the last-place finisher would receive a meager $100 for his "hard work" ($995 in current US dollars).^[2][4] The total winnings of the race would add up to $4,540 ($45,183 in current US dollars).

Section reference:^[2]

• Start of race: Bobby Isaac quickly took over the lead from pole position winner Richard Petty.
• Lap 30: Bobby Isaac's vehicle had an engine failure, forcing him out of the race.
• Lap 31: Richard Petty took back the lead from Bobby Isaac.
• Lap 46: Wendell Scott's engine became problematic, causing him to leave the race.
• Lap 60: Richard Petty was involved in a terminal crash, ending his weekend on the track.
• Lap 61: Ned Jarrett took over the lead from Richard Petty.
• Lap 94: Lee Reitzel had his vehicle's engine become problematic, ending his day on the track.
• Lap 119: Jimmy Pardue became the final DNF of the day due to engine problems.
• Finish: Ned Jarrett won the race

Section reference:^[2]

* DNF