1965 Atlanta 500
Race details[1]
Race 9 of 55 in the 1965 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Layout of Atlanta International Raceway, used until 1996
Layout of Atlanta International Raceway, used until 1996
Date April 11, 1965 (1965-April-11)
Official name Atlanta 500
Location Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia
Course Permanent racing facility
1.500 mi (2.400 km)
Distance 334 laps, 501.0 mi (804 km)
Weather Temperatures of 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); wind speeds up to 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)
Average speed 129.410 miles per hour (208.265 km/h)
Attendance 50,700[2]
Pole position
Driver
Wood Brothers
Time 150.547 seconds
Most laps led
Driver Marvin Panch Wood Brothers
Laps 241
Winner
No. 24 Marvin Panch Wood Brothers
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1965 Atlanta 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 11, 1965, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

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.

Background

Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one of ten current intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway.[3] However, at the time, only Charlotte and Darlington were built.

The layout at Atlanta International Speedway at the time was a four-turn traditional oval track that is 1.54 miles (2.48 km) long.[4] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five.[4]

Race report

There were 44 American-born male drivers on the grid.[2] This race was the sixth Atlanta 500 to ever take place in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, the racing series would ultimately come to an end in 2011 to make room for a race at Kentucky Speedway.[5] While the previous year's race was televised on CBS, this race was completely unbroadcast on television.

Jim Conway would be the race's last-place finisher due to a clutch issue on lap 1 out of 334 laps.[2] Marvin Panch defeated Bobby Johns by two seconds in front of 50,700 people in his 1965 Ford Galaxie vehicle.[2] However, it was relief driver and fellow Woods Brothers racer A.J. Foyt who took the checkered flag in the No. 21 Ford, Panch received credit for the win by virtue of NASCAR rules and regulations.[2] There were eight lead changes in addition to five caution flags waved for 26 laps; making this race last almost four hours in length.[2]

The average speed of the race was 129.410 miles per hour (208.265 km/h) while Panch earned the pole position with a qualifying speed of 145.581 miles per hour (234.290 km/h).[2][6] Other drivers in the top ten were: Ned Jarrett, Dick Hutcherson, Buddy Baker, Tiny Lund, Bobby Allison, Larry Hess, Paul Lewis, and Bub Strickler.[2][6]

Vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company had the monopoly on this race.[2][6] Jim Conway would make his introduction into the NASCAR Cup Series while Danny Byrd would leave the series after this race.[7]

This race took place on the same day as the infamous 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado outbreak that occurred in the Ohio Valley.

Qualifying

Grid No. Driver Manufacturer Qualifying time[8] Speed[8] Owner
1 21 Marvin Panch '65 Ford 150.547 145.581 Wood Brothers
2 16 Darel Dieringer '64 Mercury 150.556 145.572 Bud Moore
3 15 Earl Balmer '64 Mercury 150.699 145.434 Bud Moore
4 11 Ned Jarrett '65 Ford 152.332 143.875 Bondy Long
5 29 Dick Hutcherson '65 Ford 152.403 143.808 Holman-Moody Racing
6 41 A.J. Foyt '65 Ford 152.505 143.712 Wood Brothers
7 7 Bobby Johns '65 Ford 152.688 143.540 Holman-Moody Racing
8 76 Larry Frank '64 Ford 154.057 142.264 Larry Frank
9 26 Junior Johnson '65 Ford 154.087 142.236 Junior Johnson
10 24 Sam McQuagg '65 Ford 155.468 140.973 Betty Lilly

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

References

  1. ^ "1965 Atlanta 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "1965 Atlanta 500 racing information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  3. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "NASCAR Tracks—The Atlanta Motor Speedway". Atlanta Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  5. ^ "Atlanta Motor Speedway Announces Schedule For 2011 NASCAR Season". www.atlantamotorspeedway.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  6. ^ a b c "1965 Atlanta 500 racing information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  7. ^ "Introductions to and departures from NASCAR". Race Database. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  8. ^ a b "1965 Atlanta 500 qualifying information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
Preceded by1965 untitled race at Orange Speedway NASCAR Grand National races 1965 Succeeded by1965 Greenville 200
Preceded by1964 Atlanta 500 races 1965 Succeeded by1966
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