1963 Sandlapper 200
Encyclopedia
The 1963 Sandlapper 200 was the official site of Richard Petty
's 25th NASCAR
Grand National win for Petty Enterprises
(now Richard Petty Motorsports).
event. As a result, cars could no longer use letters and/or numbers higher than "99" on at any NASCAR Cup Series racing event - although EA Sports
would violate this rule numerous times on their NASCAR video game series
.
The race took place on August 8, 1963 at Columbia Speedway
in the American
community of Columbia
, South Carolina
. Two hundred laps were done on a dirt track spanning 0.5 mile (0.80467 km). It took one hour, forty-seven minutes, and fifty-five seconds for Richard Petty to defeat David Pearson by a margin of nine seconds. The notable speeds were: 55.598 mi/h as the average speed and 69.014 mi/h as the pole position speed. Eight thousand and five hundred people attended this live untelevised race. Other notable participants included: J.D. McDuffie
, Wendell Scott
, Cale Yarborough
, and Buck Baker
. Possum Jones
would score last place in the race after only finishing five laps due to tire issues. Frank Warren
would finish the race in 13th in his unsponsored 1961 Pontiac Catalina
vehicle (with the X designation for his driver number) after starting in 18th place. He would receive $100 ($ in today's money) as a part of his winnings.
Total winnings for this race were $4,825 ($ in today's money) with Richard Petty receiving the lion's share
with $1,140 ($ in today's money).
* Driver failed to finish race
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
's 25th NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Grand National win for Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises was a NASCAR racing team based in Randleman, North Carolina, USA. The team was owned by Richard Petty, his son Kyle Petty, and Boston Ventures. At the time of its folding the team operated the #43 and #45 Dodge Chargers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Petty Enterprises ran from...
(now Richard Petty Motorsports).
Summary
It was also the last time that the letter "X" could be legally used as a race number. An amendment to one of NASCAR's rules made by Bill France, Sr. forced all drivers to use only single-digit and double-digit race car numbers started in the 1963 Western North Carolina 5001963 Western North Carolina 500
The 1963 Western North Carolina 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series race that took place on August 11, 1963 at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in the American community of Weaverville, North Carolina....
event. As a result, cars could no longer use letters and/or numbers higher than "99" on at any NASCAR Cup Series racing event - although EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
would violate this rule numerous times on their NASCAR video game series
EA Sports NASCAR series
The EA Sports NASCAR series was a series of NASCAR video games published by EA Sports. The series began with NASCAR 98 and NASCAR 99 in 1997 and 1998. EA Sports released NASCAR Thunder 2002 in 2001, and ever since then, Jeff Gordon , Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ,and Tony Stewart were on the cover...
.
The race took place on August 8, 1963 at Columbia Speedway
Columbia Speedway
Columbia Speedway was an oval racetrack located in Cayce, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. It was the site of auto races for NASCAR's top series from 1951 through 1971. For most of its history, the racing surface was dirt. The races in April and August 1970 were two of the final three Grand...
in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
community of Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. Two hundred laps were done on a dirt track spanning 0.5 mile (0.80467 km). It took one hour, forty-seven minutes, and fifty-five seconds for Richard Petty to defeat David Pearson by a margin of nine seconds. The notable speeds were: 55.598 mi/h as the average speed and 69.014 mi/h as the pole position speed. Eight thousand and five hundred people attended this live untelevised race. Other notable participants included: J.D. McDuffie
J.D. McDuffie
John Delphus McDuffie was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver. He raced in the top division of NASCAR from 1963 to 1991. McDuffie had 106 top-tens in his Cup Series career...
, Wendell Scott
Wendell Scott
Wendell Oliver Scott was an American stock car racing driver from Danville, Virginia. He is the only black driver to win a race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series. According to a 2008 biography of Scott, he broke the color barrier in Southern stock car racing on May 23, 1952, at the Danville...
, Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
, and Buck Baker
Buck Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. , better known as Buck Baker, was an American race car driver.-Racing career:...
. Possum Jones
Possum Jones
Possum Jones is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver.From 1952 to 1965, Jones managed to lead 28 out of the 8234 laps that he committed in his career. This would add up to raced in total. Total earnings for Possum Jones was $13,680 . On average, Jones started in 21st place and finished in 20th...
would score last place in the race after only finishing five laps due to tire issues. Frank Warren
Frank Warren (NASCAR driver)
Frank Warren is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver who raced from 1963 to 1980.Out of 88863 laps finished in his career, Warren had led 72 of them. Warren's total career earnings were $625,886 and while his average finish was 20th place in his entire career. The total amount of miles...
would finish the race in 13th in his unsponsored 1961 Pontiac Catalina
Pontiac Catalina
The Pontiac Catalina was part of Pontiac's full-sized automobile line. Initially, the name was used strictly to denote hardtop body styles, first appearing in the 1950 Chieftain Eight and DeLuxe Eight lines...
vehicle (with the X designation for his driver number) after starting in 18th place. He would receive $100 ($ in today's money) as a part of his winnings.
Total winnings for this race were $4,825 ($ in today's money) with Richard Petty receiving the lion's share
Lion's Share
The lion's share is an idiomatic expression which develops from a number of fables ascribed to Aesop and is now used as their generic title, although they exist in several different versions...
with $1,140 ($ in today's money).
Finishing order
- Richard Petty
- David Pearson
- Bobby IsaacBobby IsaacBobby Isaac is a former NASCAR Grand National champion.-Early life:Isaac grew up on a farm near Catawba, North Carolina, the second youngest of nine children...
† - Ned JarrettNed JarrettNed Jarrett is a retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR champion.Jarrett was best known for his calm demeanor, and he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett", yet he was an intense competitor when he put his two hands on the steering wheel of a NASCAR Grand National stock car...
- G.C. SpencerG.C. SpencerG. C. Spencer July 9, 1925 in Owensboro, Kentucky – September 20, 2007 in Johnson City, Tennessee was a NASCAR driver who competed in 415 Grand National/Winston Cup races from 1958 to 1977...
† - Billy Wade†
- Jack Smith†
- Cale YarboroughCale YarboroughWilliam Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
- Wendell ScottWendell ScottWendell Oliver Scott was an American stock car racing driver from Danville, Virginia. He is the only black driver to win a race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series. According to a 2008 biography of Scott, he broke the color barrier in Southern stock car racing on May 23, 1952, at the Danville...
† - Bobby Keck
- Joe WeatherlyJoe WeatherlyJoseph "Joe" Weatherly was a two-time NASCAR championship driver. Weatherly was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009 after winning NASCAR's Grand National championships in 1962 and 1963, three A.M.A...
*† - Curtis CriderCurtis CriderCurtis Crider was a pioneer in NASCAR's early years.He was one of the hardest working and underfinanced racers to ever drive the stock car circuit. Landing in a lake eventually earned him the nickname "Crawfish." Like most early NASCAR racers, Crider was a bootlegger and delievered moonshine to...
- Frank WarrenFrank Warren (NASCAR driver)Frank Warren is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver who raced from 1963 to 1980.Out of 88863 laps finished in his career, Warren had led 72 of them. Warren's total career earnings were $625,886 and while his average finish was 20th place in his entire career. The total amount of miles...
- J.D. McDuffieJ.D. McDuffieJohn Delphus McDuffie was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver. He raced in the top division of NASCAR from 1963 to 1991. McDuffie had 106 top-tens in his Cup Series career...
*† - Buck BakerBuck BakerElzie Wylie Baker Sr. , better known as Buck Baker, was an American race car driver.-Racing career:...
*† - Joel DavisJoel DavisJoel Clark Davis is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox from 1985-1988. He is a left-handed batter and is a right-handed thrower. He was drafted in 1983 in the first round and was picked number 13th.After a major surgery on his right shoulder, Joel had to quit baseball...
* - Junior JohnsonJunior JohnsonRobert Glenn Johnson, Jr. , better known as Junior Johnson, is a retired moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966...
* - Billy Oswald*
- Fred Harb*
- Jimmy PardueJimmy PardueJimmy Pardue is a former race car driver who lived in North Wilkesboro, North America, USA.-Summary:He made his debut in 1955 at Martinsville, where he finished 28th after suffering hub problems in his Chevrolet Bel Air vehicle. He made his first full-time attempt in 1960 where he had eleven top-tens...
*† - Ed Livingston*
- Possum JonesPossum JonesPossum Jones is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver.From 1952 to 1965, Jones managed to lead 28 out of the 8234 laps that he committed in his career. This would add up to raced in total. Total earnings for Possum Jones was $13,680 . On average, Jones started in 21st place and finished in 20th...
*
* Driver failed to finish race
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased