# 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series

The 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series was an American stock car racing competition. It was the fourteenth running of what is now called the NASCAR Cup Series.
The series was won by Joe Weatherly from Richard Petty and Fred Lorenzen.

## Schedule

| No. | Race Title | Track | Date |
| 1 | 1963-01 | Fairgrounds Raceway, Birmingham | November 4, 1962 |
| 2 | 1963-02 | Golden Gate Speedway, Tampa | November 11, 1962 |
| 3 | Turkey Day 200 | Tar Heel Speedway, Randleman | November 22, 1962 |
| 4 | Riverside 500 | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside | January 20, 1963 |
| 5 | 100 Mile Qualifying Races | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | February 22, 1963 |
| 6 | 100 Mile Qualifying Races | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | February 22, 1963 |
| 7 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | February 24, 1963 |
| 8 | 1963-08 | Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds, Spartanburg | March 2, 1963 |
| 9 | 1963-09 | Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, Weaverville | March 3, 1963 |
| 10 | 1963-10 | Orange Speedway, Hillsborough | March 10, 1963 |
| 11 | Atlanta 500 | Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton | March 17, 1963 |
| 12 | Hickory 250 | Hickory Speedway, Hickory | March 24, 1963 |
| 13 | Southeastern 500 | Bristol International Speedway, Bristol | March 31, 1963 |
| 14 | 1963-14 | Augusta Speedway, Augusta | April 4, 1963 |
| 15 | Richmond 250 | Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds, Richmond | April 7, 1963 |
| 16 | Greenville 200 | Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Greenville | April 13, 1963 |
| 17 | South Boston 400 | South Boston Speedway, South Boston | April 14, 1963 |
| 18 | 1963-18 | Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem | April 15, 1963 |
| 19 | Virginia 500 | Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway | April 21, 1963 |
| 20 | Gwyn Staley 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro | April 28, 1963 |
| 21 | Columbia 200 | Columbia Speedway, Columbia | May 2, 1963 |
| 22 | 1963-22 | Tar Heel Speedway, Randleman | May 5, 1963 |
| 23 | Rebel 300 (twin 150's) | Darlington Raceway, Darlington | May 11, 1963 |
| 24 | 1963-24 | Old Dominion Speedway, Manassas | May 18, 1963 |
| 25 | 1963-25 | Southside Speedway, Richmond | May 19, 1963 |
| 26 | World 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord | June 2, 1963 |
| 27 | 1963-27 | Fairgrounds Raceway, Birmingham | June 9, 1963 |
| 28 | Dixie 400 | Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton | June 30, 1963 |
| 29 | Firecracker 400 | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | July 4, 1963 |
| 30 | Speedorama 200 | Rambi Raceway, Myrtle Beach | July 7, 1963 |
| 31 | 1963-31 | Savannah Speedway, Savannah | July 10, 1963 |
| 32 | 1963-32 | Dog Track Speedway, Moyock | July 11, 1963 |
| 33 | 1963-33 | Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem | July 13, 1963 |
| 34 | 1963-34 | New Asheville Speedway, Asheville | July 14, 1963 |
| 35 | 1963-35 | Old Bridge Stadium, Old Bridge | July 19, 1963 |
| 36 | 1963-36 | Bridgehampton Raceway, Bridgehampton | July 21, 1963 |
| 37 | Volunteer 500 | Bristol International Speedway, Bristol | July 28, 1963 |
| 38 | Pickens 200 | Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Greenville | July 30, 1963 |
| 39 | Nashville 400 | Nashville Speedway, Nashville | August 4, 1963 |
| 40 | Sandlapper 200 | Columbia Speedway, Columbia | August 8, 1963 |
| 41 | Western North Carolina 500 | Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, Weaverville | August 11, 1963 |
| 42 | 1963-42 | Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds, Spartanburg | August 14, 1963 |
| 43 | International 200 | Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem | August 16, 1963 |
| 44 | Mountaineer 300 | West Virginia International Speedway, Huntington | August 18, 1963 |
| 45 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington | September 2, 1963 |
| 46 | Buddy Shuman 250 | Hickory Speedway, Hickory | September 6, 1963 |
| 47 | Capital City 300 | Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds, Richmond | September 8, 1963 |
| 48 | Old Dominion 500 | Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway | September 22, 1963 |
| 49 | 1963-49 | Dog Track Speedway, Moyock | September 24, 1963 |
| 50 | Wilkes 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro | September 29, 1963 |
| 51 | 1963-51 | Tar Heel Speedway, Randleman | October 5, 1963 |
| 52 | National 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord | October 13, 1963 |
| 53 | South Boston 400 | South Boston Speedway, South Boston | October 20, 1963 |
| 54 | 1963-54 | Orange Speedway, Hillsborough | October 27, 1963 |
| 55 | Golden State 400 | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside | November 3, 1963 |

## Races
### Riverside 500

* 28 - Dan Gurney
* 02 - A. J. Foyt
* 14 - Troy Ruttman
* 22 - Fireball Roberts
* 7 - Bobby Johns
* 11 - Ned Jarrett
* 5 - Billy Wade
* 54 - Jimmy Pardue
* 1 - Danny Letner
* 98 - Joe Ruttman

### Daytona 500

The 1963 Daytona 500 was won by Tiny Lund driving a 1963 Ford. Lund drove his number 21 to victory in three hours and 17 minutes. Lund, who was driving for Wood Brothers Racing, filled in for Marvin Panch who was suffering from injuries after a fiery crash.
* 21 - Tiny Lund
* 28 - Fred Lorenzen
* 11 - Ned Jarrett
* 29 - Nelson Stacy
* 0 - Dan Gurney
* 43 - Richard Petty
* 7A - Bobby Johns
* 8 - Joe Weatherly
* 13 - Johnny Rutherford
* 44 - Tommy Irwin

### Pickens 200

The 1963 Pickens 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series racing event that took place on July 30, 1963, at Greenville-Pickens Speedway (Greenville, South Carolina).
Three lead changes ended up circulating amongst three different race leaders. This racing event took place on a dirt track oval with 200 laps being the pre-determined number of laps according to the NASCAR officials who sanctioned the event. J. D. McDuffie would crash into the wall on his first lap in his 1961 Ford Galaxie vehicle; causing him to become the last-place finisher of the race.
Frank Warren would make his NASCAR debut racing against Buck Baker, Neil Castles, Joe Weatherly, Wendell Scott (NASCAR's first African-American competitor), and Cale Yarborough.
* 41-Richard Petty
* 11-Ned Jarrett
* 87-Buck Baker
* 2-Fred Harb
* 99-Bobby Isaac
* 6-David Pearson
* 32-Tiny Lund
* 05-Joe Weatherly
* X-Frank Warren
* 34-Wendell Scott

### Sandlapper 200

The 1963 Sandlapper 200 was the official site of Richard Petty's 25th NASCAR Grand National win for Petty Enterprises; leading 138 laps in that race. The race took place on August 8, 1963, at Columbia Speedway in Columbia, South Carolina. Two hundred laps were done on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km).
* 43 - Richard Petty
* 6 - David Pearson
* 99 - Bobby Isaac
* 11 - Ned Jarrett
* 03 - G. C. Spencer
* 5 - Billy Wade
* 48 - Jack Smith
* 19 - Cale Yarborough
* 34 - Wendell Scott
* 57 - Bobby Keck

### Old Dominion 500

The 1963 Old Dominion 500 is a NASCAR Grand National Series race that took place on September 22, 1963, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia, U.S.. Possum Jones and Bobby Keck were the two drivers not to qualify for this event. The race was scheduled for 500 laps; taking three hours and forty-two minutes to complete. Fred Lorenzen defeated Marvin Panch by a single lap and two seconds.
* 28 - Fred Lorenzen
* 21 - Marvin Panch
* 8 - Joe Weatherly
* 6 - David Pearson
* 41 - Richard Petty
* 5 - Billy Wade
* 22 - Fireball Roberts
* 29 - Nelson Stacy
* 47 - Jack Smith
* 87 - Buck Baker

### Golden State 400

The 1963 Golden State 400 is a NASCAR Grand National Series racing event held on November 3, 1963, at Riverside International Raceway in the American community of Riverside, California.
Richard Petty attempted to compete using automatic transmission but his transmission failed only five laps into the race; proving that NASCAR may always be for vehicles with a four-speed T-10 manual transmission with a clutch, although in 2022, the seventh-generation Cup Series race car abandoned the H-pattern transmission in favour of a sequential gearbox. He would go on to become a replacement driver for Junior Johnson; although Johnson received credit for the fifth-place finish.
* 16-Darel Dieringer
* 21-Dave MacDonald
* 121-Marvin Panch
* 22-Fireball Roberts
* 26-Junior Johnson
* 47-Jack Smith
* 8-Joe Weatherly
* 62-Bill Amick
* 18-Bob Ross
* 97-Ron Hornaday Sr.

### Drivers' championship

(key) Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position set by owner's points standings. *- Most laps led.
| Pos | Driver | BIR | GGS | THS | RSD | DAY | DAY | DAY | PIF | AWS | HBO | ATL | HCY | BRI | AUG | RCH | GPS | SBO | BGS | MAR | NWS | CLB | THS | DAR | ODS | RCH | CLT | BIR | ATL | DAY | MBS | SVH | DTS | BGS | ASH | OBS | BRR | BRI | GPS | NSV | CLB | AWS | PIF | BGS | ONA | DAR | HCY | RCH | MAR | DTS | NWS | THS | CLT | SBO | HBO | RSD | Points |
| 7 | Darel Dieringer | 5 | 22 | | | | 9 | 16 | | | | 25 | | 7 | | | | | | 3 | | | | 7 | | | 8 | | 4 | 4 | | | | | 6 | | | 8 | | | | | | | | 5 | | | 22 | | 11 | 4 | 8 | 7 | | 1 | 21418 |
| NA | Dan Gurney | | | | 1* | 5 | | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | DC | NA |