# 1965 Daytona 500

The 1965 Daytona 500, the 7th running of the event, was held on February 14, 1965, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Fred Lorenzen, driving a 1965 Ford, won the race from fourth position in a two-hour-and-23-minute time span by Darel Dieringer by a full lap. There were 3 cautions flags which slowed the race for 43 laps. The race ended on lap 133 due to persistent rain. This was Lorenzen's first victory of the season.

## Safety innovations

NASCAR instituted new rules in October 1964 to enhance safety and decrease speeds for 1965 after the previous year's deaths of Joe Weatherly and Fireball Roberts. The Chrysler Hemi engine was dominated that year by 1964 NASCAR Champion Richard Petty.
Ford Motor Company wanted a new engine with high-rise cylinder heads to compete with the Hemi and threatened to pull out if Bill France Sr. didn't allow it. NASCAR's new rules, however, banned both Hemi engines and high-rise cylinder heads.

## Speedweeks

Darel Dieringer won the pole with a speed of 171.151 mph (275.441 km/h) in Bud Moore's 1964 Mercury, then held off Ned Jarrett's move in the final turn to win the first 100-mile (160 km) qualifying race. the second race became a duel between Fred Lorenzen and Junior Johnson. Lorenzen took the lead on lap 39. But when he roared under the white flag, he mistook it for the checkered flag. Lorenzen let off and Johnson passed him on the last lap to win. The second qualifying race featured a wild first lap crash as Rod Eulenfeld triggered a wild crash that also took out 12 other cars in the race. Eulenfeld walked away from that crash.

## Race Day

On Race day, Junior Johnson grabbed the lead on the first lap from his second starting spot and led the first 27 laps. at that car 14 cars were out all because of mechanical problems. Johnson was racing in his usual go-for-broke style when a tire blew. Johnson's car hurled into the outside wall and spread debris over a wide area. Johnson suffered only a cut over his eye. After Johnson's abrupt departure, 1961 winner Marvin Panch led through lap 68 in the Wood Brothers Ford, with Lorenzen and Bobby Johns on his tail. Lorenzen led laps 69 through 78 before giving way to Panch.
At halfway, Panch was still in control, but clouds were darkening over the track. On lap 119, Lorenzen edged past Panch and took the lead for only the second time. Rain was falling by Lap 129. As the yellow light came on, Panch made a run on Lorenzen coming off turn two. Panch went to the outside, Lorenzen moved up, the cars touched and Panch spun down the backstretch, ending his chances for a second 500 victory.
Lorenzen remained in the lead, but the fender that had hit Panch's car was bent in on his tire. "Stay out", ordered crew chief Herb Nab, who was counting on the weather to shorten the race. Soon, it was pouring. The race was stopped after 133 laps and declared official. The "Golden Boy" had won NASCAR's biggest race.

## Results

| Pos | Grid | Car No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Laps Led | Time/Retired |
| 1 | 4 | 28 | Fred Lorenzen | Holman-Moody | Ford | 133 | 25 | 2:22:56 |
| 2 | 1 | 16 | Darel Dieringer | Bud Moore Engineering | Mercury | 132 | 0 | +1 Lap |
| 3 | 5 | 7 | Bobby Johns | Holman-Moody | Ford | 132 | 1 | +1 Lap |
| 4 | 16 | 15 | Earl Balmer | Bud Moore Engineering | Mercury | 132 | 0 | +1 Lap |
| 5 | 3 | 11 | Ned Jarrett | Bondy Long | Ford | 132 | 0 | +1 Lap |
| 6 | 6 | 21 | Marvin Panch | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 132 | 80 | +1 Lap |
| 7 | 26 | 29 | Dick Hutcherson | Holman-Moody | Ford | 130 | 0 | +3 Laps |
| 8 | 10 | 24 | Sam McQuagg | Betty Lilly | Ford | 130 | 0 | +3 Laps |
| 9 | 32 | 10 | Cale Yarborough | Gary Weaver | Ford | 128 | 0 | +5 Laps |
| 10 | 36 | 49 | G. C. Spencer | G. C. Spencer | Ford | 128 | 0 | +5 Laps |
| 11 | 13 | 12 | Bobby Allison | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 128 | 0 | +5 Laps |
| 12 | 9 | 04 | H. B. Bailey | H. B. Bailey | Pontiac | 126 | 0 | +7 Laps |
| 13 | 15 | 60 | Doug Cooper | Bob Cooper | Ford | 125 | 0 | +8 Laps |
| 14 | 19 | 19 | J. T. Putney | Herman Beam | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | +8 Laps |
| 15 | 8 | 74 | Donald Tucker | Don Snyder | Ford | 124 | 0 | +9 Laps |
| 16 | 17 | 72 | Jerry Grant | Tom Friedkin | Ford | 123 | 0 | +10 Laps |
| 17 | 27 | 86 | Neil Castles | Buck Baker | Plymouth | 122 | 0 | +11 Laps |
| 18 | 12 | 68 | Bob Derrington | Bob Derrington | Ford | 121 | 0 | +12 Laps |
| 19 | 21 | 44 | Larry Hess | Larry Hess | Ford | 119 | 0 | +14 Laps |
| 20 | 14 | 34 | Wendell Scott | Wendell Scott | Ford | 118 | 0 | +15 Laps |
| 21 | 31 | 64 | Elmo Langley | Elmo Langley | Ford | 118 | 0 | +15 Laps |
| 22 | 33 | 81 | Don Tilley | Joe Keistler | Dodge | 117 | 0 | +16 Laps |
| 23 | 28 | 14 | Johnny Allen | Sam Fletcher | Plymouth | 114 | 0 | +19 Laps |
| 24 | 41 | 99 | Herb Shannon | – | Mercury | 110 | 0 | Engine |
| 25 | 30 | 37 | Bub Strickler | Bub Strickler | Ford | 73 | 0 | Engine |
| 26 | 20 | 03 | Reb Wickersham | Ray Underwood | Ford | 68 | 0 | +55 Laps |
| 27 | 11 | 82 | Bunkie Blackburn | Casper Hensley | Pontiac | 49 | 0 | Crankshaft |
| 28 | 2 | 27 | Junior Johnson | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 27 | 27 | Accident |
| 29 | 24 | 55 | Tiny Lund | Lyle Stelter | Ford | 12 | 0 | Rocker arm |
| 30 | 22 | 02 | Roy Mayne | Bob Cooper | Pontiac | 6 | 0 | Distributor |
| 31 | 23 | 20 | Jack Anderson | Ron Cory | Ford | 5 | 0 | Transmission |
| 32 | 29 | 2 | Jim Bray | Shorty Johns | Pontiac | 4 | 0 | Overheating |
| 33 | 43 | 35 | Jeff Hawkins | Lester Hunter | Dodge | 4 | 0 | Handling |
| 34 | 34 | 18 | Ned Setzer | Toy Bolton | Chevrolet | 3 | 0 | Fuel pump |
| 35 | 35 | 61 | Barry Brooks | Bob Cooper | Pontiac | 3 | 0 | Oil pressure |
| 36 | 42 | 26 | Red Farmer | – | Ford | 3 | 0 | Handling |
| 37 | 37 | 53 | Pete Stewart | David Warren | Ford | 2 | 0 | Handling |
| 38 | 39 | 98 | Jimmy Helms | – | Ford | 2 | 0 | Clutch |
| 39 | 40 | 08 | Tom Pistone | Glen Sweet | Ford | 2 | 0 | Clutch |
| 40 | 18 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Buck Baker | Dodge | 2 | 0 | Engine |
| 41 | 7 | 76 | Larry Frank | Larry Frank | Ford | 1 | 0 | Oil pressure |
| 42 | 38 | 79 | Joe Penland | Harold Rhodes | Chevrolet | 1 | 0 | Piston |
| 43 | 25 | 39 | Robert Vaughn | Ronald Smith | Pontiac | 1 | 0 | Oil pressure |
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