1964 Atlanta 500
The 1964 Atlanta 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 5, 1964, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia, the fifth annual race in the history of the Atlanta 500 series of races. This race had only ten vehicles surviving to the finish. Many of top NASCAR teams suffered from engine failure along with the non-contenders. Five race-ending crashes were recorded in this event; with some footage of the race being used for the drive-in movie "Speed Lovers". Background. Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one  of ten current intermediate track 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. 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 long. 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. Race report. All 39 drivers  on the grid were American-born. Notable drivers who finished outside the top ten included Darel Dieringer, Paul Goldsmith, Roy Tyner, Cale Yarborough, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Fireball Roberts, and A. J. Foyt. Fred Lorenzen defeated Bobby Isaac by two laps after almost four hours to extend the era of "Fearless Freddie's Fast Ford". Fifty thousand spectators would see four caution periods lasting for 19 laps and 11 lead changes. Goldsmith would flip his car after leading the first 55 laps but would get out of the wreckage unharmed. Jimmy Helms and Ken Spikes made their first NASCAR Cup starts while  Dave MacDonald raced his final NASCAR race here. Neil Castles ended in last place due to a handling problem on the second lap of this 334-lap race. The total purse of the race was $57,655 ($ when adjusted for inflation); Lorenzen would walk away with $18,000 ($ when adjusted for inflation). Notable crew chiefs in this event include Jimmy Helms, Dale Inman, Herb Nab, Bud Allman, Glen Wood, Shorty Johns, Bud Moore and Banjo Matthews. 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.