1963 Daytona 500

the dream come true hours the two and a half mile high bank Speedway has accommodations and a schedule of year-round events between events the 450 acre Speedway wait the fit walls are empty the garages are still but not for long weeks before the racing season starts the quietclean garages come to life they get their first taste of oil and grease stain feel the weight again of 200 pound men and 4,000 pound cars and the sound of mechanics at work and engines revving fills the load 3 weeks 2 weeks only a week to go there never seems to be enough time to set up the stock cars before the race under NASCAR regulation only modifications for the safety of car and driver are permitted everything has to be right everything has to stay right and the only way to be sure is to get out and run practice begins the top drivers in the country are on hand to measure the cars and themselves on this great Speedway Indianapolis winners are here Roger Ward AJ point Flores and the fastest qualifier in Indianapolis history our Nellie Joan [Music] speeds climb to our fan tastic a hundred and sixty-six miles an hour NASCAR champion to weather lee hak-su keeps an eye on the clock and the competition fireball Roberts last year's winner what will it take this year all former 500 winners are here jr. John Richard all former winners are here that is except Marvin Panch a week before the big race hatch flipped on the track in a sports car and was pulled to safety in a heroic rescue by tiny London Marvin Panch recovering but not able to drive asked us tiny take his place for the 500 in board number 21 tiny has been racing 18 years without a major win crew chief and car owner Gwen would put it this way we wanted him to drive one thing because Marvin suggested and two you have to have a good driver and tan is always guard in the things he could do it a lot of the boys don't message it shown because it don't have a good car mechanics and drivers agree it takes a good driver and a car with total performance to win and this means super performance engines with super stamina engineering built into the car a cars lifetime will be compressed into three and a half total performance means the right lubrication according to NASCAR regulations only motor oils available to any motorist that service stations can be used but the drivers whose lives and livelihoods are always select the best they can get there are 69 entries here for the upcoming 500-mile race with only 50 available spots and everybody wants in this is the first big test of the new model car qualification races are run to determine which 50 cars will be in the big race and in what order some buy too hard [Music] [Applause] and you after a week of time trials a story is home the starting field of 50 cars for the 500 has been chosen for the others the months of preparation and hopes lysed ruling on the garage floor race day and the fam motorist all have come to this great automotive show from every state in the user the competition cars move out of the garage and impound area or fuel and last minute NASCAR inspection the cars are all limited to 20 - gallain gas tank and they're going to have to get maximum power and mileage from every gallon and then it's on to the track lining up in the pit area who by - an investment of over 1 million dollars ready as they ever will be but something else is here - and it could be trouble a tricky crosswind almost a gale whips across the track does this mean rain or just hazardous running with an apprehensive eye on the weather the drivers and crews wait for the one o'clock starting time some try to relax and chat some just wait out the time whatever the weather like tiny lunch I just figured it out I had this chance I mean I never said to anybody how I felt but that was what I told my wife a few minutes before starting time dark rain heavy clouds swooped in over the feed way and it rained cover up and take cover an hour goes by the rain is still coming down harder than ever but then the very wind that was oppressed carries the storm away the sky begins to light the dust subside the crowd let out a roar there will be a race the cars can be dried off quickly the track roadway will take a little time the latest art a mean a shortened rate bill plants called the drivers meeting to get going the men agree to run the first hand laps under the caution flag and dry off the track dick : pure oil director of automotive events gets the word from Bill Brandt and takes miss Firebird on a tour around the track as a signal to the happy fans that the race will soon be on [Music] the cars move on to the cars for the caution laugh [Music] holding their position and their speeds in ninety miles an hour they circle the track ten times [Music] the pace car pulls away into the pit the green flag drops and they're off on lap 11 both feet ahead 50 of Detroit's best are on their way 17 Pontiac 14 4-6 Chevrolet's 5 Mercury's 5 Plymouth to dodges and 1 Chrysler the leaders set a pace of nearly a hundred and sixty seven miles an hour and the field strings are behind them [Music] a 500-mile race isn't a test of speed alone the payoff is in driving skill and durability before the race is an hour old the pace takes its toll [Music] jr. Johnson and number three Chevrolet loses the pushrod [Music] Joe Smith and o1 Pontiac blows his engine in the first 150 miles the lead changes 12 times [Music] funky Blackburn a number-10 pontiac runs out of iron in the backstretch cars fit frantically for fuel tires repair [Music] [Music] more trouble in the backstretch how does it feel to lose it at a hundred and sixty miles an hour like nothing in this world time lost or gained in the pits can mean the rate with a possible 100 miles per tank full cruise planet total of four quick stops for refueling you're in trouble if you lift the hood [Music] the cooling afternoon wears on the grandstands flow long shadows across the tracks o to Pontiac blows a tire at 165 miles an hour AJ Foyt in a magnificent example of driving skill guides the car into the NGOs out of track Jim mazurka number oh five Pontiac comes into the pits the hard way at the halfway mark it's a new race only 30 cars are left on the tracks Bobby John's at number 7 a Pontiac and plenty Lorenzen a number 28 for spite a tool from the lead Ned Jarrett and number 11 port is moving up in third place close behind are Robertson 22 Pontiac and London 21 for in 6th 7th and 8th are Petty in 43 Plymouth Dan Gurney in number zero Ford and Nelson Stacy and 29 for John's and 7 hey goes all out and charges in the first place [Music] Garret comes into the Pittsburgh third scheduled stops [Music] he's in and out in a half a minute Oh something's happened to John he's slowing down he's out of gas he's coasts into the pen Garrett pulls up alongside of Lorenzen as Freddy's close down to make his third pit stop Garrett is a new leader the low Sun is beginning to bother the driver [Music] as Lorenzen comes in tiny lawns also make censored pizza [Music] jaundice still in the pit can't get started Bobby John father his crew chief has to prime the engine there's a fire fuel vapors burst into flame [Music] the fire is put out without serious injury to the car or to Papa John and three hundred and fifty miles Loretta and Jared are running one and two [Music] Roberts and Ron's are drafting in positions three and four drafting saves cue the second car moved in as close as possible to the car in front and it's pulled along by the factory bumper to bumper the first car pulling the second pushy at 392 mild the leaders make their fourth pit stop they've been averaging only 98 miles per tankful because of the terrific speed they have a hundred and eight miles to go they all fit except tiny lump who keeps going [Music] Lorenzen roars away after time Jared get out of the pit in a hurry for instance who asks what is moms using for gas three precious lasts seven and a half miles later tiny pits and gives up the lead to Loretta and Jarrett tiny hasn't changed a tire in for pizza [Music] he's often away in 34 seconds for the last hundred miles it's Lorenzo number 28 for jerath number 11 for 121 for all out in front in force and v it's Nelson Stacy number 29 Ford and Dan journey number zero for it's a battle of the four only 18 miles from the checkered flag Marin 'some the leader is pitting he's coming in for gas [Music] 9 second pit stop some service station tiny lund is now riding in first Jarrett is backing in second Gareth team worries his tank must be empty he's gone a hundred miles since his last stop Lorenzen is 24 seconds behind London Jaron three laps to go and it's Jarrett pitting for gas streaking past lunch crew who sent factory ten seconds fifteen seconds let's go carrot a man in a hurry tiny lund has a firm hold on first place if his fuel will hold out [Music] it's a strange feeling when you threw that close to victory erase that big and then with one lap to go all I could do is I just hope that I wouldn't run out of gas and I think I said a prayer too in that last lap and I made it [Music] [Applause] the crowd hails a tremendous victory for the driver the crew and the car tiny wheeled is passed back forward into the winner's circle his wife greet him along with the Firebird another admiring pan the crew joins him in the winner's circle for the glory of getting home first and the biggest first ever offered in a stock car race a share of their winnings has been allotted to Marvin Panch by both tiny and Glenn would win this race for patch Wood had said to tiny before the race and he did it's been a long but memorable day for the drivers the crews and the fans one that will not soon be forgotten the fifth annual Daytona 500 a race that had everything wind and rain heart and hard driving the performance and endurance of cars fuel and lubricants proved in competition you

Channel: Michael Barr Jr.

Views: 187,935

Rating: 4.8299165 out of 5

Keywords: crossfire43, crossfire043, Tiny Lund, Daytona 500, nascar, 1963 Ford, stock car, racing, old school racing, marvin panch

Id: HcfTj1-P3WI

Length: 18min 11sec (1091 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 25 2017