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1963
SOUTHERN 500
At Darlington
Stock car
racing fans and motor sports historians can now enjoy another racing
classic on DVD from Rare Sportsfilms, Inc. - all the COLOR
highlights of the record-breaking 1963 Southern 500 at Darlington!
This DVD will bring back memories of that historic race, won by
Fireball Roberts at a new record speed of 129.784 MPH!
Climb into a 1960's stock car and
tour the track at speed, 1963 style! That's just one of the many
views you'll get of this great stock car racing event that had become
a Labor Day weekend tradition. Shown is work in the garage area,
along with drivers and racing personalities such as Joe Weatherly
and mechanic Bud Moore, Junior Johnson, David Pearson, and Fred
Lorenzen. Qualifying is covered, with Junior Johnson shown in the
white #3 Holly Farms '63 Chevrolet and Fred Lorenzen's white #28
Ford taking the pole. Even though he's too late to qualify for the
pole, Fireball Roberts in his purple #22 Ford sets a new record
qualifying speed of 133.8 average, and even cuts one lap at 134
MPH!
Also covered is the annual downtown
parade and popular beauty pageant held the night before the race.
Shown at the festivities are honorary judges Fred Lorenzen and young
Clint Eastwood, while retiring queen from '62 Joyce Brown crowns
beautiful Nancy Sanders of Chester, S.C.
On raceday, many of the greatest drivers
of that bygone era are shown in their cars ready to go: Fireball
Roberts, Jim Paschal, Buck Baker, Tiny Lund, Junior Johnson, Nelson
Stacy, Joe Weatherly and Fred Lorenzen.
Even though this would become known
as the Southern 500 without a single caution flag, a mix up in communication
between observers in the crash area and the flagstand prevents a
yellow on lap 59, when Billy Wade slams into the backstretch wall
and is hit by Bob James and Ned Jarrett. James is shown losing a
wheel and Jarrett is shown bouncing off the guardrail trying to
avoid the mess. Great pit coverage throughout the race will give
close-up looks at some great drivers in the heat of competition:
Jarrett, Johnson and mechanic Ray Fox, Richard Petty (who gets out
and goes under the hood himself), Marvin Panch and Fireball Roberts.
Junior Johnson leads for most of the
first 234 laps, but a cracked cylinder finally cooks his engine.
Marvin Panch takes over the lead when Johnson retires and for the
rest of the way it's a battle between Panch, Lorenzen and Roberts.
Fred scoots into first place on lap 114 and is pulling away when
fuel pump problems drop him a lap behind. Roberts takes the lead
for the first time at the 400-mile mark, as he passes Panch's #21
Wood Brothers Ford. But Panch soon must slow, as hydraulic line
failure has killed his brakes. If not for the fuel pump problems,
Lorenzen might have won, as he was again coming on at the finish
after making up his lost lap, but he finishes third behind winner
Roberts and Marvin Panch. "The Fireball" is shown in victory
lane with Bob Colvin, mechanic Jack Sullivan and queen Nancy Sanders.
First place prize money of $22,000 gives Roberts, who unknowingly
has less than a year to live, plenty to smile about on Labor Day,
1963!
To add this new half-hour DVD
of vintage NASCAR racing footage to your collection, send $29.95
+ $4.00 for shipping and handling to: (Illinois residents must add
$2.00 tax.)
"RARE SPORTSFILMS N", 1126 Tennyson Lane, Naperville,
IL 60540 (630) 527-8890
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