1963 Golden State 400
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 55 of 55 in the 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
Layout of Riverside International Raceway
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| Date | November 3, 1963 | ||
| Official name | Golden State 400 | ||
| Location | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.620 mi (4.216 km) |
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| Distance | 153 laps, 400.9 mi (645.1 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures approaching 66.9 °F (19.4 °C); wind speeds up to 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 91.645 miles per hour (147.488 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 20,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dave MacDonald | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Laps | 92 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 16 | Darel Dieringer | Bill Stroppe | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1963 Golden State 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on November 3, 1963, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.
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; most of the cars were trailered to events or hauled in by trucks.
This event took four hours and twenty-one seconds to resolve itself; Darel Dieringer defeated Dave MacDonald by at least one lap. More than 32000 people would watch a 148-lap race on a road course spanning 2.700 miles (4.345 km) and speeds averaging 91.465 miles per hour (147.199 km/h).Dan Gurney won the pole position driving at speeds of up to 101.050 miles per hour (162.624 km/h) but Marvin Panch substituted for him on the day of the race. Only one caution was given out for the entire racing event. Forty-one American-born races would qualify for this race and Bruce Worwell would finish in last place due to an engine problem on the first lap of the race.
The race purse would add up to $33,780 ($264,255.07 when adjusted for inflation); with the winner receiving $7,875 ($61,604.76 when adjusted for inflation) and the last place finisher receiving only $200 ($1,564.57 when adjusted for inflation). Joe Weatherly would go on to win the 1963 title over Richard Petty, who overshadowed Weatherly in nearly every statistical category that year.
Richard Petty attempted to drive five laps using automatic transmission but his transmission failed after only five laps into the race; proving that NASCAR may always be for vehicles with manual transmission. He would go on to become a replacement driver for Junior Johnson; although Johnson get credit for the fifth-place finish.
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