|| *Comments on the 1964 Daytona 500:* View the most recent comment <#33> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. STbastien posted: 10.29.2005 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) French driver Joe Schlesser was later killed in a formula (1?) race at Rouen in 1968. 2. Chevy posted: 07.27.2006 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) King's first of seven Daytona 500 wins. Also his just first superspeedway win. 3. Anonymous posted: 12.30.2006 - 8:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Interesting to note Schlesser's participation in this Daytona 500. Bondy Long was a wealthy enthusiast who had previously fielded a Plymouth and then subsequently a Ford that he purchased from the Holman - Moody factory with finances from his mother for Bobby Isaac. Long also would field entrants for names like Andretti, Foyt, and Swede Savage. About his death -- Schlesser had enthusiastically taken on the experimental air cooled Honda "RA 302" for his home Grand Prix at Rouen. The 302 had been deemed unsafe by Honda's driver John Surtees, who flat out refused to race it. He qualified sixteenth of seventeen, and I'm fairly sure that the race was run in wet conditions. After two laps, Schlesser lost control the car and crashed into a bank. The car was bodied with magnesium, and when it impacted it simply exploded. A tragedy from a Formula One era peppered with them. This was the debut of the new Plymouth, and I'm fairly sure that they had been ordered to sandbag in practice and qualifying. It didn't matter; they were far superior to anything out on the track at the time. 4. MegaRacer posted: 01.29.2007 - 10:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dave MacDonald was also in this race. He would perish 3 months later in a horrific crash on the 3rd lap of the Indianapolis 500 along with Eddie Sachs. That race too would be won by a legendary driver, A.J. Foyt. 5. jackie posted: 06.03.2007 - 9:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The factories were really going all out in this one. That#43 had the most dominant car ever in the 500until # 9 in '85 6. adamal82 posted: 02.20.2008 - 1:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last race for Bobby Marshman who was from my hometown in Pennsylvania 7. Hemi Andersen posted: 09.01.2008 - 7:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How can anyone say they were sandbagging in practice or qualifying? 8 of the top 10 starting positions were MOPARS with the new 426 C.I. engine. I was there to see that great race. 8. keith onash posted: 12.22.2008 - 11:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) i dont think my dad called it sandbagging ...but i know he was filling the tires up with water so the car would be heaver at way in and i know there where a lot of steal that looked like duct tape rolls at the shop. go 09 9. Sébastien posted: 07.29.2009 - 3:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Petty #43 sponsor was Patterson Motors, Inc Schlesser #77 sponsor was Courtesy Ford 10. J Louis Frey posted: 09.17.2009 - 8:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the last Daytona 500 for a number of drivers in the field. Jimmy Pardue killed later in the year in a test crash. Billy Wade killed in a tire test in January 1965. Dave MacDonald killed at Indy in May. Bobby Marshman killed in a test crash in late 1964 at Phoenix. Fireball Roberts died in July from injuries in May 1964. Also Joe Weatherly was killed at Riverside in early 1964. It was a brutal year in a brutal sport! 11. myself posted: 02.09.2010 - 11:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (3) That car had to be illegal. Leading 184 of 200 laps. 12. Eric posted: 03.20.2010 - 11:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnny Rutherford flips down the backstretch and slides for a good 1000 feet on lap 107. 13. Firered30013 posted: 04.30.2010 - 5:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bondy Long named his team Bowani Racing. "Bowani" comes from the first two letters of his first name and the first two letters of his brothers', Walter and Nicki, first names. He was from Camden SC and the family money was DuPont. Other Bowani drivers included Ned Jarrett (including his 1965 championship year), Dick Hutcherson, Bobby Allison and "Little" Bud Moore. 14. Andrew posted: 07.27.2010 - 3:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @myself - Why do you think NASCAR banned the Hemi for 1965? 15. Anonymous posted: 09.30.2010 - 5:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Foyt's sponsor was Bunnell Ford. Petty was also sponsored by Plymouth. Goldsmith was sponsored by Plymouth. Marshman was sponsored by Ford. Isaac was sponsored by Tennesee Dodge Dealers. Jones was sponsored by Mercury. Panch was sponsored by English Motors. Buck Baker was sponsored by Plymouth. Rutherford's sponsor was Bristol Lincoln-Mercury. 16. rob posted: 12.11.2010 - 11:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) just saw the ABC wide world of sports replay of the race on youtube. what was the deal with all the paper blowing around? 17. Turd Ferguson posted: 02.26.2011 - 1:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dave MacDonald's sponsor was Mercury. 18. Turd Ferguson posted: 02.27.2011 - 12:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) More sponsors: 09-Sal Tovella-Harper 22-Fireball Roberts-Young Ford 19. Perry Allen Wood posted: 07.13.2011 - 10:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larry Thomas was in his own year-lod Dodge, NOT a Ray Nichels car. 20. keith onash posted: 07.16.2011 - 10:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) More sponsors: 09-Sal Tovella-Harper 09-Sal Tovella-Onash 21. VoteGillilandNotDanica2014 posted: 08.13.2013 - 7:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larry Frank's sponsor was Ron's Ford Sales http://www.floridastockcars.com/gallery3/v/Daytona/Larry+Frank+driving+for+Holman-Moody+in+the+1964+Daytona+500__.jpg.html 22. Timberwolf Frenzel posted: 08.27.2013 - 6:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) J Louis Frey, you forgot Larry Thomas killed in a road accident in January 1965, although he wasn't racing so maybe you didn't! 23. cjs3872 posted: 12.16.2013 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rob (#16), the reason was a combination of trash and wind, which was significant that day. A similar thing happened in 1977, and I believe NASCAR threw the caution once or twice in the '77 Daytona 500 just to clean up the track. But that excess of wind-blown paper plates and trash bags certainly was one reason why so many good cars went out early, as Fireball Roberts, Bobby Marshman, and Fred Lorenzen (all in Holman-Moody cars), both of Ray Nichels' cars, including pole sitter and third place finisher Paul Goldsmith, Tiny Lund, Bobby Johns and Wendell Scott all suffered from overheating problems in the first 50 laps of this race, and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones went out at 200 miles with engine problems. Also, Darel Dieringer spun early in the race in one of Bill Stroppe's Mercurys, but recovered to finish seventh, three laps behind the winner. Also, with just 46 cars having entered this race, there were a number of cars that were what are know as start-and-parks today as, in addition to Wendell Scott lasting just seven laps (and I don't believe he parked his car), eight other cars completed four laps or less, and four completed just one lap. That would get even worse in 1965, as 14 cars lasted 15 miles or less due to low car count, though two or three of them had legitimate reasons for dropping out of the race. 24. Paul posted: 09.22.2014 - 10:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors: #1 Billy Wade - Bristol Lincoln-Mercury (http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/billy-wade-poses-with-his-nascar-cup-bud-moore-mercury-at-news-photo/106763137) #12 Dan Gurney - English Motors (http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/february-23-1964-dan-gurney-leads-larry-frank-as-they-drive-news-photo/152421400) #60 Doug Cooper - Ray Hunt Ford (http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/february-1964-doug-cooper-drove-this-1963-ford-he-owned-news-photo/140165578) #97 Joe Clark - Frank Taylor Ford (http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/february-1964-joe-clark-of-neptune-beach-ca-qualified-al-news-photo/140165604) 25. Paul posted: 02.02.2015 - 4:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor Update: #31 Ralph Earnhardt - Jimmy Rivers Body & Paint Shop #95 Reb Wickersham - Treadway Motors (https://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/q83/s720x720/15220_10204664942318332_1381791714025859777_n.jpg?oh=bc10bc0b094342bf81ca502e59771b6f&oe=555809F7) 26. nascar_vd / Racing-Reference.info posted: 11.10.2016 - 8:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Note: Driver standings after this race (top20): 1) Marvin Panch = 8820 points 2) Billy Wade = 8468 3) Richard Petty = 7422 4) Jimmy Pardue = 7232 5) Tiny Lund = 6878 6) Dave MacDonald = 6376 7) Ned Jarrett = 6164 8) Darel Dieringer = 5986 9) Fireball Roberts = 5398 10) Larry Thomas = 5204 11) Paul Goldsmith = 4722 12) David Pearson = 4492 13) Jim Paschal = 4426 14) Junior Johnson = 4310 15) Curtis Crider = 4218 16) Larry Frank = 4128 17) Buck Baker = 3968 18) Cale Yarborough = 3554 19) Doug Cooper = 3452 20) Jack Anderson = 2974 27. Siple posted: 03.03.2017 - 2:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors: 11 Ned Jarrett - Courtesy Ford 14 Jim McElreath - Mercury 16 Darel Dieringer - Mercury 28. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 06.02.2018 - 1:35 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) First Daytona 500 starts for Bobby Isaac, Doug Cooper, Johnny Rutherford, Jack Anderson, Jim Bray, and Neil Castles. Only Daytona 500 starts for Dave MacDonald, Jo Schlesser, Smokey Boutwell, Jim McElreath, Ronnie Chumley, Bobby Marshman, Joe Clark, Bill McMahan, and Jim Cook. Last Daytona 500 starts for Jimmy Pardue, Billy Wade, Dan Gurney, Larry Thomas, Ralph Earnhardt, Curtis Crider, Sal Tovella, Parnelli Jones, Fireball Roberts, and Elmo Henderson. 29. MasonShell24 posted: 10.25.2019 - 11:15 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) The first NASCAR race that had purse over $100,000 30. Yeet posted: 04.27.2020 - 1:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnny Rutherford and the lap car of Ned Jarrett tangle off turn 2 which sends Johnny onto his lid. Thankfully, the car didn't flip after that but slid around halfway down the backstretch. Johnny gets out under his own power. 31. MSportRev posted: 12.27.2020 - 9:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor for Tiny Lund: Ford Source: https://twitter.com/legendsnascar/status/1342907924616794114?s=21 32. Rich posted: 01.01.2021 - 7:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bill Flemming, Chris Economaki and Sir Stirling Moss were the commentators. Economaki and Moss were also the pit road reporters. Flemming was the studio host. 33. RaceFanX posted: 02.24.2021 - 4:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Japanese national beauty pageant champion Noriko Ando, the "Miss Japan" contestant in the previous year's Miss Universe pageant, was an unlikely selection as a trophy girl for this race as she greeted Richard Petty in victory lane and presented him with the Daytona 500 trophy, a one-off edition that featured an extra inscription with Japanese lettering. Her presence and the special trophy were part of a push by NASCAR to promote its planned launch of its new Nippon NASCAR series which would race in Japan with races with Japanese drivers in ex-NASCAR American stock cars at the new Fuji Speedway 70 miles west of Tokyo as its centerpiece. This victory celebration however would be about as far as the series got, construction on the Japanese superspeedway began the following summer but the money soon ran out after only one large banked turn was built and Nippon NASCAR disbanded before it ever really got going. Fuji Speedway was instead completed as a road course, and included the giant banked turn in its early years before it was soon abandoned as too dangerous during some reconfiguration work. The track would host the inaugural F1 Japanese Grand Prix in 1976 with its Speedway name about the only thing today to carry over from the initial plans. NASCAR would later hold a trio of memorable exhibition races in Japan in the late 1990s although they races at Suzuka and Motegi instead of Fuji. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: