The 1965 Southern 500
September 6, 1965. It was a Monday -- and one of the wildest races ever, not just in Darlington history but maybe NASCAR history as well.
Anyone who followed racin' back then or saw ABC's "Wide World of Sports" can forget the 1965 Southern 500. That was the race where Cale Yarborough #27 Ford went airborne between Turns 1 and 2 and sailed over the guardrail. When the car landed, Cale got out, climbed the bank back to the track and waved his arms to let the 50,000 fans at the race know he was fine.
But the 1965 Southern 500 had a lot of other craziness - and tragedy - as well:
* Rookie driver Buren Skeen was critically injured in a lap 4 (or lap 2 -- I saw it reported both ways) crash when his '64 Ford was broadsided by two other cars. Skeen died of his head injuries a week later.
* Before the race, NASCAR discovered that pole sitter Junior Johnson's car had an illegal locked rear end. He was fined $500, but allowed to start the race after making changes. On the first lap, Johnson burned out a distributor wire. While his car was in the pits, Johnson stalked off. He didn't return to the race, finished last out of 44 cars and later declared, "I'm not paying no $500 fine."
* The winner: Ned Jarrett. (His sons Glenn, 15, and Dale, 10, were there watching. Maybe you heard of them?) His '65 Ford came in a remarkable 14 laps (!) ahead of runner-up Buddy Baker. Jarrett took home $22,050.
* But some things never seem to change at Darlington: The place wasn't full. Darlington never announced crowd figures, apparently preferring to let people think what they wanted about attendance. The conventional wisdom pegged the crowd at between 80,000 and 100,000. Reporters estimated about 50,000 at this race, about 15,000 fewer than the year before.
Here's the main Greensboro Daily News story (the paper had three on the race that day) from Sept. 7's paper, just for old times sake:
Jarrett Finishes Strong to Win Southern 500
By Tom Einstein
Daily News Sports Writer
DARLINGTON RACEWAY, Darlington, S.C. - Ned Jarrett of Camden, S.C., took advantage of a weird turn of events to win the biggest race of his life here Monday - the Southern 500.
Jarrett managed to stay in contention most of the day but things looked hopeless for him with 44 laps left as Fred Lorenzen and Darel Dieringer waged a hot duel for the victory.
But, in a sudden twist, Lorenzen let out a big puff of smoke on the 325th lap and was forced to the sidelines.
Even before Lorenzen had reached his pit area, Dieringer started smoking badly and, although he stayed in the race, never seriously contended as 50,000 fans watched on a mild afternoon.
The race was marred by several bad wrecks, one of them hospitalizing Buren Skeen of Denton, N.C. Skeen was listed in serious condition at the Florence hospital with head injuries.
Skeen underwent an operation later in the day, getting a cranial tap. Earlier he had undergone an exploratory operation on his side to release pressure of ribs. Still listed "very serious" but responded to operations.
Skeen's accident occured on the second lap when he spun between the third and fourth turns and was broadsided by Reb Wickersham and Burt Robbins. Torches had to be used to cut away part of the car's body to enable rescuers to take Skeen out of the car. It was his first Southern 500.
Jarrett, who led a total of 62 laps, pocketed $22,050. It was his biggest victory and second major speedway win this year. He also won Atlanta's Dixie 400.
Behind Jarrett's 1965 Ford, 14 laps back, was Buddy Baker in a hemi-powered Plymouth which had been started by his father, Buck. Baker picked up $9,100.
Despite being on the sidelines at the finish, Dieringer finished third in his Bud Moore Mercury annd won $10,175. Roy Mayne of Washington was fourth in a '65 Chevrolet and Buddy Arrington of Martinsville, Va., fifth in a '64 Dodge.
DURING THOSE last dramatic laps, Dieringer tried valiantly to hang on and finished second but his Mercury finally completely failed on the 352nd lap with rear end trouble.
After pitting on the 321st lap, Dieringer was back on the track but his car was spouting fire. He pitted again to extinguish the fire and once more re-entered the race. This time he scraped the rail but managed to stay in the race.
Meanwhile, Baker was picking up valuable laps even though he blew two tires in the process.
Jarrett was the lone factory Ford finishing the race as numerous wrecks and mechanical troubles sidelined most of the name drivers.
In one of the most spectacular accidents of the day, Cale Yarborough tangled with Sam McQuagg in the first turn, Yarborough spinning, then vaulting over the guard rail and down the embankment. Miraculously, Yarborough walked away from the scene of the accident.
That caution flag and six others slowed Jarrett's average speed to 115.878 miles per hour, the slowest race here since 1960.
ALTHOUGH FORDS were heavily favored, it was not an all-Ford show. Dieringer, in his Mercury, led 199 laps and High Point's Jim Paschal kept his 1965 Chevrolet much in contention until a blown head gasket forced him out after 230 laps.
Paschal ran with the leaders all day and led the race on three different occasions. The race was even paced once by Bobby Johns' 1964 Pontiac.
THE DRIVERS gave the fans one of their best super speedway shows of the year as the lead exchanged hands 22 times.
Most of the volleying for first place came during pit stops under the caution.
Junior Johnson, who started on the pole, left early - on the first lap to be exact - with a broken distributor.
Before the race had even started, Johnson was fined $500 when NASCAR inspectors found a locked rear end on his Ford.
Lorenzen, driving a Ford, took the early lead but seemed to slow his pace down as Dieringer went into the lead for the first time on the 33rd lap.
From then until the 325th lap, Dieringer was the dominant figure of the race. He led the field six different times and at least twice stretched his lead over the second place man to half a lap.
Eight different drivers shared in the lead - Lorenzen, Dieringer, Earl Balmer, Johns, Paschal, Yarborough, McQuagg and Jarrett.
A quick rundown of the drivers lap by lap: Lorenzen 1-32; Dieringer, 33-45; Balmer, 46; Johnson, 47-48; Paschal 49-51; Yarborough 52-53; Dieringer 54-86; Balmer 87; McQuagg 88-118; Dieringer 119-121; Lorenzen 122; Paschal 123-128; Jarrett 129-144; Lorenzen 145-147; Dieringer 148-166; Lorenzen 167; Dieringer 168-227; Lorenzen 228-232; Jarrett 233-239; Dieringer 240-287; Lorenzen 288-302; Dieringer 303-325; and Jarrett 326 to the end.
Finish - Start - Car No.- Car Make - Driver
1 10 11 Ford Ned Jarrett
2 14 86 Plymouth Buck Baker
3 5 16 Mercury Darel Dieringer
4 33 46 Chevrolet Roy Mayne
5 24 67 T-Bird Buddy Arrington
6 22 04 Pontiac H.B. Bailey
7 31 18 Chevrolet Stick Elliott
8 41 79 Chevrolet Frank Warren
9 19 19 Chevrolet J T Putney
10 44 57 Ford Wendell Scott
11 2 28 Ford Fred Lorenzen
12 37 53 Ford Jimmy Helms
13 42 68 Ford Bob Derrington
14 18 1 Ford Paul Lewis
15 39 38 Chevrolet Wayne Smith
16 40 52 Chevrolet E J Trivette
17 16 7 Pontiac Bobby Johns
19 6 29 Ford Dick Hutcherson
20 20 49 Ford G C Spencer
21 3 44 Ford Larry Hess
22 7 41 Chevrolet Jim Paschal
23 34 07 Ford Bud Harless
24 38 75 Ford Gene Black
25 30 72 Ford Neil Castles
26 15 64 Ford Elmo Langley
27 25 3 Chevrolet LeeRoy Yarbrough
28 17 87 Chevrolet Buck Baker
29 11 24 Ford Sam McQuagg
30 9 27 Ford Cale Yarborough
31 12 33 Chevrolet Bunkie Blackburn
32 4 15 Mercury Earl Balmer
33 32 02 Chevelle Doug Cooper
34 13 17 Ford Junior Spencer
35 8 14 Plymouth Curtis Turner
36 27 4 Mercury Bobby Wawak
37 3 21 Ford Marvin Panch
38 43 97 Ford Henley Gray
39 26 55 Ford Tiny Lund
40 28 25 Ford Bud Moore
41 36 00 Ford Bert Robbins
42 21 23 Ford Buren Skeen
43 23 03 Ford Reb Wickersham
44 1 26 Ford Junior Johnson
Comments (8)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
I was 13. We had a 1/2 mile dirt at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds. We watched Ernie Derr, Ramo Stott and Dick Hutcherson. Then to watch the Big Boys in their showroom hotrods was fantastic. On the edge of town there was a straight stretch of state highway that ran out a quarter mile to the Flint Creek bridge. The older guys would race, then come back and park in the store parking lot to brag and settle up. I know, it was dangerous, but it all was sure exciting. Cars were everything back then.
Posted on May 10, 2005 8:16 AM
Wow, I'm older than I thought. I have actually seen 11 of the people in this finishing order actually race.
Granted many of them actually raced in the old Grand American division of NASCAR and I used to seem them at the old Paul Revere 250 down in Daytona on 4th of July eve.
Posted on May 11, 2005 1:19 PM
The 65 Southern 500 was the first race I attended at Darlington. We were in the infield near the exit to what was then the 4th turn, so didn't see Cale sail over the guard rail at the opposite end of the track, but the horrendous Buren Skeen-Reb Wickersham crash happened right in front of us and both cars came to rest no more than 100 feet from our spot inside the infield fence.
I didn't see the fatal crash because the leaders had just roared by and, as I was looking down the front stretch, Lee Roy Yarbrough came spinning by in the #3 Ray Fox Chevy, followed rapidly by an intact windshield and other debris. I looked back to the right and there were the cars of Skeen and Wickersham. Skeen's windshield was missing and his seat appeared to be buckled upward by the crash because he was clearly visible from the waist up. Skeen was wearing a red racing uniform and a silver helmet with goggles still in place. We had a better few than we really wanted of the aftermath of the crash and I couldn't take my eyes off the scene. Buren Skeen was very, very still - never moved or even breathed from what I could tell - but Reb Wickersham seemed to be in agony. I think I read the next day that he broke his jaw in the crash.
Wickersham had t-boned Skeen's car squarely, invading the driver's compartment three or four feet and even bending the roof of Skeen's car. It took rescue workers fifteen minutes or more to free Skeen from the wreckage and once they got him out a burly rescuer simply carried Skeen in his arms, like a groom carries a bride, over to the waiting ambulance. Skeen's legs and arms were flopping limply as he was carried and all of us assumed he was already dead, though he lived several more days.
The scene left us all subdued and sad. No one wants to see a driver get injured or killed and I avoided races for several years afterward. I was also at Daytona in 1981 when Bruce Jacobi was fatally injured after flipping down the backstretch in a qualifying race but I was a half mile or so from the crash and didn't see the details of the wreck. I'm still a NASCAR fan but I hope I've the last of serious crashes.
Posted on May 21, 2005 11:44 AM
Thank you for the story, Ray.
Posted on May 24, 2005 11:03 AM
If anyone has storys or pictures of Stick Elliott please let me know.
Thanks
Posted on January 19, 2006 7:41 PM
I went to my first "Grand National" race at Charlotte in May of '64. I am originally from Denton, the home of Buren Skeen, and saw him in many modified races at Bowman Gray Stadium in the early '60s. I still remember those times well and my thoughts and prayers still go out to his family and friends.
Posted on March 29, 2006 3:09 PM
Stick Elliott Memorial race Sept 30 2006 Cherokee
Super Speedway, Gaffney SC
www.cherokeesuperspeedway.com
More race info on the Cherokee forum at
www.trackforums.com
ALL PRESS RSVP at dmgmarketing@charter.net
APRIL.......GENA....DAWN......& CHARLOTTE
Contact me about Sept 30 attendance, photos & ANY
other.
704-692-4581
Thanks
Duane Goins
Denver NC
Posted on September 2, 2006 7:59 PM
I am the son of Buren Skeen. I was 4 years old and attended the race. This is the first time I have visited the web site. The description of the accident and the condition of my father upon being removed from the car is sad. However, my father died doing what he loved and our mother put us first in raising my brother and me. Dad would be proud of her.
Posted on February 15, 2009 12:33 AM