1964 Atlanta 500

The 1964 Atlanta 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 5, 1964, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia, the fifth annual race in the history of the Atlanta 500 series of races.

This race had only ten vehicles surviving to the finish. Many of top NASCAR teams suffered from engine failure along with the non-contenders. Five race-ending crashes were recorded in this event; with some footage of the race being used for the drive-in movie Speed Lovers.

Background
Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one of ten current intermediate track to hold NASCAR races; the others are Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway. However, at the time, only Charlotte and Darlington were built.

The layout at Atlanta International Speedway at the time was a four-turn traditional oval track that is 1.54 mi long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five.

Race report
All 39 drivers on the grid were American-born. Notable drivers who finished outside the top ten included Darel Dieringer, Paul Goldsmith, Roy Tyner, Cale Yarborough, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Fireball Roberts, and A. J. Foyt. Fred Lorenzen defeated Bobby Isaac by two laps after almost four hours to extend the era of "Fearless Freddie's Fast Ford". Fifty thousand spectators would see four caution periods lasting for 19 laps and 11 lead changes. Goldsmith would flip his car after leading the first 55 laps but would get out of the wreckage unharmed.

Jimmy Helms and Ken Spikes made their first NASCAR Cup starts while Dave MacDonald raced his final NASCAR race here. Neil Castles ended in last place due to a handling problem on the second lap of this 334-lap race.

The total purse of the race was $57,655 ($0 when adjusted for inflation); Lorenzen would walk away with $18,000 ($0 when adjusted for inflation). Notable crew chiefs in this event include Jimmy Helms, Dale Inman, Herb Nab, Bud Allman, Glen Wood, Shorty Johns, Bud Moore and Banjo Matthews.

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.

Timeline
Section reference:
 * Start of race: Fred Lorenzen started out with the pole position but Paul Goldsmith quickly overtook him.
 * Lap 2: Neil Castles just could not handle his vehicle properly; forcing him to exit the race due to safety reasons.
 * Lap 3: A frame came off Joe Clark's vehicle; ending his day on the track.
 * Lap 19: Jimmy Pardue had a terminal crash; forcing him to leave the event prematurely.
 * Lap 22: The rear end managed to come off Jimmy Helms' vehicle; causing him to get a 34th-place finish.
 * Lap 26: Ignition problems managed to sideline Jack Anderson.
 * Lap 31: Larry Thomas' day on the track came to a rough end due to a faulty ignition in his vehicle.
 * Lap 41: Darel Dieringer had a terminal crash; making him accept a rather lousy 31st-place finish.
 * Lap 42: Roy Mayne just could not handle his vehicle properly; ending his day on the track.
 * Lap 55: Paul Goldsmith had a terminal crash; forcing him to retire from the race.
 * Lap 56: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen.
 * Lap 59: Jim Hurtubise took over the lead from Fireball Roberts.
 * Lap 60: Curtis Crider had to bring an overheating vehicle out of the race prematurely.
 * Lap 61: Marvin Panch took over the lead from Jim Hurtubuise.
 * Lap 74: Cale Yarborough noticed that some of his gasoline was leaking out of his vehicle.
 * Lap 77: Jim Hurtubise managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle; causing him to accept a 23rd-place finish.
 * Lap 78: Engine problems managed to take LeeRoy Yarbrough out of the race.
 * Lap 92: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Marvin Panch.
 * Lap 106: David Pearson had a terminal crash.
 * Lap 107: Fireball Roberts had a terminal crash.
 * Lap 110: A frame managed to come off Larry Frank's vehicle.
 * Lap 113: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen.
 * Lap 114: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Bobby Isaac.
 * Lap 119: Rex White had to nurse his troublesome engine away from the race.
 * Lap 130: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen.
 * Lap 149: The head gasket managed to come off Bobby Johns' vehicle; making it too dangerous for him to continue racing at high speeds.
 * Lap 150: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Bobby Isaac; Dave MacDonald's engine started to blow causing his 16th-place finish.
 * Lap 151: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen.
 * Lap 167: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Bobby Isaac.
 * Lap 173: Jim McElreath's vehicle would develop engine problems severe enough to force him out of the race.
 * Lap 190: Marvin Panch's vehicle developed problems with its engine.
 * Lap 225: Billy Wade's engine stopped working on this lap.
 * Lap 246: A.J. Foyt had to accept an 11th-place finish due to his malfunctioning engine.
 * Finish: Fred Lorenzen was officially declared the winner of the event.