63 Daytona 500 / 63 Sport Fury/Hemi availability

[Joe Huff <djhuff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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I got out my 63 Daytona 500 program to make sure I
was there.  It appears that I was.  The race was delayed
about 2 hours by rain and then the temp. dropped into
the 50's and the wind picked up to 30 MPH, so my
brain may still be affected by that, or other stuff.

As I remember it, Richard's Hemi expired about lap 150
or so.  I was rooting for him so that sticks with me.   I could
be off on that because of a few Molson's and Bud's over the
years since.  That day, April 24, 1963, was the day that I
decided that Mopar B bodies were the thing to have and I
was going to get one.  Then Mom had a 65 Coronet 383/727
when I got me drivers license in 1969.  YeeHa!

As near as I can recall, the 63 Daytona 500 was the first
"gas mileage race."  Fred Lorenzen had it won, but ran out
of  gas about lap 193 and had to stop.  Ned Jarret took
the lead but had to stop on lap 197 for gas.  A Sportsman
racer named Tiny Lund from Cross, SC gambled on fuel
and won the race.  He was driving a car that was built for
a big name driver who was injured in a preliminary race.
Marvin Panch may be it, but I'm not sure.  Those clowns
were all driving Phurds, so a gas mileage race is all that
they could have won.

Joe Huff
65 Bel II

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron Crossley" <rcrossley@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <1962to1965mopars@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2004 9:03 PM
Subject: RE: 63 Sport Fury/Hemi availability


Hi All -

Oh boy, a good discussion.

According to what I've read recently, but don't remember where, the hemi
was finished testing about a week before the Daytona 500, which, if you
recall, was won by Richard. 2nd, 3rd, and, I think 4th, was also a hemi.
The first drag hemi, running A/FX, I saw was much later in the year. I
just remember most of the guys who had them were very upset that they
didn't run faster. Then they figured out how to make them run as fast as
they should and the rest is history.

It's interesting that sometimes the written "history" doesn't
necessarily agree with the actual observation and experience. I guess
that's how legends, and the hemi certainly fits in that category, begin!

Ron

'64 Sport Fury  440/727

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