The 1964 Old Dominion 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 24, 1964, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. Forty professional stock car racing drivers would become involved in an event that would become legendary.

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.

Background Martinsville Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races. The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is long. The track's turns are banked at eleven degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at zero degrees. The back stretch also has a zero degree banking.

Race report Fred Lorenzen defeated Richard Petty by of a second in front of a live audience of 18,214 spectators; becoming the first recipient of the now-famous Martinsville Grandfather Clock.1964 Old Dominion 500 at Racing-Reference.infoFrom Sandstone To Sterling: The Top 10 Trophies In NASCAR at Front Stretch Lorenzen would also pick up his third win in a row at Martinsville.

Typical qualifying times for the race ranged from 24.2 seconds to 25.2 seconds with vehicles driving between and .Qualifying information for the 1964 Old Dominion 500 at Racing Reference In addition to six changes in the lead driver, there were also six caution flags given out for 28 laps. The entire race took three hours and twenty-four minutes to go from green flag to the checkered flag. Top prize at the race was $4,715 ($ when adjusted for inflation). Doug Yates and Buddy Arrington both qualified for the race but failed to start in it. Major Melton would make his final NASCAR Grand National Cup Series appearance in this race. The majority of the entries belonged to the Ford Motor Company. Model years for each vehicle ranged from 1962 to 1964; complying with the NASCAR rules and regulations for that era.

NASCAR was authorized to hand out a grand total of $17,580 to each of the drivers who participated in this event ($ when adjusted for inflation).1964 Old Dominion 500 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet Even with his second-place finish, Petty clinched his first NASCAR championship after this race. Bill Whitley was credited as the actual last-place driver after acquiring a transmission problem on lap 6; bringing home a paycheck of $150 ($ when adjusted for inflation).

At least 16 notable crew chiefs were recorded as attending this race; including Bud Moore, Herman Beam, Glen Wood, Bud Allman, Banjo Matthews and Vic Ballard.1964 Old Dominion 500 crew chiefs at Racing Reference

Doug Wilson would retire from the NASCAR Cup Series after this race.

Qualifying Grid Driver Manufacturer Owner 1 28 Fred Lorenzen '64 Ford 74.196 24.260 Holman-Moody 2 27 Junior Johnson '64 Ford 73.770 24.400 Banjo Matthews 3 11 Ned Jarrett '64 Ford 73.619 24.450 Bondy Long 4 7 Bobby Johns '64 Ford 73.529 24.480 Holman-Moody 5 21 Marvin Panch '64 Ford 73.469 24.500 Wood Brothers 6 25 Paul Goldsmith '64 Plymouth 73.289 24.560 Ray Nichels 7 41 Jim Paschal '64 Plymouth 73.170 24.600 Petty Enterprises 8 1 Billy Wade '64 Mercury 73.051 24.640 Bud Moore 9 00 Cale Yarborough '64 Ford 72.786 24.730 Holman-Moody 10 49 G.C. Spencer '64 Ford 72.551 24.810 G.C. Spencer

A non-championship race determined the final 20 starters in the Old Dominion 500. Only Richard Petty and Doug Yates managed to lead laps in the event; Petty would go on to win the qualifying race.1964 Old Dominion 500 Qualifying Race at Ultimate Racing History

Top 20 finishers Pos Driver Manufacturer Time/Status 128Fred LorenzenFord500493 3:42:49 243Richard PettyPlymouth5005 +0.33 laps 327Junior JohnsonFord4991 +1 lap 421Marvin PanchFord4990 +1 lap 511Ned JarrettFord4971 +3 laps 616Darel DieringerMercury4910 +9 laps 726Bobby IsaacDodge4910 +9 laps 86David PearsonDodge4910 +9 laps 91Billy WadeMercury4900 +10 laps 1000Cale YarboroughFord4890 +11 laps 115Earl BalmerDodge4870 +13 laps 1249G.C. SpencerFord4860 +14 laps 133Buck BakerDodge4840 +16 laps 1419Larry ThomasFord4800+20 laps 1546J.T. PutneyPlymouth4520 +48 laps 1684Bert RobbinsFord4510 +49 laps 1731Al WhiteFord4410 +59 laps 1809Roy MayneFord4360 +64 laps 1917Junior SpencerFord4360 +66 laps 2083Worth McMillionPontiac4360 +66 laps

Timeline Section reference: Start of race: Fred Lorenzen had the pole position to begin the race; Doug Yates and Buddy Arrington failed to start the race. Lap 6: Transmission problems forced Bill Whitley into the sidelines. Lap 11: Ronnie Croy would have oil pressure issues with his vehicle. Lap 18: Faulty brakes would relegate Jack Anderson to the sidelines. Lap 44: An overheating vehicle forced Buddy Baker off the track. Lap 124: Bunkie Blackburn would fail to finish the race due to issues with his vehicle's clutch. Lap 128: Bob Derrington's vehicle lost his rear end, forcing him off the track for safety reasons. Lap 164: Richard Petty took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. Lap 165: Transmission problems managed to end Neil Castles' hopes of winning the event. Lap 169: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Richard Petty. Lap 171: Ned Jarrett took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. Lap 172: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Ned Jarrett. Lap 184: Paul Goldsmith started feeling some "bad vibrations" from his vehicle. Lap 260: Doug Wilson managed to overheat his vehicle when he needed it the most. Lap 268: A wheel bearing came off Bill McMahan's vehicle. Lap 325: Bobby Johns had a terminal crash, forcing him to leave the event prematurely. Lap 338: Doug Cooper's brakes no longer worked, forcing him out of the race. Lap 339: Major Melton fell out with engine failure. Lap 340: Junior Johnson took over the lead from Fred Lorenzen. Lap 341: Fred Lorenzen took over the lead from Junior Johnson. Lap 344: LeeRoy Yarborough's vehicle started handling a little bit too funny, causing him not to finish the race. Lap 380: Wendell Scott managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle. Lap 383: Jim Paschal managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle. Lap 397: Elmo Langley managed to lose the rear end of his vehicle. Lap 414: Curtis Crider managed to lose his vehicle's rear end. Finish: Fred Lorenzen was officially declared the winner of the event.

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