The 1963 Daytona 500, the fifth running of NASCAR’s prestigious event and the seventh race of the Grand National Series season, was held on Sunday, February 24, at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 200-lap, 500-mile contest featured a large field of 50 entries and saw 29 lead changes among 10 drivers, along with two cautions for a total of 10 laps slowed.
Tiny Lund, driving the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, captured his first career Grand National victory in dramatic fashion. Lund was a last-minute substitute for regular driver Marvin Panch, who had been injured in a sports car crash during practice. Starting 12th, Lund employed a clever fuel and tire strategy devised by crew chief Leonard Wood: running the entire 500 miles on a single set of tires while making one fewer pit stop than most rivals. He led just 17 laps but took the lead for good with eight laps remaining after frontrunners Fred Lorenzen and Ned Jarrett both had to pit for fuel in the closing stages. Lund held on to win by 24 seconds in a time of 3 hours, 17 minutes, and 56 seconds, at an average speed of 151.556 mph.
Fred Lorenzen finished second in a Holman-Moody Ford after leading a race-high 77 laps, while Ned Jarrett placed third followed by Nelson Stacy and Dan Gurney. The race highlighted the growing competitiveness of Ford machinery and the importance of strategy on the high-speed superspeedway, turning Lund’s opportunistic drive into one of the most memorable Cinderella stories in Daytona 500 history and giving Wood Brothers Racing their first victory in the event.
This thrilling superspeedway battle, witnessed by over 70,000 fans, exemplified the high-stakes drama and mechanical attrition typical of early-1960s NASCAR at Daytona.
Program Front Cover
Program Back Cover
Payoff & Points
Winners & Leaders
Past Consolation Results