The 1963 Bowman Gray Grand National race, held on Monday, April 15 at the tight quarter-mile Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was the 18th event of the NASCAR Grand National Series and covered a distance of 50 miles (200 laps).
Richard Petty started on pole in the #41 Petty Enterprises Plymouth and dominated much of the race, leading 146 laps. However, a fuel pump failure on lap 146 forced him out, handing the advantage to his teammate Jim Paschal in the #43 Plymouth. Paschal, who started third, took over and led the final stretch to secure the victory—his third win of the season and 16th career Grand National triumph—while completing all 200 laps.
The race on the small oval featured a modest field of 16 cars and was marked by several mechanical issues that sidelined contenders early. Fred Harb finished second, two laps down in a Pontiac, followed by Larry Thomas, Buck Baker, and Ned Jarrett. Paschal’s opportunistic win for Petty Enterprises highlighted the team’s strength on short tracks, even as Petty’s misfortune prevented a sweep.
This event exemplified the era’s short-track racing intensity at the historic stadium, where Grand National machines provided a thrilling spectacle for local fans on the compact layout.
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