In the 1965 USAC National Championship, Mario Andretti secured his first title in an 18-race season that mixed paved ovals, dirt tracks, a road course, and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Jim Clark won the Indianapolis 500 in a rear-engine Lotus-Ford, while A.J. Foyt, Jim McElreath, and Don Branson also scored multiple victories in a highly competitive year.
Norm Nelson captured the USAC Stock Car championship driving Plymouths, posting six wins across a 16-race schedule heavily dominated by Chrysler products. Paul Goldsmith finished second in the standings with four victories of his own as Mopar entries controlled the series.
Johnny Rutherford claimed the National Sprint Car title with a strong campaign that included several feature wins, while Mike McGreevy took the National Midget championship after stepping into Mel Kenyon’s car following Kenyon’s serious mid-season crash at Langhorne.
