The 1965 National 400 was held on October 17th at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 52nd race of the NASCAR Grand National Series season drew a crowd of 50,000 for the 44-car field on the 1.5-mile oval. Fred Lorenzen won the pole with a qualifying speed of 147.773 mph, setting the tone for a fast but chaotic afternoon. The race was immediately marred by a multi-car crash on lap two that tragically claimed the life of Harold Kite. Overall, the event featured six caution periods for 47 laps along with 28 lead changes among nine drivers.
Despite the high attrition and constant interruptions, Lorenzen powered the Holman-Moody No. 28 Ford to the front on lap 255 and ultimately held off the field, winning by just three car lengths in a tightly contested finish. The race ran 3:21:44 at an average speed of 119.117 mph, with only 18 of 44 starters finishing. Dick Hutcherson finished second, followed by Curtis Turner in third, Ned Jarrett in fourth, and LeeRoy Yarbrough rounding out the top five, capping a dramatic and incident-filled race at Charlotte.
