On November 3, 1963, a crowd of 32,500 fans turned out at the 2.7-mile Riverside International Raceway in California for the Golden State 400. The event featured a strong 41-car field for the 148-lap, 400-mile road course race. Dan Gurney had earned the pole with a qualifying speed of 101.050 mph, but a USAC ruling barred its licensed drivers from competing in this NASCAR event. Gurney honored the ban and withdrew at the last minute, with Marvin Panch stepping in to drive his car. Several other prominent USAC competitors were also impacted, including A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, and Rodger Ward, who either failed to qualify or withdrew due to the sanctioning body conflict.
In a breakthrough moment, Darel Dieringer claimed his first career NASCAR victory in the #16 Stroppe Mercury. He took the lead late and finished a full lap ahead of runner-up Dave MacDonald. Marvin Panch came home third in the Gurney-prepared car, followed by Fireball Roberts in fourth and Junior Johnson in fifth.
The race ran under mostly green-flag conditions with just a single caution period. Dieringer’s winning average speed was 91.465 mph, and he earned $7,875 for the victory. Finishing seventh in the season finale, Joe Weatherly clinched the 1963 NASCAR Grand National championship over Richard Petty and Fred Lorenzen.
