On July 19, 1963, NASCAR Grand National Series teams headed north to the 0.5-mile paved Old Bridge Stadium in Old Bridge, New Jersey, for a 200-lap race. A crowd of 5,400 watched a 20-car field take to the track. Joe Weatherly, in the #8 Bud Moore Pontiac, earned the pole with a speed of 75.85 mph and dominated early, leading the first 179 laps.
Disaster struck during a pit stop when Weatherly’s motor stalled. He lost significant time and ultimately finished seventh, six laps down. Fireball Roberts, driving the #22 Holman-Moody Ford and starting fifth, capitalized on the opportunity. He took the lead and held on to win by six car lengths over Rex White in second. Fred Lorenzen finished third in another Holman-Moody Ford, followed by Ned Jarrett in fourth and Bobby Isaac in fifth. The race featured four cautions and an average speed of 73.022 mph. It marked Roberts’ third victory of the 1963 season.
Note: The race program does not explicitly identify the track or NASCAR division. The location (Old Bridge Stadium) and series (Grand National) were determined by cross-referencing the scored qualifying speeds and starting grid with official 1963 NASCAR records.
