The 1963 Virginia 500 was held on April 21 at Martinsville Speedway, drawing a crowd of about 18,500 fans for the 33-car field. Rex White won the pole with a qualifying speed of 72.000 mph. Fred Lorenzen looked poised for victory, leading a large portion of the race until an axle failure on lap 460 ended his hopes.
Richard Petty in his Plymouth capitalized on the late attrition. He drove to his 18th career win (and third straight Virginia 500 victory at Martinsville), finishing a full lap ahead of Tiny Lund. Darel Dieringer took 3rd, followed by Ned Jarrett in 4th and Fred Lorenzen in 5th.
The race ran with five cautions and posted an average speed of 64.823 mph. Petty earned $3,375 for the victory. Overcome by heat and fumes, he briefly collapsed in Victory Lane afterward — a testament to the grueling conditions of short-track racing in that era.
