Ralph Hepburn... Born ... A pioneer of American motorcycle racing champion from 1914 to 1924 and a AAA and Indianapolis 500 racecar driver from 1924 to 1948.
Al Keller... Born ... Keller participated in the NASCAR "Strictly Stock"/"Grand National" (predecessors to the current Sprint Cup) series from 1949 to 1956 with 29 career starts. He won two races during the 1954 season and was the first driver in the history of NASCAR's top division to have won a race in a foreign-built car, winning the 1954 Grand National road-race at the Linden Airport in New Jersey, driving a Jaguar.
In 1954 Keller began a transition to champ cars. He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1954-1959 and 1961 seasons with 32 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in all but the first of those years. He finished in the top ten 13 times, with his best finish in 2nd position, in 1956 at Atlanta and in 1961 at Milwaukee. His best Indy finish was 5th in 1961. Al Keller also drove ARDC Midgets.
Marvin Panch drove his Wood Brothers Ford to a wire-to-wire win in a caution free 100 mile NASCAR Grand National race on the 1/2 mile dirt Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina. It was the second race in the '64 season Panch had led every lap. Panch finished a lap ahead of Junior Johnson in the Ray Fox Dodge.
Jimmy Davies won the 100 lap USAC Midget race at the Ascot Park, Gardena, CA.
Marvin Panch put a lap on the field in his Wood Brothers Ford, then turned the car over to relief driver A.J. Foyt who led to the checkered in the NASCAR GN 'Atlanta 500' at Atlanta International Raceway. Bobby Johns made up a lap late in the race to finish 2nd in a Holman-Moody Ford, 2 seconds behind Foyt.
David Pearson won a record tying 4th straight NASCAR GN race by taking the 200 lap race on the 1/4 mile paved Bowman-Gray Stadium oval in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Pearson's win tied Billy Wade's record for consecutive GN wins. Tom Pistone drove his independent Ford to second, on the lead lap. Pearson's Cotton Owens Dodge was a former "show" car which Owens had re-acquired, feeling point leader Pearson needed another car at his disposal.
Bobby Gerhart won the Modified Stock Car race over Al Tasnady, Bill Williams and Gerald Chamberlain at the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway, Reading, PA.
( Click here for the race report. )
David Pearson passed Buddy Baker with 12 laps to go, then went on to edge Baker in the NASCAR GN 'Rebel 500' at Darlington Raceway. It was Pearson's 6th win in the race in the last 8 years. Pearson's Wood Brothers Mercury crossed the line 7 tenths of a second ahead of Baker's Bud Moore Ford. Buddy's father, 1956 & 57 GN champ Buck Baker, made his first start in more than 3 years. The elder Baker, 57, qualified 11th in a second Junie Donlevy Ford. He turned his car over to Dick Brooks after Brooks' Donlevy Ford was knocked out in a lap 30 crash.
Larry Dickson won the 40 lap USAC Sprint Car race at the Eldora Speedway, Rossburg, OH. Jan Opperman finished second followed by Bruce Walkup, Billy Engelhart and George Snider. ( Click here for the race report. )
Elvin Felty won the Super Sprint Car race at the Reading Fairgrounds, Reading, PA. Bobby Allen finished second followed by Steve Smith, Smokey Snellbaker and Dick Tobias.
Josh Berry won the postponed Cook Out 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, VA. Noah Gragson was second followed by Daniel Hemric, Ty Gibbs and Brandon Jones. Later in the day Martin Truex Jr. won the rain-delayed Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 NASCAR Cup Series race. Chase Elliott finished second followed by Denny Hamlin, William Byron and Kyle Larson.
Tanner Thorson won the 30-lap USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Feature at the Port City Raceway in Tulsa, Ok. Justin Grant was second followed by Ethan Mitchell, Chris Windom and Logan Seavey. Click to watch the feature highlights video.
ONE DAY
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