1965 NASCAR Grand National Series
# 1965 NASCAR Grand National Series

The 1965 NASCAR Grand National Series was the seventeenth season of the premier Grand National Series stock car racing championship sanctioned by NASCAR. Due to the no availability of the Hemi, GM "Mystery Motor" and Ford overhead cam 427, NASCAR banned those non-production engines. Chrysler responded by withdrawing their support, and drivers Richard Petty, David Pearson, Paul Goldsmith, Bobby Isaac until the Chrysler HEMI had sold 500 units in production vehicles, meeting NASCAR's homologation standards of 500 units. Driver Ned Jarrett won the Grand National Drivers Championship after winning 13 of the 54 races he competed in, he clinched the title with 3 races remaining in the season after finishing 5th in the National 400 from Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ford won the Manufacturers Championship again.

The newly built Rockingham Speedway opened in 1965, and Curtis Turner returned from his ban to win the inaugural race in his Ford. Turner had been banned from NASCAR in 1961 by Bill France, Sr. for trying to organize a drivers' union with the Teamsters.

## Schedule

| No. | Race title | Track | Date |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Motor Trend 500 | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside | January 17 |
| 2 | 100-mile qualifying races | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | February 12 |
| 3 | 100-mile qualifying races | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | February 12 |
| 4 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | February 14 |
| 5 | 1965-05 | Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds, Spartanburg | February 27 |
| 6 | Fireball 200 | Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, Weaverville | February 28 |
| 7 | Richmond 250 | Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds, Richmond | March 7 |
| 8 | 1965-08 | Orange Speedway, Hillsborough | March 14 |
| 9 | Atlanta 500 | Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton | April 11 |
| 10 | Greenville 200 | Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Greenville | April 17 |
| 11 | Gwyn Staley 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro | April 18 |
| 12 | Virginia 500 | Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway | April 25 |
| 13 | Columbia 200 | Columbia Speedway, Columbia | April 28 |
| 14 | Southeastern 500 | Bristol International Speedway, Bristol | May 2 |
| 15 | Rebel 300 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington | May 8 |
| 16 | Tidewater 250 | Langley Speedway, Hampton | May 14 |
| 17 | 1965-17 | Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem | May 15 |
| 18 | Hickory 250 | Hickory Speedway, Hickory | May 16 |
| 19 | World 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord | May 23 |
| 20 | 1965-20 | Cleveland County Fairgrounds, Shelby | May 27 |
| 21 | 1965-21 | New Asheville Speedway, Asheville | May 29 |
| 22 | 1965-22 | Harris Speedway, Harris | May 30 |
| 23 | Music City 200 | Nashville Speedway, Nashville | June 3 |
| 24 | Birmingham 200 | Fairgrounds Raceway, Birmingham | June 6 |
| 25 | Dixie 400 | Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton | June 13 |
| 26 | Pickens 200 | Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Greenville | June 19 |
| 27 | 1965-27 | Rambi Raceway, Myrtle Beach | June 24 |
| 28 | 1965-28 | Valdosta 75 Speedway, Valdosta | June 27 |
| 29 | Firecracker 400 | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | July 4 |
| 30 | 1965-30 | Old Dominion Speedway, Manassas | July 8 |
| 31 | Old Bridge 200 | Old Bridge Stadium, Old Bridge | July 9 |
| 32 | 1965-32 | Islip Speedway, Islip | July 14 |
| 33 | The Glen 151.8 | Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen | July 18 |
| 34 | Volunteer 500 | Bristol International Speedway, Bristol | July 25 |
| 35 | Nashville 400 | Nashville Speedway, Nashville | July 31 |
| 36 | 1965-36 | Cleveland County Fairgrounds, Shelby | August 5 |
| 37 | Western North Carolina 500 | Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, Weaverville | August 8 |
| 38 | 1965-38 | Smoky Mountain Raceway, Maryville | August 13 |
| 39 | 1965-39 | Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds, Spartanburg | August 14 |
| 40 | 1965-40 | Augusta Speedway, Augusta | August 15 |
| 41 | Sandlapper 200 | Columbia Speedway, Columbia | August 19 |
| 42 | Moyock 300 | Dog Track Speedway, Moyock | August 24 |
| 43 | 1965-43 | Beltsville Speedway, Beltsville | August 25 |
| 44 | Myers Brothers 250 | Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem | August 28 |
| 45 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington | September 6 |
| 46 | Buddy Shuman 250 | Hickory Speedway, Hickory | September 10 |
| 47 | Pennsylvania 200 | Lincoln Speedway, New Oxford | September 14 |
| 48 | 1965-48 | Old Dominion Speedway, Manassas | September 17 |
| 49 | Capital City 300 | Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds, Richmond | September 18 |
| 50 | Old Dominion 500 | Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway | September 26 |
| 51 | Wilkes 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro | October 3 |
| 52 | National 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord | October 17 |
| 53 | 1965-53 | Orange Speedway, Hillsborough | October 24 |
| 54 | American 500 | North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham | October 31 |
| 55 | Tidewater 300 | Dog Track Speedway, Moyock | November 7 |

## Expansion

* Fords had won 34 races before NASCAR adjusted the rules to allow the Chryslers to compete, but it was too late in the 55 event season for them to mount a championship challenge.
