The 1964 Capital City 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 14, 1964, at Virginia State Fairgrounds in Richmond, Virginia. Notable drivers who appeared at this race were Elmo Langley, Wendell Scott, Tiny Lund, Roy Tyner, and Richard Petty. There were 33 American-born drivers on the grid; no foreigners attempted to qualify for this racing event. Vehicles registered from this race varied in year models from 1962 to 1964. NASCAR team owners that were fortunate enough to afford the 1964 model of stock car vehicles found that their vehicles could exceed in the right circumstances; bringing in an era of unlimited horsepower. Having this level of speed within the sanctioned NASCAR events brought forth many events in addition to tragedies throughout the year in addition to the remainder of the 1960s.
Background
In 1953, Richmond International Raceway began hosting the Grand National Series with Lee Petty winning that first race in Richmond. The original track was paved in 1968. In 1988, the track was re-designed into its present D-shaped configuration The name for the raceway complex was "Strawberry Hill" until the Virginia State Fairgrounds site was bought out in 1999 and renamed the "Richmond International Raceway".
Race report
During this race, there were lead changes between Billy Wade, Junior Johnson, and Cotton Owens. The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s. 300 laps were completed in more than two hours; with Cotton Owens defeating his employee David Pearson by only a lap. Pearson was 29 years old on the day that the race was held; he was considered to be on the prime of his career recording seven short track victories throughout the summer of 1964. At this time, Pearson was trying to swallow more than he could chew in his NASCAR career so Owens had to teach him a lesson in the side of stock car racing. As Owens' last win in his NASCAR career, this event served to remind the spectators who watched this event that not even the biggest NASCAR superstars are totally immune to losing their optimal racing performance during their twilight years. Ned Jarrett qualified for the pole position for this race with a top speed of. Meanwhile, the average speed of the race would be a mere. Two of the drivers who finished in the "top ten" had problems with their engines during the later laps of the race. Doug Yates, then an independent driver/owner, finished in last-place due to an oil pressure issue on the first lap. Eleven notable crew chiefs participated in this race; including Bud Moore, Herman Beam, Banjo Matthews, Dale Inman and Jimmy Helms. Individual track earnings for this event ranged from the winner's share of $2,400 to the last-place finisher's share of $150. The total prize purse was $12,535.
