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 Richard Petty in Victory
Lane (photo: Ted Marchman) |
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Richard Petty in a 1965 Plymouth took the lead on lap 351 when Junior Johnson's car blew
an engine.
It was the 37th Career victory for the
Randleman, North Carolina driver.
Petty's victory ended Ford's 32 race win
streak. Petty had ran his first race of the season a
week earlier at Bristol's Volunteer 500. The Chrysler
teams had been boycotting NASCAR due to the disallowance of the
Hemi engine. The race would mark
the best career
finish at the Fairgrounds for Buddy Arrington. Over his
career, Arrington would make 29 starts at the Speedway.
The legendary Junior Johnson makes his last
appearance as a driver at the track. As an owner, Johnson
will record 26 starts at the track and capture 11 victories
with Cale Yarborough (six) and Darrell Waltrip (five)
Richard Petty and Junior
Johnson prepare to pass Neil Castles on the back
straight. Johnson would take the lead from Petty on lap
287 but would lose an engine on lap 351, thus ending the
Rhonda, North Carolina-based driver's night.
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The 1965 Tennessee State Fairgrounds
Fire
 On
September 20, 1965, the Tennessee State Fairgrounds suffered a
horrific fire during State Fair Week.
An electrical short in an
exhibition building caused a massive blaze which injured 18 and
caused $10 million in damage.
Wind-fed flames leaped 200 feet, flying
through the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. The blaze devoured four
Victorian-era exhibition buildings and the speedway grandstands
as thousands of hysteric fairgoers fled from the opening night
festivities.
The State Fair board kicked repairs into
high gear and had a 9,000 seat grandstand ready for the next
weekend’s races
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