1962 Dixie 400  The 1962 Dixie 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 28, 1962, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia. 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. This race was not originally scheduled to be the 53rd race of the 1962 NASCAR Grand National Series season. It was initially scheduled for October 21st at South Boston, Virginia but it was finally canceled due to lack of entries. Joe Weatherly would clinch the championship title as a result of the cancelled race in South Boston. Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one of ten current intermediate track to hold NASCAR races; the others are Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway. However, at the time, only Charlotte and Darlington were built. The layout at Atlanta International Speedway at the time was a four-turn traditional oval track that is long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five. All 44 drivers in this race were born in the United States of America. The major sponsors in this race were Holman Moody, Rex White, and Fred Lovette. H.B. Bailey, making his debut in this race, flipped over after hitting the infield berm. Also in this race, Tommy Irwin's car hit the guardrail and rode along the guardrail on its side. Jimmy Thompson and Woodie Wilson would retire from NASCAR after this race. 23 drivers would fail to finish the race. Notable crew chiefs participating in the event included Ray Fox, Bud Moore, Herman Beam, Banjo Matthews and Lee Petty. Three cautions would slow this 267-lap race. The total distance of this race was approximately . Fireball Roberts would qualify for the pole position at the speed of . George Green would be the last-place finisher due to an engine problem in his Chevrolet on the third lap. Other notable drivers in this race were Marvin Panch, Richard Petty, Fred Lorenzen, Buck Baker, and Elmo Langley. At the end of three hours and twelve minutes of racing, Rex White defeated Joe Weatherly by 12 seconds in his 1962 Chevrolet; becoming the final win in White's NASCAR Cup Series career.