1975 Winston Western 500

Auto race held at Riverside International Raceway in 1975 February 2025 CUST Race 1 of 30 in the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season Winston Western 500 Weather information for the 1975 Winston Western 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac 1975 01 19 1975 1 30 Riverside Raceway.JPG Layout of Riverside International Raceway (1969-1988 version) Winston Western 500 Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California 2.700 4.345 191 500.4 805.3 Warm with temperatures of 79 F C; wind speeds of 10.9 mph km/h 98.627 mi/h Bobby Allison Penske Racing South Bobby Allison Penske Racing South 173 16 Bobby Allison Penske Racing South TBS Buddy Baker Ken Squier The 1975 Winston Western 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on January 19, 1975, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California. A companion race known as the Permatex 200, in the Late Model Sportsmen Series, would be held one day prior to this event on the same track. The 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series would jump start Richard Petty into a different breed of stock car driver; even though his 1975 Dodge Charger muscle car vehicle would be as comfortable to drive on the race track as a boxcar on the railroad tracks.Hard Charger Richard Petty at Google Books This was the first race that the vaunted Chevrolet Malibu Laguna S-3 was eligible for competition, although its use began in earnest at the 1975 Daytona 500. Race report 35 drivers managed to qualify for this 191-lap race that spanned a total distance of 500.4 mi km or. Fifty-five thousand people would attend a live racing event that would last for five hours and four minutes. Ivan Baldwin would become the last-place finisher due to engine problems on the fourth lap. Bobby Allison and David Pearson both chased each other for the lead lap before Allison would win by nearly 23 seconds over Pearson. Other drivers who had the lead at certain points in the race were Sonny Easley and Ray Elder. More than half the field failed to finish the race due to problems ranging from engine difficulties to oil-related problems and even the occasional transmission problem.1975 Winston Western 500 racing information at Racing Reference Only 13 cars were running at the end of the race; only Bobby Allison, David Pearson, Cecil Gordon, and Dave Marcis had a realistic shot of winning the race. Most of the teams were feeling their way through since it was the first race of the year and teams had to experiment with new strategies. The broadcasting range provided by the network was questionable at best despite being televised specifically for cable television. Most of the Northern United States (including New Jersey) were nearly oblivious to the events that occurred. The results were shown primarily through tape-delayed highlight shows and amateurish NASCAR magazines.Jayski's Mark Donohue Tribute https://web.archive.org/web/20180515124901/http://www.jayski.com/donohue/donohue.htm 2018-05-15 at Jayski Speeds up to 110.382 mph km/h or were seen during solo qualifying runs while actual race speeds were merely 98.267 mph km/h or. Richard Petty would spend 19 laps on pit road while the crew repaired the left front of his car; using a lot of Arno 200 MPH tape in the process. The car looked like a candidate for the junkyard but Petty later roared around the track faster than eventual race winner Bobby Allison. Petty even passed Allison a few times in the process. Attrition was considered to be a considerable issue at the race as only 13 cars were running at; with only one other car within 7 laps of the lead, at a track bigger than Watkins Glen. This would be the last NASCAR Winston Cup series race for G.T. Tallas. He'd return to NASCAR 20 years later to run two races in the NASCAR Truck Series. While multi-car teams were becoming the norm, a significant amount of "lone wolf" owners still were operating in 1975.NASCAR team information https://web.archive.org/web/20120613001515/http://www.driveraverages.com/nascar_stats/race.php?sked_id=1975001 2012-06-13 at Driver Averages Prize amounts earned for each driver ranged from $14,735 ($ when adjusted for inflation) to $520 ($ when adjusted for inflation); with a grand total of $97,075 being handed out by the official NASCAR treasurer ($ when adjusted for inflation).Winnings information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet Ron Esau, Don Puskarich, and Bill Schmitt would make their introductions to NASCAR in this race while Dick Bown would hang up his racing gloves after this event.1975 Winston Western 500 race information at Race Database Qualifying Grid No. Car number Driver Manufacturer 1 16 Bobby Allison '75 AMC Matador 2 21 David Pearson '73 Mercury 3 43 Richard Petty '74 Dodge 4 72 Benny Parsons '75 Chevrolet 5 03W Chuck Bown '74 Dodge 6 96W Ray Elder '74 Dodge 7 26W Dick Bown '75 Chevrolet 8 97W Harry Jefferson '72 Ford 9 38W Jimmy Insolo '74 Chevrolet 10 29W Hershel McGriff '72 Chevrolet 11 55W Bill Osborne '72 Ford 12 33W Glenn Francis '74 Chevrolet 13 78W Hugh Pearson '72 Chevrolet 14 7W Ivan Baldwin '74 Dodge 15 37W Chuck Wahl '74 Chevrolet Failed to qualify: Dennis Wilson (#61W)Qualifying information for the 1975 Winston Western 500 https://web.archive.org/web/20170801073714/http://www.racing-reference.info/getqualify/1975-01/W August 1, 2017 at Racing Reference Finishing order Section reference: 30em Bobby Allison David Pearson Cecil Gordon Dave Marcis Elmo Langley James Hylton Richard Petty Gary Matthews Ed Negre Hershel McGriff Richard Childress Don Puskarich Ray Elder J.D. McDuffie Larry Esau Bill Osborne Chuck Wahl Bill Schmitt Richard White Don Reynolds Sonny Easley Ron Esau Hugh Pearson Benny Parsons Glenn Francis Pete Torres Chuck Bown Chuck Little G.T. Tallas Dick Bown Walter Ballard Harry Jefferson Jimmy Insolo Carl Adams Ivan Baldwin Timeline Section reference: Start: Bobby Allison was leading the racing grid as the green flag was waved. Lap 5: Carl Adams noticed that his vehicle was leaking oil. Lap 13: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison; oil pump issues took Jimmy Insolo out of the event. Lap 16: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty. Lap 17: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Lap 18: Bobby Allison took over the lead from David Pearson. Lap 28: G.T. Tallas noticed that his vehicle was leaking oil. Lap 33: Caution due to Richard Petty's accident on turn 9, ended on lap 35. Lap 35: Sonny Easley took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Lap 36: Chuck Bown managed to ruin his vehicle's transmission. Lap 37: Ray Elder took over the lead from Sonny Easley. Lap 38: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Ray Elder. Lap 44: The rear end of Glenn Francis' vehicle came off in an unsafe manner; Benny Parson's vehicle suffered from oil pump issues. Lap 65: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Lap 66: Bobby Allison took over the lead from David Pearson. Lap 96: Ron Esau managed to ruin his vehicle's transmission. Lap 105: Caution due to oil spills on turns 1 and 8, ended on lap 111. Lap 138: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Lap 139: Bobby Allison took over the lead from David Pearson. Lap 145: Ray Elder managed to render his vehicle's engine non-operable. Lap 147: Caution due to Bill Osbourne's problematic engine, ended on lap 153. Lap 155: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison. Lap 163: Bobby Allison took over the lead from David Pearson. Lap 166: Hershel McGriff noticed that his oil pump was not functioning properly. Finish: Bobby Allison was officially declared the winner of the event. Standings after the race Pos Driver Points Differential 1 Bobby Allison 185 0 2 David Pearson 175 -10 3 Cecil Gordon 165 -20 4 Dave Marcis 160 -25 5 Elmo Langley 155 -30 6 Richard Petty 151 -34 7 James Hylton 150 -35 8 Gary Matthews 142 -43 9 Ed Negre 138 -47 10 Hershel McGriff 134 -51 References 1974 Los Angeles Times 500 1975 Daytona 500 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1974-5 1974 1976 Winston Western 500 races 1975 Winston Western Winston Western Category:NASCAR races at Riverside International Raceway