Winston Western 500

The Winston Western 500 was an annual NASCAR Winston Cup race held at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California, United States, in January, and then in later years, November. From 1963 to 1981, the race was held in January and was the season opening race. NASCAR elected to start its season with the Daytona 500 beginning in 1982, so a second Winston Western 500 was run in November to accommodate the change; the change resulted in Riverside hosting three Winston Cup races in 1981. The race ran in November from 1981 to 1987, serving as the Winston Cup Series' final race of the year from 1981 to 1986. The race distance was 500 miles until 1977 when it was shortened to 311 miles (500 kilometers). The other race held at Riverside, the Budweiser 400, was held in June.

Winston Western 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
VenueRiverside International Raceway
LocationMoreno Valley, California
Corporate sponsorWinston
First race1958 Crown America 500
Last race1987 Winston Western 500
Distance311.8 miles (502 km)
Laps119
Previous namesCrown America 500 (1958)
Unnamed (1961)
Riverside 500 (1963)
Motor Trend 500 (1964–1971)
Winston Western 500 (1972–1987)
Most wins (driver)Dan Gurney (5)
Most wins (manufacturer)Ford (11)

Past winners
Year Date No. Driver Team Manufacturer Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)		 Report Ref
Laps Miles (km)
1958 June 1 98 Eddie Gray Vel Miletich Ford 190 499.89 (804.494) 6:17:00 79.481 Report [1]
1959
–
1960		 Not held
1961 May 21 44 Lloyd Dane Lloyd Dane Chevrolet 39 100.62 (161.932) 1:13:10 82.512 Report [2]
1962 Not held
1963 January 20 28 Dan Gurney Holman-Moody Ford 185 499.5 (803.867) 5:53:20 84.965 Report [3]
1964 January 19 121 Dan Gurney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 185 499.5 (803.867) 5:28:47 91.245 Report [4]
1965 January 17 121 Dan Gurney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 185 499.5 (803.867) 5:41:42 87.708 Report [5]
1966 January 23 121 Dan Gurney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 185 499.5 (803.867) 5:05:58 97.952 Report [6]
1967 January 22 115 Parnelli Jones Bill Stroppe Ford 185 499.5 (803.867) 5:29:03 91.08 Report [7]
1968 January 21 121 Dan Gurney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 186 502.2 (808.212) 4:57:55 100.598 Report [8]
1969 February 1 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Ford 186 502.2 (808.212) 4:45:37 105.498 Report [9]
1970 January 18 11 A. J. Foyt Jack Bowsher Ford 193 505.66 (813.78) 5:11:19 97.45 Report [10]
1971 January 10 96 Ray Elder Fred Elder Dodge 191 500.42 (805.347) 4:57:55 100.783 Report [11]
1972 January 23 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Plymouth 149* 390.38 (628.255) 3:45:11 104.016 Report [12]
1973 January 21 16 Mark Donohue Penske Racing Matador 191 500.42 (805.347) 4:48:33 104.055 Report [13]
1974 January 26 11 Cale Yarborough Richard Howard Chevrolet 191 500.42 (805.347) 4:56:52 101.14 Report [14]
1975 January 19 16 Bobby Allison Penske Racing Matador 191 500.42 (805.347) 5:04:25 98.627 Report [15]
1976 January 18 21 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 191 500.42 (805.347) 5:02:44 99.18 Report [16]
1977 January 16 21 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 119 311.78 (501.761) 2:54:46 107.038 Report [17]
1978 January 22 11 Cale Yarborough Junior Johnson & Associates Oldsmobile 119 311.78 (501.761) 3:02:55 102.269 Report [18]
1979 January 14 88 Darrell Waltrip DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet 119 311.78 (501.761) 2:53:30 107.82 Report [19]
1980 January 13/19* 88 Darrell Waltrip DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet 119 311.78 (501.761) 3:16:58 94.974 Report [20]
1981 January 11 28 Bobby Allison Ranier-Lundy Chevrolet 119 311.78 (501.761) 3:16:18 95.263 Report [21]
November 22 28 Bobby Allison Ranier-Lundy Buick 119 311.78 (501.761) 3:16:19 95.288 Report [22]
1982 November 21 2 Tim Richmond Jim Stacy Buick 119 311.78 (501.761) 3:07:24 99.823 Report [23]
1983 November 20 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 119 311.78 (501.761) 3:15:09 95.859 Report [24]
1984 November 18 5 Geoffrey Bodine All-Star Racing Chevrolet 119 311.78 (501.761) 3:10:01 98.448 Report [25]
1985 November 17 15 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 119 311.78 (501.761) 2:58:03 105.065 Report [26]
1986 November 16 25 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 119 311.78 (501.761) 3:04:48 101.246 Report [27]
1987 November 8 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 119 311.78 (501.761) 3:10:49 98.035 Report [28]
  • 1964: Two-time defending champion Joe Weatherly was killed instantly when he struck the turn 6 wall on lap 86. Weatherly was 41 years old.
  • 1972: Race shortened due to fog.
  • 1980: Race started on January 13; finished on January 19 because of rain.
  • 1984: Race delayed several hours due to rain during the day - NASCAR was able to get the race in with darkness threatening. The race ended close to sunset (5 PM PT).

Multiple winners (drivers)
# Wins Manufacturer Years Won
5 Dan Gurney 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968
3 Bobby Allison 1975, 1981 (Jan), 1981 (Nov)
2 Richard Petty 1969, 1972
David Pearson 1976, 1977
Cale Yarborough 1974, 1978
Darrell Waltrip 1979, 1980
Tim Richmond 1982, 1986

Multiple winners (manufacturers)
# Wins Manufacturer Years Won
11 Ford 1958, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1983, 1985
7 Chevrolet 1961, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986
2 Matador 1973, 1975
Mercury 1976, 1977
Buick 1981, 1982

References
  1. "1958 Crown America 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  2. "1961-22". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  3. "1963 Riverside 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  4. "1964 Motor Trend 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  5. "1965 Motor Trend 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  6. "1966 Motor Trend 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  7. "1967 Motor Trend 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  8. "1968 Motor Trend 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  9. "1969 Motor Trend 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  10. "1970 Motor Trend 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  11. "1971 Motor Trend 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  12. "1972 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  13. "1973 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  14. "1974 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  15. "1975 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  16. "1976 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  17. "1977 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  18. "1978 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  19. "1979 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  20. "1980 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  21. "1981 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  22. "1981 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  23. "1982 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  24. "1983 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  25. "1984 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  26. "1985 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  27. "1986 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  28. "1987 Winston Western 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
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