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The 1978 NASCAR Winston West Series was the 25th season of the series. The title was won by Jimmy Insolo, his first in the series.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2025) |
The 1978 NASCAR Winston West Series was the 25th season of the series. The title was won by Jimmy Insolo, his first in the series.
The 1978 season included 22 individual races, although Riverside International Raceway, Shasta Speedway, and Yakima Speedway hosted two races each. [1] The races at Riverside were in combination with the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. [2] [3]
Darrell Lee Waltrip is an American motorsports analyst, author as well as a former national television broadcaster and stock car driver. He raced from 1972 to 2000 in the NASCAR Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 11 Chevrolet for Junior Johnson. Waltrip is a three-time Cup Series champion.
Lake Chambers Speed is an American retired stock car racing driver. He formerly competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, scoring one career win in 402 starts.
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, farmer, and rancher. He was the first driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winning in 1976, 1977, and 1978. He was one of the preeminent stock car drivers from the 1960s to the 1980s and also competed in IndyCar events. His fame was such that a special model of the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II was named after him.
Riverside International Raceway was a motorsports race track and road course established in the Edgemont area of Riverside County, California, just east of the city limits of Riverside and 50 mi (80 km) east of Los Angeles, in 1957. In 1984, the raceway became part of the newly incorporated city of Moreno Valley. Riverside was noted for its hot, dusty environment, which was a dangerous challenge for drivers. It was also considered one of the finest tracks in the United States. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989, with the last race, The Budweiser 400, won by Rusty Wallace, held in 1988. After that final race, a shortened version of the circuit was kept open for car clubs and special events until 1989.
Timothy Lee Richmond was an American race car driver from Ashland, Ohio. He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series. Richmond was one of the first drivers to change from open wheel racing to NASCAR stock cars full-time, which later became an industry trend. He won the 1980 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award and had 13 victories during eight NASCAR seasons.
Virgil Earnest Irvan, occasionally referred to as Swervin' Irvan, is an American former professional stock car racing driver. A retired NASCAR competitor, he is perhaps best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury suffered from a crash during practice at Michigan International Speedway in 1994 that left him with only a 10% chance of survival. Irvan has been inducted into numerous halls of fame and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. After a series of injuries in the late 1990s, he retired from racing in 1999.
Charles Glen Little Jr. is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He holds a degree in marketing from Washington State University and a J.D. degree from Gonzaga University. While attending Washington State University, he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity.
Michael Samuel Wallace is an American professional stock car racing driver born in Fenton, Missouri. He is the younger brother of Rusty Wallace, the older brother of Kenny Wallace, and the uncle of Steve Wallace. His daughter, Chrissy Wallace, and son, Matt Wallace, have also competed in racing.
Richard Allen Bickle Jr. is an American former professional stock car racing driver. Now retired from NASCAR racing, Bickle, who never completed a full season in the NASCAR Cup Series, had a long history in short track racing. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described him in 2012 as a "stud on the short tracks in the late 1980s and early '90s and a journeyman who rarely caught a break in NASCAR." He won three NASCAR truck races and had a career-best fourth-place finish in the Cup Series in 218 career NASCAR starts.
Andrew Houston is an American stock car racing spotter and former driver. He is a veteran of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, scoring three wins.
Hershel Eldridge McGriff Sr. is an American professional stock car racing driver. A long-time competitor in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, formerly known as the Winston West Series, he won the series' 1986 championship, and is also a four-time winner in Grand National competition. He most recently drove the No. 04 Toyota Camry for Bill McAnally Racing in 2018.
Richard Charles "Chuck" Bown Jr. is a former NASCAR champion. His last ride came in 1999. He lives with his wife in Asheboro, North Carolina. He is the older brother of former fellow NASCAR competitor Jim Bown.
The 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 37th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 14th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Sunday, February 10 and ended on Sunday, November 17. Darrell Waltrip, driving for Junior Johnson, was crowned champion at the end of the season. Bill Elliott, driving for Harry Melling, had won 11 races in 1985, but lost the title by 101 points to three-time race winner Waltrip. This was the first season where all races were televised in some form.
The 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season began on January 10 and ended on November 20. Richard Petty was the champion for this Winston Cup season. After 20 years of being named the NASCAR Grand National Series, R. J. Reynolds first became the primary sponsor in a decade where the growing anti-tobacco movement banned its advertisement on television and motorsports was the ideal place to place their advertisements. Through NASCAR, Winston merchandise was unveiled to live viewers of the races. This kind of merchandise would also be given out at stores that sold cigarettes in subsequent years. Race car drivers were encouraged to smoke cigarettes until the mid-2000s brought in strict drug testing policies in addition to a smoking cessation program by Nicorette, a GlaxoSmithKline brand.
James Richard Robinson was a NASCAR driver from 1979 to 1987.
The 1981 Winston Western 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that was held on November 22, 1981, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California. NASCAR ran three Cup Series races at Riverside in 1981.
The 1985 Summer 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on July 21, 1985, at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.
The 1975 NASCAR Winston West Series was the 22nd season of the series. The title was won by Ray Elder, his sixth in the series and second in a row.
The 1976 NASCAR Winston West Series was the 23rd season of the series. The title was won by Chuck Bown, his first in the series. It was the first season since 1967 where Ray Elder was not voted Most Popular Driver, the six time champion only showing up to the combination races.
The 1977 NASCAR Winston West Series was the 24th season of the series. The title was won by Bill Schmitt, his first in the series.