Winston Western 500

Last updated
Winston Western 500
WinstonWestern.JPG
Riverside International Raceway 1980 and 1967.svg
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Venue Riverside International Raceway
Location Moreno Valley, California
Corporate sponsor Winston
First race 1958 Crown America 500
Last race 1987 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)

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.

Contents

Past winners

YearDateNo.DriverTeamManufacturerRace DistanceRace TimeAverage Speed
(mph)
ReportRef
LapsMiles (km)
1958 June 198 Eddie Gray Vel Miletich Ford 190499.89 (804.494)6:17:0079.481 Report [1]
1959

1960
Not held
1961 May 2144 Lloyd Dane Lloyd Dane Chevrolet 39100.62 (161.932)1:13:1082.512 Report [2]
1962 Not held
1963 January 2028 Dan Gurney Holman-Moody Ford 185499.5 (803.867)5:53:2084.965 Report [3]
1964 January 19121 Dan Gurney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 185499.5 (803.867)5:28:4791.245 Report [4]
1965 January 17121 Dan Gurney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 185499.5 (803.867)5:41:4287.708 Report [5]
1966 January 23121 Dan Gurney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 185499.5 (803.867)5:05:5897.952 Report [6]
1967 January 22115 Parnelli Jones Bill Stroppe Ford 185499.5 (803.867)5:29:0391.08 Report [7]
1968 January 21121 Dan Gurney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 186502.2 (808.212)4:57:55100.598 Report [8]
1969 February 143 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Ford 186502.2 (808.212)4:45:37105.498 Report [9]
1970 January 1811 A. J. Foyt Jack Bowsher Ford 193505.66 (813.78)5:11:1997.45 Report [10]
1971 January 1096 Ray Elder Fred Elder Dodge 191500.42 (805.347)4:57:55100.783 Report [11]
1972 January 2343 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Plymouth 149*390.38 (628.255)3:45:11104.016 Report [12]
1973 January 2116 Mark Donohue Penske Racing Matador 191500.42 (805.347)4:48:33104.055 Report [13]
1974 January 2611 Cale Yarborough Richard Howard Chevrolet 191500.42 (805.347)4:56:52101.14 Report [14]
1975 January 1916 Bobby Allison Penske Racing Matador 191500.42 (805.347)5:04:2598.627 Report [15]
1976 January 1821 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 191500.42 (805.347)5:02:4499.18 Report [16]
1977 January 1621 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 119311.78 (501.761)2:54:46107.038 Report [17]
1978 January 2211 Cale Yarborough Junior Johnson & Associates Oldsmobile 119311.78 (501.761)3:02:55102.269 Report [18]
1979 January 1488 Darrell Waltrip DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet 119311.78 (501.761)2:53:30107.82 Report [19]
1980 January 13/19*88 Darrell Waltrip DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet 119311.78 (501.761)3:16:5894.974 Report [20]
1981 January 1128 Bobby Allison Ranier-Lundy Chevrolet 119311.78 (501.761)3:16:1895.263 Report [21]
November 2228 Bobby Allison Ranier-Lundy Buick 119311.78 (501.761)3:16:1995.288 Report [22]
1982 November 212 Tim Richmond Jim Stacy Buick 119311.78 (501.761)3:07:2499.823 Report [23]
1983 November 209 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 119311.78 (501.761)3:15:0995.859 Report [24]
1984 November 185 Geoffrey Bodine All-Star Racing Chevrolet 119311.78 (501.761)3:10:0198.448 Report [25]
1985 November 1715 Ricky Rudd Bud Moore Engineering Ford 119311.78 (501.761)2:58:03105.065 Report [26]
1986 November 1625 Tim Richmond Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 119311.78 (501.761)3:04:48101.246 Report [27]
1987 November 827 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 119311.78 (501.761)3:10:4998.035 Report [28]

Multiple winners (drivers)

# WinsManufacturerYears 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)

# WinsManufacturerYears 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

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References

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  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.