| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 30 in the1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Riverside International Raceway (1969-1988 version) | |||
| Date | January 19, 1975 (1975-01-19) | ||
| Official name | Winston Western 500 | ||
| Location | Riverside International Raceway,Riverside, California | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.700 miles (4.345 km) | ||
| Distance | 191 laps, 500.4 mi (805.3 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures of 79 °F (26 °C); wind speeds of 10.9 miles per hour (17.5 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 98.627 miles per hour (158.725 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske Racing South | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Allison | Penske Racing South | |
| Laps | 173 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 16 | Bobby Allison | Penske Racing South | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TBS | ||
| Announcers | Buddy Baker Ken Squier | ||
The1975 Winston Western 500 was aNASCARWinston Cup Series racing event that took place on January 19, 1975, atRiverside International Raceway inRiverside, California. A companion race known as the Permatex 200, in theLate 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 1975Dodge Chargermuscle car vehicle would be as comfortable to drive on the race track as aboxcar on the railroad tracks.[2]
This was the first race that the vaunted Chevrolet Malibu Laguna S-3 was eligible for competition, although its use began in earnest at the1975 Daytona 500.
35 drivers managed to qualify for this 191-lap race that spanned a total distance of 500.4 miles or 805.3 kilometres. 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 andDavid 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 wereSonny Easley andRay 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 occasionaltransmission problem.[3]
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.[3] The broadcasting range provided by the network was questionable at best despite being televised specifically forcable television. Most of theNorthern United States (includingNew Jersey) were nearly oblivious to the events that occurred. The results were shown primarily through tape-delayed highlight shows and amateurish NASCAR magazines.[4]
Speeds up to 110.382 miles per hour or 177.643 kilometres per hour were seen during solo qualifying runs while actual race speeds were merely 98.267 miles per hour or 158.145 kilometres per hour.[3] 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.[3][2] 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.[3]
This would be the last NASCAR Winston Cup series race for G.T. Tallas.[3] 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.[5]
Prize amounts earned for each driver ranged from $14,735 ($86,104.52 when adjusted for inflation) to $520 ($3,038.64 when adjusted for inflation); with a grand total of $97,075 being handed out by the official NASCAR treasurer ($567,261.39 when adjusted for inflation).[6]Ron Esau,Don Puskarich, andBill Schmitt would make their introductions to NASCAR in this race whileDick Bown would hang up his racing gloves after this event.[7]
| Grid[3] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Bobby Allison | '75AMC Matador |
| 2 | 21 | David Pearson | '73Mercury |
| 3 | 43 | Richard Petty | '74Dodge |
| 4 | 72 | Benny Parsons | '75Chevrolet |
| 5 | 03W | Chuck Bown | '74Dodge |
| 6 | 96W | Ray Elder | '74Dodge |
| 7 | 26W | Dick Bown | '75Chevrolet |
| 8 | 97W | Harry Jefferson | '72Ford |
| 9 | 38W | Jimmy Insolo | '74Chevrolet |
| 10 | 29W | Hershel McGriff | '72Chevrolet |
| 11 | 55W | Bill Osborne | '72Ford |
| 12 | 33W | Glenn Francis | '74Chevrolet |
| 13 | 78W | Hugh Pearson | '72Chevrolet |
| 14 | 7W | Ivan Baldwin | '74Dodge |
| 15 | 37W | Chuck Wahl | '74Chevrolet |
Failed to qualify: Dennis Wilson (#61W)[8]
Section reference:[3]
Section reference:[3]
| Pos | Driver | Points[3] | 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 |
| Preceded by | NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1974-5 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winston Western 500 races 1975 | Succeeded by |