On June 9, 1974, NASCAR's Winston Cup and Winston West series ran a combination race in the Turborg 400 at Riverside. The practice was common during the 1970s and 1980s as it helped make sure NASCAR could go green with a full field. Many Cup regulars often declined to make the trip out west because of the high costs vs. low purses.
The race was still scheduled for 400 MILES. Later, Riverside's races were measured by kilometers vs. miles. Consistent with many other races in the 1974 season, the length was trimmed by 10 percent as recognition of the nation's energy crisis. As a result the Tuborg 400 was actually a 360-mile, 138-lap event. - Motor Racing Programme Covers
As the 1974 season began, George Follmer was behind the wheel of Bud Moore's #15 Ford with sponsorship from RC Cola - a deal Follmer supposedly brought to the table. The duo raced in 11 of the season's first 12 events. Then right before the World 600, it was announced Buddy Baker would race Moore's Ford as Follmer took care of some business back in California. The original story was that Baker's deal was only for the one race. - Spartanburg Herald
Interestingly but awkwardly, Stock Car Racing magazine featured RC Cola's entry into Cup with Follmer on the cover ... of its JUNE 1974 issued. Yep, right around the time George parted ways with Bud's team.
Despite the original statement, Baker continued with Moore. Follmer was suddenly on the outside looking in. After missing the 600, he returned to Cup competition 2 weeks and 1 race later at Riverside. No longer with Moore, Follmer signed on for a single race with Roger Penske's unsponsored Matador team.
Follmer got off to a new start with his new situation by nipping Bobby Allison for the pole. Cale Yarborough and King Richard made up the second row, and the reigning Winston Cup champion Benny Parsons rounded out the top 5 starters. Noticeably absent from the field of starters was David Pearson and the Wood Brothers team.
The weekend's activities started, however, with some drama for Penske's team. As the crew squirted some gas in the carburetor, it ignited. Though the fire was quickly extinguished, wiring in the car had to be replaced in time for Follmer to attempt his qualifying run. Perhaps that is one reason among others that over the past 40 years teams have been seen squirting ether into cars vs. gasoline. - Spartanburg Herald
At the drop of the green, Follmer leveraged his top starting spot to lead lap 1. Unfortunately for him, however, his great qualifying run was otherwise of little benefit. The engine in the Penske Matador gave up after only 7 laps, and Follmer finished 33rd in the 35-car field. He did not race again in 1974 until the season ending event at Ontario, and he raced only 6 more times at the Cup level - twice in 1975, 1986 and 1987.
Hershel McGriff must have a wide range of emotions that day. He dominated the preliminary 100 mile sportsman race by leading all but 5 laps en route to his win. But in the Cup race, he lasted only one lap and finished dead last.
The race was largely a battle of 2 NASCAR Hall of Famers - both of whom raced for Junior Johnson, one in the past and the other at the time. Allison who had raced for Junior in 1972 was driving a Coca-Cola Chevy for himself. Yarborough was in his second season with Junior after returning from the USAC Indy Car world.
As Follmer disappeared early, Allison went to the point for the next 25 laps. Yarborough and Petty were right there with him. The 43 Dodge sneaked in there and led a lap, but he surrendered the lead one lap later to Cale.
Cale then paced the field around the serpentine track for the next 82 laps before giving the lead back to Allison. Along the way, the engine in Petty's STP Dodge gave way and he was done around lap 50.
As the race wore on, the heat intensified - with the competition between Allison and Cale and the temps themselves. With California temperatures well into the 90s, the 2 leading drivers were really being drained. Yet Allison kept his foot in it, and he built a sizable lead on Cale.
With only a few laps to go, however, Allison gave up his big lead and ducked onto pit road to get what he believed were a extra gallons he needed to make it to the end of the race.
During his pit stop, Cale caught up and took the lead. Allison was then faced with making the charge to retake the lead from Cale - perhaps even forcing him out of gas. Running on fumes himself, Yarborough had to put his Kar Kare Chevy on cruise control to manage his lead - even as Allison was in hot pursuit. But Cale had enough of a lead - and enough fuel - to make it to the finish line and claim his first road course victory. And this was the likely the closest view Bobby could get of Cale as the checkers fell.
After being given a bit of oxygen after an exhausting day, Cale recovered enough to hoist the trophy and get his victory kiss.
Race report from Spartanburg Herald
| Fin | Driver | Car |
| 1 | Cale Yarborough | '74 Chevrolet |
| 2 | Bobby Allison | '74 Chevrolet |
| 3 | Benny Parsons | '72 Chevrolet |
| 4 | Cecil Gordon | '72 Chevrolet |
| 5 | Frank Warren | '74 Dodge |
| 6 | James Hylton | '74 Chevrolet |
| 7 | Sonny Easley | '73 Ford |
| 8 | Chuck Wahl | '74 Chevrolet |
| 9 | Eddie Bradshaw | '72 Chevrolet |
| 10 | Don Reynolds | '73 Chevrolet |
| 11 | Buck Peralta | '73 Ford |
| 12 | Ross Surgenor | '72 Chevrolet |
| 13 | Glenn Francis | '74 Chevrolet |
| 14 | Leon Fox | '74 Chevrolet |
| 15 | Richard Childress | '73 Chevrolet |
| 16 | Jack Simpson | '72 Chevrolet |
| 17 | J.D. McDuffie | '72 Chevrolet |
| 18 | Markey James | '72 Ford |
| 19 | Hugh Pearson | '72 Chevrolet |
| 20 | Chuck Bown | '72 Dodge |
| 21 | Walt Price | '72 Chevrolet |
| 22 | Jimmy Insolo | '72 Chevrolet |
| 23 | Ed Negre | '73 Dodge |
| 24 | Harry Schilling | '72 Chevrolet |
| 25 | Richard Petty | '74 Dodge |
| 26 | Gary Matthews | '72 Chevrolet |
| 27 | Dave Marcis | '73 Dodge |
| 28 | Johnny Anderson | '72 Chevrolet |
| 29 | George Behlman | '72 Chevrolet |
| 30 | Dick Bown | '72 Dodge |
| 31 | Tony Bettenhausen Jr | '72 Chevrolet |
| 32 | Jim Lee | '72 Chevrolet |
| 33 | George Follmer | '74 Matador |
| 34 | Jack McCoy | '73 Dodge |
| 35 | Hershel McGriff | '73 Chevrolet |
--
Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
