Racing History Minute - 1974 Winston Western 500 at Riverside Raceway

The first race of the 1974 season started on a Sunday afternoon and finished the following Saturday. No, it was not that the cars were slowed by restrictor plates for the 500 miles around the 9 turn Riverside road course but rather because rain moved in on Sunday afternoon at the 63 lap mark of the 1919 to be run. When the race was red flagged by NASCAR, Bobby Allison was leading.

David Pearson had captured the pole in a Wood Brothers Mercury at a speed of 110.098 mph. Second place starter was Cale Yarborough in the Richard Howard Chevrolet set up by Junior Johnson. Bobby Allison started third in his Chevy, with George Follmer in the Bud Moore Ford fourth. Follmer was a road racing specialist who had signed to drive for Moore and was running well until the brakes failed on the Ford on lap 143. Gary Bettenhausen would start the Penske Matador in fifth.

Bobby Allison led the first two laps before giving way to David Pearson. Pearson stayed out front for two laps before Jimmy Insolo took over for one lap. Jack McCoy led laps 12 through 15 before Allison took over for a lap. Cale Yarborough came charging to the front spot on lap 17 and would lead,pulling away, until lap 39. Pearson went back in front then for two circuits until giving up the lead to Allison. Allison led until lap 64 before Yarborough took over again. Remember the race was stopped on lap 63 for the rain and Yarborough had pitted just before the red flag was displayed. When the race restarted the next Saturday, Cale was seventh in line, but all those in front of him had to make a pit stop for gas and tires and that moved Cale back to the front. Cale stayed in front until lap 93 when the next round of pit stops gave the lead to Bobby Allison for a lap and then David Pearson for a lap before Cale went back out front on lap 96 where he would stay until lap 115 when Pearson took over.

Pearson led through lap 119 before Cale went back out front to lead the remainder of the laps. It was not an easy win for Cale as his car began to sputter as the gas was running out with two laps to go. Richard Petty was charging hard in his Dodge and cutting into Cale's lead quickly. As Cale crossed the line, his car ran out of gas and he coasted down the track as Petty's Dodge flashed by him to finish second just over 3 seconds behind.

A crowd of 46,000 watched the beginning of the race on the Sunday afternoon before the rain, but only 32,500 returned on Saturday for the finish. One of those NOT returning to the track was Junior Johnson who maintained the Richard Howard winning car. He did not get to celebrate Cale's 19th Grand National win.

NASCAR had devised a new points system for the 1974 season, based, in part, on a multiple of the prize money and number of events the driver entered. For his win, Cale earned 11.025 points and Richard earned 6.525 while third place Pearson earned 5.025.

Finishing order:

1. Cale Yarborough, Richard Howard Chevrolet, winning $19,325.00

2. Richard Petty, Petty Enterprises Dodge, winning $12,825.00 (3 seconds down)

3. David Pearson, Wood Brothers Mercury, winning $8,525.00

4. Benny Parsons, L.G. DeWitt Chevrolet, winning $8,825.00 (2 laps down)

5. Bobby Allison, Allison Chevrolet, winning $6,975.00 (3 laps down)

6. Donnie Allison

7. Gary Bettenhausen

8.Cecil Gordon

9. Richie Panch

10. Hershell McGriff

11. J. C. Danielson

12. Sonny Easley

13. Carl Adams

14. Dick May

15. Elmo Langley

16. Charlie Roberts

17. Tony Bettenhausen

18. George Follmer

19.Richard White

20. Johnny Anderson

21.Jack McCoy

22. J.D. McDuffie

23. Jimmy Insolo

24. Odie Robertson

25. Jim Gilliam

26. Bill Osbourne

27. Harry Jefferson

28.Dave Marcis

29. George Esau

30. Jerry Grant

31. Dick Bown

32. Don Pruitt

33. Ross Surgenor

34. Ray Elder

35. Chuck Bown

Average speed for the 500 miles was 101.040 mph, slowed by only 2 full course cautions.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.

Race program

As the cars made their pace laps on the original scheduled date of Sunday, January 20th, Gary Bettenhausen started fifth in Roger Penske's #16 Matador with King Richard to his outside. Row 4 was Jimmy Insolo to the inside and the 1973 Winston Cup champion Benny Parsons starting sixth. At the right edge of the following photo is row 5, with Ray Elder to the inside and the ageless Hershel McGriff starting tenth in a second Petty Enterprises Dodge Charger.

Although the first two rows are outside the frame of this photo, their numbers can be read on the scoring pylon: 21 David Pearson on the pole, 11 Cale Yarborough second, 12 Bobby Allison third, and 15 George Follmer fourth. After starting second alongside pole-winner David Pearson, Cale spun off the course on the first lap .

Cale gathered the car back and resumed racing near the back of the pack. About 60 laps and well short of half-way, however, the showers began to fall. The race was postponed to the following Saturday, January 26th with Bobby Allison leading and The King sitting in second place.

Richard racing his Petty Enterprises teammate, Hershel McGriff, although the photo caption erroneously had Charlie Glotzbach in the car.

When the teams returned six days later, Cale recovered from his spin and didn't take long to put his Junior Johnson Chevy back up front. He went on to lead 144 of the 191 laps to win the race. Not only was Petty running second to Allison when the rains fell on January 20th, but he also ended up second when the race ended on the 26th. The King tried to chase down Cale's Chevy but couldn't catch him.

Following the race, David Pearson's 1971 Wood Brothers Purolator Mercury was retired to Darlington's Joe Weatherly Stock Car Museum (as it was known then) but known today simply as the Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum .

About six years ago, the car was removed from the museum, restored by the Woods , and put back on the track a final time so Pearson could run a few pace laps with Carl Edwards. The car didn't return to the Darlington museum. Instead, it was moved to the higher profile NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. It was on display on Glory Road until just this month when the Hall changed over the original set of cars and replaced them with another set. I don't know if the 21 has now been returned to the Darlington museum.

Once again, the ageless Hershel McGriff won the preliminary Permatex 200 late model sportsman race in a 1969 Chevelle.

Just realized my link to the article about Pearson's 1971 Mercury being retired no longer works. I found another article about it in the Free Lance Star .

Bump