I originally blogged about the 1977 NAPA 400 at Riverside in 2012 here:
http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/06/june-12-this-day-in-petty-history.html
I wanted to include it here as part of the on-going series on Riverside's 400 miles/kilometers summer races.
Continuing his good fortunes from a win in the World 600 two weeks earlier, Richard Petty wins the pole, leads 71 of 95 laps and wins the NAPA 400 at Riverside International Raceway for his 184th career victory on June 12, 1977. - Motor Racing Programme Covers
Petty often said he didn't consider himself a good qualifier. Yet, his top run at Riverside was his 120th of 123 career pole runs. The King hustled his Dodge Charger around the track quicker than anyone in a car that hadn't been raced since the 1977 season opener at Riverside. Having a dedicated road course car was a true rarity in those days. Teams often raced their Riverside car at other tracks including Nashville and Dover.
The STP Dodge stayed right with Waltrip, however, and the two swapped the lead a few times over the next 12 laps along with Cale Yarborough and David Pearson. From there though, the King took over and settled into a comfortable lead. He paced the field around the serpentine track for the final 63 laps to clinch what seemed to be an easy victory. - Credit: Rickysuave44
The King leading The Silver Fox, David Pearson, through turn 8.
Petty pulling Darrell Waltrip through turn 6. After leading the first 20 laps, Waltrip eventually developed transmission problems in his DiGard Gatorade Monte Carlo and faded to 26th.
When the checkers fell, the 43 again took its rightful place in victory lane.
And Richard's reward: squeezing the girls for the 184th time... - Credit: Petersen Automotive Museum and Riverside International Automotive Museum
Pearson's second place finish to King's win was the 63rd and final time the two rivals finished 1-2 in a GN / Cup race dating back to 1963. Although Pearson edged Petty in wins in those 1-2 finishes 33 to 30, the King did get the upper hand the final three times in 1977 at Atlanta, Charlotte and Riverside.
The winner's trophy as seen on display by TMC at the Richard Petty Museum in Randleman, NC in 2012:
West coast favorite Jimmy Insolo had a solid weekend at Riverside. He dueled with the ageless competitor Hershel McGriff during much of the Black Gold 200 modified sportsman preliminary race on Saturday, and he eventually bested Hersh by a comfortable margin. On Sunday, he finished a solid 4th in the Cup race. - Gadsden Times
The September 1977 issue of Stock Car Racing magazine included three in-depth features on the King. Included with the three was a feature on his win in the June 1977 Riverside road course.
The RacersReunion platform won't allow the PDF of the article to be embedded here. But you can read it at [ my blog post here ].
Race report courtesy of Jerry Bushmire
| Fin | Driver | Car |
| 1 | Richard Petty | Dodge |
| 2 | David Pearson | Mercury |
| 3 | Cale Yarborough | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Jimmy Insolo | Ford |
| 5 | Buddy Baker | Ford |
| 6 | Norm Palmer | Dodge |
| 7 | Sonny Easley | Ford |
| 8 | Richard Childress | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Cecil Gordon | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Skip Manning | Chevrolet |
| 11 | D.K. Ulrich | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Dick Brooks | Ford |
| 13 | John Dineen | Ford |
| 14 | James Hylton | Chevrolet |
| 15 | Frank Warren | Dodge |
| 16 | Bill Baker | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Bobby Allison | Matador |
| 18 | Chuck Wahl | Chevrolet |
| 19 | Buddy Arrington | Dodge |
| 20 | Ernie Stierly | Chevrolet |
| 21 | Harry Goularte | Chevrolet |
| 22 | Richard White | Chevrolet |
| 23 | Roy Smith | Chevrolet |
| 24 | Jim Thirkettle | Chevrolet |
| 25 | Chuck Bown | Chevrolet |
| 26 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Benny Parsons | Chevrolet |
| 28 | Don Puskarich | Chevrolet |
| 29 | Gary Johnson | Chevrolet |
| 30 | Bill Schmitt | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Sumner McKnight | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Ray Elder | Plymouth |
| 33 | J.D. McDuffie | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Hershel McGriff | Chevrolet |
| 35 | Don Noel | Chevrolet |
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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 01/06/17 12:02:14PM
