This is classic footage from 1963.The Riverside International Raceway was a 2.62-mile road course that occupied a spot on the NASCAR schedule from 1958 to 1988.While Richard Petty, Joe Weatherly, David Pearson, Ned Jarrett, and Fireball Roberts were golden on the ovals, the twists and turns of the California-based road course was a different animal.In fact, it was not until 1969 when ‘The King’ Richard Petty finally figured out the right and left turns of Riverside.
Road course specialist Dan Gurney dominated Riverside in the early 1960’s, winning five of the first seven NASCAR races held at the facility.Gurney was not a NASCAR regular.He competed in several different forms of racing, including Formula One, Indy Car, Can-Am, and Trans Am Series.He was a winner in whatever he drove.All five of Gurney’s wins in NASCAR were at Riverside.
Throughout the 1970’s, Petty, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, and David Pearson dominated victory lane.Darrell Waltrip and Tim Richmond emerged as threats at the road course in the 1980’s.Other drivers such as Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, and Terry Labonte honed their road racing skills at the friendly confines of Riverside International Raceway.
Bill Elliott was one of NASCAR’s speed demons on the super speedways, especially in the 1980’s, but his first career Winston Cup win occurred at Riverside in 1983. Now, that is a good trivia question.
From 1981 to 1987, Riverside hosted the Winston Cup season finale.It was also the season opener for several years in the 1960’s and early 1970’s.
Rusty Wallace won the final race at Riverside in 1988, and the venue closed down completely in 1989.It eventually became the site of a shopping mall.The Infineon Raceway, formerly known as SearsPoint in Sonoma, California, replaced Riverside on the schedule.
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Race of the week, 1963 Motor Trend Riverside 500 at Riverside
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