1970 Motor Trend 500
Race details[1][2] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 1 of 48 in the 1970 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
Layout of Riverside International Raceway (1969-1988 version) | |||
Date | January 18, 1970 | ||
Official name | Motor Trend 500 | ||
Location | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California | ||
Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.700 mi (4.345 km) | ||
Distance | 400 laps, 502 mi (808 km) | ||
Weather | Chilly with temperatures of 68.9 °F (20.5 °C); wind speeds of18.1 miles per hour (29.1 km/h) | ||
Average speed | 97.450 miles per hour (156.831 km/h) | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Petty Enterprises | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Parnelli Jones | Wood Brothers Racing | |
Laps | 88 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 11 | A. J. Foyt | Jack Bowsher & Associates | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | Untelevised | ||
Announcers | None |
The 1970 Motor Trend 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on January 18, 1970, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.
Race report[]
The Plymouth Superbird would make its first ever NASCAR appearance during this race. Six cautions slowed the race for 31 laps.[2] A. J. Foyt was the winner in his 1970 Ford Torino; defeating Roger McCluskey by 3½ seconds.[2] Parnelli Jones started the race from the pole position but had to start at the back because they used illegal tires qualifying. He took the lead on lap 80 and almost lapped the entire field until his clutch broke on lap 160; giving him an 11th-place finish.[2] Out of A.J. Foyt's seven Cup wins this was his only one that came on a road course. All of his other victories were on super speedways.[3]
USAC Stock Car champion McCluskey crossed over for his only NASCAR race of the 1970 season and raced his Superbird complete with the popular Looney Tunes character the Road Runner, and finished second. This was his only NASCAR "top five" finish.
There were forty-four competitors in this race; 43 were from the United States of America while () was from Cologne, West Germany.[2] Jim Cook was involved in a major accident that would leave him in a wheelchair on lap 94.[2] The other finishers in the top ten were: LeeRoy Yarbrough, Donnie Allison, Richard Petty, Dan Gurney (who had become a mainstay at the track during the 1960s and would leave NASCAR after this year[4]), Neil Castles, Friday Hassler, , and .[2] Motschenbacher would start in 31st place and finish the race in 40th.[2] Sam Posey's lone NASCAR start ended spectacularly when the #6 Dodge's engine failed in fiery fashion. Considering that the passenger automobile engines of the 1960s and 1970s were never designed for these high speeds, innovations were made in subsequent decades for better performing engines that could perform under the pressures of high speed racing.[2]
The average speed of the race was 97.045 miles per hour (156.179 km/h) while Dan Gurney earned the pole position with a qualifying speed of 112.006 miles per hour (180.256 km/h).[2] There was an attendance of 43,200 fans to see 193 laps of action on the road course.[2] This was the last Winston Cup start for road racer Frank Deiny. He would finish in 41st place in this event due to wheel bearing issues on lap 4.[5] However, this event included yellow flags.[2] Eight famous crew chiefs would participate in this race; including Banjo Matthews, Dale Inman, and Dick Hutcherson.[6]
The winner's purse was $19,700 ($131,283 when adjusted for inflation) while the last-place finisher went home with $800 ($5,331 when adjusted for inflation).[7] The total amount of money offered at this event was $84,235 ($561,950 when adjusted for inflation).[8]
Qualifying[]
Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 42 | Dan Gurney | '70 Plymouth | Petty Enterprises |
2 | 17 | David Pearson | '70 Ford | Holman-Moody |
3 | 11 | A.J. Foyt | '70 Ford | Jack Bowsher |
4 | 22 | Bobby Allison | '69 Dodge | |
5 | 98 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | '70 Ford | Junior Johnson |
6 | 43 | Richard Petty | '70 Plymouth | Petty Enterprises |
7 | 71 | Bobby Isaac | '69 Dodge | Nord Krauskopf |
8 | 27 | Donnie Allison | '70 Ford | Banjo Matthews |
9 | 6 | Sam Posey | '69 Dodge | Cotton Owens |
10 | 48 | James Hylton | '69 Dodge | James Hylton |
Finishing order[]
Section reference:[2]
- A.J. Foyt
- Roger McCluskey
- LeeRoy Yarbrough
- Donnie Allison
- Richard Petty
- Dan Gurney
- Neil Castles
- Friday Hassler
- Jerry Oliver
- Dick Guldstrand
- Parnelli Jones
- Bobby Allison
- Dave Marcis
- David Pearson
- Joe Frasson
- Ray Elder
- Jimmy Insolo
- Jim Cook
- Sam Posey
- Bobby Isaac
- Dick Brooks
- Buddy Young
- James Hylton
- Elmo Langley
- Don White
- Frank Warren
Timeline[]
Section reference:[2]
- Start: David Pearson's vehicle was the first to leave the start/finish line as the green flag was waved in the air.
- Lap 26: A.J. Foyt took over the lead from David Pearson.
- Lap 27: Richard Petty took over the lead from A.J. Foyt.
- Lap 29: David Pearson took over the lead from Richard Petty.
- Lap 35: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from David Pearson.
- Lap 36: A.J. Foyt took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarbrough.
- Lap 43: Parnelli Jones took over the lead from A.J. Foyt.
- Lap 44: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Parnelli Jones.
- Lap 45: Donnie Allison took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarbrough.
- Lap 65: A.J. Foyt took over the lead from Donnie Allison.
- Lap 67: Parnelli Jones took over the lead from A.J. Foyt.
- Lap 85: Donnie Allison took over the lead from Parnelli Jones.
- Lap 87: David Pearson took over the lead from Donnie Allison.
- Lap 95: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the leaf from David Pearson.
- Lap 96: Roger McCluskey took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarbrough.
- Lap 98: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Roger McCluskey.
- Lap 99: Parnelli Jones took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarbrough.
- Lap 110: LeeRoy Yarbrough took over the lead from Parnelli Jones.
- Lap 111: Parnelli Jones took over the lead from LeeRoy Yarbrough.
- Lap 137: The rear end of Frank James' vehicle was forcibly removed in an unsafe manner.
- Lap 143: Paul Dority's engine suddenly acted in a strange manner.
- Lap 148: David Pearson's vehicle developed transmission issues that sidelined him.
- Lap 163: Dave Marcis had a terminal crash.
- Lap 164: The bell housing on Bobby Allison's vehicle was acting strangely.
- Lap 168: Parnelli Jones's vehicle suffered from a problematic clutch.
- Lap 169: A.J. Foyt took over the lead from Parnelli Jones.
- Lap 186: Richard Petty's engine stopped working properly.
- Finish: A.J. Foyt was officially declared the winner of the event.
References[]
- ^ "1970 Motor Trend 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "1970 Motor Trend 500 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ "Driver A.J. Foyt's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
- ^ "Dan Gurney - Motor Trend 500". All American Races. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ "1969 Motor Trend 500 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
- ^ "1969 Motor Trend 500 crew chief information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
- ^ "1970 Motor Trend 500 information". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
- ^ "1970 Motor Trend 500 information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
- 1970 in sports in California
- 1970 NASCAR Grand National Series
- NASCAR races at Riverside International Raceway