1981 Winston Western 500 (January)

The 1981 Winston Western 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on January 11, 1981 at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California, U.S.A..^[1]

Summary

There were 36 drivers on the grid;^[2] all of them were American-born except for Roy Smith who was born in Canada.^[1] The last place finisher was Cecil Gordon in his Chevrolet due to engine problems on lap 2 out of 119.^[1][2] Bobby Allison defeated Terry Labonte in front of 35,000 loyal NASCAR spectators.^[1] There were 15 lead changes and six cautions for 31 laps;^[2] making the race last three hours and sixteen minutes in length.^[1] Darrell Waltrip would qualify for the pole position with a top speed of 114.711 miles per hour (184.609 km/h) while the average race speed was only 95.263 miles per hour (153.311 km/h).^[1][2] The other drivers with a top ten finish were: Dale Earnhardt, Richard Childress, Richard Petty, Jim Robinson, Jody Ridley, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Buddy Arrington, and Don Waterman.^[1][2]

Ricky Rudd would start his "Ironman" streak of being in the NASCAR Cup Series for 24 seasons without missing a single race. The next race after this one would see cars become boxier and smaller; like the compact cars that were trendy in America during the 1980s. West Coast racer John Borneman would end his career at this race with a respectable 12th place finish.^[1][2] This was the final time in NASCAR history that a race would take place prior to the Daytona 500.^[1]

References