| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 48 in the 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Riverside International Raceway (1969-1988 version) | |||
| Date | January 10, 1971 | ||
| Official name | Motor Trend 500 | ||
| Location | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.700 mi (4.345 km) | ||
| Distance | 191 laps, 500 mi (806 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures of 64 °F (18 °C); wind speeds of 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 100.783 miles per hour (162.195 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 23,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Petty Enterprises | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ray Elder | Fred Elder | |
| Laps | 67 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 96 | Ray Elder | Fred Elder | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1971 Motor Trend 500 was the first race in NASCAR's Winston Cup era (also known as the Winston Cup Grand National Series) that took place on January 10, 1971. 191 laps on a road course at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California that spanned a total distance of 2.620 miles (4.216 km).[2]
Attendance was estimated at 23,000. It took four hours, fifty-seven minutes, and fifty-five seconds.[2]
Due to a then-struggling economy, both Ford and Chevrolet cut back on factory support for the 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.[3] NASCAR would also limit engines in the aerodynamic superspeedway cars to 305 cubic inches starting in this race.[3]
- ^ "1971 Motor Trend 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
- ^ a b c "1971 Motor Trend 500 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- ^ a b "Summary of the 1971 Motor Trend 500". Muscle Car Films. Retrieved 2012-09-06.