| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 31 of 31 in the 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Riverside_Raceway.JPG) Layout of Riverside International Raceway (1969-1988 version) | |||
| Date | November 22, 1981 | ||
| Official name | Winston Western 500 | ||
| Location | Riverside International Raceway (Riverside, California) | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.700 mi (4.345 km) | ||
| Distance | 119 laps, 311.8 mi (501.7 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures of 72 °F (22 °C); wind speeds of 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 95.288 miles per hour (153.351 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 46,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Allison | Ranier Racing | |
| Laps | 49 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 28 | Bobby Allison | Ranier Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Untelevised | ||
| Announcers | None | ||
The 1981 Winston Western 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that was held on November 22, 1981, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California. NASCAR ran three Cup Series races at Riverside in 1981.[3]
Richard Childress decided to run a second Junior Johnson car if Darrell Waltrip were to have trouble or if he needed a car to win the championship. However, this was not needed because Darrell Waltrip would clinch his first Winston Cup series championship at this race over Bobby Allison. He would become the first champion not from the Carolinas since Virginia's Joe Weatherly in 1963.
Dave Marcis finished the 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season at Riverside in a Pontiac, after racing in a Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Dodge, and Chrysler throughout the year.
- ^ Weather for the November 1981 Winston Western 500 at the Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ a b 1981 Winston Western 500 information at Racing Reference
- ^ Race Results at Riverside International Speedway at Racing Reference