1982 Winston Western 500
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| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 30 of 30 in the 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Riverside International Raceway (1969-1988 version) | |||
| Date | November 21, 1982 | ||
| Official name | Winston Western 500 | ||
| Location | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.700 miles (4.345 km) | ||
| Distance | 119 laps, 311.8 mi (501.7 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures of 59 °F (15 °C); wind speeds of 2.9 miles per hour (4.7 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 99.823 miles per hour (160.650 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 38,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Junior Johnson & Associates | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tim Richmond | Jim Stacy Racing | |
| Laps | 92 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Tim Richmond | Jim Stacy Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Mizlou | ||
| Announcers |
Ken Squier Buddy Baker | ||
The 1982 Winston Western 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on November 21, 1982, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.
Riverside International Speedway was a race track or road course in Moreno Valley, California. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989. The original course design proved to be dangerous, and it was partially reconfigured in 1969.[citation needed]
Race report
Tim Richmond would defeat Ricky Rudd in the three hour long, 119 lap race which had 38 000 spectators in attendance.[2] Seven seconds would end up separating the winner from the second-place finisher.[2] Darrell Waltrip would qualify on pole position with a speed of 114.995 miles per hour (185.067 km/h) in qualifying.[2] Dale Earnhardt, recorded a last-place finish on lap 8 due to an oil leak.[2] There would be 42 drivers on the grid; two of them were Canadian while the other 40 were born in the United States.[2] Only one Chevrolet vehicle would participate in the race; driven by Jim Reich and owned by Ivan Baldwin.[2]
Clive Skipton was the only non-qualifier for this event.[2] Trevor Boys and Derrike Cope would make their introduction into NASCAR during this race while Reich, Jim Lee, and Terry Herman would retire after this race.[3]
During the race, Terry Labonte survived a horrible crash on lap 94. His car reportedly slammed the wall in turn 9, and he suffered a broken leg, an ankle, and several facial lacerations.[4] Despite his injuries, Labonte recovered and won at the track two years later.
The total purse of the race would be $203,745 ($663,857 when adjusted for inflation), the winner of the race would receive $24,730 ($80,577 when adjusted for inflation) while 41st-place finisher Kevin Terris would receive $525 ($1,711 when adjusted for inflation). Terris made his first Cup start in more than a decade but went out early with a blown engine. He would only make one further Cup start.[5]
Qualifying
| Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Buick | Junior Johnson |
| 2 | 88 | Bobby Allison | Pontiac | DiGard |
| 3 | 28 | Joe Ruttman | Pontiac | Harry Ranier |
| 4 | 2 | Tim Richmond | Buick | Jim Stacy |
| 5 | 3 | Ricky Rudd | Pontiac | Richard Childress |
| 6 | 50 | Geoffrey Bodine | Pontiac | Cliff Stewart |
| 7 | 15 | Dale Earnhardt | Ford | Bud Moore |
| 8 | 17 | Lake Speed | Pontiac | Roger Hamby |
| 9 | 33 | Harry Gant | Buick | Hal Needham |
| 10 | 75 | Jimmy Insolo | Pontiac | RahMoc Enterprises |
Failed to qualify: Clive Skilton (#61)[6]
Top 10 finishers
| Pos[2] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Winnings | Laps led | Points | Time/Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 2 | Tim Richmond | Buick | 119 | $24,730 | 92 | 185 | 3:07:24 |
| 2 | 5 | 3 | Ricky Rudd | Pontiac | 119 | $16,980 | 1 | 175 | +7 seconds |
| 3 | 1 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Buick | 119 | $25,100 | 8 | 170 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 4 | 13 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Ford | 119 | $6,100 | 1 | 165 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 5 | 20 | 02 | Mark Martin | Buick | 118 | $7,760 | 0 | 155 | +1 lap |
| 6 | 15 | 57 | Ron Bouchard | Buick | 117 | $10,120 | 0 | 150 | +2 laps |
| 7 | 29 | 55 | Benny Parsons | Buick | 117 | $2,850 | 0 | 146 | +2 laps |
| 8 | 16 | 98 | Morgan Shepherd | Buick | 116 | $5,300 | 0 | 142 | +3 laps |
| 9 | 25 | 90 | Jody Ridley | Ford | 115 | $9,850 | 0 | 138 | +4 laps |
| 10 | 23 | 16 | Jim Bown | Buick | 115 | $2,550 | 0 | 134 | +4 laps |
