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{{short description|Auto race held at Riverside International Raceway in 1971}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{NASCAR race season infobox
| Type = CUST
| Description = Race 1 of 48 in the [[1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series]] season
| Race Name = Motor Trend 500
| Details ref = <ref name="weather-information">{{cite web | url = http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/CA/Moreno%20Valley/1971-02-01| title = 1971 Motor Trend 500 weather information | publisher = The Old Farmers' Almanac | date = | accessdate = 2012-09-03}}</ref>
| Fulldate = {{Start date|1971|01|10}}
| Year = 1971
| Race_No = 1
| Season_No = 48
| Image = Riverside Raceway.JPG
| Caption = Layout of Riverside International Raceway (1969-1988 version)
| Official name = Motor Trend 500
| Location = [[Riverside International Raceway]], [[Riverside, California]]
| Course_mi = 2.700
| Course_km = 4.345
| Distance_laps = 191
| Distance_mi = 500
| Distance_km = 806
| Weather = Temperatures of {{convert|64|F|C}}; wind speeds of {{convert|8|mph|km/h}}
| Avg = {{convert|100.783|mi/h}}
| Attendance = 23,000<ref name="1971mt500">{{cite web | url = http://www.racing-reference.info/race?id=1971-01&series=W| title = 1971 Motor Trend 500 information | publisher = Racing Reference | date = | accessdate = 2009-10-21}}</ref>
| Pole_Driver = [[Richard Petty]]
| Pole_Team = [[Petty Enterprises]]
| Pole_Time =
| Most_Driver = [[Ray Elder]]
| Most_Team = [[Fred Elder]]
| Most_laps = 67
| Car = 96
| First_Driver = Ray Elder
| First_Team = Fred Elder
| Network = untelevised
| Announcers = none
}}

The '''1971 Motor Trend 500''' was the first race in [[NASCAR]]'s [[NASCAR Cup Series|Winston Cup]] era (also known as the Winston Cup Grand National Series) that took place on January 10, 1971. 191 laps on a [[Road racing|road course]] at [[Riverside International Raceway]] in [[Riverside, California|Riverside]], [[California]] that spanned a total distance of {{convert|2.620|mi|km}}.<ref name="1971mt500"/>

Attendance was estimated at 23,000. It took four hours, fifty-seven minutes, and fifty-five seconds.<ref name="1971mt500"/>

Due to a then-struggling economy, both [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] and [[Chevrolet]] cut back on factory support for the [[1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series]] season.<ref name="stockcarracing7072">{{cite web | url = http://musclecarfilms.com/Nascar_Thunder_70s_1.html| title = Summary of the ''1971 Motor Trend 500'' | publisher = Muscle Car Films | date = | accessdate = 2012-09-06}}</ref> NASCAR would also limit engines in the aerodynamic superspeedway cars to 305 cubic inches starting in this race.<ref name="stockcarracing7072"/>

==Race report==
Defending NASCAR Grand National West series champion [[Ray Elder]] won the race; making it the first time that the 500-mile event at Riverside was won by a manufacturer other than Ford.<ref name="1971mt500"/> The average speed was {{convert|100.783|mi/h}} while the pole speed was {{convert|107.084|mi/h}}. This race was the final NASCAR Cup Series event with triple-digit numbered cars; with three of them qualifying for the race. (Kittlekow #107, Schilling #148, Collins #177).<ref name="1971mt500"/> Elder became the first winner in NASCAR's "modern" history.

Only 11 cars finished this 5-hour marathon.<ref name="1971mt500"/> The 8th-place finisher was 22 laps down, and the 11th-place finisher dropped out with 34 laps to go.<ref name="1971mt500"/> The top prize at this race was $18,715 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|18715|1971|r=0}}}} when adjusted for inflation) and the prize for finishing last (40th) was $1,015 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|1015|1971|r=0}}}} when adjusted for inflation).<ref name="1971mt500"/> [[Richard Petty]] competed in this race but failed to finish; he would end up in 20th after starting from the pole position.<ref name="1971mt500"/> The majority of the drivers who failed to finish had an [[engine]] problem.<ref name="1971mt500"/> 43-year-old Hershel McGriff entered and raced a Cup race for the first time since 1954, when he won a Grand National race at North Wilkesboro in an Oldsmobile, back when he was 26. McGriff would qualify in 8th and finish 12th.<ref name="1971mt500"/>

[[Harry Hyde]] and [[Dale Inman]] were notable crew chiefs for this event; working for Richard Petty (Inman) and fourth-place finisher Bobby Isaac (Hyde).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.race-database.com/results/results.php?year=1971&race=1&series_id=2| title = Notable crew chiefs | publisher = Race Database| date = | accessdate = 2013-03-17}}</ref>

At the end of the race, the margin between Elder and Bobby Allison was ten and a half seconds.<ref name="1971mt500"/> Ray Elder would score the first of his two NASCAR cup victories here<ref name="1971mt500"/> (with his second victory taking place at the [[1972 Golden State 400]]<ref name="1972gt400">{{cite web | url = http://www.racing-reference.info/race?id=1972-15&series=W| title = Ray Elder's second victory| publisher = Racing Reference | date = | accessdate = 2010-02-15}}</ref>). This race was [[Ron Grable]]'s only start in the NASCAR Cup series and that [[G.T. Tallas]] finished the race with his career best of 11th place.

===Qualifying===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Grid<ref name="1971mt500"/>
! {{Tooltip|No.|Car number}}
! Driver
! Manufacturer
|-
! 1
| 43 || Richard Petty || '70 Plymouth
|-
! 2
| 12 || Bobby Allison || '70 Dodge
|-
! 3
| 96 || Ray Elder || '70 Dodge
|-
! 4
| 71 || Bobby Isaac || '71 Dodge
|-
! 5
| 48 || James Hylton || '70 Ford
|-
! 6
| 02 || Dick Bown || '70 Plymouth
|-
! 7
| 72 || Benny Parsons || '69 Ford
|-
! 8
| 04 || Hershel McGriff || '70 Plymouth
|-
! 9
| 39 || Friday Hassler || '69 Chevrolet
|-
! 10
| 32 || Kevin Terris || '70 Plymouth
|-
! 11
| 38 || Jimmy Insolo || '69 Chevrolet
|-
! 12
| 10 || Bill Champion || '69 Ford
|-
! 13
| 24 || Cecil Gordon || '69 Ford
|-
! 14
| 44 || Dick Guldstrand || '68 Chevrolet
|-
! 15
| 08 || John Soares, Jr. || '70 Plymouth
|-
! 16
| 17 || David Pearson || '70 Ford
|-
! 17
| 19 || Henley Gray || '69 Ford
|-
! 18
| 88 || Don Noel || '70 Ford
|-
! 19
| 64 || Elmo Langley || '69 Mercury
|-
! 20
| 83 || Joe Clark || '69 Chevrolet
|-
! 21
| 99 || Pat Fay || '71 Ford
|-
! 22
| 26 || Carl Joiner, Jr. || '69 Chevrolet
|-
! 23
| 6 || Jerry Oliver || '70 Oldsmobile
|-
! 24
| 95 || Bob Kauf || '69 Chevrolet
|-
! 25
| 15 || Paul Dorrity || '71 Chevrolet
|-
! 26
| 82 || Ron Gautsche || '69 Ford
|-
! 27
| 4 || Dick Kranzler || '70 Chevrolet
|-
! 28
| 07 || Ivan Baldwin || '69 Chevrolet
|-
! 29
| 23 || G.T. Tallas || '69 Ford
|-
! 30
| 00 || Frank James || '69 Chevrolet
|-
! 31
| 7 || Jack McCoy || '70 Dodge
|-
! 32
| 77 || Ray Johnstone || '69 Plymouth
|-
! 33
| 5 || Ron Grable || '70 Ford
|-
! 34
| 70 || J.D. McDuffie || '69 Mercury
|-
! 35
| 148 || Harry Schilling || '69 Dodge
|-
! 36
| 177 || Roy Collins || '69 Dodge
|-
! 37
| 79 || Frank Warren || '69 Plymouth
|-
! 38
| 108 || Mike Pittelkow || '69 Chevrolet
|-
! 39
| 33 || Glenn Francis || '70 Chevrolet
|-
! 40
| 18 || Bob England || '70 Chevrolet
|}

==Finishing order==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
# [[Ray Elder]]
# [[Bobby Allison]]
# [[Benny Parsons]]
# [[Bobby Isaac]]
# [[James Hylton]]
# [[Friday Hassler]]
# [[Kevin Terris]]
# [[Carl Joiner]]
# [[Henley Gray]]
# [[Cecil Gordon]]
# [[G.T. Tallas]]
# [[Hershel McGriff]]
# [[Bob England (racing driver)|Bob England]]
# [[Dick Kranzler]]
# [[J.D. McDuffie]]
# [[Dick Bown]]
# [[Elmo Langley]]
# [[Jack McCoy (racing driver, born 1938)|Jack McCoy]]
# [[Ron Gautsche]]
# [[Richard Petty]]
# [[John Soares, Jr.]]
# [[Frank James (racing driver)|Frank James]]
# [[Ron Grable]]
# [[Dick Guldstrad]]
# [[Jimmy Insolo]]
# [[Bill Champion (racing driver)|Bill Champion]]
# Bob Kauf
# [[Paul Dorrity]]
# [[Jerry Oliver (racing driver)|Jerry Oliver]]
# [[Frank Warren (racing driver)|Frank Warren]]
# [[Mike Pittelkow]]
# [[Ray Johnstone]]
# [[Don Noel]]
# [[Glenn Francis]]
# [[David Pearson (racing driver)|David Pearson]]
# [[Joe Clark (racing driver)|Joe Clark]]
# [[Harry Schilling (racing driver)|Harry Schilling]]
# [[Roy Collins (racing driver)|Roy Collins]]
# [[Ivan Baldwin]]
# [[Pat Fay]]
{{div col end}}

==Timeline==
<small>Section reference:<ref name="1971mt500"/></small>
* Start of race: Richard Petty had the lead position as the green flag was waved.
* Lap 4: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty.
* Lap 5: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
* Lap 21: Joe Clark's vehicle developed transmission issues.
* Lap 25: Richard Petty took over the lead from David Pearson.
* Lap 36: Ray Johnstone had a terminal crash.
* Lap 38: Problems with the vehicle's clutch ended Mike Kittlekow's day on the track.
* Lap 40: Frank Warren developed terminal issues with his transmission.
* Lap 56: Bob Kauf's vehicle had a terminal transmission issue which knocked him out of the race.
* Lap 58: Bill Champion's vehicle had a terminal transmission issue which knocked him out of the race.
* Lap 76: Dick Guldstrad managed to lose a frame out of his vehicle, making his car too unsafe for further racing.
* Lap 84: Ray Elder took over the lead from Richard Petty.
* Lap 97: Frank James developed a faulty transmission in his vehicle.
* Lap 107: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Ray Elder.
* Lap 118: A faulty lug bolt ended Ron Gaustche's race.
* Lap 120: Ray Elder took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
* Lap 133: Steering issues brought Dick Bown's day on the track to a premature halt.
* Lap 136: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Ray Elder.
* Lap 150: Ray Elder took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
* Lap 155: Bob England managed to render his vehicle's engine non-functional.
* Lap 156: Hershel McGriff ruined the ignition of his vehicle by driving at high speeds.
* Lap 157: G.T. Tallas managed to render his vehicle's engine non-functional.
* Lap 166: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Ray Elder.
* Lap 180: Ray Elder took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
* Finish: Ray Elder was officially declared the winner of the event.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box |
before = [[1970 Tidewater 300]] |
after = [[1971 Daytona 500]]|
title = NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Races|
years = 1970-71 |
}}
{{succession box |
before = [[1970 Motor Trend 500]] |
after = becomes the '''[[Winston Western 500]]'''|
title = [[Motor Trend 500]] races|
years = 1964-71 |
}}
{{s-end}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1971 in sports in California|Motor Trend 500]]
[[Category:1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|Motor Trend 500]]
[[Category:NASCAR races at Riverside International Raceway]]

1971 Motor Trend 500 - Revision history

imported>Nws5683 at 19:30, 5 March 2025