Official name Motor Trend 500 | ||
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Date February 1, 1969 (1969-February-01) Course Permanent racing facility2.700 mi (4.345 km) Distance 186 laps, 502 mi (808 km) Weather Temperatures approaching 55.9 °F (13.3 °C); wind speeds up to 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h) | ||
The 1969 Motor Trend 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on February 1, 1969, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.
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The transition to purposely-built racers began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s; most of the cars were trailered to events or hauled in by trucks.
Summary
One hundred and eighty-six laps were done on a paved road course spanning 2.7 miles (4.3 km). Although A.J. Foyt won the pole position with a qualifying speed of 110.323 miles per hour (177.548 km/h), Richard Petty would win the race by beating Foyt with a margin of 25 seconds using a 1969 Ford Torino vehicle. This was the first time Petty won a race in anything other than a Plymouth and the first time he ran a Cup race in anything but a Plymouth since he switched to the Mopar brand from Oldsmobile near the end of 1959.
More than forty-six thousand fans would watch the race live to see 44 vehicles start (and only 13 of them finish the race). Most of the DNFs were caused by engine issues. Ford vehicles and Chevrolet vehicles made up most of the starting grid. Other notable drivers included: LeeRoy Yarbrough (who would be the highest finishing driver with an engine problem), Ray Elder, Neil Castles, Mario Andretti (his final start), and Elmo Langley. West Coast racer Marty Kinerk made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at this event. However, he would only compete at two races before leaving for the NASCAR Winston West Series (now K&N Pro Series West).
The entire race was completed under the green flag without any laps being taken for either yellow or red flags; with the final race to go the entire distance without a caution was the 2002 EA Sports 500. Average speeds for the entire race approached 105.498 miles per hour (169.783 km/h) and the duration of the race was four hours, forty-five minutes, and thirty-seven seconds. The race's top prize would be $19,650 in American dollars ($128,331.26 when adjusted for inflation). The overall winnings of this race would be $79,660 in American dollars ($520,247.75 when adjusted for inflation).
While individual owners would make up the majority of the NASCAR teams during this era, multi-car teams like Holman Moody, Wood Brothers Racing, and K&K Insurance Racing began to emerge during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Finishing order
* Driver failed to finish race