1975 Los Angeles Times 500
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 30 of 30 in the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
|
A topo view of what the Ontario Motor Speedway looked like A topo view of what the Ontario Motor Speedway looked like | |||
| Date | November 23, 1975 | ||
| Official name | Los Angeles Times 500 | ||
| Location | Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.500 mi (4.023 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures approaching 82 °F (28 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 140.712 miles per hour (226.454 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Bud Moore Engineering | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Buddy Baker | Bud Moore Engineering | |
| Laps | 148 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 15 | Buddy Baker | Bud Moore Engineering | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1975 Los Angeles Times 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on November 23, 1975, at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California.[2][3]
Two hundred laps were completed in three hours and thirty-three minutes on a paved track spanning 2.500 miles (4.023 km).[2][3] More than 50,000 live spectators would show up to see Buddy Baker defeat David Pearson by 29.4 seconds in the #15 Norris Industries Ford machine.[2][4] Only one caution was handed out by NASCAR officials for nine laps.[2][3] While Pearson would earn the pole position with a speed of 153.525 miles per hour (247.075 km/h), the average race of the speed would only be 140.712 miles per hour (226.454 km/h).[2][3] The total prize purse that handed out for this race was $140,775 ($797,115.58 when adjusted for inflation); Baker would receive $35,300 of it ($199,880.52 when adjusted for inflation) while Negre would walk away with a meager $1,050 ($5,945.45 when adjusted for inflation).[3]
Out of the 40-driver grid, 39 of them were American-born while Roy Smith was a Canadian.[2] Ed Negre would be the last-place finisher due to an engine problem on the second lap.[2][3] Carl Adams would retire from NASCAR after this race along with Jim Boyd, Don Hall and John Martin.[5] Richard Petty would clinch his sixth NASCAR championship; defeating Dave Marcis in the championship standings by more than 700 points.[6]
Finishing order
- Buddy Baker
- David Pearson
- Dave Marcis
- Cale Yarborough
- Bobby Allison
- Lennie Pond
- Jimmy Insolo
- Dick Brooks†
- James Hylton
- Richard Childress
- Don Hall
- David Sisco
- D.K. Ulrich
- A.J. Foyt*
- Don Huffman
- Richard Petty*
- Frank Warren*
- Hugh Pearson*
- Cecil Gordon*†
- Walter Ballard*
- J.D. McDuffie*†
- Elmo Langley*†
- Tom Williams*
- John Kieper*
- Ray Elder*†
- Bruce Hill*
- Jim Boyd*
- Carl Adams*
- Roy Smith*†
- John Martin*
- Hershel McGriff*
- Jim Thirkettle*
- Bill Schmitt*
- Benny Parsons*†
- Chuch Wahl*
- Richie Panch*†
- Don Puskarich*
- Chuck Bown*
- Sonny Easley*†
- Ed Negre*
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Petty | 4783 |
| 2 | Dave Marcis | 4061 |
| 3 | James Hylton | 3914 |
| 4 | Benny Parsons | 3820 |
| 5 | Richard Childress | 3818 |
References
- ^ Weather information for the 1975 Los Angeles Times 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ a b c d e f g h 1975 Los Angeles Times 500 information at Racing Reference
- ^ a b c d e f 1975 Los Angeles Times 500 racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
- ^ Tracks of Yesterday, Ontario Motor Speedway at Insider Racing News
- ^ Retirement information at Race Database
- ^ Richard Petty's Championship Ride at HowStuffWorks.com