1975 Los Angeles Times 500
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 30 of 30 in the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
| 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) | ||
| Attendance | 50,106[2] | ||
| 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 (#15)
- David Pearson (#21)
- Dave Marcis (#71)
- Cale Yarborough (#11)
- Bobby Allison (#16)
- Lennie Pond (#54)
- Jimmy Insolo (#38)
- Dick Brooks† (#90)
- James Hylton (#48)
- Richard Childress (#96)
- Don Hall (#01)
- David Sisco (#05)
- D.K. Ulrich (#40)
- A.J. Foyt* (#28)
- Don Huffman (#63)
- Richard Petty* (#43)
- Frank Warren* (#79)
- Hugh Pearson* (#76)
- Cecil Gordon*† (#24)
- Walter Ballard* (#30)
- J.D. McDuffie*† (#70)
- Elmo Langley*† (#64)
- Tom Williams* (#39)
- John Kieper* (#98W)
- Ray Elder*† (#96W)
- Bruce Hill* (#47)
- Jim Boyd* (#31)
- Carl Adams* (#65)
- Roy Smith*† (#29)
- John Martin* (#2)
- Hershel McGriff* (#26)
- Jim Thirkettle* (#5)
- Bill Schmitt* (#73)
- Benny Parsons*† (#72)
- Chuch Wahl* (#37)
- Richie Panch*† (#98)
- Don Puskarich* (#10)
- Chuck Bown* (#03)
- Sonny Easley*† (#68)
- Ed Negre* (#8)
† 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 |
| 6 | Cecil Gordon | 3702 |
| 7 | Darrell Waltrip | 3462 |
| 8 | Elmo Langley | 3399 |
| 9 | Cale Yarborough | 3295 |
| 10 | Dick Brooks | 3182 |
References
- ^ Weather information for the 1975 Los Angeles Times 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 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