The first ever 500 mile stock car race was held at Riverside in 1958. Finally, in 1957 Riverside International Raceway was ready for action. Hours at the Business Office.
The situation wasn't helped by Ulmann's assertion in the run-up to the race that Formula One would attract a bigger crowd than the LA Times Sports Car Grand Prix earlier in the summer 'since the Times race wasn't really a Grand Prix at all!'. By the eight year, Richard Petty had figured the place out and took the first win for a NASCAR regular.Sadly, Riverside had by then shown its dangerous side once again, when Joe Weatherly was killed during the 1964 event when he crashed at Turn 6. The History of Riverside International Raceway RIVERSIDE INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY ‘ 1957 TO 1988 Born from Grand Prix style racing that started in 1953 at the nearby March Air Force Base; Riverside International Raceway opened in 1957 and heralded in the new era of permanent road racing circuits in the 1950’s. The watching North American Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti was impressed, however, inviting Gurney to drive a factory-supported Ferrari at Le Mans in 1958. Lawrence, a former Cal Club, under 1500 cc Production champion, lost control of his MG A and went up the sand embankment, then rolled back over onto the track. The circuit had been saved from near bankruptcy under American Raceways in 1971 when a four-man group headed by Fritz Duda, a Riverside attorney and land developer, acquired 80% of the stock for $400,000. With the closure of Riverside International Raceway in Moreno Valley, California after the 1988 season, NASCAR wanted a West Coast road course event to replace it, and chose the Sears Point facility. Riverside International Speedway, 151 Legion Rd., West Memphis, AR . His propensity to wear a loose lap belt and refusal altogether to wear shoulder straps came back to haunt him when, despite the crash being relatively low speed, his unrestrained helmet struck the steel barriers, killing him instantly.Danger reared again in 1965, when A.J. Riverside Today (circa 2001) In 2001, website visitor Bill Wilkman lived near the site of Riverside Raceway. Riverside International Speedway 151 Legion Ave., West Memphis, AR. A SCORE International Off Road World Championship event in August was one final hurrah on the grounds of the circuit, before the bulldozers moved in a week later.However, it wasn't the end of the story. Promoter Al Slonicker put together a package of midget, sprint car and stock car races but crowds were sparse and rumours soon began that Slonicker did not have the funds to pay the main race purse. Finally, in 1957 Riverside International Raceway was ready for action. The final turn was reconfigured, with a 'dog-leg' inserted towards the end of the straight, leading into a new broader Turn 9, designed by engineer David Berg with 10 degrees of banking. Fortunately St James escaped the flames and Robinson emerged unscathed but the incident did little to lessen Riverside's reputation for danger.By the middle of the 1980s, the writing was firmly on the wall for the circuit. A banked final turn tested the braking packages of the cars to their limits (and often beyond) before returning the racers to the start/finish.The first event took place on September 21, 1957, a California Sports Car Club event. See Business Phone (901) 840-1970 Race Track 870 735-8071. As new housing had already encroached the centre of the back straight, a new section of track was laid to link Turn 7A with the dog-leg. There were various configuration options, permitting road courses ranging in … Riverside International Raceway was a complex in Southern California, featuring a multi-configuration road course which is one of the most famous of all the American race tracks.