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1983 Winston Western 500

The 1983 Winston Western 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on November 20, 1983, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.

1983 Winston Western 500
Race details[1][2]
Race 30 of 30 in the 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
1983 Winston Western 500 program cover
1983 Winston Western 500 program cover
Date November 20, 1983 (1983-November-20)
Official name Winston Western 500
Location Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California
Course 2.620 mi (4.345 km)
Distance 119 laps, 311.8 mi (501.7 km)
Weather Temperatures of 64.9 °F (18.3 °C); wind speeds of 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
Average speed 95.859 miles per hour (154.270 km/h)
Attendance 24,000
Pole position
Driver
Junior Johnson & Associates
Most laps led
Driver Darrell Waltrip Junior Johnson & Associates
Laps 34
Winner
No. 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing
Television in the United States
Network WTBS
Announcers Ken Squier, Cale Yarborough
The layout of Riverside International Raceway (1969-1988 version), the venue where the race was held.

Qualifying

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Pos. # Driver Make Team/Owner Time Avg. Speed (mph)
1 11 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet Junior Johnson & Associates
2 3 Ricky Rudd Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
3 44 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Hagan Racing
4 98 Joe Ruttman Pontiac Benfield Racing
5 55 Benny Parsons Chevrolet Johnny Hayes Racing
6 22 Bobby Allison Buick DiGard Motorsports
7 33 Harry Gant Buick Mach 1 Racing
8 43 Richard Petty Pontiac Petty Enterprises
9 15 Dale Earnhardt Ford Bud Moore Engineering
10 9 Bill Elliott Ford Melling Racing
11 75 Neil Bonnett Chevrolet RahMoc Enterprises
12 51 Scott Miller Pontiac Scott Miller
13 93 Jim Bown Buick John Kieper
14 74 Roy Smith Buick John Edgett
15 21 Buddy Baker Ford Wood Brothers Racing
16 47 Ron Bouchard Buick Race Hill Farm Team
17 78 Jim Robinson Oldsmobile Lois Williams
18 38 Don Waterman Buick Don Waterman
19 12 Jimmy Insolo Buick DiGard Motorsports
20 88 Donnie Allison Pontiac Cliff Stewart Racing
21 90 Dick Brooks Ford Donlavey Racing
22 04 Hershel McGriff Buick Gary Smith
23 48 Trevor Boys Chevrolet Hylton Motorsports
24 66 Ron Esau Buick Lee Racing
25 87 Randy Becker Buick Randy Becker
26 27 Tim Richmond Pontiac Blue Max Racing
27 2 Morgan Shepherd Buick Jim Stacy Racing
28 08 Rick McCray Pontiac Rick McCray
29 71 Dave Marcis Oldsmobile Marcis Auto Racing
30 73 Bill Schmitt Chevrolet Bill Schmitt
31 41 Ronnie Thomas Pontiac Ronnie Thomas
32 7 Kyle Petty Pontiac Petty Enterprises
33 03 Glenn Francis Pontiac Trent Francis
34 64 D.K. Ulrich Ford Langley Racing
35 83 Sumner McKnight Chevrolet McKnight Racing
36 91 John Krebs Oldsmobile KC Racing
37 67 Buddy Arrington Dodge Arrington Racing
38 70 J.D. McDuffie Pontiac McDuffie Racing
39 13 Doug Wheeler Buick Matt Puskarich
40 52 Jimmy Means Chevrolet Jimmy Means Racing
41 17 Sterling Marlin Pontiac Hamby Racing
42 35 Pat Mintey Chevrolet Pat Mintey
Failed to qualify
1 Mark Perry Buick Dave Perry
02 St. James Davis St. James Racing
6 Bobby Hillin Jr. Ulrich Racing
8 Steve Pfeifer
17 Harry Goularte Buick Harry Goularte
37 Dan Noble Buick Noble Racing
58 Tony Settember
94 Bob Kennedy

Race recap

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There were 42 drivers;[3] 40 of them were American-born while Roy Smith and Trevor Boys were born in Canada.

Ricky Rudd started on the front row but retired from the lead with a blown engine in his last outing for Richard Childress in the #3 Piedmont Airlines Chevrolet.[2] Dale Earnhardt would start his final NASCAR Winston Cup Series race in a Ford; bringing home Bud Moore's #15 Wrangler Thunderbird with a top-5 finish.[2] James "J.D." Stacy would mark his final race as an official NASCAR team owner at this race.[2] Stacy came in with promises and a lot of cash but proved to be a charlatan. The Sterling Marlin and Trevor Boys battle for rookie of the year came down to the last race of the year with the Canadian Boys leading coming into the final race by approximately 16 points. Marlin came from behind to claim the honor after scoring a top-20 finish while mechanical problems in this final race doomed Boys' hopes.[2]

Buddy Arrington was the 23rd-place finisher after dropping out of the race on lap 109 due to wheel issues in his Chrysler Cordoba. Sumner McKnight finished in 19th place after completing 114 of the regulation laps.[2]

Bobby Allison secured his only Winston Cup Championship during the course of the race.

Jimmy Insolo, a West Series driver, drove a second car for DiGard Racing (which fielded Bobby Allison), as a start and park entry to help Allison's team (a common practice for the lead team to have the backup car prepared for a second driver in case their lead car failed, the driver can be changed before the start). It was pulled after one lap. Joe Ruttman blew his engine on lap 12 while Bill Schmidt would ruin his engine on lap 13. Rick McCray's engine would stop working on lap 29. Meanwhile, ignition problems would take out Ron Esau on lap 32 at the same time Ricky Rudd suffered from a faulty engine. The ignition on Roy Smith's vehicle stopped working on lap 36 while the throttle on Jim Bown's vehicle gave out on lap 37. Between lap 38 and lap 61, four drivers were forced to exit the race due to engine concerns.[2][3]

Bill Elliott passed Benny Parsons on the Lap 115 restart that took place on the backstretch, taking the lead before the final safety car was called during Lap 117 for rain, meaning the cars would race back to the line (prohibited in 2003) and finished the final two laps under the safety car for a win in front of 24,000 spectators for his first-ever Cup Series victory.[2] This was Elliott's first Cup win.[2] Bill Elliott won this race driving a 1982 Ford Thunderbird as opposed to the slicker 1983 model; the team used the older car on road courses and short tracks this season. Elliott's first Cup and second-tier series wins were on road courses, as his first second-tier race win was at Watkins Glen International. In August 2018, his son Chase Elliott also scored his first Cup win, again on a former United States Grand Prix circuit, winning at Watkins Glen in 2018.

There were 13 lead changes and five caution flags for 26 laps;[3] making the race last three hours and fifteen minutes.[2] While the average speed of the race was 95.859 miles per hour (154.270 km/h), Darrell Waltrip qualified for the pole position with a speed of 116.782 miles per hour (187.942 km/h).[2][3] The length of this race was 119 laps - the equivalent of 311.8 miles (501.8 km).[2][3]

Jimmy Insolo, Doug Wheeler, Don Waterman, Pat Mintey, and Randy Becker would retire from NASCAR Cup Series racing after this event.[4]

Drivers who failed to qualify were: Bobby Hillin Jr. (#6), Dan Noble (#37), Tony Settember (#58), Harry Goularte (#17), Steve Pfeifer (#8), St. James Davis (#02), Mark Perry (#1) and Bob Kennedy (#94).[5]

This was the last race without Rusty Wallace until the 2006 Daytona 500.

Results

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Fin[6][7] St # Driver Make Team/Owner Sponsor Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 10 9 Bill Elliott Ford Melling Racing Melling Oil Pumps 119 5 running 180 $26,380
2 5 55 Benny Parsons Chevrolet Johnny Hayes Racing Copenhagen 119 33 running 175 $13,225
3 11 75 Neil Bonnett Chevrolet RahMoc Enterprises Hodgdon 119 0 running 165 $18,375
4 9 15 Dale Earnhardt Ford Bud Moore Engineering Wrangler 119 4 running 165 $13,725
5 26 27 Tim Richmond Pontiac Blue Max Racing Old Milwaukee 119 31 running 160 $8,930
6 1 11 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet Junior Johnson & Associates Pepsi, Burger King 119 34 running 160 $19,200
7 3 44 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Hagan Racing Budweiser 119 0 running 146 $6,100
8 22 04 Hershel McGriff Buick Gary Smith Mark C. Bloome 119 0 running 142 $4,700
9 6 22 Bobby Allison Buick DiGard Motorsports Miller High Life 119 1 running 143 $10,850
10 8 43 Richard Petty Pontiac Petty Enterprises STP 118 10 running 139 $8,650
11 16 47 Ron Bouchard Buick Race Hill Farm Team Race Hill Farm 118 0 running 130 $5,030
12 29 71 Dave Marcis Oldsmobile Marcis Auto Racing Miller Brothers 118 0 running 127 $9,650
13 32 7 Kyle Petty Pontiac Petty Enterprises 7-Eleven 117 0 running 124 $4,620
14 20 88 Donnie Allison Pontiac Cliff Stewart Racing Gatorade 117 0 running 121 $4,410
15 25 87 Randy Becker Buick Randy Becker Becker Trucking 116 0 running 118 $1,950
16 40 52 Jimmy Means Chevrolet Jimmy Means Racing Broadway Motors 115 0 running 115 $5,125
17 41 17 Sterling Marlin Pontiac Hamby Racing Hesco Exhaust 115 0 running 112 $4,465
18 39 13 Doug Wheeler Buick Matt Puskarich W & W Machine 115 0 running 109 $2,755
19 35 83 Sumner McKnight Chevrolet McKnight Racing McKnight Racing 114 0 running 106 $2,415
20 15 21 Buddy Baker Ford Wood Brothers Racing Valvoline 113 0 running 103 $1,675
21 17 78 Jim Robinson Oldsmobile Lois Williams Hammer Security 112 0 running 100 $2,305
22 12 51 Scott Miller Pontiac Scott Miller MDB Systems 112 0 running 97 $1,575
23 37 67 Buddy Arrington Dodge Arrington Racing Arrington Grocery 109 0 wheel 94 $3,195
24 23 48 Trevor Boys Chevrolet Hylton Motorsports Hylton-McCaig 101 0 drive line 91 $3,135
25 18 38 Don Waterman Buick Don Waterman St. John's Auto Parts 101 0 running 88 $1,425
26 34 64 D.K. Ulrich Ford Langley Racing Sunny King 101 0 differential 85 $2,325
27 31 41 Ronnie Thomas Pontiac Ronnie Thomas McCord Gaskets 96 0 differential 82 $1,275
28 33 03 Glenn Francis Pontiac Trent Francis Francis Race Cars 89 0 shifter 79 $1,225
29 42 35 Pat Mintey Chevrolet Pat Mintey AFR Signs 73 0 engine 76 $1,175
30 38 70 J.D. McDuffie Pontiac McDuffie Racing McDuffie Racing 66 0 rocker arm 73 $2,100
31 7 33 Harry Gant Buick Mach 1 Racing Skoal Bandit 61 0 engine 70 $8,925
32 36 91 John Krebs Oldsmobile KC Racing Coca-Cola 60 0 engine 67 $1,100
33 27 2 Morgan Shepherd Buick Jim Stacy Racing My Car 42 0 engine 64 $8,675
34 21 90 Dick Brooks Ford Donlavey Racing Chameleon Sunglasses 38 0 engine 61 $2,050
35 13 93 Jim Bown Buick John Kieper Wholesale Truck Parts 37 0 throttle 58 $1,025
36 14 74 Roy Smith Buick John Edgett Edgett Excavating 36 0 ignition 55 $2,025
37 2 3 Ricky Rudd Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing Piedmont Airlines 32 1 running 57 $1,900
38 24 66 Ron Esau Buick Lee Racing McDonald's 32 0 ignition 49 $875
39 28 08 Rick McCray Pontiac Rick McCray Coors 29 0 engine 46 $850
40 30 73 Bill Schmitt Chevrolet Bill Schmitt Mountain Dew 13 0 engine 43 $840
41 4 98 Joe Ruttman Pontiac Benfield Racing Levi Garrett 12 0 engine 40 $1,840
42 19 12 Jimmy Insolo Buick DiGard Motorsports Miller High Life 1 0 handling 37 $840
Failed to qualify
1 Mark Perry Buick Dave Perry Perry Engineering
02 St. James Davis St. James Racing St. James Racing
6 Bobby Hillin Jr. Ulrich Racing
8 Steve Pfeifer
17 Harry Goularte Buick Harry Goularte
37 Dan Noble Buick Noble Racing Noble Racing
58 Tony Settember
94 Bob Kennedy

Standings after the race

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Pos Driver Points[2] Differential
1   Bobby Allison 4667 0
2   Darrell Waltrip 4620 -47
3   Bill Elliott 4279 -388
4   Richard Petty 4025 -625
5   Terry Labonte 4004 -663
6   Neil Bonnett 4002 -665
7   Harry Gant 3790 -877
8 Increase  Dale Earnhardt 3732 -935
9 Decrease  Ricky Rudd 3693 -974
10   Tim Richmond 3597 -1070

References

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  1. ^ Weather information for the 1983 Winston Western 500 at the Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 1983 Winston Western 500 racing information at Racing Reference
  3. ^ a b c d e 1983 Winston Western 500 racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
  4. ^ NASCAR Retirements at Race Database
  5. ^ Qualifying information at Racing Reference
  6. ^ "1983 Winston Western 500 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  7. ^ "1983 Winston Western 500 race results". Racing-Reference. Archived from the original on 2021-04-28.
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1983-4 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winston Western 500 races
1983 		Succeeded by
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