The NAPA 400, the fourteenth race of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, was held on June 12th at Riverside International Raceway in California. The event ran the full scheduled 95 laps on the 2.62-mile road course, covering approximately 248.9 miles (equivalent to about 400 kilometers), with an average speed of 105.021 mph and a time of race of 2:22:12. Richard Petty, driving the #43 Dodge for Petty Enterprises, dominated from the pole position, leading 71 laps en route to victory with a margin of 9.6 seconds. This marked Petty’s third win of the season. Attendance was reported at 48,500, and the race featured one caution for five laps along with seven lead changes in a relatively clean affair typical of Riverside’s twisting layout. David Pearson finished second in the #21 Mercury (starting third and leading two laps), followed by Cale Yarborough in third in the #11 Chevrolet (starting sixth and leading one lap), Jimmy Insolo in fourth in the #51 Ford (starting 18th), and Buddy Baker in fifth in the #15 Ford (starting 17th). No major weather interruptions or dramatic incidents were noted, highlighting Petty’s strategic mastery in breaking away for the final 63 laps during an era of competitive West Coast swings.
