On the challenging 2.62-mile Riverside International Raceway road course in California, the 1974 Winston Western 500 became a memorable NASCAR Winston Cup event. A crowd of 46,000 fans turned out for the 35-car field, though they had to wait through rain delays as the race was held over two days — starting on January 20 and finishing on January 26.
David Pearson captured the pole position with a lap speed of 110.098 mph. The race itself featured only two caution periods for a total of 12 laps, allowing plenty of green-flag racing around the demanding road course that covered 191 laps.
Cale Yarborough emerged victorious in a dramatic finish, beating Richard Petty by just 3 seconds. In one of the most talked-about moments of the race, Yarborough ran out of gas right as he crossed the finish line to claim the win. David Pearson finished third, followed by Benny Parsons in fourth and Bobby Allison in fifth.
The victory further highlighted Yarborough’s road course strength and added another chapter to the intense rivalry with Petty during the 1974 season.
