1973 Tuborg 400
Race details[1]
Race 15 of 28 in the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Layout of Riverside International Raceway (1969-1988 version)
Layout of Riverside International Raceway (1969-1988 version)
Date June 17, 1973 (1973-06-17)
Official name Tuborg 400
Location Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California
Course 2.620 mi (4.216 km)
Distance 153 laps, 400.9 mi (645.1 km)
Weather Warm with temperatures of 79 °F (26 °C); wind speeds of 11.8 miles per hour (19.0 km/h)
Average speed 100.215 mph (161.280 km/h)
Attendance 43,700[2]
Pole position
Driver
Petty Enterprises
Time 85.724 seconds
Most laps led
Driver Bobby Allison Bobby Allison Motorsports
Laps 85
Winner
No. 13 Bobby Allison Bobby Allison Motorsports

The 1973 Tuborg 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on June 17, 1973, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.

The California 100 for Sportsman Cars was run on the day before this race, the winner was Hershel McGriff followed by Ron Hornaday Sr., Roy Bleckert, Ivan Baldwin, and Jim Sanderson.

Race report

153 laps were completed on the road course spanning 2.620 miles (4.216 km) per lap.[2] The race was completed in exactly four hours with Bobby Allison picking up the second of his six career wins at Riverside against Richard Petty by one minute and thirteen seconds in front of 43,700 spectators.[2] All of the other drivers were lapped by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty.[2] Petty's second-place finish marked the first time that he finished a race at Riverside but didn't win.[2]

Dean Dalton would be credited with a last-place finish due to an engine problem on lap 7.[2] Chuck Bown would receive his first top ten at the tender age of 19.[3]

There were 40 drivers on the grid. Four cautions slowed the race for 22 laps and the average speed was 100.215 miles per hour (161.280 km/h).[2] Petty would earn the pole position with a qualifying speed of 110.027 miles per hour (177.071 km/h).[2] Ron Hornaday, Sr. would retire from NASCAR after this race. George Behlman would make his NASCAR debut in this race. Other notable racers in this event include: Benny Parsons, J.D. McDuffie, Richard Childress, and Buddy Baker.[2]

Winston West driver Jimmy Insolo turns in a nice run as he finishes a strong fourth against the big boys from the Southeastern United States.[2]

Individual race earnings for each driver ranged from $12,750 for the winning driver ($84,050.6 when adjusted for inflation) to $1,125 for the last-place driver ($7,416.23 when adjusted for inflation). A grand total of $75,295 in prize money went to all the drivers. ($496,359.99 when adjusted for inflation).[4]

Notable crew chiefs in this race were Tim Brewer, Richard Elder, Tim Pearson, Travis Carter, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, and Bud Moore.[5]

Qualifying

Grid No. Driver Manufacturer Qualifying time[6] Speed[6] Owner
1 43 Richard Petty '73 Dodge 1:25.724 110.027 Petty Enterprises
2 12 Bobby Allison '73 Chevrolet 1:25.758 109.983 Bobby Allison
3 71 Buddy Baker '73 Dodge 1:26.068 109.587 Nord Krauskopf
4 11 Cale Yarborough '73 Chevrolet 1:26.626 108.881 Richard Howard
5 15 Bobby Isaac '73 Ford 1:26.874 108.571 Bud Moore
6 04 Hershel McGriff '72 Plymouth 1:27.000 108.413 Beryl Jackson
7 72 Benny Parsons '72 Chevrolet 1:27.307 108.302 L.G. DeWitt
8 24 Cecil Gordon '72 Chevrolet 1:27.760 107.474 Cecil Gordon
9 38 Jimmy Insolo '72 Chevrolet 1:29.303 105.617 Roger Paquette
10 19 Henley Gray '71 Mercury 1:30.107 104.675 Henley Gray

Failed to qualify: Steve Vaughn (#73), Doug McGriff (#74), Frank Burnett (#36), Ed Sczech (#61), Marion Collins (#78)[6]

Finishing order

Section reference: [2]

  1. Bobby Allison (No. 12)
  2. Richard Petty (No. 43)
  3. Benny Parsons† (No. 72)
  4. Jimmy Insolo (No. 38)
  5. Cecil Gordon† (No. 24)
  6. Richard White (No. 42)
  7. Hershel McGriff* (No. 04)
  8. James Hylton† (No. 48)
  9. Jack McCoy (No. 07)
  10. Chuck Bown (No. 03)
  11. Bill Champion† (No. 10)
  12. J.D. McDuffie† (No. 70)
  13. Larry Smith† (No. 92)
  14. Leon Fox (No. 18)
  15. Walter Ballard (No. 30)
  16. George Behlman (No. 01)
  17. Richard Childress (No. 98)
  18. Glenn Francis (No. 33)
  19. Elmo Langley† (No. 64)
  20. Mike James (No. 31)
  21. Johnny Anderson (No. 91)
  22. Carl Adams* (No. 9)
  23. Don Noel* (No. 88)
  24. Cale Yarborough*† (No. 11)
  25. Dick Kranzler (No. 4)
  26. Jack Simpson (No. 53)
  27. Henley Gray (No. 19)
  28. Hugh Pearson* (No. 78)
  29. Sonny Easley*† (No. 68)
  30. Ron Hornaday*† (No. 5)
  31. John Soares, Jr.* (No. 3)
  32. Dick Bown* (No. 02)
  33. Bobby Isaac*† (No. 15)
  34. Romie Alderman* (No. 56)
  35. Nels Miller* (No. 77)
  36. Ray Elder*† (No. 96)
  37. Jim Whitt* (No. 60)
  38. Buddy Baker* (No. 71)
  39. Chuck Wahl* (No. 37)
  40. Dean Dalton* (No. 7)

* Driver failed to finish race
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

References

  1. ^ Weather information for the 1973 Tuborg 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 1973 Tuborg 400 information at Racing Reference
  3. ^ Driver Chuck Bown's Monster Energy Cup Series Top 10 Finishes at Racing Reference
  4. ^ Prize winnings information for the 1973 Tuborg 400 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
  5. ^ 1973 Tuborg 400 crew chiefs at Racing Reference
  6. ^ a b c Qualifying information at Racing Reference
Preceded by1973 Alamo 500 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1973 Succeeded by1973 Motor State 400
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