1964 Riverside 500

[Kit Basher]

I got a kick out of this, maybe you will too.

 

[Deuces ll]

Pretty cool video.... One thing I noticed at the beginning was a race car being towed in at the gate by a pickup and a tandem trailer.... Very interesting!... ??

[mr moto]

That's actually the 1963 race.

[espo]

Interesting to see just how basic the spectator areas and the lack of garages that came a few years later. I used to work for Union Oil Company and my day job as it were was at the Colton Distribution Center a few miles away. I would work for Union Oil at the track during many of the races including the Stock Cars. This was a time when Pure Oil and Union Oil were in a merger and since Pure was the fuel supplier on the eastern seaboard Union Oil became the supplier for the west coast. I worked at the Union Oil station  in the pits area suppling the fuel to the race teams. In the summer of '69 there were several rows of garages and a larger Union 76 station that wasn't there at the time of this movie. Several grand stands and restroom facilities were added for spectators along with a large media building and much more. When these pictures were taken the pits look like little more than a dirt area with possibly some pavement. The only way I can tell is that I know were the garages were built around the starting line and behind the pit wall. As Deuces II mentioned some of the cars arriving  on two axle trailers towed by pick up trucks. Many of the drivers and team owners, not including Gurney for sure, were area short track teams and often this was their first time to get into "the big show". I would wager more than one of the those west coast cars even had GMAC payment books. These cars were far closer to what was on the showroom floor than what we see be raced today.  No special steering or brakes and they had to carry a manufactures part number. They were the kings at fudging things but this was real driver skills and endurance to last 500 miles. 

[Dave Ambrose]

Thanks! This was fun. My wife and I watched it last night.  

[ChrisBcritter]

A lot of potential modeling subjects here, albeit expensive ones like all those '63 Pontiacs - and I got a kick out of the Grant Piston Rings Morris Minor pickup delivery vehicle (didn't they need to get those parts in a hurry?)!