1973 Tuborg 400


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 per lap. 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. All of the other drivers were lapped by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty. Petty's second-place finish marked the first time that he finished a race at Riverside but did not win.
Dean Dalton was credited with a last-place finish due to an engine problem on lap 7. 19-year-old Chuck Bown received his first top ten.
There were 40 drivers on the grid. Four cautions slowed the race for 22 laps and the average speed was. Petty earned the pole position with a qualifying speed of. Ron Hornaday, Sr. retired from NASCAR after this race. George Behlman made his NASCAR debut in this race. Other notable racers in this event include: Benny Parsons, J.D. McDuffie, Richard Childress, and Buddy Baker.
Winston West driver Jimmy Insolo finished a strong fourth.
Individual race earnings for each driver ranged from $12,750 for the winning driver to $1,125 for the last-place driver. A grand total of $75,295 in prize money went to all the drivers..
Notable crew chiefs in this race were Tim Brewer, Richard Elder, Tim Pearson, Travis Carter, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, and Bud Moore.

Qualifying

Failed to qualify: Steve Vaughn, Doug McGriff, Frank Burnett, Ed Sczech, Marion Collins

Finishing order

Section reference:
  1. Bobby Allison
  2. Richard Petty
  3. Benny Parsons†
  4. Jimmy Insolo
  5. Cecil Gordon†
  6. Richard White
  7. Hershel McGriff*
  8. James Hylton†
  9. Jack McCoy
  10. Chuck Bown
  11. Bill Champion†
  12. J.D. McDuffie†
  13. Larry Smith†
  14. Leon Fox
  15. Walter Ballard
  16. George Behlman
  17. Richard Childress
  18. Glenn Francis
  19. Elmo Langley†
  20. Mike James
  21. Johnny Anderson
  22. Carl Adams*
  23. Don Noel*
  24. Cale Yarborough*†
  25. Dick Kranzler
  26. Jack Simpson
  27. Henley Gray
  28. Hugh Pearson*
  29. Sonny Easley*†
  30. Ron Hornaday*†
  31. John Soares, Jr.*
  32. Dick Bown*
  33. Bobby Isaac*†
  34. Romie Alderman*
  35. Nels Miller*
  36. Ray Elder*†
  37. Jim Whitt*
  38. Buddy Baker*
  39. Chuck Wahl*
  40. Dean Dalton*
* Driver failed to finish race
''† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased''

Timeline

Section reference:
  • Start: Richard Petty was the first car to leave the start/finish line as the green flag was waved in the air.
  • Lap 2: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 11: Problems with the vehicle's valve forced Jim Whitt out of the competition.
  • Lap 12: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison; Ray Elder's camshaft issue would knock him out of the race.
  • Lap 19: The pistons on Nels Miller's race vehicle would make him a non-contender in the race.
  • Lap 25: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 26: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
  • Lap 34: Transmission problems would relegate Romie Alderman to the sidelines.
  • Lap 37: Bobby Isaac would fail to finish the race due to transmission issues.
  • Lap 50: Dick Bown noticed that his engine stopped working.
  • Lap 54: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 55: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
  • Lap 56: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Richard Petty; John Soares, Jr.'s vehicle ultimately suffered from ignition problems.
  • Lap 62: The head gasket on Ron Hornaday's vehicle suddenly developed problems.
  • Lap 67: Richard Petty took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
  • Lap 75: Problems with the vehicle's clutch forced Sonnly Easley into a rather miserable 29th-place finish.
  • Lap 81: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 82: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
  • Lap 83: Hugh Pearson had a terminal crash.
  • Lap 104: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
  • Lap 114: Bobby Allison took over the lead from Cale Yarborough; Yarborough's engine stopped working properly.
  • Lap 119: The wiring on Don Noel's vehicle started to go haywire.
  • Lap 120: Carl Adams' engine suddenly develop troubles.
  • Lap 147: Hershel McGriff's vehicles developed problems with its clutch.
  • Finish: Bobby Allison was officially declared the winner of the event.