Note: I watched this race on SMIFF TV’s YouTube Channel
Talk about the race on my Facebook page: John Milner’s Track Talk.
NASCAR, often caricaturized as just a bunch of redneck hillbillies (and all that entails) who just turn left, will be turning both left and right as they head to the road course at Riverside California. Riverside was, at different times, both the first and last race of the NASCAR Cup season. In 1987, it was in the middle – and this MIGHT have been the final Cup race ever held at NASCAR. I read just a few weeks ago that the 1987 edition of one race was the final one but I’m not sure if that was just for that particular named race or NASCAR at Riverside altogether.
Richard Petty will not be part of this race as he has given way to Joe Ruttman. Petty will be in the booth to provide commentary. Terry Labonte, meanwhile, will be on the pole. Not sure who wins this race but I know it won’t be Dale Earnhardt. Earnhart only had one road course win to his credit and it was at Sear’s Point in 1995, I wanna say. Darrell Waltrip is in the first several rows but I bring it up because they mention that Jeff Hammond has moved over to become DW’s crew chief.
I wonder if they knew how to road course race back in the day. I’ve watched a fair amount of road races in modern day NASCAR – and even a bit for Indy car and I have to say “Road courses SUCK!” It’s literally one car driving away by five seconds and by the fifth spot, the driver is 10+ seconds back. It’s not racing, it’s just guys driving around.
Terry Labonte leads the way but Geoff Bodine is hanging strong with him. Bill Elliott is in third and Tim Richmond is fourth and they are probably what one would call “within striking distance.”
As Richard Petty makes his way from the track to the booth, son Kyle has taken his #21 Wood Brothers car into the pits with some kind of issue. George Fullmer brings his car to the “infield” smoking badly. Rusty Wallace coasts into the garage area. None of these issues has brought out a caution.
The commentators are mentioning the Winston West 500, which takes place in November and I believe THAT is the race for which 1987 was the last running.
Well, far from being one car just driving away, Labonte – thanks in part to a slide through one turn – is being seriously challenged by Bodine. Elliott and Richmond are still a ways back. Meanwhile, some excitement further back as Waltrip slides off the course, Bobby Allison and Neil Bonnett are involved in the incident. While Allison and Bonnett are able to make it through relatively unscathed, Waltrip has significant damage and is headed to the pits.
Back at the front, the leaders have come up on Ron Esau, driving the #6 for D.K. Ulrich (step-father of Hollywood star Skeet Ulrich), and that give Bodine a chance to get right up behind Labonte but the pass for the lead doesn’t take place yet. Tim Richmond, meanwhile, has taken third from Elliott. Esau, meanwhile, looks like he’s driving Kevin Harvick’s car from later in his RCR years.
Oh…okay, with a pass on Dale Earnhardt, they are saying Elliott has come up to 7th. So, I’m not sure where Elliott went but he’s on his way back to the front. And speaking of the front, Bodine finally passes Labonte for the lead and Richmond is right there in the mix as well.
By the time Richard Petty makes his way to the broadcast position and we hear from Darrell Waltrip, who says his team will get the car repaired and they will be back out, perhaps 15-20 laps down, Tim Richmond is now driving up to the back bumper of Hendrick teammate Geoff Bodine.
Ruben Garcia spins and that brings out the yellow flag. (Garcia is one of the many Winston West series drivers in the race so every time there’s a mention of them, I have to Google it to see if I can find their name, and I don’t accidentally spoil the ending.) Bodine stalls the car in the pits and he loses the lead to Terry Labonte.
Labonte has the lead for quite a while but gives it up to Tim Richmond, with Bodine fairly close in third.
Meanwhile, Paul Williams joins the broadcast position. Paul Williams is an award-winning musician but I’m sorry, I will always remember him as Little Enos Burdette in the Smokey and the Bandit movies.
Geoff Bodine is heading to the pits for an unscheduled pit stop, possibly due to a cut tire. Pal Williams discusses his lover for NASCAR and racing in general. Bill Elliott heads to the pits perhaps a bit early, it’s thought, but Ricky Rudd and others start to come in. Eventually everyone from Richmond and Labonte to Bonnett and Ruttman head to the pits.
Richmond’s teammate Benny Parsons has slowed on the track but no caution. Richmond has a good lead over Bill Elliott, Rudd and Labonte.
And speaking of Smokey and the Bandit, director Hal Needham is also at the race. The car owner for the #33 Harry Gant is also the spotter.
Michael Waltrip is up in smoke, literally, and that will bring out a caution and Tim Richmond to the pits.
On the restart, Ricky Rudd gets by Tim Richmond for the lead. Meanwhile, it appears Terry Labonte has a lot of damage to the front of his car. Harry Gant and Rick Wilson spin and it appears Gant’s going to have some undercarriage damage.
As Petty announces we have 25 laps or so to go, Richmond battles Rudd for the lead. It took him a time or two but the #25 Chevrolet takes the lead. Despite the damage, Labonte is right there as well. As Richmond pulls away, Labonte is able to challenge Rudd for the runner-up position.
Alan Kulwicki misses one corner and spins out, bringing out the caution. Almost everyone pits. Bill Elliott takes two tires compared to others who took four and is the first out of the pits, but Phil Parsons stays out.
On the restart, Elliott and Richmond battle for second and try and chase down Parsons with ten laps to go. New tires, in 1987 as in 2025, are a huge advantage, and Richmond soon passes Parsons and begins to drive away. Parsons manages to stay ahead of Elliott and Rudd.
Geoff Bodine hits the concrete barrier and while the commentator says it’s not a hard hit, it is enough to bring out the caution. Or does it? There is discussion about Parsons perhaps coming in to get tires but instead everyone just keeps racing. This is back before the caution freezing the field and the lucky dog, so I know they race back to the start-finish line but geez, how long does that take?
Doesn’t matter as Parsons doesn’t actually get back to the start-finish line or the pits anyways as he spins out from second place. Richmond still has a commanding lead, while Rudd, Elliott and Bonnett are battling for the second spot.
One thing I haven’t mentioned but the commentators have is the success of Joe Ruttman. To begin the broadcast, Ruttman took over for Richard Petty (no official reason was given during the broadcast) so he started last but now is up into the fifth or sixth spot.
Turns out, Ruttman was fifth and I only know that because as soon as I typed the above paragraph, Labonte passes the #43 and Ruttman is back to sixth.
With just a couple of laps to go, Richmond has a lead of about two-and-a-half seconds. He was off for several months due to whatever NASCAR was calling AIDs at the time and won at Pocono a week ago. In his first two races of 1987, Richmond gets two wins.
We hear from Richmond and Neil Bonnett (who finished third) before the video ends.
johnmilner.ca 