Ford Total Performance 1963

[NC TRACKRAT]

Lost film recently found:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adhDKIvec84

[FL SAAC]

Very kool film thanks for sharing

[Side-Oilers]

Bitchin footage. Love the MOTOR TREND banner at the start of the Riverside Motor Trend 500.

Pause at 8:12 to see the lovely Margie McNally (soon to be "Mrs. Robert Petersen") as race queen.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

Bitchin footage. Love the MOTOR TREND banner at the start of the Riverside Motor Trend 500.

1963 was the first year of the Motor Trend 500. It lasted until 1971. Ford won all but the last one. Gurney won the first 4 then PJ snuck one in. Gurney again in 68. Petty - yes in a Ford for 69 and AJ Foyt closed out the Ford dominance at the 1970 MT500.
Tracked this down. I remembered seeing it a couple years ago - https://www.motortrend.com/news/motortrend-500-nascar-heads-west-history/

PS - the first 2 NASCAR west coast races in 1956-7 were run at Willow Springs and won by Fords.

Here's 4 good minutes of the other Riverside NASCAR race in 63 - a good shot of Dave Macdonald's drift driving @ 1:25. Won by a Stroppe Mercury (#16) with what I consider the best trademark paint scheme of all time.

[Side-Oilers]

Trivia: Robert Petersen owned RIR for several years, back then. 

What a great venue to promote your magazines, test cars for those magazines (mostly Motor Trend) and hold great races.

I drove by there, a year or so ago. The giant shopping mall that supplanted the track is now almost completely defunct.

Progress?

[98SVT - was 06GT]

Trivia: Robert Petersen owned RIR for several years, back then. 
I drove by there, a year or so ago. The giant shopping mall that supplanted the track is now almost completely defunct.

I think he was a partner in American Raceways Inc who owned the track for a couple years. Most people don't know Bob Hope was an early partner. He wasn't into racing but it seems like every spare nickel he had went into buying SoCal land. ARI sold it to Duda in 71 and he ran it until he decided to build the mall. I remember an old Interview with Les Richter when asked how long the track would be there he replied - until the land is valuable enough to build houses on.
I got a call from Kopec one evening. He related a member had called him about Riverside being plowed under. He tasked me with going and picking up some of the concrete to give away at the next SAAC convention. He set up a certification deal and I played prisoner breaking up concrete chunks and putting labels on them. I have 1 big piece left about 1' square - all the rest were 2-4". Moreno Valley ended up with a lot of problems. Many people moved out of LA to escape the gangs. Problem was their kids took the gangs with them and since mom/dad were now away from home for another 3-4 hours a day commuting back to LA the kids had zero supervision. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KwG0qQbzLA

[Side-Oilers]

Yep. Moreno Valley is a s-hole.  Has been that way for 30+years. 

Before MV existed, the unincorporated area was called Edgemont.  Mostly farm land, with some small trailer parks and mom & pop motels along Highway 395 (now the 215 freeway.)

Once the track went away, and the low buck tract houses & apartments were built, it turned to crap.  Brett sums it up correctly.

As far as the final days of RIR itself:

I have a piece of the asphalt race track surface from near the start/finish area. 

Chevrolet & Pontiac gave out "last laps of Riverside" swag at their press co-event shortly before closure.  I have some of that.

Want to take a guess at the car company that had the very last press event on RIR?

Nope, nope...nope.   

Answer provided after some more guesses.  I'll bet no one nails it.  Google cheating not allowed.