Here’s the best four minutes you’ll spend today. Watch heroes Parnelli Jones and Dan Gurney battle in NASCAR sedans at the 1968 Motor Trend 500 at Riverside.
This superbly edited race summary of the 1968 Motor Trend 500 is less than four minutes long, but it captures the key moments of one of the great stories in American racing: Parnelli Jones and Dan Gurney, in two equally matched Ford Torinos, staging an epic see-saw battle on the late, great Riverside road course in Southern California.
In a nutshell: After a fierce battle over the early laps, Gurney managed to pull out a lead of more than 50 seconds over Jones, only to lose it when a left rear tire shredded, sending Gurney to the pits for a lengthy repair by his Wood Brothers crew. By that time, Jones, the previous year’s winner, had collected a lead of nearly a minute in his Stroppe-prepared Torino. But somehow Gurney was able to scramble back to the front on his home road course, shaving multiple seconds per lap from Jones’ lead, and captured his fifth NASCAR victory at Riverside in six starts.
As a bonus, there’s an awesome little interview segment with Jones, which features his priceless views on racing and race car preparation, and some choice track footage illustrating his sliding, take-no-prisoners driving style. It’s all pure Parnelli. Video follows.
Mac,Thanks for a excellent piece of American auto racing history. If ever there was a time and place to be captured on film it was this one and so appropriately connected to the ongoing sport of Nascar racing as it is today. Those early racing days on the old Riverside track are riveting .Wish Riverside hadn’t have had to give into urban sprawl.,but, as is said, if wishes were horses beggars would ride.
A pity the clip is not a bit longer. We have had all of these races now I think and they were all very entertaining. Dan Guerney for President!
Another point to make on his rich piece of automotive racing history is these two drivers, Dan Gurney and Parnelli Jones were such an inspiration to follow and I’m thinking of two of them as being Jimmy Johnson and Kevin Harvick both Californians that have had stellar careers in the sport. The late great Dale Earnhardt recognizing Harvick’s talent and giving him the opportunity in the Nascar circuit.