MotorTrend 500: NASCAR Heads West

The origins of Riverside International Raceway and the MotorTrend 500 lie in the 1950s car culture in California. NASCAR and MotorTrend Magazine came together to put on the biggest stock-car race east of the Mississippi and attracted the best drivers.

Riverside International Raceway was the site of nearly two dozen deaths in its 30-plus year run. AJ Foyt faced death at the track, but his untold story of sacrifice and heroism in the 1965 race is a testament to the bond between drivers.

Dan Gurney was a superstar road racer from Riverside, CA, who was the master of his hometown track. Gurney teamed up with the Wood Brothers, one of NASCAR's all-time great race teams, to get to Victory Lane in more than half of the MotorTrend 500s.