| 1978 Winston Western 500 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||
| @ Riverside on January 22, 1978 | ||||||||
| Note: Winston West Drivers Denoted in Gold Rows |
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Sponsor | Make | Laps | Led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | 1st National City | Olds | 119 | 58 | running |
| 2 | 3 | 72 | Benny Parsons | 1st National City | Chevy | 119 | 18 | running |
| 3 | 1 | 21 | David Pearson | Purolator | Mercury | 119 | 41 | running |
| 4 | 16 | 5 | Neil Bonnett | Jim Stacy | Dodge | 119 | 0 | running |
| 5 | 7 | 2 | Dave Marcis | Rod Osterlund | Chevy | 118 | 0 | running |
| 6 | 29 | 95 | Hershel McGriff | Jefferson Racing | Ford | 118 | 0 | running |
| 7 | 11 | 01 | Jimmy Insolo | Lake's Drywall | Chevy | 118 | 2 | running |
| 8 | 9 | 48 | Al Holbert | Southland Cork & Rubber | Chevy | 117 | 0 | running |
| 9 | 20 | 29 | Roy Smith | Mercuy Marine | Chevy | 115 | 0 | running |
| 10 | 19 | 40 | D.K. Ulrich | Pacific Coast | Chevy | 115 | 0 | running |
| 11 | 27 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | 114 | 0 | running |
| 12 | 34 | 08 | Rick McCray | McCray Racing | Dodge | 113 | 0 | running |
| 13 | 15 | 79 | Frank Warren | Native Tan | Dodge | 112 | 0 | running |
| 14 | 10 | 93 | Norm Palmer | American | Dodge | 111 | 0 | engine |
| 15 | 25 | 64 | Dick Brooks | Sunny King | Ford | 111 | 0 | running |
| 16 | 5 | 43 | Richard Petty | STP | Dodge | 104 | 0 | rear end |
| 17 | 22 | 51 | Jim Thirkettle | Timec/Speedway Engineer. | Buick | 104 | 0 | running |
| 18 | 31 | 30 | Tighe Scott | Scotty's Fashions | Chevy | 103 | 0 | running |
| 19 | 23 | 41 | Ernie Stierly | Allied Plating | Chevy | 99 | 0 | running |
| 20 | 18 | 3 | Richard Childress | Kansas Jack | Chevy | 90 | 0 | running |
| 21 | 12 | 92 | Skip Manning | Stratagraph | Chevy | 85 | 0 | running |
| 22 | 35 | 53 | Jack Simpson | Don's Automotive | Chevy | 74 | 0 | running |
| 23 | 2 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Gatorade | Chevy | 70 | 0 | transmission |
| 24 | 24 | 12 | Richard White | Lindsay Auto Parts | Chevy | 70 | 0 | running |
| 25 | 30 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | Transmissions Unlimited | Chevy | 52 | 0 | clutch |
| 26 | 32 | 58 | Rocky Moran | Daisy Shoppe | Chevy | 51 | 0 | engine |
| 27 | 13 | 81 | John Borneman | Borneman Plastering | Chevy | 50 | 0 | clutch |
| 28 | 21 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | Simpson Safety Equipment | Chevy | 45 | 0 | rear end |
| 29 | 17 | 39 | Vince Giamformaggio | Cal-French Bread | Chevy | 41 | 0 | overheating |
| 30 | 6 | 15 | Bobby Allison | Norris Industries | Ford | 40 | 0 | engine |
| 31 | 28 | 13 | Don Puskarich | Oil Field Construction | Chevy | 36 | 0 | engine |
| 32 | 8 | 73 | Bill Schmitt | Old Milwaukee | Chevy | 19 | 0 | rear end |
| 33 | 33 | 09 | Eddie Bradshaw | C & M Racing | Chevy | 15 | 0 | drive shaft |
| 34 | 26 | 32 | Ray Elder | Midland Motor Homes | Dodge | 12 | 0 | transmission |
| 35 | 14 | 44 | Gary Johnson | Armstrong Electric | Chevy | 3 | 0 | rear end |
The Race::1978 Winston Western 500 was a Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) - Winston West Series (now ) combination event held at Riverside on January 22, 1978. It was the season opener for both series. Cale Yarborough started off the year right, leading 58 of the 119 laps in route to a one-second victory on Benny Parsons.
Race Data[]
Lap leaders: D. Pearson 1-2, C. Yarborough 3-22, D. Pearson 23-27, B. Parsons 28-29, D. Pearson 30-62, C. Yarborough 63-67, D. Pearson 68, J. Insolo 69-70, C. Yarborough 71-73, B. Parsons 74-78, C. Yarborough 79-83, B. Parsons 84-94, C. Yarborough 95-119