Drivers have vibrant memories as Riverside fans

FONTANA, Calif. -- Kevin Harvick snuck into Riverside International Raceway under a blanket. Casey Mears remembers playing in the mud during off-road races. David Gilliland watched his father from the stands. And Jimmie Johnson saw his future car owner on the track.

Riverside hosted its last Cup race in 1988, and of the 45 drivers vying for spots in Sunday's Pepsi Max 400 at Auto Club Speedway, only Mark Martin can lay claim to having made a start there. In fact, two drivers -- Landon Cassill and Joey Logano -- weren't born yet.

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But for drivers with southern California roots, Riverside was the epicenter of racing, both on and off the pavement. It hosted its first Cup event in 1958 -- a 500-mile marathon won by local Eddie Gray. When it comes to NASCAR's premier series, Bobby Allison tops the list with six victories, followed by five each by Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Dan Gurney.

Gilliland is a native of Riverside. His father, Butch, was the 1997 Winston West champion and won 15 Winston West events.

"Yeah, my dad raced out there," Gilliland said. "I don't know how old I was the last time. I was in the stands, too little to go into the pits. I went out there twice. I remember just running around in the dirt, watching. I don't know what turn it was, at the opposite end from the pits."

Gilliland described where his seats were located.

"You came out of the pits and I remember there were some esses, and then there was a right-hand corner," Gilliland said. "We were sitting up there, me and my cousin. I remember [my dad] being out there. He really enjoyed racing out there. I never got to race there, but he enjoyed road racing and I do, too. We've had some good success on road courses."

Mears, who grew up in Bakersfield, also remembered going to Riverside as a spectator. His father, Roger, was a tremendous off-road racer.

"I did when my dad raced," Mears said. "I never drove it but he was doing the off-road races there, I was there every summer. He'd go there and run about four different classes and win in every class, and we'd go home." (Continued)