NASCAR’s famous firsts out West

NASCAR goes west this weekend, with the Cup Series and Xfinity Series making the summer trip to Sonoma Raceway. NASCAR has an extensive history at both Sonoma, and out West — plenty of famous "firsts" have occurred in The Golden State. Read on to see more in advance of this weekend's trip.

1958: Eddie Gray wins first Riverside race
The inaugural race at Riverside International Raceway was held on June 1, 1958 as Gray outlasted 45 other drivers to grab the checkered flag. It was the 21st race of the season and was the only race west of Atlanta, Georgia on the schedule up to that point in the season.

1971: A.J. Foyt wins first Ontario race
Foyt held off the Petty Enterprises cars of Buddy Baker and Richard Petty to win the first race at Ontario Motor Speedway. At the time, Foyt was a three-time Indianapolis 500 champion who only made occasional Cup Series appearances. This victory came behind the wheel of the famed Wood Brothers No. 21.

1973: Roger Penske's first win as a Cup owner
Nobody imagined that the 1973 opener at Riverside would be looked at as a milestone moment for one of the greatest owners of all-time. Roger Penske's No. 16 driven by Mark Donohue ended the race in Victory Lane, giving Penske his first victory. It was also the only triumph of Donohue's career.

1976: Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson's first championship
A 37-year-old Cale Yarborough simply needed to start the 1976 season finale at Ontario to clinch the first career Cup Series championship for not only for himself but car owner Junior Johnson, too. A 23rd-place finish saw the duo end the season with a 195-point advantage over Richard Petty.

1980: Dale Earnhardt's first championship
Rising star Dale Earnhardt arrived at Ontario for the 1980 finale with a 29-point lead over three-time champion Cale Yarborough in the season standings. Despite a mid-race black flag, Earnhardt finished fifth, which was good enough to clinch his first of an eventual seven Cup Series championships.

1982: Tim Richmond's first win
As race leader Terry Labonte's tires quickly wore out with less than 10 laps left at Riverside, Tim Richmond took advantage and wheeled his No. 2 Buick to victory. It was the first of his Cup career, and he went on to sweep the races at the track that season.

1983: Ricky Rudd and RCR's first win
Two-time defending Cup champion Darrell Waltrip closed in on Ricky Rudd with nine laps remaining at Riverside, but Waltrip's engine began missing, allowing Rudd to pull away and capture his first career victory. It was also the first victory for Richard Childress as a car owner.

1983: Bill Elliott's first win
A rainy finish to the 1983 season finale at Riverside couldn't take the smile off Bill Elliott's face as he took the checkered flag for the first time in his career. It capped off the first season Elliott drove full-time in the Series, and he finished third in points.

1983: Bobby Allison's first title
A 45-year-old Bobby Allison finally captured his first career Cup Series title, thanks to a ninth-place finish in the 1983 finale at Riverside. He edged out two-time defending champion Darrell Waltrip by just 47 points.

1987: Rick Hendrick's debut
Tim Richmond's illness led to a handful of open seats in the No. 25 car in 1987, so team owner Rick Hendrick put himself behind the wheel at Riverside in November. He started 21st and came home 33rd after issues with his transmission.

1989: Ricky Rudd wins first Sonoma race
The first race at Sears Point Raceway (now Sonoma Raceway) was held on June 11, 1989. Eventual Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace sat on the pole, but it was Ricky Rudd who led 61 out of 74 laps en-route to Victory Lane. The race weekend saw multiple breath-taking moments, including Mark Martin ending on his roof during the race.

1993: First Cup race with electronic scoring
The 1993 Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway was the first race that NASCAR used electronic scoring in an event. Just days after purchasing Alan Kulwicki Racing, Geoff Bodine captured the victory driving for Bud Moore.

1995: Dale Earnhardt's first road-course win
Despite a strong resume of road-course success, Dale Earnhardt entered the 1995 race at Sonoma with zero career road-course victories. That all changed when Earnhardt held off a dominant Mark Martin for his first triumph.

2007: Juan Pablo Montoya's first win
Rookie Juan Pablo Montoya became just the third foreign-born driver to win a Cup Series race when he grabbed the checkered flag at Sonoma in 2007. The Colombian-born racer joined Italy's Mario Andretti and Canada's Earl Ross on the list.

2022: Daniel Suárez's first win
Daniel Suárez led 47 of 110 laps at Sonoma, taking the checkered flag 3.8 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Chris Buescher. The former Xfinity Series champion became the first Mexican-born driver to win a Cup Series event, setting off a raucous celebration that included smashing a pinata on the track.