His Checkered Flag Was the Last at Ontario

Nobody knew it at the time, but when Benny Parsons and his Chevy survived 70-mph winds and a stellar NASCAR field to win the Times 500 19 years ago today, an era had passed.

A crowd of 41,200 saw the race at Ontario Motor Speedway, and there would be no more major racing events, no more big crowds--because Ontario Motor Speedway would be no more.

The state-of-the-art facility, built for $25.5 million a decade earlier at the junction of Interstates 10 and 15 in Ontario, was called “Indy West” by some racing enthusiasts.

The track’s first race, in 1970, was called the California 500 and promoters emulated Indy 500 pageantry for the occasion, even inviting Indy president Tony Hulman to kick it off with his famous call: “Gentlemen, start your engines!”

Engines roared and so did 180,223 spectators. It’s believed to be the biggest crowd to see a Southern California sporting event.

But on Dec. 16, 1980, the track, which had been a financial white elephant from the get-go, was sold to developers for $35 million. In 1981, Ontario Motor Speedway was demolished, its 140,000 aluminum seats sold to other speedways.

Parsons’ 1980 victory in the track’s last major event came on a day when Dale Earnhardt finished high enough, fifth, to win NASCAR’s Grand National Championship.

For Parsons, 39, it was his third Grand National event win.

Earnhardt, 29, became the first rookie of the year to win the Grand National in his second year on the Winston Cup circuit.

Also on this date: In 1983, David Stern, 41, was unanimously elected NBA commissioner, to succeed retiring Larry O’Brien. . . . In 1960, ex-slugger Hank Greenberg’s deal to acquire an American League expansion team for Los Angeles began coming apart as his feud with commissioner Ford Frick burst into the open. Gene Autry quickly filled the vacuum and secured the team, the Angels. . . . In 1962, fast-rising heavyweight Cassius Clay improved to 16-0 by stopping Archie Moore in the fourth round at the Sports Arena before 16,200. Ringside seats were $30 and the gate, $182,599, was a California record. . . . In 1960, the Lakers’ Elgin Baylor scored 71 points as Los Angeles beat New York in Madison Square Garden, 123-108.