Once at the track all bets were off when the big guns came to town, Petty, Allison, Pearson, Yarborough, didn’t matter who, they were the guys to beat. So roll up the sleeves Winston West regulars, get your wrenches in hand gentlemen, we have some racing to do. I remember days in Riverside California when we would run lap after lap making sure the car was perfect, looking for those small problems that could cost us the race.
As a result Hershel has the best win record in history at Riverside. Winning more races there than Dan Gurney, the “so called” Riverside expert. Experimenting with tire compounds, brakes, springs, shocks, bump steer, etc. all very important items and keys to winning. On race day we would keep everything under wraps and take it to pit wall only when necessary, practicing pit stops, setting up radio communication. Setting up pit strategy prior to the green flag was not as important as it is now days when the racing is so much closer. We always had a schedule because that is what you did, but to win you needed to be more than scheduled, you needed to be able to respond quickly to changes on and off the track. There were occasions when we would have enough time to pit and get back out before the second place car could get around to pass the start finish. Things were good during the Permatex races, the 500 milers were a different story.
