Riverside International Raceway (sometimes known as RIV, RIR, or Riverside Raceway) was a race track or road course in Riverside, California. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989. The original course design proved to be dangerous, and it was partially reconfigured in 1969. The Goodyear Press Box tower was originally built in 1951 as the Air Traffic Control Tower for LAX. Dismantled and moved 70 miles east to RIR. RIR had the only right hand turn in the NASCAR circuit. The Raceway was demolished to make room for the Moreno Valley Mall, Businesses and Housing. So, the next time you are driving in the area, walking through the Moreno Valley Mall, Costco, Businesses or eating at a restaurant in the area just think of all the history that is in the soil underneath your feet. Remember it? Loved it? Miss it? Really Really Miss it? Movie and Television Appearances: Scenes from the television shows CHiPs, Simon and Simon, The Rockford Files, Knight Rider, and the HBO program Super Dave Osborne were shot on location at RIR. The failed television pilot Riding With Death, featured as an experiment on the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000, also contains footage of racing at RIR. RIR was extensively featured in the 1961 telefilm The Quick and the Dead, an episode of the series Route 66. The episode stars Martin Milner and George Maharis, and guest stars Harvey Korman, Regis Toomey, and Betsy Jones-Moreland. Milner races a 1960 powder-blue Chevrolet Corvette in the film. Film shoots at RIR included scenes from: The Betsy (1978), Fireball 500 (1966), Grand Prix (1966), The Killers (1964), The Love Bug (1968), On the Beach (1959), Roadracers (1959), Speedway (1966), Stacey (1973), Thunder Alley (1967), Winning (1969), and Viva Las Vegas (1964).
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 05:36:58 +0000