Hershel McGriff was born on December 14, 1927 in Bridal Veil, Oregon. His first race was in the 1950 Southern 500 at the age of 22. The NASCAR Hall of Fame reports that “competing in parts of 35 seasons, McGriff won 37 races, good for third on the all-time West Series wins list.” In 1986 he won the Pro Series West title; and in 1998 he was named one of 50 greatest NASCAR drivers. He laid claim to the title for the most wins at Riverside International Raceway with 14 wins. McGriff’s final race was at Sonoma Raceway at the age of 84.

This 1983 NASCAR was originally badged as a Buick when it was raced at Riverside International Raceway. Today it is badged as a Pontiac. Under the hood is a V-8 engine that is paired to a manual transmission with a Hurst Shifter. The car is still equipped to be a racecar with a full roll cage, driver’s seat with safety harness, adjustable suspension and Bassett wheels with older Goodyear tires. Upon further examination, the engine appears to have been "pickled," the transmission linkage is not hooked up and the fuel cell is not opperational at this point.

In 2011 this NASCAR racecar was shown at The Quail, which is a Motorsports Gathering. Adding to the provenance of this car is the fact that it was Riversides #1 most winning car.