Photo-finish jump started Great American tradition

Since the field of 59 cars took the green flag for the first Daytona 500 in 1959, the prestige and power of starring on stock-car racing's biggest stage has remained the same.

In some cases, it's come down to incredible finishes. In others, it's been the win of a lifetime.

50th Daytona 500

• Most memorable
• Winning drivers
• Winning crew chiefs
• History of the 500
• How DIS came to be
• Flashback: Daytona '79

Every Daytona 500 has had its special moments, but here are 10 of the most memorable in the 49-year history of the race:

1981 -- The King: "We just out-thunk 'em."

All in all, Richard Petty would rather have a Buick, worn tires and all.

Thanks to crew chief Dale Inman's shrewd decision not to change tires on Petty's last stop of the day, the King was crowned champion of the Daytona 500 for the seventh time, bringing Buick its first Winston Cup victory since 1955.

"We just out-thunk 'em there at the end," Petty said.

Pacing himself while Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker, Ricky Rudd and Dale Earnhardt diced for the lead, Petty preserved his tires for the final stretch. In fact, once he made his final stop, he turned the fastest lap of the race.

With 25 laps to go, Petty didn't appear to have much of a chance, running six seconds behind the lead pack.

But all four leaders pitted for fuel and right-side tires on Lap 174, taking about 17 seconds. Two laps later, Petty rolled down pit road for one can of gas -- and was back out in seven seconds.

That 10-seconds edge was enough to allow Petty to beat Allison to the finish line by four seconds.

"Halfway through the race, Dale told me, 'We can do what we want the last half. The tires will make it,' " Petty said. "That was good enough for me.

"As to why they changed, I guess it was because you can go a little faster for eight to 10 laps. I couldn't lead the race with all those other fellows in a bunch, but we could keep up, and once I got away from 'em, I could run fast."

Allison downplayed the strategy, saying the main reason he lost the race was because his car ran out of gas and slowed on the lap before his final stop.

"The car was really strong," he said. "But we ran out of gas, changed the tires, too, and never caught up again. We ran out, and that was that."

Petty also benefited from woes that sidelined three of his main challengers. Neil Bonnett's spoiler came loose, Darrell Waltrip blew an engine and Benny Parsons suffered a punctured radiator.

"That's how you win races," Petty said. "If you can stay in there, you can figure on some of 'em falling out for one thing or another. My car was probably the seventh-fastest here, but it was first across the line."

Allison's Pontiac had appeared unbeatable all week, thundering to the pole with a lap of 194.624 mph, but Petty was fast enough when it counted. Pretty surprising for a team that had blown two engines in practice and had won just two races the previous season.

"Everybody was accusing me of sandbagging all week," Allison said. "Well, they better look for somebody else now ... the No. 1 sandbagger of all time ... that man in the No. 43. Maybe I didn't figure on him, either."

RacingOne

Cale Yarborough won four Daytona 500s -- and is one of only three drivers to have won the race in consecutive years (1983-84).

1968 -- Yarborough: "I didn't want anything to happen like last year."

Never count out the Wood Brothers.

With a sizeable lead and 10 laps to go, it appeared LeeRoy Yarbrough's Mercury would have an easy ride to victory in the 10th annual Daytona 500. Instead, it was the No. 21 Mercury of Cale Yarborough that made up ground and went on to win.

The difference may have been quick pit work by the legendary Woods. First, Glenn Wood was able to repair a faulty transformer.

"When it first happened -- the car started missing -- my heart sunk," Yarborough said. "I just knew we were out of it and wouldn't be able to run.

"They did a nearly impossible job. That thing is bolted underneath the dash and they had to take it out and change it. We only lost a lap and a half I guess, and that's fantastic -- for anybody but the Wood Brothers."

A pair of three-car accidents wiped out several contenders, placing Yarborough third with 40 laps to go. He took advantage of a pit stop by Paul Goldsmith to move into second place behind Yarbrough, who gave up the lead to Bobby Allison on Lap 168.

Allison then pitted two laps later, setting up the final chase to the checkers when Sam McQuagg blew an engine with 26 laps to go.

Even then, Yarborough's car was on the verge of overheating, forcing him to make an extra pit stop under caution. That left Cale nearly a straightaway behind LeeRoy on the restart.

But using Goldsmith's car as a slingshot, Yarborough slowly began to gain on Yarbrough, finally pulling up to the back bumper on Lap 193.

"We were having some heating problems and I wasn't sure the car could take [running flat out]," Yarborough said. "But I didn't realize we were so close to the finish of the race. I happened to glance over at the pits and there was Glenn holding a sign saying six laps to go."

Twice Cale tried to pass LeeRoy on the backstretch only to lose momentum through Turns 3 and 4. But the third time was the charm, as Yarborough made the pass stick on Lap 198. It was the same move Cale had used against Dick Hutcherson on the last lap of the previous year's Firecracker 400.

"After I got ahead of him, I stomped on it," Yarborough admitted. "I didn't want anything to happen like last year."

A discouraged LeeRoy could only watch as the No. 21 pulled away for the win.

Bobby Allison finished third, while open-wheel driver Al Unser ended up fourth. David Pearson struggled with an oil leak to round out the top five.

The first of two multi-car crashes took out defending winner Mario Andretti and Buddy Baker, while the second wiped out the chances of Jim Hurtubise and Earl Brooks. Richard Petty's day was ruined by a broken windshield brace, which put him several laps down.

Focus On Sport

Darrell Waltrip was able to stretch his fuel load to 132.5 miles and win the 31st annual Great American Race.

1989 -- Waltrip: "Oh, no, not again ..."

After threading his way through a 10-car crash without a scratch, Darrell Waltrip started to wonder if perhaps this would finally be his day.

"Last year was probably my biggest disappointment," Waltrip said. "I left here again feeling like this place owed me something."

Trailing Ken Schrader and Dale Earnhardt, Waltrip and crew chief Jeff Hammond knew the only way to win this race was to gamble on gas.

"When Kenny and Dale broke away, we knew we couldn't catch them," Hammond said. "So we immediately went to Plan 2: Stay out and just draft anybody and everybody."

It worked, until with two laps to go, the fuel pressure gauge in Waltrip's Chevrolet suddenly dropped to zero. Twice.

Waltrip's first thought was "Oh, no, not again."

Not another heartbreak like 1979. Or 1984. Or 1985. Or 1986. Or last year, when he seemingly had the race in hand when his engine broke.

"Several times I told [the crew] on the radio, 'It's gone! It's out!' And they'd say, 'Shake it! Shake it!'" Waltrip said. "I'd move the car around, and it would suck up another ounce or two. With two laps to go the fuel pressure dropped. But it came back up! The fuel pressure came back up!"

Able to stretch his fuel load to 132.5 miles, Waltrip coasted to victory in the 31st annual Daytona 500, jumped out of his car and did an impromptu dance, spiking his helmet to the ground. It was icky, but Waltrip didn't care.

"I've won the Daytona 500! I've won the Daytona 500!" Waltrip shouted. "This is Daytona, isn't it? Don't lie to me! I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Waltrip's dream turned into a nightmare for Schrader, who led 114 laps but finished second. Eleven laps from the finish, he had to pit for much-needed fuel, even though he knew Waltrip was going to try and stretch it.

"We had to stop," Schrader said. "No way were we going to make it. When I saw Darrell legging it, I knew we were in trouble."

Earnhardt wasn't so sure.

"I didn't think he would make it," Earnhardt said. "I'd like to see that gas tank."

Alan Kulwicki was using the same strategy, and led Waltrip for six laps. But his chances at victory went flat on Lap 197, courtesy of a flat tire.

The race pace was slowed by two big crashes. On Lap 24, Geoff Bodine tapped Davey Allison and sent him on a wild ride. Allison's Thunderbird clobbered the outside wall, then spun toward the infield, finally doing a complete roll. An angry Allison was able to restart his car and finish 25th, then confront Bodine in the garage area afterwards.

"I turned completely over, and there was enough dirt in my car to plant a spring garden in there," Allison said.

Then on Lap 73, Jody Ridley, driving in relief of injured Bill Elliott, set off a 10-car pileup.

"A car ricocheted off the wall right in front of me -- or behind me," Waltrip said. "How I made it through that, I'll never know."

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Kevin Harvick basks in the aftermath of winning the 2007 Daytona 500.

2007 -- Harvick: "I just didn't realize how excited I was."

This was finally going to be Mark Martin's year.

With less than a mile to the finish line, after coming so close so many times at Daytona, it appeared that Martin was finally going to end his victory drought with a Daytona 500 win.

2007 Daytona 500

Pos.	Driver	Make
1	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet
2	Mark Martin	Chevrolet
3	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet
4	Mike Wallace	Chevrolet
5	David Ragan	Ford

"I really wanted to win that thing," Martin said. "They were going to have to pry it out of my fingers, man."

But while Martin and Kevin Harvick were racing side-by-side with the checkered flag in sight, all hell was breaking loose directly behind them. Kyle Busch wiggled, smacked Matt Kenseth and set up a multi-car, chain-reaction accident that left Clint Bowyer's car upside down and on fire.

Harvick, who restarted the race 29th 22 laps earlier, stayed in the throttle -- NASCAR officials didn't wave the caution flag for several seconds while cars careened in all directions -- and was declared the winner by no more than the hood of his No. 29 Chevrolet, with owner Richard Childress barely able to believe his eyes.

"This had to be the wildest Daytona 500 I've ever watched," Childress said. "I kept my eyes shut there for a little while it was so wild."

Harvick knew his car had the advantage at the line.

"I got so excited at the end of the race, and I knew we had won," he said. "I just didn't realize how excited I was, and I punched the dang mirror out of the car. Just overexcited, I guess. Knocked the mirror right out."

And Martin?

"I haven't even seen the finish. It is what it is," Martin said. "We were inches or feet or whatever. We were short. It was so close, but it was second. I let it slip away, slip through my fingers, and I'm fine with that. I am very proud of what this team did for me this weekend."

Jeff Burton was third, followed by Mike Wallace. Fifth place was rookie David Ragan, who replaced Martin at Roush Racing during the winter.

Martin's decision to switch teams -- and run a partial schedule for Bobby Ginn's operation -- looked golden when he led the later stages of the race. But with five laps remaining, a five-car accident brought out the red flag and put Martin in the unenviable position of having to hold off hard-charging Harvick and the rest of the field.

RacingOne

Bobby Allison, right, celebrates with his son Davey after winning the Daytona 500 on Feb. 14, 1988.

1988 -- Family affair: "I've dreamed about ... finishing 1-2 with my dad."

If youth was going to be served in the 30th annual Daytona 500, Bobby Allison wanted to make sure that the kid knew exactly what was on the menu.

With son Davey's Ford snapping at his Buick's bumper on the final lap, Bobby kept his foot firmly on the accelerator, pulling away at the line for a two-car length victory, making the 50-year-old veteran the oldest driver to win the 500.

"Since I was a kid, I've dreamed about battling to the wire, finishing 1-2 with my dad," Davey Allison said. "The only difference was, I wanted him to finish second."

"I saw the nose of Davey's car coming up, out of the corner of my eye," Bobby Allison said. "But I felt I had the horsepower to beat him."

Unlike wreck-filled finishes in 1976 and 1979, both Allisons knew this would be a clean run to the finish.

"I've worked for this guy all my life," Davey said. "At the finish today, I knew he'd make it awful tough on me, but I also knew he wouldn't wreck me."

"When I'm racing against the best youngster who's ever come along, I couldn't do that to him," Bobby responded.

Phil Parsons, Neil Bonnett and Terry Labonte rounded out the top five.

The race became an Allison vs. Allison battle only after the engine in Darrell Waltrip's Chevrolet went sour with 14 laps remaining. Waltrip had led 69 laps, second only to Bobby Allison's 70.

"This is the best car I've ever had anywhere in my whole life, bar none," a heartbroken Waltrip said. "It was really tough those last 10 laps, watching people I'd beaten all day pass me. Bobby and Davey just had it going their way, but I still think I could have beaten them if I hadn't had that problem."

The race was marred by a horrifying crash involving Richard Petty. Petty's No. 43 turned sideways coming out of Turn 4, lifted off the ground, spun wildly on its nose while airborne, tore down a section of the catch fence, then barrel-rolled several times down the front straight before coming to a stop. At that point, the car was hit broadside by the cars of A.J. Foyt and Brett Bodine and sheared nearly in half.

Amazingly, Petty escaped without serious injury.

"I closed my eyes, held my breath and then everything went black," Petty said. "I guess I blacked out. Then they tried to tell me my leg was broken. I told 'em it wasn't. If it was broken, I think I would know."

The 40-minute caution needed to repair the fence after Petty's wild ride brought the average speed of the race down to 137.531 mph.

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt

2001

The 43rd annual Daytona 500 would not be remembered for Michael Waltrip's stunning victory, 49 lead changes or an 18-car pileup that left Tony Stewart momentarily airborne.

Instead, the race was overshadowed by the death of Dale Earnhardt, who was fatally injured at nearly the same time the two cars he owned -- driven by Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- were crossing the finish line 1-2.

"Undoubtedly this is one of the toughest announcements I've personally had to make," NASCAR president Mike Helton said later, once the news was official. "After the accident in Turn 4 at the end of the Daytona 500, we've lost Dale Earnhardt."

For Waltrip, the victory was bittersweet. Ready to celebrate ending a personal 463-race winless streak, Waltrip's first task in Victory Lane was to search out his new boss -- Earnhardt -- and thank him for resuscitating his career.

Instead of a receiving a slap on the back for a job well done, Waltrip's joy quickly turned to sorrow once he heard the news.

"This is not anything personal to you all," he said, "but the only person who won this race was Dale Earnhardt. I was just so looking forward to doing well for him and then he wasn't there ... and I didn't know that he was hurt."

At first glance, Earnhardt's last-lap wreck didn't appear that serious.

Coming out of Turn 3, Rusty Wallace sneaked between Sterling Marlin and Kenny Schrader to Earnhardt's rear bumper. Marlin got a bit loose and subsequently tapped Earnhardt in the left rear quarter panel, sending him up the track and into the Turn 4 wall at approximately a 45-degree angle.

Schrader, unable to maneuver around Earnhardt, plowed into the side of his Chevrolet.

The two slid down the track and into the infield grass. Schrader quickly jumped out. Earnhardt did not.

"I don't know for sure what happened," Schrader said. "We all spread out going down the back straightaway. I knew that was going to happen. I was just hoping we'd get someone to go with us.

"They spread out, so I just hung with the guys on the outside. I guess someone got into Dale because Dale got into me and then we went up [the track]. We hit pretty hard, and Dale hit harder."

• 2006 Earnhardt Tribute

David Taylor/Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt and team owner Richard Childress celebrate victory after the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15, 1998.

1998 -- The Intimidator: "We won it! We won it! We won it!"

Dale Earnhardt was proof positive about the adage, "If at first, you don't succeed, try, try again."

Of course, he didn't expect to try for 20 years.

Winner of 11 qualifying races, two Pepsi 400s, seven Busch Series events, three Busch Clashes and four IROC races, Earnhardt was very familiar with Daytona's Victory Lane. But for some reason, when it came to the Daytona 500, he couldn't find the place with a hunting dog and a compass.

But in an emotionally satisfying victory, concluding with high-fives and infield donuts, Earnhardt erased all the memories of his near-misses as The Intimidator became The Winner.

"We won it! We won it! We won it!," Earnhardt yelled as he climbed from his car. "The Daytona 500 is ours!"

Luck had not smiled on Earnhardt, who seemed to be Daytona's perennial bridesmaid.

He had led 17 of the previous 19 races, including twice on the final lap -- once the victim of a freak flat tire, the other passed by Dale Jarrett. He had four second-place finishes.

But not today. Not this time.

"I've said before that those things didn't bother me," he said. "I lied. You don't come that close to winning the Daytona 500 and not feel it. It hurt."

Earnhardt led the final 61 laps but was chased all the way by Bobby Labonte, Jeremy Mayfield, Ken Schrader and Rusty Wallace. As the laps dwindled, Labonte tried low and he tried high, but couldn't find the key to passing the No. 3 Chevrolet.

And when John Andretti and Lake Speed tangled on Lap 198, bringing out the day's final caution, Earnhardt was able to coast to the long-awaited victory.

"I'll admit it," Earnhardt said. "My eyes watered up in the race car coming to take the checkered. It's something I've always wondered what it might feel like."

Earnhardt's excitement was shared by nearly everyone in the stands, on pit road and by his competition.

Crew members mobbed Earnhardt as he drove slowly down pit road after his impromptu celebratory skid through the grass, slapping his hand or shaking it vigorously. No matter which team they represented, they all were No. 3 fans at the end.

"It's kinda neat," Wallace said. "As much as he's meant to the sport, he deserves it."

"I'm excited for him," Jeff Gordon said. "He got the lead when he needed to, and from then on, he controlled the race. As many times as he's been so close, he deserves it."

Earnhardt led 34 of the first 58 laps, then fell back with handling problems as Gordon took the point. However, the defending race winner hit some debris, damaging his front air dam. Then he burned a piston and ended up 16th.

"I think the car we had today was better [than last year]," Gordon said. "We had one of the best cars on the race track."

Earnhardt and Wallace swapped the lead for several laps, then Earnhardt passed teammate Mike Skinner for the lead on Lap 140 and was never headed.

RacingOne

Lee Petty (42) races to the line against Johnny Beauchamp (72) during the first Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 22, 1959.

1959 -- First photo finish: "There's no doubt about it. Petty won."

The inaugural Daytona 500 was an instant success, fueled by instant controversy resulting from a finish that most definitely needed an instant replay.

It took three days to confirm the winner, but NASCAR officials, scanning photographs and movies of the finish, decided that Lee Petty had edged Johnny Beauchamp by an official margin of victory of two feet. The official decision matched the post-race opinion of a fan, who scrambled up the giant Daytona scoreboard to place Petty's No. 42 ahead of Beauchamp's No. 73.

For the two combatants, the close finish was all a matter of perspective.

"I had him by two feet," Beauchamp said. "I glanced over to Lee Petty's car as I crossed the finish line and I could see his headlight slightly back of my car. It was so close I didn't know how they would call it, but I thought I won."

Not surprisingly, Petty's view of the finish was completely the opposite.

"I had Beauchamp by a good two feet," Petty said. "In my own mind, I know I won."

Early leader Fireball Roberts, who was standing near the finish line, sided with Petty.

"There's no doubt about it," he said. "Petty won."

Cotton Owens set the fastest lap in qualifying at 143.198 mph, but it was pole-sitter Bob Welborn, winner of the 100-miler earlier in the week, who took the early lead as 59 cars took the green flag.

Welborn, Tiger Tom Pistone and Joe Weatherly took turns at the front during the first 22 laps, then Roberts grabbed the lead on Lap 23 and led the next 20 circuits.

Beauchamp then led for the first time before Pistone and Jack Smith battled over the top spot for the next 100 miles.

But by the three-quarter mark, it was clear that the winner would be either Beauchamp's Thunderbird or Petty's Oldsmobile. The two had broken away from the rest of the field and proceeded to swap the lead over the final 30 laps, trying to protect both engine and tires for the final sprint.

Petty took over on Lap 197 and led until the white flag. Beauchamp finally made his move to the front, but felt he had been blocked by Weatherly's lapped car.

"I don't think Weatherly did it intentionally but I was hampered by his blocking at times," Beauchamp said. "We finally spread out and I found running room."

Beauchamp finally pulled side-by-side with Petty as the cars passed a backmarker in the tri-oval for a three-wide finish.

NASCAR officials stationed at the stripe thought Beauchamp may have won by 12 inches. But Petty disputed that, claiming he had beaten Beauchamp to the line by two feet. Without a photo finish camera, NASCAR President Bill France decided to delay the determination of the winner until officials could examine photographs and movies of the finish.

RacingOne

Cale Yarborough talks with Donnie Allison after Yarborough crashed and fought with Bobby Allison during the last lap of the 1979 Daytona 500.

1979 -- Cale: "He bowed up, and I swung at him."

In one of the strangest races in Daytona 500 history, the wildest moment turned out to be an unscheduled tag-team wrestling match.

As a nationwide television audience witnessed the first live flag-to-flag coverage of a 500-mile race, Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison smashed into each other while going for the lead on the final lap. When Bobby Allison stopped to survey the damage, the three began swinging fists and helmets at each other, leaving a surprised Richard Petty to cross the finish line the victor, snapping a winless streak of 45 races.

It was almost inevitable that Yarborough and the Allisons would be involved in a race-ending incident, because that's how they started their day, once a chilly morning rain ended.

On Lap 32, Donnie Allison lost control and forced Yarborough and Bobby Allison to take evasive action, as all three cars spun through the muck and the mire on the backstretch infield.

Forced to pit to repair his waterlogged car, Yarbrough ended up losing four laps to the leaders. But he used a series of cautions to his advantage -- including making up three laps in a 35-lap span -- to get back on the lead lap for the final sprint to the finish.

Chasing the Allisons -- leader Donnie and the lapped car of Bobby -- but a half-lap ahead of Petty, Darrell Waltrip and A.J. Foyt, Yarborough made his move on the final lap, diving below Donnie's car on the backstretch. Allison ran Yarborough down to the apron, where the two Oldsmobiles made contact, then slid up the embankment to hit the outside wall before spinning back into the infield.

All three cars came to a stop in the grass, where the melee ensued. Helmets and racing gloves became weapons as the Allisons and Yarborough kicked and clawed in the mud.

"It's the worst thing I've ever seen in racing," Yarborough said. "Bobby waited on us so he could block me off. It was evident. The films will show it. I had him beat. I knew how to win the race.

"They double-teamed me. My left wheels were over in the dirt, and Donnie knocked me over in the dirt further. He carried me on into the grass. I started spinning and Donnie started spinning.

"Donnie denied doing it. Bobby pulled up over there, and I asked him why he did it. He bowed up, and I swung at him. It was the worst thing I've ever seen in racing."

To no one's surprise, the Allisons saw things a little differently.

"Naw, I didn't block them," Bobby Allison said. "I wasn't even close. I rode up there after the race was over to make sure they were both OK."

"I don't think Bobby slowed down, and Bobby didn't move anywhere," Donnie Allison concurred. "Cale had made up his mind he would pass me low, and I had made up my mind he was gonna have to pass me high. I had already decided if he was going to pass, it was going to be on the outside.

"When he tried to pass me low, he went off the track. He spun and hit me. I feel like I had to keep from getting knocked out, and I didn't do that.

"When Bobby came over to find out if we were all right, Cale went over and punched Bobby through the screen. Then he came at me and started calling me names."

Petty, who had been running a distant third, suddenly found himself in the lead with less than two miles to go. Waltrip made a desperation move to the apron of the track in the tri-oval, but Petty stayed in front by a car length at the line.

"I had hold of my steering wheel, and I was going to cut it left if Darrell got any closer," Petty said.

RacingOne

David Pearson got a good chuckle -- and the checkered flag -- after winning the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15, 1976.

1976 -- Out-Foxed: "I didn't gave a damn if I ever got to the finish line."

Considering the condition of his and Richard Petty's cars at the completion of 500 miles, David Pearson didn't win the 18th annual Daytona 500 as much as he survived a demolition derby.

Call it a technical knockout in favor of Pearson.

In a finish still talked about as perhaps the most amazing in motorsports, running side-by-side at full throttle in of the final corner, Pearson and Petty slammed into each other and the wall, resulting in major damage to both cars as the crowd of nearly 100,000 at the track and millions on television watched in amazement.

While Petty's mangled Dodge coasted to a stop no more than 25 yards from the finish line, Pearson was able to restart his battered Mercury and coax it across the infield grass to the finish line and around the track for a victory lap at a speed more suited for a school zone.

"What it came down to was whichever one of us could get his car started first," Petty said. "Pearson won because he got his car cranked again. I never could get my car cranked."

Once other challengers -- Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison and A.J. Foyt -- retired with engine problems, the race came down to a two-car battle between the two champions of the sport.

Pearson led 10 consecutive laps before Petty nosed his car in front on Lap 188. Pearson then drafted past Petty for the lead on the final lap, only to have Petty dive to the inside heading into Turn 3.

For an instant, Petty regained the lead. But his car immediately shot to the right, pinning Pearson's car against the wall. As Pearson's No. 21 swapped ends, slammed hard into the barrier and spun like a top into the infield grass, Petty appeared to regain control for only a moment before the No. 43 made a 90-degree turn head-first into the wall.

"My car was going straight down the track, with the brakes locked," Petty said. "Then I overcorrected, and that's what threw me into the wall. It turned out my car was going straight and the driver didn't realize it and made the mistake of continuing to try to drive."

The Dodge spun back around, facing the finish line. But in his efforts to regain control, Petty had stalled the motor.

"I didn't do anything to keep it from stalling," Petty said. "Once my car got sideways, I just locked the brakes. By that time, I didn't gave a damn if I ever got to the finish line."

The Silver Fox, however, had the presence of mind to push in the clutch during his wild ride.

"My engine never died because before I hit the wall, I popped the clutch," Pearson said. "I revved the engine as high as I could to keep it from stalling."

In the smoke and dust, Pearson frantically radioed his crew to find out if Petty had crossed the finish line.

"When they said no, I took off," he said.

As Pearson's car slowly rolled past on its way to victory, Petty's crew ran out to give their driver a push start.

By the time Pearson's car had completed its final trip around the speedway, some members of the No. 43 team, including Richard's brother, Maurice, were back on pit road to "welcome" Pearson, leaning in the driver's window to angrily converse with the winner.

"I don't think Maurice was mad at me," Pearson said. "I think he was just trying to ask me what happened. But another member of the Petty crew said some nasty words.

"I didn't have time to be angry. If he had beat me across the line, I might have been."

Petty himself had few harsh words for Pearson. Instead he went up to the winner and apologized.

"I just flat lost it," Petty said at first. "My right rear hit his left front. If there's anybody to be mad at, it's myself.

"I broke loose and slid into him. I had him pinched in against the wall. When David bounced off the wall, he caught my rear end and got me sideways. That's why I apologized to David after the race."

However, Petty changed his tune slightly after seeing television replays of the crash.

"I was in front of him," Petty said. "Then as we came off the corner, he hit my right rear. I was apologizing for what happened when I passed him in the middle of the corner, not for what caused the crash."