David Pearson on Heart-Stopping Daytona Battles with Richard Petty

your most famous onew finish with Richard was the 76 Daytona 500 and I do want to talk about that one in just a second but there was a race at Daytona a couple years before that the 74 firecracker 400 that's pretty famous where you took the white flag and kind of lifted or let him by what do you remember about that race well he had me be if I had didn't do something you know I knew I had to do something because I always accused him run no big engine anyway you know he has he has done that quite a few times I found out but uh he uh he had me beat if uh and I said well I if if he' went on ain't no only way I could beat him is draft by him you know and and I knew that I knew that I had to get me a running start and go by him that way because I couldn't just follow him and go by and do that race we was going to different things and trying different things and I was I'd slow up every once in a while and uh and see what he would do and see when he could pass me and I could see when I was the fastest at different points and and he had me beat and no doubt about it and I said well I don't know what I can do I'm going run second if I if I'm if it comes down between me and him I said I'm going to run second one way or another there ain't no way I can beat him and I said I got to do something to some way or another try to make him and get in front of me you know and so I he wouldn't do it I'd slow up and he would not pass me he'd stay right back there behind me you know and he would not try to pass so when I was coming by and right when I got to the White Flag I throw my hand up and just cut down to the inside like I was out of gas or something he shot right by me on the outside and I said uhhuh so just quick as I seen him pull out to go by me I got back on the throttle yeah and uh it just ended up just right that I just uh and I think he thought something was wrong anyway because I was far enough back then going in one he probably backed off you know a little bit and uh going down the backstretch uh I was really draft That Old Mercury would draft real good if it just smelled another car in front of it it would it was really you know break the wind go on but it was old big old Square front end on it it would really break a lot of wind and as long as the car in front of it I could really draft and pick up a lot of speed so uh I caught him down uh going down the backstretch up close to him and coming off a four I caught him enough that I just duck right down and and went by him started by him and he run me down on the apron then when he done that and I beat him and after the race he said that that was a dangerous move I pulled it wasn't half as dangerous it as he was running me down on apron you know far as that goes but uh anyway he got ticked off about it but uh I'd found out that uh before that he said that uh there was no way I was going to beat him that day because uh I think of the last two July races before I'd pull something on him somewhere or another and beat him and uh he uh he said this is one time that he wasn't going to outsmart me or do nothing pull no trick on me that they that he was going to get me that day and he talked pretty confidence in it as what somebody told me so he undoubtly had a big engine that day but uh he he was good let's talk about the 1976 Daytona 500 Rich myself we tangled up you know and we both spun around and Richard's car stalled with him and I kept mine running and by the time I got turned around and went back and got on the racetrack and got to the chicken flag I was running about 20 30 m there and another thing happened there uh I was on the in the infield in the grace part right in the pit Road there and some of them people said that Joel FR on come down the Pit Road and hit the front end of my car and turned it around towards start and finish line and went on but that's not true yeah you know now Joe fran did come down through there and just Sneed the front end of my car but my car would not turn to the right if they look at the FM I backed up and turned around to made a circle to the left and went out on Racetrack that way but uh of course uh Joe is known to try to get in the wreck and everything else you know anyway but he didn't hit me win it that's for sure I've never really heard heard you and Richard criticize each other about the end of that race no we was just racing you know no doubt about it is there anything that either one of you could have done to avoid that accident oh yeah I could have backed off but that ain't racing you know no uh he he wasn't in front of me and he act like he thought he was what he was doing he just kept coming up you know and he was coming up to cut me off so I couldn't you know back then uh or time before that it was we we could draft and pass somebody coming off four and beat them to the start and finish line and uh he I always accused him he knew if he got in front of me there's no way I could get back by him the time I got I was coming off fory M and uh so he kept coming up coming up to his right rear hit my left front and yeah I could have backed off yeah and and I I figured that he'd just come over and hit me then that would be you know he stopped but he come up too far too far and of course that spin us got us both spinning around and uh so uh and I kept mine running and he didn't