1981 Daytona 500: The Drama Behind the Historic Win
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- čas přidán 9. 04. 2023
- In this episode we look at all the hard work that went into making the 1981 Daytona 500 successful for the Petty’s. Everyone knows the end result but few know the drama behind the historic win.
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We are going to be at Petty Fest this Saturday selling some of our Tee shirts and other things we’ve come across from around the shop. Come by and check us out.
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As always thanks for watching and make sure to like and subscribe!
I was there in Daytona 1981 race. #43 fan 4-ever ❤Best day!!
I could listen to you guys for hours
Awesome bro!!!
I am so glad yall told the story of the hat! I was watching this thinking what is the story behind this hat. That is pretty dang cool! 50 years old and I have never heard this story!
Lot of good luck in that hat!! Thanks for keeping up with us we appreciate it
Great video!
I thought my gpa which passed a year ago bless his soul, I ve only heard him pronounce Daytona, Da Tone’ I love to hear him say it with that flare!! He was a nascar pit crew front tire changer for a couple years for LG Dewitt and Benny P I could hear this man pronounce it like that all day lol
The 81 win is probably my favorite Petty victory. Although not a crazy finish, or a last lap pass, the pressure was incredible. The decision to roll the dice gas only and put the race in The Kings' hands was incredible. If I remember correctly The King once in the lead started turning his best laps. Wheeling and dealing thru traffic keeping Allison at bay. Like Ken Squire said, " Holding that lead like a hammerhead shark!"
I was at that race it was great It was nice to hear about the rebuilding the engine
I Love this iconic piece of history you guys are sharing with us Petty fans !
Great story, the Boys are very entertaining & we love hearing about Chief.
Thanks Kurt!
I remember Dale Inman breaking down and crying during the post-race interview in 1981. He had already decided to leave Petty Enterprises, and he came back in 1986.
This is the most fantastic show on CZcams......Petty fan since 1971
since 1965 for me
Richard is my childhood hero!!
oh my gosh, is that Adam she's holding in the interview?? Sorry, yougin here, i'm 38 yo. Adams death always really shook me since he was only 4 years older than I, and of course, with black and green being my favorite colors, Kyle was my driver to root for. Much love to all you guys. Thanks for posting stories like this! You guys might not realize it, but sharing the stories is a great way of getting new folks into the sport.
Thanks for posting this as I was curious also. I was 6 at the time and Becca was a couple of years older than me so knew it couldn't have been her. Had to be Adam as he would have been about 7 months old at the time.
Thanks for the support!! Yes that is Adam in victory lane
My first Daytona 500 to see live was in 1980. Watched from the top of my uncle's motorhome. That Petty Blue and Day Glo red 442 was AMAZING to see live. Of course, the day was short with the burned clutch. After 43 won in 1981, I was tortured that King won in the two years bracketing the first year I was there. Ha.
Just found your channel from @Stapleton42. So happy to be here. Lifelong Petty fan since I was born; my daddy, too. Every time I see a 74 Charger sticker, pic, etc, I smile. It was my favorite of all his racecars, so much so that I bought a 74 Charger 25 years ago and have it to this day. Has a 43 sticker on the rear glass and a license plate frame from when I visited the Level Cross museum years ago.
Been watching my notifications every day for the next video. Thanks so much guys for the videos and history.
Oh my goodness! I was working there then. We worked night and day to get that Buick ready. I was a body man working in the body shop with Steve and Johnny! I remember your dad saying when they brought that Dodge back that it wouldn’t get up to racing speed if you threw it off a cliff! You guys are great, bringing back so many memories. Keep up the great work and keep the videos coming. Tim, if you remember when Kyle left to run for Hoss Ellington, I was the one who spent the night in Hoss’s shop painting the Uno car the Petty colors the week before Daytona.
I appreciate y’all’s history and insider perspective on Petty Enterprises Racing. Great videos I look forward to seeing more content from you.
Great episode guys keep them coming
That 81 Daytona 500 win was probably the smartest race the Pettys ever ran!!
Enjoyed the race footage & stories!
This was the first race I ever attended at Daytona.
Get a notice and I immediately turn on. Thank you for these stories ❤️
I can''t believe they were running such big cars on the track in the past - I mean some of those cars were Full Size models! especially in the 50s, but in the 60's Richard was running that Belvedere in 64 and the Trunk was about the same length as the Hood! And I mean, he could have had that engine combination in something smaller like a Sport Fury or a Polara!
What a tremendous story of the up and back to and from Level Cross! And what a photo of the Mirada-and I never saw that interview with Miss Lynda! The '81 Daytona 500 was truly a sweet family victory. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing, congratulations, and cheers!
I did not know the technical detail about the Mirada not running clean down the back stretch. I always heard that the Mirada would not crack 190 mph. And, for the record, there was the Chevy Caprice in 1979 on the short tracks. I hope you can tell us more about why the Buick never quite gelled after Daytona.
Thank you again for another incredible story! I REALLY enjoy your videos and channel. This is tremendous history and you deliver it beautifully! Hope you'll come "Up North" one of these days!!! #PettyFanForLife #PettyBlue
Watching that 81 Daytona race with my Dad & suddenly there's Ol' Ned interviewing Maurice, then out of nowhere Pop start's laughing hard 😂 I asked WTH is so dang funny Dad? When his laughing calmed down enough for him to speak, he stammered "Chief has a damn Mickey Mouse hat on!!" LOL! For whatever reason the fact that Maurice Petty was wearing a Mickey Mouse hat tickled Pop something fierce 🤣
Haha he sure loved that hat! Brought them a lot of good luck!
@@pettybrothersracing Hell yeah it did! 💪
I've only been a NASCAR fan since 2020 and I was born after the Winston era already ended, but I still look forward to these videos
As always, amazing content. Keep up the great work.
👍 Enjoyed!! 🏁 43
Another point... Darrell Waltrip used the same strategy in the 89 Daytona and got his one and only 500 win!!
I would have loved to seen the Mirada run . I remember the Magnum too . Broke my heart when the Petty Team went to GM .
Great video Thank you for sharing
Yet another great video! thanks for sharing!!!
Because Dale & Maurice saw that if they just gased & go, they wouldn't spend all the time in the pits that Bobby had. A full pit stop back then was what, 25 seconds??? So when Petty came in & only took a few seconds of gas, he hut the track 13 seconds ahead of their nearest competition
Can't wait for you to speak about the #42 Buick Regal!
i really enjoyed the story about the Mirada.I remember hearing back then that they were going to test the Dodge and i was hopeful that it would work out and they would return to Dodge. It is a shame that it didn't work out as the Mirada looked good visually and should have been faster than the Gm cars but if the Petty's with all of their experience could'nt make it work,who could. I looked at a Mirada at the dealership in late 81 but could'nt get a salesman to come out and got mad and drove off lol. Thanks for posting that picture in the video of the Mirada as pictures of that car are hard to find. Would Kyle have been in a Mirada to if the Dodge deal had worked out or would he have been in the Buick ? Just wondering if they had built a Mirada for both of them or just the one car.
OMG!! SEE YA'LL SATURDAY FOR SURE!!!❤️❤️❤️
Just found your channel & definitely subscribed!! Love this history info here, all of you guys.
I remember those days of childhood getting to watch the stock car race on wide world of sports - I watched that race where Richard won while Allison & Yarborough duked it out!
A HUGE question for you guys is, did Maurice ever write a book, or any memoirs about those years when Petty Enterprises was THE TOP in nascar?? If not, has there been any thought to it between Richard/Dale/You guys?
Thx
Neat memories guys!👍
It's interesting to hear the history behind the Buick. I have heard in other interviews that the Daytona winning Oldsmobile in 1979 had a history with it also. I know Kyle has stated in interviews that he worked on it a lot and I have heard Richard mention that the car was purchased second hand from a private owner. It would be interesting to hear the story of that car as it is obviously an important one., breaking a winless streak and adding to the win total at Daytona. We already know about how the IN sticker got on the car...also speaking of Oldsmobiles maybe some history about the early cars would be interesting since most think of Mopars when thinking about the Petty's.
Awesome stuff guys 👍👊🇺🇲
Great episode 🏁
My parents took me and my brother to Richards first race in 1958 at the Dust Bowl in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He startrd 7, finished 17th , and I’ve been a fan ever since. Sad today to see the 43 and the 42 not owned by the King or any Petty family members.
Was that Adam Petty that Mrs. Petty was holding during her interview after the race?
I have the Uniform that Richard was wearing in that race. He used that uniform for the entire 1981 and 82 seasons.
Great job. No tires, just gas. Pit crew won that race 💪
With about 45 laps to go in the 1980 Daytona 500 Richard made a scheduled pit stop and just as he was leaving his pits another car came in and cut in front of him to get into their pit stall. Richard was forced to hit the breaks. When he let off the breaks and got back on the gas he burned the clutch up.
I Like Buick Regal And Chevrolet Lumina From The Early 90s In My Opinion NASCAR History
I have to ask and see if I can get a answer. Is it true that Richard Petty and Petty Racing was the first team to load all crew members on the car and drive to victory lane fully loaded like that? Or the first team in NASCAR to all load up and rode the car all the way down pit road and into Victory Lane if I’m not mistaken it was one of Richards Daytona 500 wins that this team deal started at
I remember watching that on a black-n-white TV as a kid with my dad.
What a lot of people did not know was that it was the beginning of the end of a dynasty. Dale Inman would leave the Petty's and do some other things after Daytona. Richard Petty would win 2 more races that year and not win again until 1983.
Who was the baby Linda was holding?
Great story. Poor Richie and Mark had to spend all day looking for Chief a new hat. All the Petty family sacrifice for the win.
I have seen Maurice wearing that hat in old videos & have wondered what the story was behind it. I figured it was from a family trip to Disneyland....but I didn't know that he had two lucky micky mouse hats .
Is it true that NASCAR wouldn't let ya'll use the Diplomat/ Gran Fury/ 5th Avenue body for a racecar? I read that somewhere years ago and Road&Track tested cop cars in late 80s and that Gran Fury they tested did 118mph with a light bar!
Why didn't y'all run the lemans body?
Is that the 1981 trophy behind you?
Who was the baby Linda was holding during the interview?
Adam Petty
Wonder what’s in those glasses😂