1974 Firecracker 400

NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Daytona International Speedway
July 4th, 1974

[@zwild1160]

I watched as a kid but stopped watching in the late 90's. They just don't have what these drivers had. NASCAR is a mere shell of what it once was.

[@ProjectFairmont]

Yea, no. I don’t think you follow Monster Cup, your opinion would be different. Keep living in the past.

[@ragingbull154]

@@ProjectFairmont He's right......I've watched for 40 years and today sucks.

[@sludge4125]

How pathetic does one have to be to watch this wonderful video, then start whining like a little girl who needs her diaper changed that racing has changed in the past FORTY EIGHT (48) years??? These arrogant, egotistical, narcissistic malcontents must be a real pleasure to hang out with!

[@lolbr6818]

@@sludge4125 , made me laugh , thanks.

[@lolbr6818]

ZWILD - I did the same, it just faded further away...

[@rebelracing88]

That move on the last lap is exactly why David Pearson is the Silver Fox.

[@SMIFFTV]

Snookered the King!

[@johnlaws9230]

R.I.P. Silver Fox he passed away last week.

[@reagan513]

The best ever in my opinion. The 🦊 drove a ponitac, Dodge, Ford, Mercury, and a Chevy, he won 105 races in all of these cars, best winning ratio ever. The king said he should be in front of him in the Nascar Hall of a fame, The King pure class to.

[@reagan513]

@@johnlaws9230 Same here, he will be missed dearly. My first and favorite driver.

[@spencertracy4511]

That move is the greatest move in NASCAR history , by the greatest driver in NASCAR history , period !

[@billkilbourne6409]

Does anyone else think today's NASCAR could learn something by watching this race with Gen-2 cars

[@parnellibones3780]

What I like about these older editions of NASCAR is the cars being raced were actually based on the cars we could buy on the street. However, today's cars are safer, and nobody likes to see anybody die.

[@jamesmeadow9206]

These were real stock cars. The cars running today are all the same shape. They just put the front and rear caps on them to simulate a Ford, Chevy, or Toyota product. The cars were the draw. Today its not the same watching a Brand bc there is no real differnce except for paint scheme. On another note. Wow!!! AMCs Matador is leading some laps. But my fave has always been the Merks. Esp the Cyclones

[@georgewaters8592]

The other thing is - all the U.S. auto manufactures need to wake up and stop copying each other and instead try to have an original thought or two, just like they used to, back in the good old days seen here ............

[@magapickle01]

Nascar can't learn shit but to get worse . I watched a three part race last weekend what the hell ? Is that so more people can get 1st place ? Time for a new "old" stock car circuit with real stock cars .

[@STP43FAN1]

Stop copying each other? You’re asking the physically impossible. Form Follows Function.

[@matchingnumbers]

That was the NASCAR I grew up with here in N.Carolina !The NASCAR of today is dying a slow death!!!!

[@wesleypursiful5653]

It needs to speed up. The France family continues to commit racing suicide.

[@randallbates9020]

As a boy Pearson was the man I always cheered for, my love of Fomoco ( especially Mercury ) is tied directly to him. I know Petty won more races and is rightly called the King, but let's be honest Pearson could have been Crown prince. Those days were very different, you could actually see what companies cars looked like, Men of a different bygone era, I grew up in this era, I cherish the memories I have of what America used to be, and I miss it very much. Coca cola still came in returnable green glass bottles, 10 cents could buy a whole small brown bag of candy, My neighbors knew my name and watched out for all the kids, could still buy 105 octane at the pump...... Yesterday's left only in our minds. RIP Silver fox you are deeply missed.

[@knobdikker]

And that 105 octane was $0.25 a gallon tops! I remember regular was 94 octane and only $0.239 a gallon.

[@RobinHarper-tv9ih]

Pearson didn’t run as many races as petty

[@wrenfan]

@@RobinHarper-tv9ih In an interview before he passed away, Pearson was asked who he thought was the best. He replied that he was and if you did not think that way then you should not be out there. RIP

[@richardbonazzoli58]

Awesome race! The race cars of that era were so cool looking. nothing like the bland one's today.

[@GreatDarkWing0491]

Petty was pissed at Pearson after this race calling his move "unsafe" but he was just mad that he got outsmarted by the Silver Fox.

[@6548ww]

Letting off the throttle like that from full speed yes is very dangerous and could have caused both cars to crash especially if Petty rammed him had he not reacted in time it could have been a bad one

[@metallicarabbit]

@@6548ww cope, if you fail to use a strategy to win you cease to be a good racer

[@TenGreenRangers]

Sour Grapes .. the car in front of you can lose it's engine at any time. Pearson zapped Petty here w tactics .. Don't complain.

[@ethanweeter2732]

@@metallicarabbitThat a Senna reference?

[@30AndHatingIt]

Ouch

[@stevepavey5954]

This is why I purchased a Matador back when I was a senior in High School. I still have it!

[@scottpaul7427]

Whoa, Nellie! It's Keith Jackson!

[@tomlockwood6599]

Second time I've seen this race. First time was in the infield, inside turn one. It was my first race.

[@SIXPACFISH]

If racing was still like this and the drivers and organization were real and honest like this. I would still be a fan. As is, I haven't watched a race in over 10 years, hell I ain't been a fan in a good 15 years.

[@timmcconnaughey7146]

This was the first NASCAR race I ever attended. I was hooked from then on! Nothing like the sounds and smells of a live race. I was a Pearson fan, but I still remember how healthy Allison’s Matador sounded in qualifying. It was a sweet-running car.

[@lolbr6818]

Pearson was hard to beat driving for the Woods Brother's.

[@scarbourgeoisie]

The Pearson - Petty battle era has never been surpassed in NASCAR.

[@Peter-V_00]

It was "NASCAR".

[@sludge4125]

Unless you consider the petty-allison duo.

[@crouchb15]

Dale vs everyone

[@sludge4125]

AP, other than that one race, you know the one, did petty and pearson do much banging on each other? (I don’t remember much.) However, you don’t need banging to have a great rivalry, and this *was* a great rivalry.

[@scarbourgeoisie]

Sludge Most of the races I saw as a kid (snippets on ABC’s Wide World of Sports), Petty occasionally lost to Pearson on the last lap via a “sling shot” manoeuvre. The only “banging on the last lap” race that come to mind was the infamous ‘79 Daytona 500, which was the first flag-to-flag coverage to the 500 on TV, you know the one with Allison and Yarborough duking it out and both end up crashing. Fortunately for me, a Petty fan, then end turned out pretty good in that race. Watched all of it!

[@70stunes71]

Many people today are unaware of the rules and regulations of this time frame. Richards number 43 car was running a 426 Hemi that was forced to use a restrictor plate and a carburetor that was a serious choke to the engine. However, any engine over 366 cubic inches could run unrestricted this gave the Ford 351 a serious advantage in stock car racing . Where it was unrestricted at the drag racing tracks , the 426 Hemi dominated . This was a time frame when the cars were actual American automobiles coming out of the factory. No stupid computers and seat-of-the-pants driving. Where innovation was linked to making horsepower, and the geometry of the automobile. Fantastic drivers. I sure miss the 70s

[@patrickderp1044]

i specifically looked for 1974 cup races because it was the last year to allow unrestricted engines versus bigger restricted engines. this did not disappoint!

[@mitchanderson5813]

Close but not quite true. The Wood brothers used Holman moody shotgun power for David’s car thru 73 and it dominated the Hemi on the horsepower tracks. Literally DOMINATED. David ran only 18 races in 73, and he won 11. No 426 hemi EVER out horsepowered a HM car while there was a shotgun under the hood. The HM B9’s were 40-50 hp strong on the chry race hemis. And don’t kid yourself, a cleveland at the same ci as a g2 hemi, I’m taking the Cleveland.

[@JayDogTitan-he6wo]

Keith Jackson did an amazing job calling Nascar.

[@thegreenbird795]

FUMBLE!

[@DillyPutty]

He and Jackie Stewart seem like an improbable pair to do NASCAR. Fun stuff.

[@trecooledge1326]

This Pearson just showing off. Haha, way to go Silver Fox.

[@nuclearboy78]

I guess this is when nascar was real. Too bad I wasn’t born yet to see these races.😞

[@flyinbrianz22]

This race was why I was a big David Pearson fan. The 1976 Daytona 500 was my favorite race of his.

[@greatestbrand5191]

great stuff. funny how at this time, they couldnt show the whole race when they were so great, but today we get the whole thing and its nothing compared to this stuff

[@bloqk16]

You make a good observation. I think it goes back to the old adage of: "keep you audience wanting more" when it came to NASCAR back in the 1970s; as the media coverage was limited back then. I suspect the 21st century media over-saturation with NASCAR could be one of several factors that just doesn't make the race series as compelling as it used to be.

[@ralphaverill2001]

Sir Jackie Stewart doing color commenting on a NASCAR race. Will wonders never cease? I wonder if Darrell Waltrip ever did color on an F1 race.

[@brianwinter4019]

Darrell Waltrip hollering "boogity boogity boogity" for the start of a F1 race? Bwahahaha! That would be hilarious!

[@michaelcarroll7621]

The thought is too terrifying to contemplate.

[@beeemm2578]

Pearson okey dokin' Petty on the last lap...lol. Pearson was one of, if not THE, best driver Nascar ever saw.

[@Peter-V_00]

David Pearson was simply a super talented racing genius, never forced anything, always stealth and well planned in advance, interviews with him were always mesmerizing, to hear him describe how he figured out things and why then to watch him demonstrate, he would make it sound like he was giving the whole story but even long after his retirement you could just tell he was holding that little something that made him so great. Never had a chance to meet him but he just seemed larger than life, I absolutely was in awe of him when I was about 6 to this day, he's in the same league as the greats Don Garlits (NHRA) and AJ Foyt (anything with 4 wheels).

[@jamesmuhs9593]

Couldn't agree more. I raced go-karts from 6-12, and was enamored with him. By far my favorite. Well said. A big part of wanting him to win was to hear the post-race interview with him.

[@zoltanliszkai2162]

Later on Ken squire said David Pearson was the luckiest racer around

[@mrmoparrr]

That Daytona win for 21 when he and Petty spun before the Checkered pissed me off so bad but Wow what a move by Him too hang back and Draft , Only reason why he Won was because the FisherPrice starter in that #43 Mopar was Acting Up ! 😂

[@MGB18]

Seems like Richie didn't much like the Silver Fox's strategy. That's racing Richie! lol.

[@sludge4125]

Sour grapes for Lee’s boy.

[@zone47]

Wow, 120 mph through the pits! Go man go!!

[@markwatkinshield2914]

The Sneaky Fox suckers Petty at 25:00 ...R.I.P. #21

[@daviclar867]

Damn. That was a great first lap. WOW!

[@jeffreyday7533]

Man do I remember these fantastic days ,I was 15 when this race was run, now 65 still enjoying every minute and sound.cant beat it.I am alive!!!!!!.Remember Life is short...Enjoy it when you can..

[@tompiper1480]

two of the best going at it in an incredible finish

[@brandond5209]

racing was sooo much better back then! Real men driving a variety of real cars!

[@sludge4125]

How pathetic does one have to be to watch this wonderful video, then start whining like a little girl who needs her diaper changed that racing has changed in the past FORTY SIX (46) years??? These arrogant, egotistical, narcissistic malcontents must be a real pleasure to hang out with!

[@ProjectFairmont]

Cleveland powa for the win!

[@juansegura1181]

Before just pics but finally I can see AMC Matador #16 Bobby Allison in action. Most wild, powerful and rude car in NASCAR history. Thanks!!

[@grandcosmo]

Pearson could beat you in his car then switch cars with you and beat you in yours. Greatest NASCAR driver ever.

[@robertpfuhl2679]

Sir Jackie Stewart,as good a commentator as he was as a driver

[@kevincruz4045]

AMC!!!! Keeping up with the big dogs....

[@SMIFFTV]

I friggin' LOVE the Matadors. Wish AMC had stayed in the series beyond '75, they did a lot with a little!

[@Ever443]

When nascar had REAL racing. Not this TV crap. The man, the myth, the legend. The Silver Fox. Proud to say he was a friend.

[@fabiogiocondo445]

Great racing. I am brasilian, here, que enjoy Nascar too much!

[@RCampbell-y4b]

Back when a man was a man. Not the snowflakes of today like John Haas who call's himself a Nascar expert

[@edwardbaker8225]

They don’t call him the silver fox for nothing

[@trackside77]

Ahh those were the days of real Nascar racing. Racing was so much more fun that it is today. Me thinks they should end the restrictor plate aspect. Would make for some great racing.

[@sludge4125]

How pathetic does one have to be to watch this wonderful video, then start whining like a little girl who needs her diaper changed that racing has changed in the past FORTY SIX (46) years??? These arrogant, egotistical, narcissistic malcontents must be a real pleasure to hang out with!

[@Zain.244]

Nah man crashes like bobby allison would commonly happen

[@ronnieking1025]

Pearson Was Firing Up A Winston The Silver Fox The Best Ever

[@johnpeponcraftartandfamily8794]

Great race! What history

[@pensjim6699]

fantastic!!!!

[@trecooledge1326]

If NASCAR would make these teams stop sealing the cars off to the surface of the track, with about a 4 inch clearance from the bottom of the car to track, flatten the hood and roff and lay those spoilers down and get rid of radial tires and go back to the biased ply tire, you'd see great side by side racing and you would have to actually drive the car instead of just holding on to the steering wheel like that do now.

[@chuckstroud1410]

Nascar should totally add screeching tires sound effects to today's races. That's why they're not as good now.

[@pumpman18353]

Notice Pierson didn't throw a block like they do today.

[@Ultegra10SPD]

When people disagree and say Petty was the greatest and not Pearson. This.

[@dennissmith9294]

David Pearson slingshot Petty at the end. Petty was little upset at the interview.

[@lolbr6818]

I remember, as a young driver, watching these men compete against each other. We saw the level of respect they give & take. I remember thinking, "Thats what a pro looks like".

[@markmiller489]

Can’t believe he did that on purpose lol. That’s is such a statement move.

[@plantfeeder6677]

Chris Economaki: "The greatest finish in Daytona history". Till a year and a half from then. This is where David Pearson earned the nick-name the Silver Fox. He was beaten in the 500 earlier that year by Petty because he lead going into the last lap. So this time he was determined that wasn't gonna happen again and faked like something was wrong with his car to let Petty past. Greatest NASCAR driver in history. Would dominate today if he was just starting

[@johnanderson60]

Fantastic. Jackie Stewart on color commentary! Thank you. Geaux Petty

[@zone47]

Wow, I didn't know AMC had an engine or hop up parts to compete with the big 3!

[@sludge4125]

It was spectacular while it lasted. The Matadors had five wins, including a Southern 500.

[@yojoeski]

The official record book will not record a lead change on that last lap since at both the white and checkered flags, Pearson was leading.

[@mitchellyardanoff4666]

Today we have Toyota Cameras. Ha ha ha ha

[@radioguy1620]

what an ending !!!

[@sludge4125]

David schooled Richard.

[@dennissmith9294]

Silver Fox is one of the best

[@smurphy1977]

Came here after the white knuckle podcast… David Pearson is the G.O.A.T

[@andyharman3022]

Always liked the AMC Matador of that era. AMC was using racing in the early 70's to promote their brand. Hired Roger Penske to run their TransAm program, had Wally Booth and Maskin-Kanners in drag racing, and If I remember correctly, Penske also ran their NASCAR program. I've always thought the racy styling of the Matador was done to compete in stock cars. I'd love to see someone tell the story of AMC's racing in the 70's.

[@jamesharrington4923]

I'm a Mopar guy, but I love AMC too, my wife is a huge Hudson fan and wow could they tear up.the racetracks in the early 50s

[@Fehrman21114]

Best finish ever!

[@74SD455TA]

INCREDIBLE were those days!

[@ColdSmokes]

Did Pearson really have to do that? He was staying ahead of petty with ease.... With or without a draft.

[@davidbritton1802]

NASCAR AT ITS BEST!!!!!! DJB@PA...U.S.A...

[@newriver8940]

Whatever happened to the AMC MADADOR does it still exist somewhere.I would love to know about the engine and the specifics of the car.

[@crouchb15]

gone after 78

[@vernwallen4246]

Just my pinion,my ring gear and pinion but too just finish one of these races to me is commendable.Either yesteryear or this year.

[@bodyabohdan4112]

У одного из комментаторов голос похож на сэра Джеки Стюарта.

[@LITTLE1994]

TRUE Nascar. The sport these days is terrible. This is back when they actually did race production cars.

[@georgew.5639]

I’d love to have all of today’s nascar bean counters handcuffed together. Then force them to watch videos such as this one. Perhaps they would learn something about great auto racing from the past. Lol! No I don’t think they’d see or learn anything from this.

[@gutrench9489]

Thats just good racing

[@kevinballenger1211]

I Always Loved When Richard Petty And David Pearson Went At It! They Were Like Muhammad Ali And Joe Frazier!

[@beeemm2578]

10:31 lol...Keith said they woulda had a fender bender? Lmao...he woulda t-boned him to death. That was close..

[@jts9120]

Too bad that Nascar restricted the Chrysler Hemi. Nothing would touch them if they hadn't.

[@MrCtsSteve]

Damn i miss Keith Jackson doing College Football in Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoons

[@alexlambert2003]

This race had a dead tie for 3rd place.

[@alexlambert2003]

The only tie in NASCAR

[@soylentteal]

Great finish between them, topped only by the ‘76 Daytona 500.

[@barrysims9906]

surprizing to see that AMC Matador go like a bat out of hell, wow. where did it go.

[@SAbound]

This stock car racing at its finest.,...todays shitscar cannot compare

[@Nokšė0]

Richard Petty almost got that!

[@droldsw31]

It looked like Richard needed some tissues in the post-race interview.

[@rubynance3508]

THANK YOU SO MUCH NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES RACING

[@deborahchesser7375]

Now that’s a trip, the Matador in the lead, never again.

[@reagan513]

Oh yes sir, Bobby Allison won several races in the Matador, Roger Penske first gig in Nascar.

[@edmiller8396]

This was Bobby's first ride in the Matador, and if the engine had held together, he'd have been a factor for the win. The car was very strong all day long.

[@kellycejmer2024]

OMG an AMC Matador are you kidding me.

[@litt222]

I started going to races in the 70s. My mother and my Aunt took us to every race possible. I'm 60 years old and still a race fan. I'm from racing families. I wish Nascar could go back to the real racing. Yes they learn a whole lot. Sorry to say it will never be the same

[@fr.joeobrien3678]

David Pearson is the Silver Fox alright!

[@ronaldthomas6072]

All they do is follow the leader it is hard to watch sadtoday

[@rubynance3508]

The Year I graduated from Symmes Valley High School - July 27, 1974 - oh my god what memories - with the FIRECRACKER 400

[@headbrown5629]

My favorite race finish! Wow!

[@beeemm2578]

The dubbed in sound effects are 😂😂

[@johnsumner6185]

10:20....Did I see a Lincoln Continental in the race???

[@Peter-V_00]

That is the winner David Pearson in the Wood Brothers Mercury

[@chuckiefinster544]

Mercury cyclone I believe

[@seppo62]

I believe there was some fuel burned to the sky's =D

[@johndough-jr6od]

and that's the way it happen

[@dansklnner7424]

Great coverage!!!!!

[@briantaylor9285]

Looks like 190 🤔

[@dustinmiller8451]

What's with the sound effects lol

[@danaringquist9730]

Dr 4-2024

[@knobdikker]

Who is the Irish or Scottish dude doing the announcing? Hilarious!

[@bloqk16]

That Scottish voiced guy was Jackie Stewart, a former race champion in Formula 1 Grand Prix racing.

[@jessiehenry6314]

Do you have the '74 National 500

[@petervossos4816]

Mate l cant believe what I’d seen!

[@russellmotter5022]

I think Pearson had some nitrous oxide 😜

[@redcalx9568]

I was born that summer