1977 Firecracker 400 from Daytona International Speedway | NASCAR Classic Full Race Replay

The race you are about to see appear as originally broadcast and may contain imagery that is offensive and doesn't align with NASCAR's values. NASCAR has since permanently banned the display of the confederate flag at all events.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Love watching these vintage races! 🏁🏁

[@briansenecal3071]

Dang, these vintage races are outta sight.🎥👍

[@topmech71]

The footage on these old videos is outstanding.

[@cjs83172]

As hard as it would seem at the time for anyone to believe, this was to be the last win for Richard Petty until the 1979 Daytona 500, as the Dodge Charger had to be retired due to old age, and the Dodge Magnum was pretty much a disaster (except for the 1978 Daytona 500, in which Petty had the best car until his right rear tire blew on lap 61). He came close in the season finale at Ontario, a track he was never to win at, but finished second to Neil Bonnett (in another Dodge Charger that was owned by Jim Stacy). An irony about this being Petty's last win until the '79 Daytona 500 was that the driver who finished second to Petty in this race, Darrell Waltrip, would also finish second to Petty in that famous race. Of note, the Firecracker 400 was to be the one major race that Waltrip would never win (I'm not counting the Brickyard 400, since he only ran that race the last seven years of his career, by which time, he'd already taken his final victory).

[@bbigjohnson069]

The Magnum would run at Daytona but pretty much nowhere else. Kyle won the ARCA 200 in '79 in that same car. Then Buddy Arrington got all of that stuff.

[@mustangjohhny]

i was there

[@BSNFabricating]

If I remember right, Cale was running at the end of all 30 races that year, which was completely unheard of at that time.

[@STP43FAN1]

Yes.

[@bbigjohnson069]

The crew He and Junior had were incredible. He finished in 28 of 30 races the next year. They changed everything back then, engines several times during that 3 yr. stretch. They had it down to about 30 minutes, maybe less from what I remember. It dangerous doing that because parts and fluids are very hot. Header pipes can reach maybe 1000°F or more. Coolant, oil everything.

[@rlh4331]

Love it. I was there as a 11 year old boy - big time Petty fan.

[@STP43FAN1]

Christine Beckers of Belgium. As my brother was living in Belgium at the time and now, and now with a sister-in-law and a plethora of nieces, nephews, etc. I have a bit of interest in Ms. Beckers even though I’m with Petty first and foremost

[@Surftiva]

Neil Bonnett and his crew were right, the car probably needed more of a thorough repair job but ran out of time.

[@STP43FAN1]

They didn’t have spare cylinders for the engine at that point

[@bbigjohnson069]

He had nothing when the green dropped.

[@MichaelWilliams-vb6wr]

If Cale Yarbrough would of stayed full time he would of Won just as many Championship as Petty Earnhardt and Johnson I mean is there anyone else that won 3 Championship in a Row and 7 victorys in one season at sum of the toughest tracks to

[@bbigjohnson069]

@@MichaelWilliams-vb6wr I disagree. He was already 38 in 1977. It's a younger man's sport. Waltrip took over his ride. They're both great drivers so comparing is easy. Waltrip won 3 championships driving for Junior. The last one in 1985, Yarborough would've been 46 by then. He might have won 2 more but not 4. The guy you can make a case for winning more championships is Pearson. He only ran a full schedule 4 times. He won the championship in 3 of those years. In 1973, he ran 18 races and won 11 of them. In 1976, he ran in 22 and won 10. But you can go round and round with what ifs.

[@MichaelWilliams-vb6wr]

Richard Petty in a interview that he runs high at superspeedway tracks cause it dont hurt as much when you hit the wall 😂😂

[@beeemm2578]

Gotta love the honesty...lol

[@STP43FAN1]

Coming in Cale had won the 500, Richmond, North Wilkesboro, Bristol, Martinsville, Dover, and Michigan; Waltrip had won the Rebel 500 and Winston 500; Benny Parsons had won at Nashville, and David Pearson had won the Winston Western 500 at Riverside. Petty had won Rockingham, Atlanta, the 600, and Riverside’s Golden State 400

[@mattfulmer4243]

Although I know quite a bit about Janet Guthrie, I've never even heard of the two female European drivers, let alone THREE women driving in a 70's NASCAR race! Does anyone have any more information/back story on how those two were able to out qualify so many veteran drivers, who was their sponsorship, was it their own race teams or were they hired by someone else..?

[@MichaelWilliams-vb6wr]

I'd like to know to that's not much you hear about 3 Female drivers that's amazing

[@arthurcrunden6107]

Janet worked with my dad at republic aviation in the early 1960s

[@The52car]

This covers their story pretty well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooGclnd9aKt8rrM

[@The52car]

Lombardi raced in F1 and Le Mans en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lella_Lombardi Beckers was a Le Mans and rally racer: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Beckers

[@STP43FAN1]

As much as I enjoy these vintage races I can’t help but remember the point Kim Chapin made in his 1981 book FAST AS WHITE LIGHTNING that NASCAR lost an entire generation of drivers because of the lack of enough quality racecars. No doubt Petty etc. would have won as many races with much deeper fields; it would have taken longer and the series would have benefited with more winners then and later

[@StanleyProcklvich]

Me after just watching Daytona USA videos

[@MichaelWilliams-vb6wr]

Wonder why they didn't change 4 tires maybe took to long you would think them left side tires would be cooked after a whole race

[@jodykeepers8376]

KING

[@AmericanFlyOnTheWall]

Petty!