When you think of classic races, the 1984 Firecracker 400 at Daytona has to be one that comes to mind.It was a watershed moment in NASCAR history.Everything worked out perfectly, kind of like a Hollywood ending.
Richard Petty, the most esteemed and consummate driver in the sport, was sitting on 199 career wins, one victory from the 200 milestone mark.President Ronald Reagan attended his first Winston Cup event.The race was held on one of a national holiday, and it was at perhaps the most prestigious track on the Winston Cup tour.Oh yeah, and there was a photo finish, too.
Petty and Cale Yarborough, two of the greatest drivers of all-time, were locked into a duel late in the race.Yarborough had tracked down Petty when the caution flag waved for a violent wreck involving Doug Heveron.This set up a one-lap race to the caution flag.There was no green-white-checker policy 25 years ago, so the first car to the line was the winner.Yarborough and Petty swapped the lead on the final lap, setting up a classic photo finish.
Yarborough finished third after he pulled into the pits during the caution, as he assumed the race was already over.Harry Gant finished in the second position.
The Firecracker 400, now the Coke Zero 400, was held on July 4th every year until 1988 when NASCAR began scheduling the race for the Saturday of July 4th week.
Instead of heading straight to victory lane, Petty headed to the press box to meet President Reagan.
Jeremy has covered NASCAR since 2005, and his articles have been featured on websites such as SpeedwayMedia, Suite101, and local magazines such as SpeedSouth. He is the author of the published book entitled 'Superstars Of Pro Football: Ray Lewis.'
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