Nerve-Wracking Crashes that changed NASCAR Forever: Edition 1- Richard Petty

Crashes and wrecks have been a common phenomenon in the NASCAR Cup Series. Having said that, some of them have been quite brutal. One such incident took place with legendary driver Richard Petty at the Daytona 500 in 1988. As it turned out the race made history because of several reasons.

It is no secret how Petty survived many accidents in his stellar racing career. While he fought off his fate multiple times, the Daytona 500 crash in 1988 prompted his wife Lynda to think he was gone.

Richard Petty survived a dangerous crash in the first-ever race of the restrictor-plate era

In 1987, Bill Elliott made a stunning record at Daytona 500 after he won the pole position with a speed of 210.364 mph. While he beat his record at Talladega Superspeedway, the horrifying incident involving Bobby Allison at the track changed how NASCAR went about things at Superspeedways.

The 1988 Daytona 500 witnessed the introduction of the restrictor plates. While it aimed to bring down the horsepower, many feared the frequency of wrecks would increase. Unfortunately, that’s what happened in 1988 as Richard Petty suffered one of the most horrifying crashes in NASCAR history.

With 42 drivers hunting for a historic win, Bobby Allison raced to victory in the end. Unfortunately, he had to beat past his son Davey Allison in the dying laps to clinch the victory. While he did that, the son-father duo made history becoming the only time a father and son have ever finished 1-2 at the Daytona 500.

However, what upset the fans was what happened with Richard Petty. After just over 100 laps, his car was turned sideways in Turn 4 with rookie Phil Barkdoll tapping Petty in the rear bumper. This caused his Pontiac to go airborne, barrel-rolling over eight times, rattling along the catch fence, and discarding parts and pieces along the way.

While the flipping was scary, it didn’t just end over there. As Petty’s car settled on the ground, Brett Bodine’s car unavoidably rammed into the #43’s left-front fender. Luckily, the then-50-year-old driver survived with just minor injuries, and even the spectators were left unharmed by the flying debris.

WATCH THIS STORY: Richard Petty’s First Encounter With Daytona’s Majesty

Speaking about the incident, Petty’s wife Lynda was understandably left terribly scared. She revealed what she told his husband then. Lynda said, “You don’t even have a clue how frightened I was, because I thought that was the time that you were gone.”

Unsurprisingly, even Petty looked unhappy with how things played out.

Richard Petty revealed his displeasure with the restrictor plates after the 1988 Daytona 500 crash

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What happened with Richard Petty made many question the use of restrictor plates. In the first place, the purpose of those plates was to avoid such wrecks. Having said that, the restriction it puts on horsepower denies drivers to speed past any trouble.

Speaking about it days after his Daytona 500 crash in 1988, Petty explained his frustration. As reported by the Gaston Gazette, the legendary driver said, “I can’t do anything regular. I got to do things spectacular. It really looked bad. The race we run this year was a lot more dangerous than any other I’ve been to.”

Petty then pointed out how the carburetors impacted the racing then. He said, “The bad part of the carburetors is you don’t have any power, and you don’t have the ability to get out of trouble.”

Even the then-defending champion Dale Earnhardt looked unhappy with the restrictor plates. He said, “It made it a damn fiasco out there. Every car out there has tires marks on it. It makes everybody race together. I’m all for safety, but that kind of racing is no fun. Somebody is going to get killed.”

Fortunately, Petty survived the incident without any worrying injuries. Even then, the crash remains fresh in the minds of the NASCAR faithful to date.

READ MORE – “Choke and Die” – NASCAR Legend Ignored Richard Petty’s Advice & It Led to a Catastrophic Hazard Once