August 29 - This day in Petty history

1970 - Richard Petty wins the Halifax County 100 from the pole at South Boston Speedway in Virginia for his 114th career victory. Note the time of the race - 1 hour, 22 minutes. Its hard to imagine the brevity of that race when looking through the lens of a series sponsored by Winston, Nextel and Sprint.

According to Greg Fielden in Forty Years of Stock Car Racing - Volume 3, Bobby Isaac qualified second to Petty. Right before the start of the race, however, legendary crew chief Harry Hyde opted to bolt on a softer tire compound on Isaac's Dodge (something that can't be done today). Because of the change, Isaac had to start 24th and shotgun on the field. He passed every car but one - the blue Plymouth of Petty who led all but 10 laps of the 281-lap race.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC