April 30 - This day in Petty history - part 2

1967 - Richard Petty wins the pole, leads 191 of 250 laps, and wins his 54th career race in the Richmond 250 in Virginia. The victory ties Richard for the all-time NASCAR Grand National wins record - one he shares with his father, Lee Petty.

Independent driver Bobby Allison got a big career break with this race. Cotton Owens' employed David Pearson for four successful years from 1963-1966 - including the 1966 Grand National championship. In April 1967, Owens parted ways with Pearson. Supposedly (or at least publicly), the firing had something to do with a misunderstanding of who was riding with whom to the next race. Regardless of the truth or silliness of the situation, Pearson was out - and Allison was in.

Photo courtesy of Ray Lamm

The Hueytown, AL driver made a lot of hay in his debut in Owens' #6 Dodge. He gave it his all vs. Petty; however, he still finished second behind the 43 by some 20 seconds. A couple of spins during the race didn't help his cause - yet Allison demonstrated great talent by recovering from them to finish second.

Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC
Edited April 30, 2015