June 6 - This day in Petty history - part 2

A solemn acknowledgment to the selfless sacrifices made by those who landed and charged towards Gold Beach, Juno Beach, Omaha Beach, Sword Beach, and Utah Beach on "D-Day". Many perished that day so that we may continue to have the freedoms bestowed upon us from above. Others lived through that hellish day, and I hope some of you are reading this blog. If so, I can't express enough gratitude through this meager blog for what you did for us as a nation and ultimately me as an individual.

1968 - Starting 4th, Richard Petty leads a tad more than half the race and wins a 200-lapper at Smoky Mountain Raceway in Maryville, TN.

Petty lapped most of the field more than once on his way to his 80th career victory. He finished one lap ahead of rookie - and future Petty Enterprises teammate - Pete Hamilton in second and James Hylton in 3rd.

One of the funniest moments of the race followed one of the more serious ones - a wreck by Buddy Baker resulting in some broken ribs and other minor injuries. The track's medical crew loaded Baker into the ambulance to take him to the hospital, but then things didn't unfold quite like they were supposed to. Here is Buddy telling his version of what happened.

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC