The David Pearson-Richard Petty rivalry was at its peek and every race at Daytona International Speedway during the 1970s seemed to come down to a fight to the finish between NASCAR’s two greatest drivers. In the 18th annual Daytona 500, the last lap came down to Petty and Pearson, who were running bumper to bumper on the historic 2.5-mile tri-oval. The two made contact in Turn 4 sending both cars out of control. Petty went into the outside wall while Pearson soared into an infield wall. Hundreds of feet after the contact both cars were motionless. The difference in the finish was that Pearson kept his foot of the clutch and the engine of his Wood Brothers Mercury never stalled. His No. 21 car crawled limped over the line as Petty waited for his pit crew to push him only a hundred feet from the finish line. The greatest 500 finish in history robbed Petty of his fifth 500 title and awarded Pearson with his first and only Daytona 500 win. Audio courtesy of MRN Radio