THE DON HUNTER COLLECTION

READY TO ROLL

Cale Yarborough (21) leads Richard Petty (43, outside front row), LeeRoy Yarbrough (26), David Pearson (17) and the rest of the field on a pace lap just before the start of the 1968 Daytona.

Notice the black vinyl roof on Petty's car. It was supposed to be more aerodynamic, but early in the race, the vinyl started to come loose. That allowed air to get underneath, creating a parachute effect that slowed the car. After several attempts on pit road to fix the problem, Petty actually got out of the car, climbed on its hood and began beating on the roof with a hammer himself. He eventually finished eighth, two laps down.

Yarborough won the event from the pole, the first of his four wins in NASCAR's biggest race. Yarbrough took second, while Pearson was fifth. Pearson went on to win an incredible 16 races in 1968, which was more than enough to claim his second NASCAR championship.