Richard Petty's Pontiac gets airborne after being tagged by Phil Barkdoll (73) and A.J. Foyt (14) during the running of the 1988 Daytona 500. Photo courtesy the Andy Towler collection
Though it occurred over two decades ago, I can still remember how it all unfolded like it was yesterday.
It was February 14, 1988. My family and I had gathered to watch the 30th running of the Daytona 500 on television.
It promised to be an interesting race from the start. The cars were being hampered by carburetor restrictor plates for the first time after a frightening crash the year before at Talladega had almost landed Bobby Allison’s car in the grandstands. Along with that, some of the car manufacturers had reshaped their car models during the off-season, and some drivers had found issues in getting those cars to behave properly on the racetrack.
It was just after the halfway point, and leader Darrell Waltrip continued to hold the point as CBS broke away for a commercial. When they returned, they launched into a pre-produced piece on 1987 Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt. The scene had just shifted to long-time race commentator Chris Economaki sitting on the porch of Earnhardt’s childhood home, when CBS suddenly cut back to the track.
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We saw one car airborne, flipping side over side along the front stretch catch fence. The back end of the car was riding the fence, while the front nosed down on the racing surface. As the car tumbled over and over, parts flew in all directions.
It was at that point that the number on the side of the car suddenly registered in my mind. It was 43, the number of seven-time Daytona and cup champion Richard Petty.
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