1974
DAYTONA 500

     A heartbreaking late race misfortune for leader Donnie Allison enables Richard Petty to overcome some bad luck of his own, and "The King" wins his 5th Daytona 500 in 1974! Now you can re-live the action and spectacle of this historic racing event on a new full-color DVD from Rare Sportsfilms Inc!

     The 1974 Daytona 500 set a record for laps run under caution as well as for number of lead changes. Drivers shown leading at least part of the race include Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, James Hylton, Cecil Gordon, Johnny Rutherford, Coo Coo Marlin, A.J. Foyt, David Pearson and Richard Petty. The color cameras catch furious racing action right from the start, with Cale taking the lead at the green flag, and pole-sitter Pearson retaking the lead in turn three. Cale again passes out of turn four to lead the first lap. One of the most spectacular crashes of the race occurs on lap 24, when Hershel McGriff spins out on the backstretch. His #04 Petty Dodge slides across the grass and smashes into the earthen embankment, sending up a spectacular explosion of dirt and debris!

     On the restart Yarborough leads but Donnie Allison, who started 7th, has moved to third, indicating that he has one of the fastest cars of the day. Caution #2 is triggered when Tony Bettenhausen, Jimmy Crawford and Dan Daughtry tangle in turn four. When the engine in Joe Mihalic's #60 Lou Vigliano Chevy expires on lap 37, the third caution comes out. At this point, pit stops begin and throughout the tape many drivers and crews are shown in action: Bobby Allison, brother Donnie, James Hylton, Bill Dennis, Richard Petty, Dave Marcis, Jim Vandiver, David Pearson, A.J. Foyt, Bettenhausen, Crawford and Jim Hurtubise. Cars shown in closeups during the race include those of Bobby Isaac, Cecil Gordon, Dick Brooks, George Follmer, Foyt, Pearson and Petty.

     David Pearson's #21 Wood Brothers Purolator Mercury is out after 61 laps. Running over debris on the track bent his driveshaft and ruined his exhaust system. Other race incidents take their toll on the 40-car field. Bob Burcham spins out of turn four and slides through the tri-oval grass and out of control down pit road! Bobby Allison's #12 Coke machine blows on lap 97, and Jim Vandiver's engine expires on lap 108. In another accident, Jim Hurtubise in the #56 Dan Bray Chevy spins out, his car smashing the retaining wall near the pit entrance.

     At the showdown stage of the race, it's Petty's famous Hemi Dodge battling it out with Donnie Allison in the dark blue #88 Digard Chevrolet! The cars pass each other several times during the late stages of the race. With Petty trailing Donnie by only a car-length, Richard suddenly veers into the pits on lap 181. A tire is going down and Richard is just able to squeeze into the pit entrance, having felt the vibration just in time. This apparently gives the race to Allison, striving to win his first race for the Digard team. But, with only 11 laps to go, Bob Burcham blows his engine in the tri-oval and Allison, right on his tail, runs over debris from Burcham's broken engine and blows out both front tires! Donnie does a great job controlling his car, which finally comes to rest in the grass down near turn one. By the time Donnie can get back out on the track, he has lost more than a lap and cannot catch Richard Petty, who wins his 5th Daytona 500! In second place behind Richard are Cale Yarborough, Ramo Stott and Coo Coo Marlin, all finishing in that order on the lead lap.

     To get your own copy of the 1974 Daytona 500, now on DVD for the first time ever, send $29.95 + $4.00 shipping & handling (Illinois residents must add $2.00 tax) to: