1971: Fastest not always first

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- For A.J. Foyt, who had the dominant car all month long, the 13th annual Daytona 500 was the pits.

	Richard Petty

The Indy-car veteran had the fastest car by far, winning the pole and leading 36 laps, but Foyt ran out of gas on lap 162.

By the time his Wood Brothers team had refueled the car, Foyt was down a lap to eventual winner Richard Petty. For Petty, it was an unprecedented third Daytona 500 victory and fourth for the Petty family, coming in front of a Valentine's Day crowd estimated at more than 92,000.

Petty admitted that catching the faster Foyt would have been a tough assignment.

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"He had the fastest car and I had the second fastest," Petty said. "I don't think I could have gotten past him without some kind of break. Personally, I'm glad he ran out of fuel."

Both Foyt and Petty were due to make pit stops on the same lap. However, Petty's Plymouth made it to pit road while Foyt's Mercury did not.

1971 Daytona 500 Top 10  1. Richard Petty  2. Buddy Baker  3. A.J. Foyt  4. David Pearson  5. Fred Lorenzen  6. Jim Vandiver  7. Dick Brooks  8. Jim Hurtubise  9. James Hylton  10. Bobby Isaac

"Both A.J. and I got the pit signal to come in for gas at the same time," Petty said. "He didn't make it, I did. That was the difference."

Buddy Baker, in a Petty Engineering Dodge, challenged Petty in the closing laps before handling problems caused him to fall back. He ended up second, while Foyt frantically scrambled back on the lead lap to finish third.

David Pearson and Fred Lorenzen wound up a lap down to the leaders.

In an effort to slow the cars, NASCAR mandated the use of restrictor plates. Foyt's pole-winning speed of 182.744 mph was nearly 12 miles an hour slower than Cale Yarborough's run one year earlier. There were 49 lead changes among 11 drivers.

The three previous Daytona 500 winners all failed to finish 500 miles. Pete Hamilton, the 1970 champ, collided with Dick Brooks on lap 101. LeeRoy Yarbrough, who won in 1969, and Cale Yarborough, the 1968 winner, both went out early with engine failure.

This is one in a series of articles counting down to the 2003 Daytona 500.