Today In NASCAR History

 
1969: David Pearson wins the Volunteer 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway with an assist from an unexpected source — longtime rival Richard Petty, who drove the final 146 laps in relief — on the same day that the Apollo 11 lunar lander touched down on the moon. Pearson, who was suffering from the flu, was credited with leading 316 of 500 laps in his ninth victory of the season. Bobby Isaac took second place, three laps down, with Donnie Allison third — 13 laps off the pace. A flurry of wrecks and engine failures left just 10 of the 32 starters running at the finish. Fans and other Bristol attendees then rushed home to see the Apollo 11 crew make history.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.