“Definitely underrated”: NASCAR legend Mark Martin on ‘incredible’ finish to 1976 Daytona 500

NASCAR legend Mark Martin recently refreshed his memories from the iconic duel between Richard Petty and David Pearson from the 1976 Daytona 500. He shared a clip of the race that he visited as a young fan of the sport, calling it "underrated."

The Daytona 500 was held on February 15 and was the second race of the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The last ten laps of the 200-lap race caught everyone off guard, including Martin. Wood Brothers racing driver David Pearson was leading the race, and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty was chasing Pearson, tailing him bumper to bumper.

During the last lap of the race, after the marshals waved the white flag, Petty overtook Pearson in the backstretch. As Pearson attempted to reclaim the lead, the two cars made contact on turn three, causing a crash. Both vehicles struck the guardrail and came to rest in the infield grass. Notably, Petty's car suffered power loss.

Recalling the moment Mark Martin wrote:

"I was in the grandstands at the start/finish line. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The last 10 laps were incredible. Definitely underrated."

Petty's crew came to his rescue and gave him a push start, but it was too late for him to recover from the fatal blow. Despite sustaining heavy damage on the front, David Pearson's car was able to run which helped him win the race. Petty ended the race as the runner-up.

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NASCAR legend Mark Martin compared NextGen racing tires to the 1994 nostalgic era.

Talks of improving NextGen racing always make strides on the internet, and the most discussed topic is the amount of tire fallout as compared to the 1990s. Recently, former NASCAR Cup Series driver Mark Martin gave his take on the ongoing tire comparison.

Martin recalled a moment from the Hooters 500 race held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1994. He shared an image in which he posed in front of his car after winning the race and pointed toward the visible tire falloff on his hood.

"“Look at the hood,” Martin wrote. “Tires were gummy back then. They just make black powder now days," wrote Mark Martin.

Back in the 1990s, the NASCAR teams were allowed to choose between Hoosier Tire Co. and Goodyear tires. The rivalry between the two industry giants ended in April 1997, after Goodyear became the official tire supplier for stock car racing.

Mark Martin won the Winston 500, setting a new record by achieving a top speed of 188.354 mph, making it his second consecutive win of the season. He won 20 more races in the Cup Series before he called time on his career in 2013.