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1970 Richard Petty
In 1970, one of the most well known names in NASCAR, Richard Petty, was involved in a major wreck in Darlington. In the Rebel 400, Petty’s Plymouth Roadrunner rammed into a retaining wall, rolled, and flipped multiple times before landing on its roof. Probably most alarming, was seeing the driver’s arms flapping outside the car’s windows.
Many fans thought Petty had been killed in this accident, but miraculously, the driver known for wrecking NASCAR vehicles, ended up with all of his limbs in tact and suffered only minor injuries. Because Petty’s head had actually hit the pavement during the accident, NASCAR began requiring that cars include the “Petty-developed safety net” that now covers drivers’ side windows.
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