The Great One

Smithfield and petty’s garage combine to build a 650hp road-going version of histo ry’s most triumphant stock car ever.

- Brian Lohnes

One must wonder what had to be going through the heads of the other 29 drivers that were lined up with Richard Petty at Richmond International Raceway on September 10, 1967. It was a warm late summer day with temperatures hovering near 80 degrees. The stands were packed with rabid stock car racing fans who came to see one thing. They came to see the one thing that every other racer was trying to deny them from seeing. They came to see Richard Petty try to keep the greatest consecutive win streak in NASCAR history rolling, and as history shows, they did not leave disappointed.

After all, once Petty and his crew chief Dale In man started their historic win streak on August 12 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, they wouldn’t lose another NASCAR race until October 1 when the Hemi engine in the car had finally decided enough was enough and ceased to function. While the team would regroup and collect a runner-up finish to close the year, the final win in North Wilkesboro capped not only the most amazing win streak ever, but also the most amazing single season win total that stock car racing has ever seen. Twenty-seven wins is what the final tally sheet read when the grueling near 50 race season came to a close. That’s nearly 50 races on speedways, dirt tracks, super speedways, short tracks, and places where mortal men would be hard pressed to scoot a golf cart around at speed. Perhaps the ultimate triple threat of driver, crew chief, and car in NASCAR history came together during that 1967 season to make magic, and if you can believe it, the magic lives again and a tremendously lucky Richard Petty fan is going to have it all to themselves.