NASCAR's Heartbreaking Moments: Kyle Petty - 1993 Daytona 500

For some good sons like third-generation sprinter Kyle Petty, the polesitter, the king is gone, but not forgotten. Next up, with excitement, is a feeling of value last year, this sport said goodbye to its king Richard Petty, but guess who is on pole? yes, his son Kyle Petty and next to Kyle is Dale Jarrett, that name sounds familiar, yes his father is my CBS broadcast colleague Ned, and this morning two proud fathers walked down the homestretch and looked back in amazement , Richard, this Daytona 500 and you. Not on the field no, I'm not starting the race car, but I'm starting to feel it, so it's a little different.

You know, not long ago our kids were playing on the beach and they stayed at Royal Beach. motel and here they are in the front row for the Daytona 500. Yeah, I don't know, that means they're getting old, we're getting old, but you know it makes us feel really good. I think you know we're coming. Here and we competed years ago and then you know our kids, like you said, played now, they're here too competing with each other. I know I'm very proud of all this. Can you feel that much emotion when Kyle wins? like you did when you won, it's probably more exciting, you know, I expected myself to win and I put pressure on myself to win, but I think when your son does what you want to do and what you want him to do, I think those are probably the three oldest, well I imagine those little kids when they played here in the sand on the field and they said my dad is faster than your dad, well here we are now and your son is faster than mine at least qualified, yes, I know what you mean, no, I don't think we're going to see it since that's the important thing, we're going to see it, say, hey guys, go out and do it.

The best thing is that you can be careful with this and beat each other, so I think that's the way we're looking at it, good luck to your son, thank you all. Hi, I'm Mike Joy leading the Daytona 500 field. children of famous parents, Richard Petty, who today on the green flag follow his father to Victory Lane in the Daytona 500. Davey Allison's father, Bobby, won. Davey did it too and now, how about polesitter Kyle Petty? I would like to win it. You know, since my grandfather won the first race here at the big track and my dad had a lot of success here and Petty Enterprise in general, uh, I'd like to add my name to that list, I'm a little nervous too, you know, because To go out and be on pole here is a great honor and a great achievement for this team and we are a little tense but hopefully after they drop the green flag we will be fine, good luck overseas today.

I think the key to look at is how spicy it is. Do you want to be among the top three in the final stretch? Jeff Gordon, 21, to the inside, looking for the lead into turn three. There's Bill Elliott right behind him earlier in the week. They told Jeff Gordon to sit back and learn, but here. He comes and Kyle Petty didn't want any of those three breast races. It's like there were three of rams, but he backed off as he entered that turn. Who is going to win this first lap down the line? The first round.

Gordon from Pittsboro Indiana, the boy who exploited him. Thursday he comes back and leads the first lap, here's Jeff Gordon trying to make a move to the inside going into turn one as we see Ricky Rudd and Kyle Petty in that group passing there, remember Kyle in ninth, here's Gordon. a pair of fours and one next to each other, well let's see if he'll get help or Jeff Beaudine Dale Jarrett is climbing on the outside and here comes Kyle Petty, he wants to get within three of the break in 13th, just two laps to go at the end .

Speaking of some power, Kyle Petty leaves it here, says he had some momentum coming out of turn two and just drove it to the inside, he was there passing for the lead from sixth place Neil, very impressive, here's to it the key all week, we haven't seen anyone able to drive there and take the lead from Earnhardt, let's see if they can do it today Kyle Petty trying to keep up a family tradition, dad won this race seven times and now Kyle is trying to win for the first time and has already tied his father's Mark, having won the polls, his father only won the Daytona poll once in '66, when he won the race, this looks like a heat race on a Friday or Saturday the night in a small half mile. on the track, these guys are running early by a second, just pushed Kyle Penny into the lead around Dale Earnhardt, Ricky Rott looking strong and fourth, this has never been his race, Chesapeake Virginia driver and number five working low Earnhardt now interval for and 110 seconds now on Thursday here is the qualifying race, the high Groove seems to be the place to pass, they have tuned their cars a lot since then, the temperature is different today and it seems like the interior is working at least at the beginning of the race.

Ricky Rudd is doing the house hustle here he comes after Earnhardt here's his leader Kyle Petty Chef Gordon the name you'll hear a lot in the years to come from Pittsboro Indiana originally out of California they moved to Indiana when he was just 13 years old. Richard Petty looking at number 44. mixed emotions for him today he has Rick Wilson in the race and he has Kyle Penney fighting to win this race his son Richard Petty has been saying he retired today is the first day he officially retires he is not on that billboard I started to say about Gordon, they moved to the Indiana area when he was 13 so he could do Sprint car racing, I wouldn't allow it in California, he was the national champion and let's take a look at some telemetry for a By the time Jeff Odon's car can see its speed increasing to 191 miles per hour down the stretch and in the draft there's RPM going up about 6 to 900. running in 7th place backing off a bit we're going to a race close here now let's say Earnhardt finally came back to the inside, that's where he likes to race and they pushed him to the outside for a while and now he's back to the inside, now four energetic, through the trouble behind him, we saw four cars come out of these.

The guys are making a lot of changes at the beginning of this race, looking very strong up front. Gordon is looking for the lead and fighting with him. He runs reaching the restaurant's second three behind Sterling Marlin in the middle. Schrader the 25th at the bottom, this at 190 miles. hour while you'll watch it live the great american race this is the battle for the lead halfway five five laps away this time by Kyle Petty ducks in incredible that car remember it was on the pole when the day started Earnhardt decided Dale Jarrett is moving back to do it another time, he's in 10th place.

Brett Stein is up to the task, he's just working his way through this field, he's flying to the bottom and taking positions now, yeah the car is really working on the inside, he's up to seven. and he's still closing the green and white number 26 lot Kenny Bernstein's car at the bottom of the track flying through traffic he stops next to Helen looks like Bodine halfway there wants to be among the leaders man I saw you look at me when Kyle Petty I made that pass, usually you have to crawl up there and crawl for Kyle Petty, he drove by Earnhardt like he was tied to a tree when he took the lead.

It's also the Flushing car, well done, just a good setup for the lower side of the track. Right now on those Warren tires and it's working great. You know, many times we get a big bonus halfway through and maybe that's why we decided to get there. We are approaching the halfway point of this race. That was a race to the line, it was hard to tell who left it. It seemed like maybe Earnhardt and Kyle Petty were almost in a tie and it didn't make it halfway. I think you want to divide the money that everyone is going to make in this time, let's see. who will take the lead as they arrive.

I think it will be Kenny Wallace who will push again. Oh, he didn't let him down just now. Yes, we will accept it. Davey Allison will be the leader now that we have. about 20 cars on Pit Road is the first time Allison has ever lived today will have the mighty Mike Joy Dale Earnhardt putting tires on the right side this will be a four tire stop right after him Mark Martin will also put four tires right behind Jeff Gordon you have driven your car into the fence sideways and you will get the tires on the right side, the second gas can will go up and you will go in early to get the first can, they may not get a full load of fuel for Gordon, little problem here to pull the fender. far on the right front, she ran over a little piece of debris there with that spoiler and took it down and far away, no, who didn't finish his at 15 Daytona 500, continue watching Kyle Petty solving it here running with her in his heart and As you look at Kyle, notice that he's right behind them again, number 33.

And Kyle just took the lead. Harry Gantt can't make a pit stop yet, but you'll get here very, very soon. Earnhardt in third place. Bodine is in The fourth Daytona 500 looks like it's going to be the typical Daytona 500, a barnstormer to the finish line 119 of 200 full laps Kyle Petty maintains a lead over Dale Earnhardt and, if you look at the standings, Beaudine third Wallace fourth Shepard fifth meanwhile the leaders and Kyle Penn and Dale Earnhardt hooked up and pulled away, and Neil, this is the biggest league we've seen here today. Kyle fades away. Dale Earnhardt bought a second and a half or two ahead of third place card Jeff, but he did. they got stuck in traffic again, ran with that lead and had so much momentum that they just passed him and actually broke the draft, so it looks like Cal Petty is really pulling these two away from everyone else.

There you see the two leaders. The Center Earnhardt post, right there, here's Bodine looking at the leader who just ran him over, continues to ride this charge to continue a family tradition in the great American race that his grandfather wanted in '59, his father won it seven times and Kyle driving the race of his life stays right in front of him, back to Jeff Rhode Island in third and an incredible nine have come to fourth Ernie Irvin, we're sitting there watching Kyle Petty walk out of this race. Felix Sabatus offered a million dollar bonus if Kyle could win this. the race that could possibly happen, just as he's racing, he's in the pits, number 42 comes in.

Hey, this shouldn't be a pit stop. This is an unscheduled pit stop. Mike again at his last stop they only got a can of gas. You see the dry brake. The coupler on the front of the fuel can allows them to fuel these cars like the new jets without much spillage and on the second gas can it didn't work properly so Alan Kawicki's team came running with gas from the can to make sure Kyle had a full load of fuel this time an unscheduled stop they take the opportunity as long as they can but he's away at 12.3 now this is a break for Kyle Petty, he just made that green flag pit stop but he stayed in the lead, so now he's back in the same sequence as everyone else as far as his pit stops are concerned, the only thing is he's back in the pack, but that car is insanely fast.

I think he can go back up there. Here's David Hobbs. Richard Petty. His son had a stroke of luck with that accent, what do you think of his day so far? We had a bad break because he shouldn't have been in that position. They had a little problem with him and the beard had to get angrier. you know everything looks good so far falling in just went out of the way maybe it's spinning down said: I'm not going to ruin anyone who has any chance of winning this race in the middle the white car There's a movement brave still three in a row when they go out this way in here there is trouble on the hill in a response they gather sliding across the grass in the field official's car back to the track he takes it back down Kyle Petty is Kyle Petty picks himself up Kyle tried his The best thing was that they stopped him.

He kept watching the car come back in front of him and thought it would stop and just walked right into it. I'm not so sure it wasn't William, but what do you do? He did everything he did. possibly could and I just know where to go, poleman Kyle Petty finds out that Bobby Hill and Carr, after it was fun, had holed that thing every way possible, ran out of room, the incident started in turn four and ended in the entire curve. The Kyle trio crying out, well, I hate to see their car coming back at a pretty good speed and we've got these drivers on the track with some fluid here, well, Darren Cope was trying to keep Harry's candle lamp out and, uh , one million dollars.

There was a chance he could have won this race, Bobby Hill and trying to explain, I guess I don't think Kyle blocked what happened there, he said, hey, it's over, there's nothing we can do about it now, let's not even talk about it. it. Right now, let's move on, you're absolutely right,these guys are running as hard as they run, what they don't need to do is even get together, it's hard to control, try to keep them apart and that's amazing that Bobby Hill and He's a really personable individual, but he's also very upset, so that I don't know what he apparently feels, that things were going against him, certainly going against him because his car crashed down there, but maybe he had some help. crash once, you gotta keep that in mind, no matter what happened at this track, both guys were in position to win today, we're positioned to possibly win the Daytona 500.

It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Whatever it is or no one's fault you're still going to get angry the best thing you can do is calm down I already said it I used to be the worst in the world I think he's trying to escape. I don't think I want to talk to anyone and find out what really happened here and Bobby Hillen was a victim of this accident that happened long before Kyle Petty came on the scene. We'll try to find out. what was said between those two take a look at what happened here here is where it all started well Hill's light green car is down inside and there's Al Unser Jr. he went up and hit Dale Earnhardt and then he went back to down towards Helen and there they crashed together, they slid across the grass area and then Hillen went back up onto the race track when she came off the grass, we'll see.

I'm sure he goes up first. Hunter goes up first and then here's Helen going up, the hunter goes. He goes back to the grass and here comes Kyle, he's trying to slow down, he doesn't know which way to go, his brakes are locked, the car didn't cut out and he crashed suddenly and he had a man in him, he didn't. He had nowhere to go, but there was nothing Hillen could do. There was nothing good. Here we come again. Neil coming out of the fourth shift. There we see Hunter move up. They cut a hunter who returns and heals with him when he goes.

Guy 30 car. I almost missed it, you see Helen has the hood over the windshield, she can't see where she's going. Hunter gets out, he's actually driving the car, he has a little drive, he finds himself, he can't wait to see that guy back. Here, another time, here it is again, there's Bobby Hill and then the green car or the water color car down the inside, but Unser and Earnhardt get together, that's what caused it all. I don't really understand why the big talk between Kyle and Bobby. Hillen, because you know they really didn't have much to do with them being victims of circumstance.

I think it's just frustration more than being angry at one of the others. Kyle might have said something and then caught Helen's attention, but I think. It was pure frustration, here's Mike guys, cars were sliding towards us on Pit Road when they came to a hallway. Kyle Petty had his car blocked and was about to stop the accident when Hillen's car slid across the grass, it was clear that he. He was still driving it, he was fighting for control, he turned it and thought he was going straight when he turned it again. He got to the race track and I think instead of blocking the car and stopping it, he tried to turn it again and it came right into Kyle Petty's safety lane at that point, it's an accident that if either driver had done something different, it would have been I would have avoided.

There you see Kyle again in the sabernis shout and I think Ernie Irvin is there with him, Bobby. Hillen with some members of his team we are trying to check our laps here 160 completely, 40 to go, 100 miles left in this race and Ken we are down from not long ago, we had 28 cars on the lead lap, now we have 21 I hope people see this, don't say well these drivers, but let me tell you, if you do this for a living and don't get excited when something happens, you don't need to drive one of these. Stuff Bobby Hillen is making his way to Chris Economaki right now.

We will try to give you more about this story. There you see the end of Donleeby's car after he had a great race here today. The fourth consecutive year in which the polesitter failed. to finish the Daytona 500 while biting Kyle Petty today, meanwhile, Rick Wilson is back here looking a little sore and sullen but 44 is still rolling here's Chris economaki, okay we're here Bobby Helen, it looks like you're upset , which is the reason? I'm so upset, I'm trying so hard to keep my composure at times like this, you know, we had a really loud car, I don't know what happened, they were just, they all turned sideways and crossed each other. in front of me and you know everyone got on and then I lost my brakes going across the grass.

I had no idea where I was sliding and Kyle jumped on me, uh, thinking I let off the brakes, but that's the way it is. We're all upset right now, we'll all get through it. I am very grateful that we have a great company like Holly Myers, they are supporting us 100%. This is our first time at the races and we thought we had a good shot, Bobby, we appeared on the screen. I know it's very difficult to see it here with the sun shining on the screen. Maybe you can see exactly what happened. What was the exchange between you and Kyle?

Well, I just told him that I had my I hit the brakes once I was sliding across the grass there was nothing I could do and uh we're both upset right now it's understandable um it's hard to keep your composure when you think that You have a chance to win the biggest race in This year I thought it was very close, but Bobby, do you know why it happened? Say it again, why did the accident happen? Well, just a few laps to go and we're out there, competing for the win and there are guys up there who have done it.

I haven't been around that long and um, racing these kind of cars and you know everyone's fighting hard, it's just one of those things, okay, thanks Bobby, let's go to David Hobbs now, well, I just talked to Kyle Petty , uh, I bend over quite a bit. a lot and he just said don't even bother waiting, there must be a crowd of 200 reporters out here, he said, don't even bother waiting because he said, I'm not going to say anything because if I say it, I'm going to regret it very much tomorrow. the morning, so you all better go because I'm not going to say anything right now and you can understand why pole position and looking really strong today what a shame, a million dollars is also going out the window. bonus for Kyle Petty from Felix obedis, have you been able to make it so he's not fine getting ready for green next time?

Bye, Mrs. Gossage, the PR lady, came out and spoke just now, he was still quite upset because, in essence, she was afraid that she might say something. Okay, sorry, I agree with her. I can't answer that until that's the story. There is no story as far as Kyle is concerned at this time. Come back tomorrow and I think you are right now. That's you. you're running 190 miles an hour you have your life in your hands and then something like this happens, luckily everyone left, that's the best news anyway, well it's good news.