DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Today marks the 51st running of the Daytona 500.
But for most Americans, NASCAR's green flag really dropped 30 years ago in the 1979 Daytona 500 when television carried flag-to-flag coverage of the sport's biggest race for the first time.
It was a dramatic finish -- Richard Petty edging Darrell Waltrip with the great Indy car champion A.J. Foyt keeping them honest. But it was "The Fight" going on in the infield after the race that captured the country's attention.
