 Richard Petty picks his way out of that corner, drops down to the apron of the track to give everybody else a little racing room. And ladies and gentlemen, this crowd is going wild at Daytona as Petty takes the checkered flag and wins the 23rd annual Daytona 500. There is something about Richard Petty and the number seven. He's one of three seven-time Cup Series champions. He has seven wins at Dover, and the victory in the 1981 Daytona 500 was his seventh and final in the Great American Race.