On the eve of the 1973 Daytona 500, 32-year-old Buddy Baker believed it was finally his year.
However, another Tennessee driver stole the spotlight that day, Coo Coo Marlin, a 41-year-old journeyman whose best finish in four previous 500s was 18th, shocked the crowd by passing David Pearson with 6 laps to go to win the second twin 125.