Opportunistic Richmond Wins Firecracker 400

Buddy Baker’s misfortune was Tim Richmond’s good fortune Friday in the Pepsi Firecracker 400 NASCAR race at Daytona Beach, Fla.

Baker hit a wall eight laps from the finish as he avoided a spinning car and gave up the lead to Richmond, who managed to drive his way through the spinning cars and debris without damage.

“We had the race won,” said Baker, who has not won since the 1983 Firecracker 400. “I was running away from Tim, and my car was just great.”

On Lap 153 of the 160-lap event, everything changed. Winston Cup point leader Dale Earnhardt’s car blew an engine and hit the wall in the first turn of the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway oval.

As cars darted up and down the banked track to avoid Earnhardt and one another, Connie Saylor’s car also spun.

Baker went high on the banking to avoid Saylor, but Baker’s car went too high, hitting the concrete wall.

Baker continued around the track, and Richmond charged into the lead to stay. He beat Sterling Marlin to the finish line by 1.39 seconds at an average winning speed of 131.916 m.p.h., the slowest of the 28 Fourth of July races at Daytona. Billy Hillin Jr. was third, followed by Darrell Waltrip and Kyle Petty.