there are some pretty interesting stories on how some drivers won races

Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough ruled the '84 Firecracker 400 at Daytona, leading a combined 132 of the 160 laps. When Petty took the lead with 32 laps remaining, Yarborough settled into 2nd, apparently content to simply draft along. His strategy was obvious: follow Petty until they reached the backstretch on lap 160, use the low-side slingshot to pass, then hold on back to the checkered flag.

Petty thought he knew how to counter that proven strategy. "We'd been running wide open all day," he said. "His car was quicker than mine, and he could have passed whenever he wanted. I had to hoodwinkle him because I had no idea he'd even think about that before the last lap. So, with seven or eight left, I began backing off just a little, maybe a hundred fewer RPMs one lap and another hundred fewer the next lap and another hundred fewer after that."

The strategy was brilliant in it's simplicity. "He must not have realized how much the pace had slowed, " Petty said. "I wanted a little something left for the last lap, something he didn't know I had. If we'd both been wideopen when he passed on the last lap, there's no way I could have caught back up. He would have been long gone."

If Yarborough realized what was happening, he didn't show it. " I was riding along and had Richard right where I wanted him," the three-time champion and 83 time winner said that Wednesday afternoon. "I had him set up for the last-lap slingshot. I knew I was going to win the race, no doubt in my mind. If I had to do it again, I'd be harder to pass"

There was a wreck on the 158th lap, and both knew that whoever made it to the finish line would win because of the caution lap, and get to meet President Reagan.

Yarborough did the draft and slingshot move as best he could - all for naught. "I went wide open the minute I saw the wreck, " Petty said. "I don't know if I got ni the gas quicker than Cale, but I got away from him. It took him til the end of the back stretch to catch me.

Petty took the lower line, and made it to the yellow flag by 2 feet, winning the race. After being so close to winning, Yarborough made a huge mistake, and went to pit road, and came in 3rd instead of 2nd.

https://musclecardreaming.tumblr.com/post/90766849969/july-4th-1984-30-years-ago-the-king-won-his

jrhmobile said 2 months ago "nobody reported that Petty's car was found to have an illegal 390 cu. in. engine, but Bill France initiated his "no race winner gets disqualified – the race winner is the one the spectators see in victory lane" dictum."

https://autoweek.com/article/monster-energy-nascar-cup/memorable-finishes-nascars-july-4-daytona-race-were-many
Autoweek  July 15th 2019 issue