Today In Sports History (February 29, 1976)

On this day in 1976, Richard Petty won the Winston Cup Series Carolina 500 at Rockingham Speedway. It remains the only Winston Cup Series race run on Leap Day. Richard Petty, of Richard Petty Enterprises led the race for 362 out of 492 laps. Eventually, #43 topped Darrell Waltrip by two laps to claim the first position. The race memory was marred, due to a huge melee on the backstretch of the race. Petty would go on to finish second in the 1976 Winston Cup Series, falling to Cale Yarborough.