January 23, 1972 - Richard Petty wins the Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway in southern California. Scheduled for 191 laps on the road course, the race is shortened to 149 laps because of dense fog. The win was Petty's 141st victory - and his first with STP as his primary sponsor. Even the most casual NASCAR fan knows Richard Petty for his autograph, cowboy hat, sunglasses, and mustache. And many more easily associate the iconic day-glo STP red and Petty blue colors as a natural fit for the 43.
More at my blog entry here:
http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/01/january-23-this-day-in-petty-history.html
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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 01/23/19 02:16:30PM