Waltrip recalls dueling with Petty in 1979 season finale

As three-time champion Darrell Waltrip watches Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon battle for the 2007 Nextel Cup championship, he can't help but think back to 1979, when he lost the title to Richard Petty by 11 points -- after leading by two going into the last race of the season.

Q: Were you aware that before 1979 no driver who was leading entering the final race of the season had ever lost the championship?

Waltrip: No, at the time I wasn't. But then again, two points really isn't much of a lead.

Images & ArchivesRichard Petty won the Daytona 500 and four more races to win the '79 title by 11 points.

Q: What was your frame of mind going in?

Waltrip: By the time we got to Ontario, my confidence was shot. My focus was solely on beating Richard Petty. He had six championships, and I didn't have any. I wanted to beat Richard because he was The King. If I could beat him, what did that make me?

Q: Anything you could have done differently to change the outcome?

Waltrip: I was a lap down, and Benny Parsons [the eventual race winner] was racing me hard to keep me a lap down. One time we missed it by about an inch. But I hadn't earned his respect yet, so he didn't cut me that break. If I ever made it back to the lead lap, we would have won.

Q: What lessons did you learn that helped you win championships later?

Waltrip: I learned not to beat myself. It was a big help in my championship years because I learned to go and beat the competition.

Q: Was the Ontario race the defining race of the season?

Waltrip: I would say it was the Southern 500. David Pearson was the best there was at Darlington. He was running second and I was about to lap him with 50 laps to go. I lapped him, and the next lap I hit the wall and was done. I lost sight of the big picture, wasn't driving very smart, and that was my season right there. Some of what I saw with Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth at Texas reminded me of that race.