Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 car for NASCAR‘s throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway will honor two other 7-time Cup Series winners. One of them is Richard Petty – the man known as ‘The King’, who is also a three-time winner at Darlington. While Petty has many fond memories of Darlington, there was one incident that is far from fond.

It has been 50 years since Richard Petty was involved in a horrific crash at Darlington, but it still is an example of the grit and mental toughness of the legendary driver.

How Richard Petty got involved in a horrific crash

On Lap 176 of the 1970 Cup race at Darlington, Petty’s steering failed. He hit the outside railing off a turn, was then shot towards the inside and his car slammed into the fronstretch wall with a heavy impact on the nose.

Petty’s car then violently flipped almost five times and was upside down on its roof. Many hearts skipped a beat at the venue, as Petty was seen unconscious and half hanging out of the window on the driver’s side. Crew members and officials rushed to his side.

Petty was rushed to the medical center and his condition was assessed. He was later moved to a hospital in South Carolina.  The champion driver was lucky to get away with a broken left shoulder and no serious injuries.

The mental strength of Petty

There was a red spot just next to Petty as he lay on the track, that was naturally feared to be blood. However, Petty later clarified that he used to run races with a red rag in his mouth. His brother Maurice Petty was there and was asked Richard’s condition soon after.

“They cut his uniform away to get into him. His head’s bloody and his eyes hurt a little bit. He’ll be alright though. He’s talking, he knows everybody,” Maurice said. That last sentence sent a huge sigh of relief to everyone watching.

Petty missed the next five races that season and returned at Michigan. He then won the next two races, showing his steely resolve.

Petty’s incident made NASCAR add window nets to the door on the drivers’ side.