On September 15, 1974, Richard Petty delivered a dominant performance in the Delaware 500 at Dover International Speedway, winning a NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series event for the 10th time that season and the 164th of his career. Starting second on the grid, Petty led 491 of the 500 laps and cruised to victory, finishing three full laps ahead of runner-up Buddy Baker.
Baker had earned the pole position with a qualifying speed of 133.640 mph, while Petty’s winning race average speed was 113.640 mph. The race, contested by a 40-car field before an estimated crowd of 30,000, was slowed by seven caution periods totaling 55 laps. Earl Ross finished third, Benny Parsons fourth, and Dave Marcis fifth. Petty collected $18,175 for the win, which extended his points lead over Cale Yarborough to 543.5 in the championship standings.
