June 14, 1959 Richard Petty finishes second to his father, Lee, in a 150-lap Grand National race in Atlanta at Lakewood Speedway, a one-mile dirt track. This is Richard’s first of a record 157 Grand National/Cup second-place finishes. In 1,184 Grand National/Cup races, Petty finishes first or second 357 times, which is 30 percent of his races.