For the 1981 season, Richard Petty quickly realized that after returning to Dodge, the Mirada would not be competitive on the super-speedways like Daytona and Talladega, so he opted to buy a Buick Regal for the season-opening Daytona 500. With 25 laps remaining in the race, Petty used a 'fuel-only' pit stop to outwit Bobby Allison, which allowed him to take home his seventh Daytona 500 trophy - a record that still stands today.