Sunday 14th June 1959
Richard Petty took the checkered flag at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta for his apparent first victory in NASCAR’s premier series, but his win was overturned on a protest of the scoring — by his father, Lee. A recheck of scoring revealed that Richard had been credited with an extra lap. Lee Petty, who started 37th in the 40-car field after a draw for starting position, had lodged the protest in part to claim bonus money for winning in a current-year car. Richard Petty was scored in second in a two-year old Oldsmobile. Buck Baker finished third in the last race on Lakewood’s 1-mile dirt track.