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Without a doubt, the most famous fight among NASCAR competitors is Cale Yarborough’s bout with the Brothers Allison tag team in February of 1979.

It happened at the conclusion of the Daytona 500, triggered by a fender-banging crash between Yarborough and Donnie Allison as they battled for the lead on the last lap. As Richard Petty swept past the duo’s mangled cars to win, Bobby Allison stopped on the third turn apron to check on his brother.

With seconds, fists were flying, feet were kicking and helmets were being swung as weapons.

The wild scene was telecast live nationally by CBS, and during the intervening years has been aired thousands of times in auto racing features, documentaries and commercials.

But the most amusing and humorous NASCAR altercation ever? In my estimation, that occurred at the Greensboro Agricultural Fairgrounds race track almost 59 years ago on April 28, 1957.

Given access to a make-believe time machine in order to travel back across the decades for the purpose of seeing just one NASCAR brouhaha of yore, this is the destination and date I would chose.

Why this one of 59 years ago?

Because of who it involved--the Petty Clan vs. the colorful, fun-loving giant, Tiny Lund!

As far as I know, there is little or no video of the confrontation showing what happened for us to see all over again. Nor even still pictures, in fact.

The Petty versus Lund tale was related to me by the late hall of fame driver Tim Flock, who was a witness to the incident that day so long ago. Prior to a 250-lap race on the .333-mile track at Greensboro, driver introductions were being made on the back of a flat-bed trailer. As they passed on the make-shift stage, NASCAR champion Lee Petty and rival driver Lund exchanged angry words, probably over money. Lund had driven a few races for Petty Enterprises.

Fists instantly started flying. The nickname “Tiny” was a misnomer. Lund stood around 6-6 and weighed 275 pounds. The 6-2 Petty possibly scaled 170. Not surprisingly, Lund was lacing Petty with a merciless whipping. Lee’s teenage sons, Richard and Maurice, then members of their father’s pit crew, rushed to his rescue.

“Tiny was beating the dickens out of all three of them,” Flock recalled with a laugh. “It looked like minnows bouncing off a battleship.”

Suddenly, Mrs. Elizabeth Petty came on stage to the aid of her husband and sons. She pelted Lund’s head with her purse! Pump knots appeared on Tiny’s noggin and he scrambled to get away.

What made the purse such a weapon?

“There was a .38 pistol inside!” roared Flock.

I didn’t dare write this story as part of a “NASCAR feuds” segment I was doing for The Charlotte Observer in the 1980s until confirming the details with Richard Petty.

“That’s just how it happened,” said Richard.

“Will it embarrass your Momma if I include the part about the pistol? I asked.

King Richard, who followed his father as a driver to become the winner of seven Cup Series championships and a record 200 races, flashed his famous smile.

“Embarrass her? Why, she’s right proud of it!”

The race went on that afternoon in ’57 after things calmed down. Paul Goldsmith won, Lee Petty finished sixth and Tiny Lund was 13th. However, the pre-race “show” was the hit that day.

What a treat it would be to somehow see it.