Richard Petty

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Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), also known as The King, is a former NASCAR racer who competed from 1958 to 1992 in the old NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series).

He was the first driver to win the NASCAR Cup Championship seven times (Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson are the only other competitors to do so), winning the Daytona 500 a record seven times, and winning a record 27 races (not consecutively) in 1967.

He is the most respected figure in motorsports as a whole, and he is the most effective driver in the history of the sport.

In his 124 starts, he had a record number of poles (127) and over 700 Top 10 finishes, including 513 in a row since 1971–1989.

Petty was the first driver to win in his 500th race start until Matt Kenseth joined him in 2013.

In 2010, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Petty is still very active, as both a Cup of NASCAR (Richard Petty Motorsports) and the operator of Petty's Garage (car restoration and modification shop) in Level Cross, North Carolina. Petty is a second-generation autopilot.

Lee Petty, his father, was the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and he was also a three-time NASCAR champion.

Kyle's son was also a NASCAR racer.

Adam (Kyle's son) was killed in a practice accident at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on May 12, 2000, five weeks after Lee's death.

Adam's brother Austin works with the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a Hole in the Wall Gang Camp established by the Pettys after Adam's death.

Lynda Owens was married in 1958 by Petty.

After a long fight with cancer, she died on March 25, 2014 at her home in Level Cross, North Carolina, at the age of 72.

They had four children: Kityle Petty, Sharon Petty-Farlow, Lisa Petty-Luck, and Rebecca Petty-Moffit.

Richard Petty Motorsports is located in Petty's hometown, Level Cross, North Carolina, and the family owns Richard Petty Motorsports.

The Richard Petty Museum had been located in Randleman, North Carolina, but it was moved to its original location in March 2014.

He has also appeared in Cars.

Life after racing

Petty is now a spokesperson for Liberty Medical, Cheerios, and GlaxoSmithKline's Nicorette and Goody's Headache Powder. During a limited period when the company switched to several "real Brawny guys," he had also been featured on Brawny paper towels. Petty and Kyle have lent their skills to host "Lifting It Right," an automotive lift safety education DVD that is produced and distributed by the Auto Lift Institute (ALI); it is used in high school vocational programs and community colleges. He has made public service announcements for Civitan International, a non-profit group of which he is a former member. He is often seen sporting his trademark sunglasses and a Charlie 1 Horse cowboy hat, as well as a large snakeskin hat band and a thin stripe of rooster feathers at the front.

Petty has established "Victory Junction," which is intended to give seriously ill children the outdoors experience and experience of summer camp, and is staffed by round-the-clock medical staff to be on hand in case of emergencies. Petty information on the boxes was used to make a cereal "43's." Petty also appeared in the 2008 film Swing Vote, where he praises the film's protagonist by allowing him to briefly drive his iconic "43" Plymouth.

Petty was selected to be the Grand Marshal for the 2011 STP 400 of the Sprint Cup Series in May 2011.

Petty owned a 90-acre (36 ha) ranch south of Jackson, Wyoming, after retirement.

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Racing career

Petty was born in Level Cross, North Carolina, the son of Elizabeth Petty (née Toomes) and Lee Arnold Petty, both a NASCAR racer, and the older brother of NASCAR personality Maurice Petty. He was raised in Randleman, North Carolina, and attended Randleman High School, where he served as an All-Conference guard on the football team. After his 1955 graduation, he took a business course at Greensboro Junior College and then began working for Petty Enterprises, his father's racing business. On July 18, 1958, he started his NASCAR career, 16 days after his 21st birthday. His first run was held at CNE Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (the location of BMO Field and the Honda Indy Toronto currently). Since he had nine top ten finishes, including six Top 5 finishes in 1959, he was voted NASCAR Rookie of the Year. He had competed in the inaugural Daytona International Speedway, but after his day was shortened due to engine failure, he joined his father Lee's pit crew, who won the race. Petty won his first run in Lakewood, Georgia, in 1959, but his father Lee protested, citing a scoring mistake on his part. Lee was proclaimed the winner just hours later.

He came in second place in the NASCAR Grand National Points Race in 1960 and his first victory at the Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway was second in his career. 1963 was his breakout year, winning at tracks like Martinsville and Bridgehampton. Petty won his first Daytona 500 in 1964, driving a powerful Plymouth with a new Hemi engine.

Petty spent much of 1965 competing as a drag racer before joining NASCAR due to the body's prohibition of the Hemi engine. The Hemi was installed by Petty Enterprises in the new compact Barracuda and lettered "OUTLAWED" on the door. On February 28, 1965, he crashed this car in Dallas, Georgia, killing an eight-year-old boy and injuring seven others. Petty, his father Lee, and Chrysler Corporation faced litigation totaling more than $1 million, though Petty and his staff reached an agreement within one month of the litigation being filed. A second Hemi Barracuda was built shortly after, this time with an altered wheelbase and later with Hilborn fuel injection. On the door, this vehicle was stamped with a large "43 JR." The car was very successful, winning its class at the Bristol Spring Nationals and participating in numerous match races against well-known racers like Ronnie Sox, Don Nicholson, Phil Bonner, Huston Platt, and Dave Strickler. Richard continued drag racing the 43 JR until early 1966, even after returning to NASCAR after the Hemi was revived. Richard Petty of Texas won his second Daytona 500 on February 27, 1966, despite a storm. He was the first driver to win the race twice. He took the first race at Middle Georgia Raceway in 1966 (Morelock 200). During the 100-mile (160 km) race, Petty set a new NASCAR record for half-mile tracks at 82.023 mph. He'll win four times in his career, including one in 1970, when he was seriously ill before the race. 1967 was a landmark year. Petty won 27 of the 48 races he entered in that year, with a record ten victories in a row (between August 12 and October 1, 1967). He captured his second Grand National Championship. The Southern 500 at Darlington, one of the 27 winners, was his first Southern 500 victory. "King Richard" was given the nickname "King Richard" in honor of his domination in this season. He had been nicknamed "the Randleman Rocket" before.

Petty claimed 15 races, including the last one at Occonee Speedway in 1968.

When Ford introduced the Ford Torino Talladega in 1969, they dramatically raised their factory involvement in NASCAR. The Talladega was specifically built to give Ford a competitive advantage by being more aerodynamic and therefore quicker, particularly on super-speedway tracks more than a mile long. Petty switched to Ford due to his conviction that the Plymouth was not fast enough on super highways; he wanted a slippery Dodge Daytona, but Chrysler executives insisted he stay with Plymouth. He will win ten races and finish second in points. Petty returned to Plymouth for the 1970 season after being swept back by the sleek new Plymouth Superbird with a shark nose and towel rack wing. This is the car in which Petty appears in the Pixar film Cars (2006), in which Richard and Lynda Petty appeared in.

Petty won his third Daytona 500 on February 14, 1971, defeating Buddy Baker by a small amount of a car length en route to another historic year, making him the first driver to win the race three times. He has won 20 more races (which will make him the first person to earn more than $1 million per year) and his 3rd Grand National Championship win. Chrysler told the Pettys that no longer would receive direct factory funding; this caused the Petty team to be concerned about the 1971 season. STP began in 1972 with a promise to Petty that would flourish into a 28-year sponsorship deal, but it came at the end of his legendary all-Petty blue paint job. STP had previously insistent on a primary orangish red hue for the cars, but Petty retaliated, and the new STP orange/Petty blue paint scheme was agreed on as a compromise that would later become part of STP's motorsport paint schemes, most notably Gordon Johncock's victory in the 1982 Indianapolis 500 (where the car had primarily "Petty Blue" scheme). Petty claimed his fourth NASCAR Cup Series title thanks to his 28 Top 10 finishes (25 Top 5 finishes and 8 victories). 1972 was a year of transition in other ways; during the year, Petty would campaign a Plymouth-based race car; in the middle of the year, he began to drive a newly built 1972 Dodge Charger in a few races (winning one of them), thinking that it would have a marginal aero advantage over the Plymouth body style. Petty, a driver's duel who built a 1973 Dodge Charger (a body style he'll use exclusively until 1977), defeated Baker (now with the K&K Insurance Dodge racing team) to win his 4th Daytona 500 after Baker's engine gave out with 6 laps to go. For the fifth time en route to his fifth Winston Cup Championship, Petty won the Daytona "450" (shortened 20 laps 50 mi/80 km), a year later.

Petty won the World 600 for the first time in his career, beating the World 600 for the first time in his career, winning the World 600 for the first time in his career, one of 13 victories en route to his 6th Winston Cup victories. Gordon won 13 out of 33 races, compared to Petty's 13 out of 30 races. This is a modern (1972–present) NASCAR record for victories in a season and was tied in 1998 by Jeff Gordon, but Gordon won 13 out of 33 races. Petty was involved in one of NASCAR's most coveted finishes in 1976. On the last lap of turn 4 in the Daytona 500, Petty and David Pearson were competing. Petty was attempting to pass Pearson at the exit of turn 4, but Pearson's right rear bumper collided with Pearson's left front bumper. Pearson and Petty spun and crashed into the front stretch wall, and Petty continued to spin and fell on the front stretch wall. Petty's vehicle came to a halt just yards from the finish line, but his engine stalled. Pearson's vehicle had hit the front stretch wall and clipped another vehicle, but his engine was still running. Members of Petty's pit crew stepped out and attempted to pull the car to the finish line, but it fell short. Pearson was able to drive his car to the finish line, while Petty's didn't start his car. Pearson took the Daytona 500 from Petty on the infield grass and defeated him. Petty received a second place for his second place.

Oddly 1978 will stand out as the one year of Petty's reign that he did not visit the winner's circle during his reign. Even though much time, effort, and faith were spent massaging the vehicles, the Petty Enterprises Team was unable to get the new 1978 Dodge Magnum to perform properly. Petty, who was seventh in top-five and eleven top-ten finishes (including two in second places), decided that his long-time with Chrysler would not continue, and he instead began racing a secondhand 1974 Chevrolet Monte Carlo at the fall race in Michigan. Petty's return to the GM fold was fruitful, with six top-ten finishes in the final ten races of the 1978 season and sixth in the final standings. In 1979, he would continue to produce even better results. Petty claimed the Daytona 500 in an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme in the "Famous Finish" and ran the majority of the remaining races in a Chevrolet, winning four more races and the NASCAR championship for the seventh time and beating the NASCAR championship by 11 points, the closest points margin in NASCAR history until 1992.

In 1979 and 1981, Petty captured two more Daytona 500s. He snapped a 45-race drought in 1979, winning his sixth Daytona 500, the first to be broadcast live on the first; following the tense finish, he would become famous for a fistfight between opponents. Petty finished the event as the first and second place cars of Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crashed on the last lap. Darrell Waltrip and A. J. Foyt were ruled out of Petty's position. The race is also believed to be the source of NASCAR's current surge. A blizzard had blasted the East Coast, giving CBS a captive audience. The victory was part of Petty's seventh and last NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. In 1979, he was able to hold off Waltrip to win the title.

He finished 4th in points

All teams were required to turn up with the new downsized cars of 110" wheelbase that Detroit had been building since 1979. Although Petty had been successful with the Chevrolet and Oldsmobile cars he had been driving, he wanted to return to his Mopar roots. The Petty team built a stunning 1981 Dodge Mirada after receiving a phone call from Lee Iacocca (who personally asked Petty to campaign a Dodge for 1981) and brought it to Daytona in January 1981 for high speed experiments. Petty's followers became ardent supporters of his Dodges, and when word broke of the Mirada tests, 15,000 or so people turned up at Daytona Speedway on January 17, 1981, to watch Petty put the Dodge through its paces. Sadly for the followers, the vehicle could not travel at 186 mph, about eight miles per hour slower than the GM and Ford models. Petty decided against returning to Dodge knowing that the Mirada would not be competitive on the superspeedways, and bought a Buick Regal for the Daytona race. Petty claimed victory in the 1981 Daytona 500 with a "fuel only" for his last pit stop, with 25 laps to go, to top Bobby Allison for his seventh and final Daytona 500 victory. This victory marked a significant change in Petty's racing staff. Dale Inman, Petty's longtime crew chief, left the team after the Daytona triumph (Inman would win his eighth championship as crew chief in 1984 with Terry Labonte).

Although the 1981 season brought Petty 3 victories, he felt the year was a disappointment, and the Regals were ill-handling and poor in reliability. For 1982, he made the switch to Pontiac Grand Prix with the promise of a major factory assistance from Pontiac. 1982 was a repeat of 1978, with no victories expected. The Grand Prix behaving like the Dodge Magnum of 1978, with handling and speed issues. Several top-10 finishes improved with three top-10 finishes, which opened the door to a fruitful 1983 season with three victories and numerous top-5 and top-10 finishes. With a victory in the 1983 Carolina 500, Bill Elliott halted his 43-race winless streak from 1982, barely edging out a teenage Bill Elliott. After a tumultuous victory at Charlotte in October 1983 (recognised by NASCAR as the No. 1 winner No. 7) was named by the NASCAR as the No. 1 in the race. 198) Petty, a racer from the 1984-1980s, left the team his father formed for the 1984 season. Mike Curb spent 84 and 85 years on his motorcycle before returning to Petty Enterprises in 1986.

Petty finished second in a Grand National Car in 1971, during 1971, but winner Bobby Allison drove a Grand American car, despite a technical contest about which race is credited as his 200th victory. NASCAR did not award Petty with a class win, a controversy that involved two other drivers, Elmo Langley and Charlie Glotzbach, both of whom raced in combination races that season, finishing second to Grand American cars. Petty will be credited with his 135th victory under current NASC combination race rules for various series. Petty won his 200th Cup class victory, the Budweiser 500 at Dover International Speedway, on May 20, 1984, when the Winston-Salem class win is acknowledged.

Petty took his first official recognizance 200th (and what would be his last victory) in the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 4, 1984. Doug Heveron crashed on lap 158, throwing out the yellow caution flag, effectively ending lap 158 into the final lap as the two drivers battled back to the start-finish line. On the lap, Petty and Cale Yarborough ruled it out, with Yarborough drafting and taking the lead early in the game before Petty managed to cross the finish line just a fender-length ahead. (This is no longer possible as a result of the 2003 rule change that bans the field from being frozen immediately on warning). In addition, a green-checkered rule was introduced for those laps that were still on display, but not with one lap remaining in 2004. In addition, Petty would be rewarded for his 201st victory under new circumstances. (President Ronald Reagan was present at the event, becoming the first sitting president to attend a NASCAR race. In victory lane, Reagan and his family celebrated the milestone.

Petty travelled to Australia in early 1988 to help promote a NASCAR exhibition series at the then-new Calder Park Thunderdome, the first NASCAR event outside of North America. Richard Petty set an unofficial lap record of 28.2 seconds (142.85 mph) in testing at the Goodyear NASCAR 500, although his son Kyle did not participate in the track's inaugural event, the Goodyear NASCAR 500). This would have put him in pole position for the event as the fastest time in official qualifying was set by Alabama Gang member Neil Bonnett, who set a 28.829-second lap (139.734 mp/h) in his Pontiac Grand Prix in 28.794.

Petty revealed on October 1, 1991, that he would retire after the 1992 season. Petty's highest ten finish at the 1991 Budweiser in Glendale, the same one in which J. D. McDuffie was killed in a fifth lap crash. Petty preferred to complete the 1992 season, not just select events as other pilots did before retirement. His year-long Fan Appreciation Tour took him around the country, attending special occasions, award ceremonies, and fan-related meetings. For every race in Petty's Farewell Tour, Racing Champions ran a promotional line of diecast cars.

Petty placed on the front row for the first time since 1986 at the 1992 Pepsi 400. He was honoured with a gift reception that included a visit from President George H. W. Bush right before the race. Petty led the first five laps as the holiday crowd erupted vociferously as the green flag was lowered. Sadly, the punishing heat caused him to drop out after only 84 laps.

Despite a tumultuous appearance schedule and weak racing results, Petty was able to qualify for all 29 races in 1992. Petty will lead the field on the pace lap to honor the fans on his last trip to each track. At Atlanta Motor Speedway, Petty's last race was the season-ending Hooters 500. Petty's last appearance, as well as the fact that Jeff Gordon's career debut and the second closest points championship in NASCAR history, meant that the championship has been dubbed the best race in NASCAR history. The run was attended by a record 160,000 supporters, who paid their respects to Petty's farewell. The title contest was the most competitive in the sport's history. Davey Allison, a championship candidate, was involved in a car accident with Ernie Irvan, securing his title aspirations. Mark Martin, Kyle Petty, and Harry Gant all fell behind in the long run, leaving Bill Elliott and Alan Kulwicki to fight for the title. Elliott led the most laps, one lap more than Elliott, bringing him a five-point bonus.

Petty barely managed to qualify at Atlanta, posting the 39th fastest time out of 41 cars under intense pressure. He would not have qualified for the provisional starting position and would have to prove on speed. Petty became embroiled in an accident on the 94th lap, and his car caught fire. Petty pulled the vehicle off the road and led the driver to safety from the burning machine. Petty's pit crew fought feverly with less than 20 laps to get the car running again, and after two laps to go, he was credited as running at the finish of his final run. He landed in 35th place on his last checked flag. Petty circled the track to salute the supporters one last time in his signature STP Pontiac.

He was racing a little more this year. NASCAR completed a tire testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 18, 1993, just days before the 1994 Brickyard 400. Petty rode several laps around the track and then donated his car to the Speedway Museum.

On the week of the final race under Winston's banner at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Petty will take a solo lap to celebrate his seven Winston Cup Championships for Winston's salute to the champions.

During the first pace laps in 2009, Petty was behind the wheel of one of his 1980s Pontiac race cars in Daytona, marking his 25th anniversary of his final, 200th victory in 1984. He was divided by the field, and he slowed down for one more lap before pulling it in.

Petty led the field through several pace laps in his Plymouth Belvedere at Darlington during the 2017 Southern 500. Petty lasted a lap longer than anticipated, and the starter was obscenely black flagged. At the start of the race, Petty slowed the pace down pit road.

Petty began his career as a crew chief in the 1990s and captured three championships: the 1996 Goody's Body Pain 500 at Martinsville Speedway, with Bobby Hamilton racing and John Andretti driving.

Kyle Petty, the operating father, stayed as operating boss until his son Kyle Petty took over day-to-day operations a decade later.

Kyle Petty was released by Petty Enterprises in 2008, but Gillett-Evernham Motorsports purchased Petty Enterprises out of necessity of funding, but Gillett-Evernham Motorsports bought Petty Enterprises out. The name was supposed to stay the same, but Richard Petty Motorsports was renamed Richard Petty Motorsports after Evernham left the team, despite George Gillett's continuing to control the majority of the team.

Medallion Financial Corp., Douglas G. Bergeron, and Petty, along with Medallion Financial Corp., have agreed and closed the auction of Richard Petty Motorsports' racing fund. Since establishing a special purpose acquisition firm with Hank Aaron, a Medallion board member, and others, Andrew M. Murstein, president of Medallion, had been searching for a sports investment since 2008.

Petty moved to the television broadcast booth in 1995, becoming CBS' color commentator.

Petty warned his mother not to accept alcohol sponsorship. He never collected purses for the Bud Pole Award, and he participated in the Busch Clash only once in 1980.

Petty is also remembered for three of the many incredible accidents he survived, as well as his numerous victories:

Motorsports career results

(Bold – pole position was awarded by qualifying time) (Bold – key) (Bold – Key) Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. Most laps lead the way. (Redhead, 2007)

(Bold – Pole position). (Most laps led to the lead.)

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