Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King," is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably driving the No.
After his 1955 graduation, he took a business course at Greensboro Junior College, then began work for his father's racing company, Petty Enterprises.
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King," is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably driving the No.
Petty married Lynda Owens in 1958.
He began his NASCAR career on July 18, 1958, 16 days after his 21st birthday.
His father, Lee Petty, won the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and was also a three-time NASCAR champion. His son Kyle was also a NASCAR driver.
In 1959, he was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year, after he produced 9 top 10 finishes, including six Top 5 finishes.
In Lakewood, Georgia in 1959, Petty won his first race, but his father Lee protested, complaining of a scoring error on the officials' part.
Hours later, Lee was awarded the win. === The 1960s === In 1960, he finished 2nd in the NASCAR Grand National Points Race, and got his first career win at the Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway.
In 1964, driving a potent Plymouth with a new Hemi engine, Petty led 184 of the 200 laps to capture his first Daytona 500, en route to 9 victories, earning over $114,000 and his first Grand National championship. Joining in the Chrysler boycott of NASCAR due to the organizing body's ban of the Hemi engine, Petty spent much of 1965 competing as a drag racer.
In 1964, driving a potent Plymouth with a new Hemi engine, Petty led 184 of the 200 laps to capture his first Daytona 500, en route to 9 victories, earning over $114,000 and his first Grand National championship. Joining in the Chrysler boycott of NASCAR due to the organizing body's ban of the Hemi engine, Petty spent much of 1965 competing as a drag racer.
He crashed this car at Southeastern Dragway, in Dallas, Georgia, on February 28, 1965, killing a six-year-old boy and injuring seven others.
Even after returning to NASCAR once the Hemi was reinstated, Richard continued drag racing the 43 JR until early 1966. ± On February 27, 1966, Richard Petty overcame a 2-lap deficit to win his second Daytona 500 when the race was stopped on lap 198 of 200 because of a thunderstorm.
In 1966, he won the first ever race at Middle Georgia Raceway (Morelock 200).
In that year, Petty won 27 of the 48 races he entered, including a record 10 wins in a row (between August 12 and October 1, 1967).
43 car. In 1967, Petty appeared in the opening credits of the Elvis Presley movie Speedway that was shot and filmed at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
He had previously been known as "the Randleman Rocket". In 1968, Petty won 15 races including the last ever race at Occoneechee Speedway. In 1969 Ford significantly ratcheted up their factory involvement in NASCAR when they introduced the Ford Torino Talladega.
He had previously been known as "the Randleman Rocket". In 1968, Petty won 15 races including the last ever race at Occoneechee Speedway. In 1969 Ford significantly ratcheted up their factory involvement in NASCAR when they introduced the Ford Torino Talladega.
He would end up recording 4 wins there in his career, including one in 1970 in which he was very ill before the race.
Won back in 1970 by the sleek new Plymouth Superbird with shark nose and towel rack wing, Petty returned to Plymouth for the 1970 season.
This is the car in which Petty is cast in the Pixar film Cars (2006), in which Richard and Lynda Petty had voice roles. === The 1970s === On February 14, 1971, Petty won his third Daytona 500, driving a brand-new (for 1971) Plymouth Road Runner and beating Buddy Baker, by little more than a car length en route to another historic year, making him the first driver to win the race 3 times.
Therefore, he never collected purses for the Bud Pole Award, and competed at the Busch Clash only once, in 1980. === Close calls === As well as his numerous victories, Petty is also remembered for three of the many incredible crashes that he survived: In the 1970 Rebel 400 at Darlington, Petty was injured when his Plymouth Road Runner cut a tire and slammed hard into the wall separating the track from the pit area.
This accident injured Petty's shoulder, and helped Bobby Isaac to win the 1970 Grand National Championship.
Petty remains very active in the sport as both a NASCAR team owner (Richard Petty Motorsports) in the Cup Series, and owner of Petty's Garage (car restoration and modification shop) in Level Cross, North Carolina. During his 35-year career, Petty collected a record number of poles (127) and over 700 top 10 finishes in a record 1,184 starts, including 513 consecutive starts from 1971 to 1989.
This is the car in which Petty is cast in the Pixar film Cars (2006), in which Richard and Lynda Petty had voice roles. === The 1970s === On February 14, 1971, Petty won his third Daytona 500, driving a brand-new (for 1971) Plymouth Road Runner and beating Buddy Baker, by little more than a car length en route to another historic year, making him the first driver to win the race 3 times.
At the end of the 1971 season, Chrysler told the Pettys they no longer would receive direct factory funding support; this gave the Petty team great concern.
He spent '84 and '85 driving for Mike Curb before returning to Petty Enterprises in 1986. Because of the 1971 Myers Brothers 250 combination race in 1971 that Petty finished second in a Grand National Car while winner Bobby Allison drove a Grand American car, there is a technical dispute regarding which race is credited as his 200th win.
In 1972, STP began what would turn into a successful 28-year sponsorship arrangement with Petty, however, it marked the end of his famous all "Petty Blue" paint job.
1972 was a year of change in other ways, as it was the last year where Petty would campaign a Plymouth-based race car; as in the middle of the year, he debuted to drive a newly built 1972 Dodge Charger in a few races (winning one of them), as he believed that the car would have a slight aero advantage over the Plymouth body style.
In a driver's duel on February 18, 1973, Petty, in a newly built 1973 Dodge Charger (a body style he would use exclusively until the end of 1977), outlasted Baker (now with the K&K Insurance Dodge race team) to win his 4th Daytona 500 after Baker's engine gave out with 6 laps to go.
Unhappy with the seven top-five and eleven top-ten finishes (including two-second places), Petty decided that his longtime relationship with Chrysler could not continue and he instead began racing a secondhand 1974 Chevrolet Monte Carlo at the fall race at Michigan.
In 1976, Petty was involved in one of the most famous finishes in NASCAR history.
The bit in which rookie racer Lightning McQueen assists him to the finish line is based on the 1976 incident, albeit by the pit crew.
Petty's wife Lynda voiced The King's wife, a 1976 Chrysler Town & Country station-wagon (based on Petty's family car), in that movie as well.
In a driver's duel on February 18, 1973, Petty, in a newly built 1973 Dodge Charger (a body style he would use exclusively until the end of 1977), outlasted Baker (now with the K&K Insurance Dodge race team) to win his 4th Daytona 500 after Baker's engine gave out with 6 laps to go.
Petty was given credit for second place. Oddly 1978 will stand out as the one year during his prime that Petty did not visit the winner's circle.
The Petty Enterprises Team could not get the new 1978 Dodge Magnum to handle properly, even though much time, effort, and faith were spent massaging the cars.
Returning to the General Motors fold proved successful as Petty recorded six top-ten finishes in the final ten races of the 1978 season and finished sixth in the final standings.
1982 was a repeat of 1978, and no victories were to be had.
At first, the Grand Prix behaved much like the Dodge Magnum of 1978, with handling and speed problems.
He would go on to even better results in 1979.
Petty won the Daytona 500 in an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme in the "Famous Finish" and ran most of the remaining races in a Chevrolet, winning four additional races and taking the NASCAR championship for the seventh, and last, time by 11 points which was the closest points margin in NASCAR history until 1992. === Twilight years (1980–1991) === Petty won two more Daytona 500s in 1979 and 1981.
In 1979, he snapped a 45-race drought, winning his sixth Daytona 500, the first to be televised live flag-to-flag; it would become notorious for a fistfight between competitors following the controversial finish.
He was able to hold off Waltrip to win the title in 1979. in 1980 Petty won two races early in the year at North Wilkesboro and Nashville but a violent crash at Pocono in July ended his championship hopes.
He finished 4th in points For 1981, NASCAR dictated that all teams had to show up with the new downsized cars of 110" wheel-base, that Detroit had been building since 1979.
He was able to hold off Waltrip to win the title in 1979. in 1980 Petty won two races early in the year at North Wilkesboro and Nashville but a violent crash at Pocono in July ended his championship hopes.
Therefore, he never collected purses for the Bud Pole Award, and competed at the Busch Clash only once, in 1980. === Close calls === As well as his numerous victories, Petty is also remembered for three of the many incredible crashes that he survived: In the 1970 Rebel 400 at Darlington, Petty was injured when his Plymouth Road Runner cut a tire and slammed hard into the wall separating the track from the pit area.
During the accident, Petty's head hit the track pavement several times, which, along with Joe Weatherly's fatal crash six years earlier, led NASCAR to mandate the installation of the Petty-developed safety net that covers the driver's side window. In a 1980 race at Pocono, Petty slammed the Turn 2 wall, nearly flipping the car.
Petty won the Daytona 500 in an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme in the "Famous Finish" and ran most of the remaining races in a Chevrolet, winning four additional races and taking the NASCAR championship for the seventh, and last, time by 11 points which was the closest points margin in NASCAR history until 1992. === Twilight years (1980–1991) === Petty won two more Daytona 500s in 1979 and 1981.
He finished 4th in points For 1981, NASCAR dictated that all teams had to show up with the new downsized cars of 110" wheel-base, that Detroit had been building since 1979.
After taking a phone call from Lee Iacocca (who personally asked Petty to campaign a Dodge for 1981), the Petty team built a stunning 1981 Dodge Mirada and took it to Daytona in January 1981 for high speed tests.
Petty's fans were also in a large part fans of his Dodges, so when word got out about the Mirada testing, 15,000 or so showed up on January 17, 1981 at Daytona Speedway to watch Petty put the Dodge through its paces.
In the 1981 Daytona 500, Petty used a "fuel only" for his last pit stop, with 25 laps to go, to outfox Bobby Allison and grab his seventh and final Daytona 500 win.
Dale Inman, Petty's longtime crew chief, left the team after the Daytona victory (Inman would win an eighth championship as crew chief in 1984 with Terry Labonte). While the 1981 season gave Petty 3 wins, he felt the season was a failure, and the Regals being ill-handling and poor in reliability.
STP previously insisted on an all STP orangish-red color for the cars, but Petty balked and after an all-night negotiation session, the familiar STP orange/"Petty blue" paint scheme was agreed to as a compromise that would later become part of STP's motorsport paint schemes, most notably Gordon Johncock's win in the 1982 Indianapolis 500 (where the car had a primarily "Petty Blue" scheme).
For 1982, he made the move to the Pontiac Grand Prix, with the promise of substantial factory support from Pontiac.
Toward the end of 1982 things improved with several top-10 finishes, which opened the door to a successful 1983 season with three victories, and several top-5 and top-10 finishes.
In 1983, he broke his 43-race winless streak from 1982 with a win in the 1983 Carolina 500, barely edging out a young Bill Elliott.
Toward the end of 1982 things improved with several top-10 finishes, which opened the door to a successful 1983 season with three victories, and several top-5 and top-10 finishes.
In 1983, he broke his 43-race winless streak from 1982 with a win in the 1983 Carolina 500, barely edging out a young Bill Elliott.
After a controversial win at Charlotte in October 1983 (recognised by NASCAR as win No.
Dale Inman, Petty's longtime crew chief, left the team after the Daytona victory (Inman would win an eighth championship as crew chief in 1984 with Terry Labonte). While the 1981 season gave Petty 3 wins, he felt the season was a failure, and the Regals being ill-handling and poor in reliability.
198), Petty left the race team his father founded for the 1984 season.
On May 20, 1984, Petty won what under modern regulations would be recognized has his 200th Cup class win, the Budweiser 500 at Dover International Speedway, when the Winston-Salem class win is recognised. On July 4, 1984, Petty won his officially-recognized 200th (and what would turn out to be his final victory) race at the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
He spent '84 and '85 driving for Mike Curb before returning to Petty Enterprises in 1986. Because of the 1971 Myers Brothers 250 combination race in 1971 that Petty finished second in a Grand National Car while winner Bobby Allison drove a Grand American car, there is a technical dispute regarding which race is credited as his 200th win.
Racing Champions ran a promotional line of diecast cars for every race in Petty's Farewell Tour. At the 1992 Pepsi 400 on July 4, Petty qualified on the front row for the first time since 1986.
The crash was similar to the accident suffered by Bobby Allison during the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and Carl Edwards 2009 Talladega crash in that all three cars became airborne after turning sideways, and both cars damaged the spectator fencing (though Petty's crash did much less damage to the fencing).
Reagan celebrated the milestone with Petty and his family in victory lane. In early 1988, Petty travelled to Australia to help promote a NASCAR exhibition race at the then new Calder Park Thunderdome, the first NASCAR race outside of North America.
Such an incident is unlikely to happen now because of modern NASCAR rules requiring an official series medical liaison to clear a driver after a crash. In the 1988 Daytona 500, Petty's crash on Lap 106 hurled parts all over the front stretch at the Daytona International Speedway.
The King's accident caused by his longtime running rival Chick Hicks at the end of the film was also a re-creation of Petty's real-life Daytona 500 accident in 1988 with the exception that it was not caused by a deliberate crash.
Petty remains very active in the sport as both a NASCAR team owner (Richard Petty Motorsports) in the Cup Series, and owner of Petty's Garage (car restoration and modification shop) in Level Cross, North Carolina. During his 35-year career, Petty collected a record number of poles (127) and over 700 top 10 finishes in a record 1,184 starts, including 513 consecutive starts from 1971 to 1989.
This would have in fact landed him on pole position for the race as the fastest time in official qualifying was by Alabama Gang member Neil Bonnett who recorded a 28.829-second lap (139.734 mp/h) in his Pontiac Grand Prix. === Petty's last ride (1992) === On October 1, 1991, Petty announced he would retire after the 1992 season.
Petty's final top ten finish came at the 1991 Budweiser at the Glen which was the same race J.
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King," is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably driving the No.
Petty won the Daytona 500 in an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme in the "Famous Finish" and ran most of the remaining races in a Chevrolet, winning four additional races and taking the NASCAR championship for the seventh, and last, time by 11 points which was the closest points margin in NASCAR history until 1992. === Twilight years (1980–1991) === Petty won two more Daytona 500s in 1979 and 1981.
This would have in fact landed him on pole position for the race as the fastest time in official qualifying was by Alabama Gang member Neil Bonnett who recorded a 28.829-second lap (139.734 mp/h) in his Pontiac Grand Prix. === Petty's last ride (1992) === On October 1, 1991, Petty announced he would retire after the 1992 season.
Petty chose to run the entire 1992 season, not just selected events as other drivers have done before retirement.
Racing Champions ran a promotional line of diecast cars for every race in Petty's Farewell Tour. At the 1992 Pepsi 400 on July 4, Petty qualified on the front row for the first time since 1986.
Unfortunately, the oppressive heat forced him to drop out after completing just 84 laps. Despite the busy appearance schedule and mediocre race results, Petty managed to qualify for all 29 races in 1992.
On August 18, 1993, NASCAR participated in a tire test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in preparations for the 1994 Brickyard 400.
On August 18, 1993, NASCAR participated in a tire test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in preparations for the 1994 Brickyard 400.
Murstein, president of Medallion, had been seeking a sports investment since 2008 when he formed a special purpose acquisition company together with Hank Aaron, a Medallion board member, and others. === Petty as a broadcaster === In 1995, Petty moved to the television broadcast booth joining CBS as a color commentator. === Sponsorship === Petty promised his mother not to accept alcohol sponsorship.
In 1996, he was the Republican nominee for North Carolina Secretary of State, but was defeated by State Senator Elaine Marshall in the general election.
The 13 victories is a modern (1972–present) NASCAR record for victories in a season and was tied in 1998 by Jeff Gordon, although Gordon won 13 out of 33 races, compared to Petty's 13 out of 30 races.
His grandson, Adam (Kyle's son), was killed in a practice crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on May 12, 2000, five weeks after Lee's death.
(This is no longer possible because of the 2003 rule change freezing the field immediately upon caution.
Furthermore, the green-white-checkered rule was created for if the yellow flag waved with two laps remaining, but not with one lap remaining, in 2004.
Murstein, president of Medallion, had been seeking a sports investment since 2008 when he formed a special purpose acquisition company together with Hank Aaron, a Medallion board member, and others. === Petty as a broadcaster === In 1995, Petty moved to the television broadcast booth joining CBS as a color commentator. === Sponsorship === Petty promised his mother not to accept alcohol sponsorship.
Petty also played himself in the 2008 film Swing Vote, where he commends the film's protagonist by allowing him to briefly drive his famous "43" Plymouth. In May 2011, Petty was chosen to be the Grand Marshal for the 2011 STP 400 of the Sprint Cup Series. After retirement, Petty purchased a 90-acre (36 ha) ranch south of Jackson, Wyoming. == Motorsports career results == === NASCAR === (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.
The crash was similar to the accident suffered by Bobby Allison during the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and Carl Edwards 2009 Talladega crash in that all three cars became airborne after turning sideways, and both cars damaged the spectator fencing (though Petty's crash did much less damage to the fencing).
He was inducted into the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.
The name was originally going to stay the same, but due to Evernham leaving the team, it was renamed Richard Petty Motorsports, despite George Gillett continuing to own the majority of the team. In November 2010, an investment group including Medallion Financial Corp., Douglas G.
Petty also played himself in the 2008 film Swing Vote, where he commends the film's protagonist by allowing him to briefly drive his famous "43" Plymouth. In May 2011, Petty was chosen to be the Grand Marshal for the 2011 STP 400 of the Sprint Cup Series. After retirement, Petty purchased a 90-acre (36 ha) ranch south of Jackson, Wyoming. == Motorsports career results == === NASCAR === (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.
* – Most laps led.) == Film and TV appearances == In 2011, Petty was featured in the show Modern HotrodZ.
Petty was the first driver to win in his 500th race start, being joined by Matt Kenseth in 2013.
She died on March 25, 2014 at her home in Level Cross, North Carolina at age 72, after a long battle with cancer.
The family resides in Petty's home town of Level Cross, North Carolina and operates Richard Petty Motorsports. The Richard Petty Museum was formerly in nearby Randleman, North Carolina but moved back to its original location in March 2014.
The field split him and he followed behind the field for one more pace lap before he pulled it in. At the 2017 Southern 500 at Darlington, Petty led the field through several pace laps in his Plymouth Belvedere.
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