John Andretti Born (1963-03-12) March 12, 1963 (age 49) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career 393 race(s) run over 17 year(s) Best finish 11th - 1998 First race 1993 Tyson/Holly Farms 400 (North Wilkesboro) Last race 2010 Daytona 500 (Daytona) First win 1997 Pepsi 400 (Daytona) Last win 1999 Goody's Body Pain 500 (Martinsville) Wins Top tens Poles 2 37 4 NASCAR Nationwide Series career 37 race(s) run over 3 year(s) Best finish 12th - 2006 First race 1998 Goody's 300 (Daytona) Last race 2007 Orbitz 300 (Daytona) Wins Top tens Poles 0 4 0 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career 6 race(s) run over 2 year(s) Best finish 46th – 2005 First race 2005 O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 (Kansas) Last race 2008 Mountain Dew 250 Fueled by Winn-Dixie (Talladega) Wins Top tens Poles 0 3 0 IndyCar Series career 10 race(s) run over 5 year(s) Team(s) Panther Racing (2007) Roth Racing (2008) Richard Petty Motorsports (2009-2011) 2011 position 42nd Best finish 30th - 2008 First race 2007 Indianapolis 500 (Indy) Last race 2011 Indianapolis 500 (Indy) Wins Podiums Poles 0 0 0 Champ Car career 73 race(s) run over 8 year(s) Years active 1987-1994 Team(s) Curb Motorsports (1987-1988) Vince Granatelli Racing (1989) Porsche Motorsports (1990) Hall-VDS Racing (1991-1992) A. J. Foyt Enterprises (1993-1994) Best finish 8th - 1991, 1992 First race 1987 Road America 200 (Elkhart Lake) Last race 1994 Indianapolis 500 (Indy) First win 1991 Gold Coast Indy Car Grand Prix (Surfers Paradise) Wins Podiums Poles 1 2 0 Statistics current as of May 26, 2012.

John Andretti (born March 12, 1963) is an American race car driver. He has won in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series and NASCAR. He was the last NASCAR driver to win a Cup race for the famous Petty Enterprises team.

Andretti family[link]

Andretti's father, Aldo Andretti, had his racing career cut short due to a racing accident.^[1] He also has a younger brother named Adam Andretti who has also competed in several racing series; they are both nephews of IndyCar racing legend Mario Andretti (Aldo's twin), cousin of Mario's sons Michael and Jeff. Andretti is the godson of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A. J. Foyt. The Andretti family became the first family to have four relatives (Michael, Mario, Jeff, and John) compete in the same series (CART).^[1] In 1990, 1991 and 1992, they had four family members competing in the Indy 500.

In May 2011, John's son Jarett won his first USAC-sanctioned event competing in the Eastern Ford Focus Midget Championship at Hickory Motor Speedway. Jarett had only been racing since the summer of 2010.^[2]

CART[link]

Andretti has one win (Australia, '91) and 61 top-10s in 74 career races in CART. He joined the PPG Indy Car World Series (CART) in 1987, winning the Rookie of the Year award. In 1988, Andretti made his debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, racing as high as seventh before mechanical problems forced him to finish 21st.

In 1991 he won the only race of his CART career, winning the Gold Coast Grand Prix in Surfer's Paradise, Australia. That same year he finished a career-best fifth in the Indianapolis 500. A week later at the Milwaukee Mile, Michael, John and Mario became the only known family in motorsports history to finish first, second and third respectively in a major auto race. In 1994, he became the first driver to attempt the "double," racing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C., on the same day. The 1994 Indy 500 would be his last Indy 500 effort until 2007.

IMSA GTP & Rolex Sports Car Series[link]

In 1986 Andretti drove a BMW M12 March along with co-driver Davy Jones in the IMSA Camel GT Series. While the BMWs had limited success in IMSA competition, Andretti and Jones won the Kodak Copier 500 at Watkins Glen on September 21, 1986.^[3]

In 1989, Andretti drove the Miller High Life/BFGoodrich Porsche 962 to victory in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (called the Sunbank 24 at Daytona at the time) along with co-drivers Bob Wollek and Derek Bell. Andretti and Wollek went on to win another race on the 1989 IMSA circuit at the Pontiac Grand Prix of Palm Beach, driving the same Porsche 962.^[4] Andretti finished 5th in points (112) after the 1989 IMSA season and first among Porsche drivers.^[5]

In 2001 Andretti teamed up with Kyle Petty to win a 6 hour sportscar race at Watkins Glen.

Andretti returned to the 24 Hours of Daytona in the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2008. Team drivers for the Vision Racing #03 Porsche Crawford Prototype included Ed Carpenter, A. J. Foyt IV, and Vitor Meira. The Porsche Crawford Prototype entry in the 24 Hours of Daytona marked the first attempt for this team which resulted in 25th overall finish in the race.^[6]

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing[link]

In 1993, John Andretti drove the Taco Bell Express Top Fuel Dragster for owner Jack Clark, reaching the semi-finals in his first national event at Atlanta during the FRAM Southern Nationals and clocking a career best speed of 299 mph (481 km/h). In that race he beat 1992 T/F Champion Joe Amato in Round 1 and Mopar Express Lube driver Tommy Johnson Jr. in Round 2 only to lose to Mike Dunn in Darrell Gwynn's La Victoria Salsa Car in the semi-finals. That race was won by Eddie Hill in the Pennzoil car over Dunn.

NASCAR[link]

1993-1999[link]

Andretti made his Winston Cup debut in 1993 driving the #72 Tex Racing Chevy for Tex Powell at North Wilkesboro Speedway, starting 31st and finishing 24th. After running three more races in 1993, he began the 1994 season driving the #14 Financial World Chevy for Billy Hagan. On May 29, he became the first driver in history to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, finishing tenth at Indy and thirty-sixth in the Coca-Cola 600 after suffering mechanical failures. In the middle of the season he switched to the #43 STP Pontiac for Petty Enterprises finishing a best 11th at Richmond International Raceway. He ended the season 32nd in points and fifth in the Rookie of the Year battle.

1997 racecar

In 1995, he began driving for Michael Kranefuss in #37 Kmart/Little Caesars Ford Thunderbird. He won his first career pole at the Southern 500 and finished in the top-ten five times, and ended the season eighteenth in points. During the 1996 season, he switched to the #98 RCA Ford owned by Cale Yarborough (while Jeremy Mayfield, the previous driver of the #98 car, moved to Kranefuss' team) and responded with a fifth-place finish at the Hanes 500. He finished in the top ten twice more. In 1997, he scored his first career win at the Pepsi 400 and finished 23rd in points. He returned to the #43 Petty car in 1998 and despite not winning a race that season, he had ten top-tens and finished a career-best 11th in points. He won his second career race in 1999 at Martinsville Speedway, making up a lost lap and taking the lead with four laps to go, as well as winning the pole at Phoenix International Raceway.

2000-2005[link]

Midway through the 2000 season, Cheerios became Andretti's primary sponsor, but he fell to 23rd in points after finishing in the top-ten twice. Over the next two seasons, Andretti posted three top-ten finishes, before he was released midway through the 2003 season. He originally ran a couple of races for Haas CNC Racing and Richard Childress Racing before running a majority of the remainder of the season in the #1 Pennzoil Chevy for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., his best finish was a 12th at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Andretti opened the 2004 season driving the #1 part-time for DEI, but departed midway through the season. He ended the year driving the #14 Victory Brand Ford Taurus for ppc Racing, finishing 22nd at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Andretti started 2005 with ppc before the team was forced to dissolve due to a lack of funding. He drove four races in the Craftsman Truck Series for Billy Ballew Motorsports, finishing eighth at Memphis Motorsports Park. He also attempted a handful of Cup races for Morgan-McClure Motorsports' #4 Lucas Oil entry, finishing 28th at Michigan International Speedway.

2006- Present[link]

In 2006, Andretti returned to ppc to drive their #10 car. Before the season, his only Busch start came in 1998 at Daytona, where he finished 13th in the #96 Chevy fielded by the Curb Agajanian Performance Group. Despite having made over three hundred Cup starts with two victories, Andretti applied for and was accepted as a contender for Rookie of the Year. He finished runner-up to Danny O'Quinn for the award.

In 2007, Andretti's plans were to drive a in the Busch Series for Braun Racing. Andretti drove the #10 FreedomRoads/Camping World/RVs.com Car for Braun Racing at Daytona through their affiliation with his former team ppc Racing. When funding for the team became questionable, Andretti left Braun Racing with the team using various drivers in 2007 in any attempt to maintain a two car team. Andretti drove four races for Petty Enterprises in the #45 car, filling in for Kyle Petty in when Petty was working as a broadcaster for TNT's race coverage, as well as driving part-time briefly for Front Row Motorsports. He finished the season in the #49 Paralyzed Veterans of America Dodge for BAM Racing.

2008 Sprint Cup car at Daytona

Andretti drove for Front Row Motorsports in 2008 by driving the car number #34 Chevrolet Impala SS in the Sprint Cup Series. He raced his way into the 2008 Daytona 500 in the second Gatorade Duel race. He drove in the first ten races of the season in the 34 before leaving to focus on his IndyCar team.

Andretti returned to the 34 in 2009 full-time, driving with a partnership between Front Row and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. The 34 has had sponsorship from Window World, myAutoloan.com, and Taco Bell. He did not have a full-time ride for 2010, but drove the #34 Front Row Motorsports entry to a 38th place finish after an accident on lap 117 in the Daytona 500.

IRL IndyCar Series[link]

Andretti driving the Roth Racing #24 car in practice for the 2008 Indianapolis 500

On May 16, 2007, it was officially announced that Andretti would return to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 1994 when he pulled the double (competed in the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day). He drove the third entry from Panther Racing, with Camping World as the sponsor. On May 19, he qualified for the 91st Indianapolis 500 with an average speed for the four lap qualifying run of 221.756 mph (356.882 km/h). He started in 24th on the eighth row, but crashed on lap 95, and finished 30th.

It was announced on May 10, 2008 that John Andretti would replace Jay Howard in the Roth Racing #24 Dallara-Honda. John qualified for his 9th Indy 500 on Saturday, May 17, 2008 with a 4-lap average of 221.550 mph (356.550 km/h) that put him 21st on the grid and finished on the lead lap in 16th place. On May 30 it was announced that Andretti would continue in the #24 car in the Milwaukee Mile and Texas Motor Speedway races. On June 6 Andretti was offered a deal that would keep him in the car the rest of the season which he ultimately did not accept.^[7]

Andretti with uncle Mario at the 2007 Indy 500

Andretti’s run with Roth Racing produced some notable results for the team. He managed to qualify 7th at the Texas Motor Speedway race. Although a great start, he would ultimately wind up finishing 16th. He began his trip to Iowa Speedway with a rough 23rd position start, but steadily worked his way through the field to capture an 11th place finish. His 11th place finish was the best for a Roth Racing machine. His last start for the team was at Richmond International Raceway the next week where he was knocked out by a crash. Roth Racing contracted to a single car for the rest of the season and ceased operations at the end of the season. Andretti finished 30th in the 2008 IndyCar points standings.

In April 2009 Andretti and NASCAR car owner Richard Petty announced a joint venture with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing where Andretti would return to Indianapolis to drive the #43 car in the 93rd Indianapolis 500. As in his previous two trips to Indianapolis, Andretti did not race the Indy/Charlotte double in the same day, and also missed the Southern 500 as well as the Coca-Cola 600 to prepare for the race. Andretti qualified for the race on bump day in 28th, and finished the race in 19th, the final car on the lead lap. Andretti returned to drive the #34 at Front Row Motorsports immediately following the Indianapolis 500, returning for the Dover 400 in June.

On March 31, 2010, Andretti announced that he would join forces with both Richard Petty and Window World again, but this time by running in two events instead of just one. The #43 returns to the entry, which this year will be backed Andretti Autosport, owned by John's cousin Michael. The team's first race was the RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway on May 1. Andretti qualified 15th but worked his way up to finish in 9th, one lap down. They also competed 94th Indianapolis 500 on May 30. After failing to qualify on pole day, Andretti made the race on bump day qualifying 28th for the second consecutive year. Andretti crashed out of the race on lap 65, and was credited with a 30th place finish.

John Andretti has announced that he will compete in the running of the 100th Anniversary 2011 Indianapolis 500. John Andretti partnered with Window World, Richard Petty, and Andretti Autosport to compete in the 2011 Indianapolis 500, where he finished 22nd.

Off the Track[link]

Andretti is active in the Central Indiana community. Each year during the Brickyard 400 week, John teams up with 93.1 WIBC, and Dave "The King" Wilson, and General Mills to hold the Race for Riley, benefiting James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children. It takes place at the Mark Dismore Karting Center in New Castle, Indiana. Graduated from Moravian College with degree in business management and believes he would’ve been an investment banker or stock broker if he had not started racing. Enjoys Joe Pesci and Nicolas Cage movies. Favorite movie is raucous comedy “Animal House.” Favorite band is hard-rock group AC/DC. In December 2004, spent seven days in the Middle East visiting service personnel in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

As of 2007, John can be heard as the part-time co-host of The Driver's Seat with John Kernan on Sirius Satellite Radio's NASCAR channel 90.

Career history[link]

American open–wheel racing results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

CART[link]

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Rank	Points
1987	Curb Racing	LBH	PHX	INDY	MIL	POR	MEA	CLE	TOR	MIS	POC	ROA 6	MDO 10	NZR 11	LS 7	MIA 8			17th	23
1988	Curb Racing	PHX Ret	LBH Ret	INDY Ret	MIL Ret	POR Ret	CLE 8	TOR Ret	MEA Ret	MIS Ret	POC Ret	MDO	ROA	NZR Ret	LS	MIA			31st	5
1989	Granatelli Racing	PHX	LBH	INDY 25	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	MEA	TOR 25	MIS 24	POC 17	MDO	ROA	NZR 19	LS 12			33rd	1
1990	Porsche Motorsports	PHX Ret	LBH Ret	INDY Ret	MIL 7	DET Ret	POR Ret	CLE 5	MEA Ret	TOR 13	MIS 7	DEN 6	VAN 5	MDO 13	ROA Ret	NZR Ret	LS Ret		10th	51
1991	Hall/VDS Racing	SRF 1	LBH Ret	PHX 11	INDY 5	MIL 2	DET 6	POR Ret	CLE Ret	MEA 4	TOR 5	MIS 6	DEN 7	VAN 7	MDO 10	ROA Ret	NZR 9	LS 19	8th	105
1992	Hall/VDS Racing	SRF 6	PHX 6	LBH Ret	INDY 8	DET Ret	POR 5	MIL 9	NHM 5	TOR 5	MIS 6	CLE 12	ROA 6	VAN Ret	MDO 4	NZR Ret	LS 5		7th	99
1993	A.J. Foyt Enterprises	SRF	PHX	LBH	INDY 10	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	TOR	MIS	NHM	ROA	VAN	MDO	NZR	LS		28th	3
1994	A.J. Foyt Enterprises	SRF	PHX	LBH	INDY 10	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	TOR	MIS	MDO	NHM	VAN	ROA	NZR	LS		29th	3

IndyCar Series[link]

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Rank	Points
2007	Panther Racing	HMS	STP	MOT	KAN	INDY 30	MIL	TXS	IOW	RIR	WGL	NSH	MDO	MIS	KTY	SNM	DET	CHI			35th	10
2008	Roth Racing	HMS	STP	MOT1	LBH1	KAN	INDY 16	MIL 19	TXS 16	IOW 11	RIR 21	WGL	NSH	MDO	EDM	KTY	SNM	DET	CHI	SRF2	30th	71
2009	Richard Petty Motorsports Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	STP	LBH	KAN	INDY 19	MIL	TXS	IOW	RIR	WGL	TOR	EDM	KTY	MDO	SNM	CHI	MOT	HMS			37th	12
2010	Richard Petty/Andretti Autosport	BRA	STP	ALA	LBH	KAN 9	INDY 30	TXS	IOW	WGL	TOR	EDM	MDO	SNM	CHI	KTY	MOT	HMS			32nd	35
2011	Richard Petty/Andretti Autosport	STP	ALA	LBH	SAO	INDY 22	TXS1	TXS2	MIL	IOW	TOR	EDM	MDO	NWH	SNM	BAL	MOT	KTY	LVS		42nd	16

¹ Run on same day.

² Non-points race.

Indy 500 results[link]

References[link]

• John Andretti at Daytona 500 Racing
• NASCAR drivers statistics at racing-reference.info

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Andretti

• The Official Andretti Family Website
• John Andretti at Racing Reference
• John Andretti at IndyCar
• John Andretti Fan Page
• John's window to Indy 2009

David Gilliland (born on April 1, 1976) is a American NASCAR driver. He currently drives the No. 38 ModSpace Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports. He is the son of former Cup and West Coast driver Butch Gilliland. He was born in Riverside, California.

NASCAR Regional Career[link]

In 1996, he began working on his father's AutoZone West Series team. By 1999, Gilliland won the track championship at Perris Auto Speedway (a dirt track). Then, the following year he began a limited season in the NASCAR AutoZone West Series. In 2003, Gilliland won five races in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series in the #11 Centrifugal Technologies Chevrolet. He finished the season with five top-fives and eight top-tens and a 6th place finish in points.

In 2004, Gilliland announced plans to run the full schedule in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series in the No. 88 Chevrolet for MRG Motorsports and all non-conflicting NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series (now AutoZone West) races. He won his first AutoZone West win at Mesa Marin Raceway. He was then NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series Rookie-of-the-Year. He also had two victories in NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series.

NASCAR National Career[link]

Gilliland made his first attempt at a major NASCAR race in 2003, at the Las Vegas 350 in the Craftsman Truck Series, but failed to qualify. He announced that Clay Andrews Racing would form in mid-2005. Gilliland made his Busch Series debut at Phoenix, qualifying 28th. However, he was involved with an early crash and finished 43rd. Gilliland made the other Phoenix race later in the year, but had the same result. He was 43rd after ignition troubles. Also, he ran the #15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevy at Vegas in the Craftsman Truck Series with a 22nd place finish.

Meanwhile, Gilliland raced in the Grand National Division in 2005 and won the Toyota All-Star Showdown in 2005 when apparent winner Mike Olson was disqualified for light wheels wider than regulation. The win was his biggest of date because it allowed him to be noticed by Busch and Cup owners.

Gilliland began running the #84 Clay Andrews Chevy part-time in 2006, during which time he was mentored by former Sprint Cup race winner Jerry Nadeau. Gilliland, however, struggled to finish races, only earning a best of 29th in his first four starts of the year. However, in his next outing, Gilliland scored his first career Busch Series win at Kentucky on June 17. Gilliland drove the 84 Hype Manufacturing Chevrolet to victory, becoming the first driver of 2006 to win a Busch race who was not also running a full-time Nextel Cup schedule. FX television announcer Hermie Sadler called the victory "the biggest upset in Busch Series history".

Sprint Cup Series[link]

2007 M&M's car

Gilliland made his first attempt to make a Cup race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA, in the #72 CJM Racing Chevrolet, qualifying 31st, and finishing 32nd. In August 2006, Gilliland replaced Elliott Sadler as the driver of the M&M's Ford in the NEXTEL Cup Series. On October 7, he qualified on the pole for the UAW Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, the first pole of his career. He won his second career pole at the Daytona 500, his first points-paying race at the track, and finished 28th in NEXTEL Cup points. Gilliland drove part-time in the Busch Series for Team Rensi Motorsports with sponsorship from FreeCreditReport.com in 2007, splitting the driving duties at Rensi with rookie Richard Johns. His best finish was a tenth at Daytona. In 2008, FreeCreditReport became his Cup sponsor and he had two top ten finishes.

In January 2009, his #38 Sprint Cup team was closed due to a lack of sponsorship and his points from 2008 were moved to the #96 team of Bobby Labonte. After missing the Daytona 500, he was hired by TRG Motorsports for the rest of the 2009 season, with sponsorship from Capital Window and American Monster.

On September 18, 2009, Gilliland's future was thrown into question following TRG's announcement that Bobby Labonte would drive the #71 Chevrolet for seven of the final twelve races of the season while Erik Darnell drives the #96 Ford. Gilliland raced five additional times for TRG last season, also driving for Joe Gibbs Racing and Robby Gordon Motorsports. He drove for the Wood Brothers (filling in for Bill Elliott) at Atlanta and for Gibbs at Lowe's, Texas, and the season finale at Homestead. At Auto Club Speedway in October, Gilliland relieved an sick Kyle Busch after parking his normal ride. He raced in Phoenix for Phoenix Racing. At the end of the 2009 season, He left TRG Motorsports and joins FRM.

In 2010, Gilliland will drive a majority of the season with Front Row Motorsports in a third car, with his old number 38, and got new numbers 34, and 37. He attempted the Daytona 500 for BAM Racing and failed to qualify. His best finish was came at Martinsville and Sonoma, a 19th at both tracks.

He returned to Front Row Motorsports in 2011, to the Taco Bell car. He finished 3rd in the Daytona 500, Front Row's best finish to that point, and finished in the top 10 later that year at Talladega as well. For 2012, he has moved to the team's No. 38 car.^[1] Gilliland and his team have received a multi-race sponsorship from Modspace for the 2012 racing season.

Personal life[link]

Gilliland was a high-school golf teammate of Tiger Woods^[2] at Western High School in Anaheim.

He is married to wife Michelle and the couple have two children, Todd and Taylor.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• David Gilliland at Racing Reference
• David Gilliland on Myspace

Richard Lee Petty
Petty in 2006
Born	(1937-07-02) July 2, 1937 (age 74) Level Cross, North Carolina
Awards	Seven Cup championships. Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) Inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1997) Inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1989 – inaugural inductee)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
1,184 race(s) run over 35 year(s)
Best finish	1st – 1964, 1967, 1971 (Grand National), 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979 (Winston Cup)
First race	1958 Jim Mideon 500 (Exhibition Place, CNE Stadium)
Last race	1992 Hooters 500 (Atlanta)
First win	1960 untitled race (Southern States Fairgrounds)
Last win	1984 Firecracker 400 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 200* 712 127

Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937) is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. "The King", as he is nicknamed, is most well known for winning the NASCAR Championship seven times (Dale Earnhardt is the only other driver to accomplish this feat),^[1] winning a record 200 races during his career,^[1] winning the Daytona 500 a record seven times,^[1] and winning a record 27 races^[1] (ten of them consecutively) in the 1967 season alone. (A 1972 rule change eliminated races under 250 miles (400 km) in length, reducing the schedule to 30 [now 36] races.) Petty is widely considered one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time and is one of the most respected figures in motorsports as a whole. He also collected a record number of poles (127) and over 700 top-ten finishes in his 1,185 starts, including 513 consecutive starts from 1971–1989. Petty is a member of the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Hall in 2010.

Petty is a second generation driver. His father, Lee Petty, won the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and was also a 3 time NASCAR champion. Richard's son, Kyle Petty, is also a well-known NASCAR driver. Richard's grandson, Adam Petty, was killed in an accident at New Hampshire International Speedway on May 12, 2000, five weeks after the death of Lee. Meanwhile, Adam's brother Austin works on day-to-day operations of the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a Hole in the Wall Gang camp established by the Pettys after Adam's death. Petty married his wife Lynda in 1958 and they have four children – Kyle Petty, Sharon Petty Farlow, Lisa Petty Luck and Rebecca Petty Moffit – and 12 grandchildren.^[2] The family still resides in Petty's home town of Level Cross, North Carolina and operates Richard Petty Motorsports. The Richard Petty Museum is in nearby Randleman, North Carolina. Throughout Petty's career, but especially during his prime, Petty was known to stand for hours – backed against a fence, signing autographs to everyone who asked.

Racing career[link]

Petty was born in Level Cross, North Carolina, the son of Elizabeth (née Toomes) and Lee Arnold Petty, also a NASCAR driver and the older brother of Maurice Petty.^[3] He began his NASCAR career on July 19, 1958, 16 days after his 21st birthday. His first race was at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, New York. In 1959, Richard was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year, after he produced 9 top 10 finishes, including six Top 5 finishes.

The 1960s[link]

Petty's famous Plymouth Superbird, on display at The Richard Petty Museum in Randleman, North Carolina

In 1960, he finished 2nd in the NASCAR Grand National Points Race.1963 was his breakout year, winning at tracks like Martinsville and Bridgehampton. In 1964, driving a potent Plymouth with a new Hemi engine, Richard 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, Richard spent much of 1965 competing as a drag racer. He crashed his car at the Southeastern Dragway, in Dallas, Georgia, on February 28, 1965, killing an eight year old boy, Wayne Dye, and injuring seven others.^[4] Petty, his father Lee, and Chrysler Corporation faced lawsuits totaling more than $1 million.^[5]

On February 27, 1966 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. This made him the first driver to win the event twice. 1967 was a milestone year. 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). He won his second Grand National Championship. One of the 27 victories was the Southern 500 at Darlington, which would be his only Southern 500 victory. His dominance in this season earned him the nickname "King Richard". He had previously been known as "the Randleman Rocket". In 1969 Petty switched brands to Ford, due to his belief the Plymouth was not competitive on super-speedways; he wanted a slippery Dodge Daytona but Chrysler executives insisted he stay with Plymouth. He would win 10 races and finish second in points. Won back in 1970 by the sleek new Plymouth Superbird with shark nose and goalpost wing, Petty returned to Plymouth for the 1970 season. This is probably his most famous car, and the car in which Petty is cast in the 2006 Pixar film Cars.

The 1970s[link]

Petty's IROC car from the 1970s

Petty's car used for his 1979 Daytona 500 win, on display at Daytona USA

1983 racecar

On February 14, 1971, Petty won his third Daytona 500, driving a brand-new (for 1971) Plymouth Road Runner and beating team mate, Buddy Baker, by little more than a car length en route to another historic year, making him the first driver to win the event three times. He won 20 more races, became the first driver to earn more than $1 million in career earnings, and claimed his third Grand National Championship. At the end of the 1971 season Chrysler told the Pettys they would no longer receive direct factory funding support, causing the Petty team great concern. In 1972, STP (motor oil company) began what would turn into a successful 28 year sponsorship arrangement with Petty, however it marked the end of Petty's famous all "Petty Blue" paint job. STP at first 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 find its way to all STP racing operations, most notably Gordon Johncock's 1982 Indianapolis 500 winner. Petty won his 4th Winston Cup Championship, thanks to his 28 top-10 finishes, including 25 top-5 finishes and 8 victories. 1972 was a year of change in other ways, as it was the last year Richard would campaign a Petty Plymouth, as toward the end of the year Petty drove a newly built 1972 Dodge Charger in a few races (winning one of them), as Petty believed the car to have a slight aero advantage over the Plymouth body style. On February 18, 1973, in a driver’s duel, 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 fourth Daytona 500 after Baker's engine gave out with six laps left. One year later, Petty won the Daytona "450" (shortened 20 laps {50 mi/80 km} due to the energy crisis) for the fifth time en route to his fifth Winston Cup Championship.

The year 1975 was another historic year for Petty, as he won the World 600 for the first time in his career, one of 13 victories en route to his sixth Winston Cup. The 13 victories is a modern (1972 to 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 ]. In 1976, Petty was involved in one of the most famous finishes in NASCAR history. Petty and David Pearson were racing on the last lap out of turn 4 in the Daytona 500. As Petty tried to pass Pearson, at the exit of turn 4, Petty's right rear bumper hit Pearson's left front bumper. Pearson and Petty both spun and hit the front stretch wall. Petty's car came to rest just yards from the finish line, but his engine stalled. Pearson's car had hit the front stretch wall and clipped another car, but his engine was running. Pearson was able to drive his car toward the finish line, while Petty's car would not restart. Pearson passed Petty on the infield grass and won the Daytona 500. 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 winners circle. The Petty Enterprises Team could not get the new for 1978 Dodge Magnum to handle properly, even though much time, effort, and faith were spent massaging the cars. Unhappy with the seven top-5 finishes (including two second places) Petty climbed out of the Dodge and into a four year old used Chevy Monte Carlo after 17 races, breaking the hearts of his faithful, though partisan Mopar fans. The switch to Chevy did not produce any wins however, in the remaining 1978 races. Petty would go on to rebound in 1979, winning the NASCAR championship for the seventh, and last time.

The Twilight Years[link]

1989 car at Phoenix

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. Petty won the race as the first and second place cars of Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crashed on the last lap. Petty held off Darrell Waltrip and A.J. Foyt. The race is also regarded as being the genesis of the current surge in NASCAR's popularity. The East Coast was snowed in by a blizzard, giving CBS a captive audience. The win was part of Richard's seventh and last NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Petty was able to hold off Waltrip to win the title in 1979.

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. Though Petty had been successful with the Chevrolet and Oldsmobile cars he had been running, he wanted to get back to his Mopar roots. After taking a phone call from Lee Iaccoca (who personally asked Richard 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 17 Jan 1981 at the Daytona Speedway to watch Richard put the Dodge through its paces. Sadly for the fans, the car could do no better than 186 miles per hour, about eight miles per hour slower than the GM and Ford cars. Petty gave up on returning to Dodge knowing that for the superspeedways the Mirada would not be competitive, and bought a Buick Regal for the Daytona race. 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. This win marked a large change in Petty's racing team. 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 brought Richard 3 wins, he felt the season was a failure, and the Regals being ill-handling and poor in reliability. For 1982 he made the move to the Pontiac Grand Prix, with the promise of substantial factory support from Pontiac. Unfortunately 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. Toward the end of 1982 things improved with several top-10 finishes, which opened the door to a successful 1983 season with 3 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 (win No. 198), in which Petty's brother Maurice, who built the team's engines, was accused of running an illegal engine (it was much larger than the allowed 358 cubic engines, NASCAR officials determined in a post-race inspection), Petty left the race team his father founded for the 1984 season. He spent '84 and '85 driving for Mike Curb before returning to Petty Enterprises in 1986.

Petty at Pocono Raceway in 1985

On July 4, 1984, Petty won his 200th (and what would turn to be his final victory) race at the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The race was memorable: On lap 158, Doug Heveron crashed, bringing out the yellow caution flag, essentially turning lap 158 into the last lap as the two drivers battled back to the start-finish line. Petty and Cale Yarborough diced it out on that lap, with Yarborough drafting and taking an early lead before Petty managed to cross the start/finish line only a fender-length ahead. (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 waves with two laps remaining, but not with one lap remaining.) President Ronald Reagan was in attendance, the first sitting president to attend a NASCAR race. Reagan celebrated the milestone with Petty and his family in victory lane.^[6]

Petty's Last Ride[link]

On October 1, 1991, Richard 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. D. McDuffie was killed in a fifth lap accident. Petty chose to run the entire 1992 season, not just selected events as other drivers have done before retirement. His year-long Fan Appreciation Tour took him around the country, participating in special events, awards ceremonies, and fan-related meetings. Racing Champions ran a promotional line of diecast cars for every race in Petty's Farewell Tour. In his final year behind the wheel, he had two notable races.

At the 1992 Pepsi 400 on July 4, Petty qualified second. Before the start of the race, he was honored with a gift ceremony which included a visit from President George H. W. Bush. At the start, Petty led the first five laps, but dropped out on lap 84 due to fatigue.

Despite the tremendously busy appearance schedule, and mediocre race results, Petty managed to qualify for all 29 races in 1992. On his final visit to each track, Petty would lead the field on the pace lap to salute the fans. Petty's final race was the season-ending Hooter's 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race was notable in that it was the first career start for Jeff Gordon, and it was the 2nd closest points championship in NASCAR history, with six drivers mathematically eligible to win the championship. A record 160,000 spectators attended the race, which went down to the final lap with Bill Elliott winning the race, and Alan Kulwicki winning the championship by 10 points over Elliott after Davey Allison dropped out early after a crash.

Facing the intense pressure, Petty barely managed to qualify at Atlanta, posting the 39th fastest speed out of 41 cars. He would not have been eligible for the provisional starting position, and had to qualify on speed. On the 94th lap, Petty became tangled up in an accident, and his car caught fire. Petty pulled the car off the track, and climbed out of the burning machine uninjured. His pit crew worked diligently with less than 20 laps to go to get the car running again, and with two laps to go, Petty pulled out of the pits and was credited as running at the finish in his final race. He took his final checkered flag finishing in 35th position. After the race, Petty circled the track to salute the fans one final time in his trademark STP Pontiac.

The following year, he was back into a race car one more time. On August 18, 1993, NASCAR participated in a tire test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in preparations for the 1994 Brickyard 400. Petty drove several laps around the track, and then donated his car to the Speedway's museum.

Petty would again step into a race car in 2003 on the week of the final race under the Winston banner at Homestead-Miami Speedway and took a solo lap honoring his seven Winston Cup Championships for Winston's salute to the champions.

In 2007 at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona, Richard Petty was behind the wheel of a Daytona car during the pace laps, leading the field for the first lap. The field split him and he followed behind the field for one more pace lap before he pulled it in. This was in tribute to Bill France Jr.

Petty as an owner[link]

In later years of his career, Petty developed the career of crew leader Robbie Loomis, who was at the helm of Petty Enterprises as crew chief in the 1990s, and won three races—the 1996 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix, the 1997 ACDelco 400 at North Carolina Speedway, both with Bobby Hamilton driving, and the 1999 Goody's Body Pain 500 at Martinsville Speedway, with John Andretti driving.

Petty moved to the television broadcast booth for a few seasons immediatedly following his retirement, but his career in television did not last long. He remained as operating owner until his son Kyle Petty took over day-to-day operations a decade later.

However, in 2008, Kyle Petty was released by Petty Enterprises, and due to lack of sponsorship, Petty Enterprises was bought out by Gillett-Evernham Motorsports. 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. Bergeron and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, signed and closed sale on racing assets of Richard Petty Motorsports.^[7][8] Andrew M. 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.^[9][10]

Close calls[link]

Of all the races he won, 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. The car flipped several times before coming to rest on its side. This accident injured Petty's shoulder, and helped Bobby Isaac to win the 1970 Grand National Championship. During the accident, Petty's head hit the track pavement several times, which 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, Richard slammed the Turn 2 wall, nearly flipping the car. Petty barely escaped breaking his neck in the wreck and kept his injury hidden from NASCAR officials for the next races, knowing that another wreck could possibly kill him. Such an incident could never happen today, 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. After several flips, Petty walked away with no serious injuries, except for temporary sight loss due to excessive g-forces. 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). Petty's car became airborne despite the use of the carburetor restrictor plate, which was mandated by NASCAR for races at Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway just prior to the start of the 1988 season.

Career awards[link]

• On May 23, 2010 he was inducted into the first class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
• In 1997, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
• He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
• He was sole stock car representative in the first class inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1989.
• He was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President George Bush in 1992, the first motorsports athlete ever to be honored with this award.

Life after racing[link]

Richard Petty is currently a spokesman for Liberty Medical, Cheerios and GlaxoSmithKline products Nicorette and Goody's Headache Powder. Richard and his son Kyle have lended their talent to host "Lifting It Right" a lift safety training DVD produced and distributed by the Automotive Lift Institute(ALI). The DVD is used in most high school vocational programs and community colleges. He has also recorded public service announcements for Civitan International, a nonprofit organization in which he was formerly a member.^[11] He is almost always seen wearing his trademark sunglasses and a Charlie One Horse cowboy hat, with a large snakeskin hat band and a plume of rooster feathers at the front. 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. Petty was seen as a shoo-in and his campaigning was sporadic. Following his loss, Petty stated "If I had known I wasn't going to win, I wouldn't have run."^[12] He was cast as "The King" in Pixar's 2006 animated film Cars as his 1970 Plymouth Superbird with the number "43". A cereal "43's" was created with Petty information on the boxes.

Races won[link]

Grand National/Winston Cup (200 career wins)[link]

• 1984 ( 2 wins) Budweiser 500 (Dover), Firecracker 400 (Daytona)
• 1983 ( 3 wins) Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Winston 500 (Talladega), Miller High Life 500 (Charlotte)
• 1981 ( 3 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Northwestern Bank 400 (North Wilkesboro), Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan)
• 1980 ( 2 wins) Northwestern Bank 400 (North Wilkesboro), Music City USA 420 (Nashville)
• 1979 ( 5 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan), CRC Chemicals 500 (Dover), American 500 (Rockingham), Winston Cup Championship
• 1977 ( 5 wins) Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Atlanta 500 (Atlanta), World 600 (Charlotte), NAPA 400 (Riverside), Firecracker 400 (Daytona)
• 1976 ( 3 wins) Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Purolator 500 (Pocono), American 500 (Rockingham)
• 1975 (13 wins) Richmond 500 (Richmond), Southeastern 500 (Bristol), Atlanta 500 (Atlanta), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), World 600 (Charlotte), Tuborg 400 (Riverside), Firecracker 400 (Daytona), Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan), Delaware 500 (Dover), Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro), National 500 (Charlotte), Volunteer 500 (Bristol), Winston Cup Championship
• 1974 (10 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Music City USA 420 (Nashville), Motor State 360 (Michigan), Dixie 500 (Atlanta), Purolator 500 (Pocono), Talladega 500 (Talladega), Capital City 500 (Richmond), Delaware 500 (Dover), Winston Cup Championship
• 1973 ( 6 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Richmond 500 (Richmond), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Alamo 500 (College Station), Capital City 500 (Richmond), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville)
• 1972 ( 8 wins) Winston Western 500 (Riverside), Richmond 500 (Richmond), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Lone Star 500 (College Station), Capital City 500 (Richmond), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville), Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro), Winston Cup Championship
• 1971 (21 wins*) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Richmond 500 (Richmond), Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Hickory 276 (Hickory), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Maryville 200 (Maryville), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Asheville 300 (Asheville), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Albany-Saratoga 250 (Malta), Islip 300 (Islip), Northern 300 (Trenton), Nashville 420 (Nashville), Dixie 500 (Atlanta), West Virginia 500 (Ona), Sandlapper 200 (Columbia), Delaware 500 (Dover), American 500 (Rockingham), Capital City 500 (Richmond), Texas 500 (College Station), Grand National Championship.
  Does not include a Grand National class win in a Grand American-Grand National race at Bowman Gray Stadium. Bobby Allison in a Grand American car win the race, Petty finished second in a Grand National car, thereby winning the division. Neither driver is officially credited with a Grand National (now Sprint Cup) win. Under similar circumstances in the current K&N Pro Series (Petty has four wins in the K&N Pro West Series), the driver first in class of drivers entered in the East Series and West Series are both credited with class wins.
• 1970 (18 wins) Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Savannah 200 (Savannah), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Falstaff 400 (Riverside), Kingsport 100 (Kingsport), Albany-Saratoga 250 (Malta), Schaefer 300 (Trenton), East Tennessee 200 (Maryville), Dixie 500 (Atlanta), West Virginia 300 (Ona), Myers Brothers 250 (Winston-Salem), Halifax County 100 (South Boston), Capital City 500 (Richmond), Mason-Dixon 300 (Dover), Home State 200 (Raleigh), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville), Georgia 500 (Macon)
• 1969 (10 wins) Georgia 500 (Macon), Motor Trend 500 (Riverside), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Kingsport 250 (Kingsport), Mason-Dixon 300 (Dover), Maryland 300 (Beltsville), Nashville 400 (Nashville), Smoky Mountain 200 (Maryville), Myers Brothers 250 (Winston-Salem), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville)
• 1968 (16 wins) Race 02 (Montgomery), Hickory 250 (Hickory), Greenville 200 (Greenville), Asheville 300 (Asheville), Race 21 (Maryville), Race 22 (Birmingham), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Maine 300 (Oxford), Fonda 200 (Fonda), Smoky Mountain 200 (Maryville), Race 37 (South Boston), Capital City 300 (Richmond), Hillsboro 150 (Hillsboro), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville), Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro), American 500 (Rockingham)
• 1967 (27 wins) Augusta 300 (Augusta), Fireball 300 (Weaverville), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Hickory 250 (Hickory), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Richmond 250 (Richmond), Rebel 400 (Darlington), Tidewater 250 (Hampton), Macon 300 (Macon), East Tennessee 200 (Maryville), Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Northern 300 (Trenton), Race 31 (Fonda), Islip 300 (Islip), Volunteer 500 (Bristol), Nashville 400 (Nashville), Myers Brothers 250 (Winston-Salem), Sandlapper 200 (Columbia), Race 39 (Savannah), Southern 500 (Darlington), Buddy Shuman 250 (Hickory), Capital City 300 (Richmond), Maryland 300 (Beltsville), Hillsboro 150 (Hillsboro), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville), Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro), Grand National Championship
• 1966 ( 8 wins) Georgia Cracker 300 (Augusta), Daytona 500 (Daytona), Rebel 400 (Darlington), Tidewater 250 (Hampton), Speedy Morelock 200 (Macon), Fireball 300 (Weaverville), Nashville 400 (Nashville), Dixie 400 (Atlanta)
• 1965 ( 4 wins) Nashville 400 (Nashville), Western North Carolina 500 (Weaverville), Buddy Shuman 250 (Hickory), Race 48 (Manassas)
• 1964 ( 9 wins) Sunshine 200 (Savannah), Daytona 500 (Daytona), Race 24 (South Boston), Race 29 (Concord), Music City 200 (Nashville), Race 34 (Spartanburg), Nashville 400 (Nashville), Mountaineer 500 (Huntington), Race 60 (Harris), Grand National Championship
• 1963 (14 wins) Race 02 (Tampa), Race 08 (Spartanburg), Race 09 (Weaverville), South Boston 400 (South Boston), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Race 24 (Manassas), Race 27 (Birmingham), Race 36 (Bridgehampton), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Sandlapper 200 (Columbia), Race 51 (Randleman), South Boston 400 (South Boston)
• 1962 ( 8 wins) Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Race 39 (Huntsville), Race 41 (Roanoke), International 200 (Winston-Salem), Race 43 (Spartanburg), Wilkes 320 (North Wilkesboro)
• 1961 ( 2 wins) Richmond 200 (Richmond), World 600 Qualifier #1 (Charlotte)
• 1960 ( 3 wins) Race 06 (Charlotte), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Race 39 (Hillsboro)
• 1959 ( 0 wins) Rookie of the Year

Teams[link]

• Petty Enterprises 1958–1983, 1986–1992
• Don Robertson 1970
• Mike Curb 1984–1985

Movie and TV appearances[link]

• In May 2011 he was chosen to say the most famous line in motorsports: "Gentlemen start your engines" for a race for the Sprint Cup series.
• In 2011, Richard Petty was featured in the show Modern HotrodZ. Petty's Garage now builds Custom cars for the general public, most of which are Limited Edition.
• He appeared as himself in the movie Swing Vote driving in his famous blue #43 car, and letting Bud drive his car to Air Force One to meet the President.
• Petty voiced Strip Weathers, also known as The King in the 2006 Disney/Pixar animated movie Cars and the 2011 sequel Cars 2. His car, the Road Runner Superbird with distinctive "Petty" blue tint and number #43, is also the model for the car used in the movie. The King's crash at the end of the movie 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 as in the movie. The bit which Lightning McQueen assists him to the finish line is based on the 1976 incident, albeit by the pit crew. Petty's wife Lynda plays The King's wife, a 1976 Chrysler Town & Country station wagon (based on Petty's family car), in the movie as well.
• Petty appeared in the 1990 Tom Cruise movie Days of Thunder.
• He appeared in the 1983 Burt Reynolds movie Stroker Ace.
• Petty appeared as himself in the 1972 movie 43: The Richard Petty Story (a Victory Lane Production, released by Video Gems, distributed by United American Video in 1986).
• In 1989, Richard Petty appeared as himself in the movie Speed Zone!, driving in his famous blue #43 car.

Controversial remarks on female NASCAR drivers[link]

Petty, along with several male drivers, has made negative comments about female driver Danica Patrick's ability, as a woman, to race successfully.^[13] Petty, in a separate interview, stated in 2006, "I just don't think it's a sport for women, and so far, it's proved out. It's really not. It's good for them to come in. It gives us a lot of publicity, it gives them publicity. But as far as being a real true racer, making a living out of it, it's kind of tough."^[14]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Richard Petty

• Official website
• Victory Junction Gang Camp
• Official Visitor Information
• Richard Petty Gives a Tour of Petty Enterprises
• Richard Pettys Garage 2010
• Richard Petty's career stats at racing-reference.info
• Richard Petty Driving Experience
• The Richard Petty Museum