Back in 2015, more than 100,000 people had turned up for the annual Novant Health Thanksgiving Parade in Charlotte. People gathered under the blue sky at 9:30 a.m., it was 54 degrees and the crowd marched along Tryon Street. What was interesting about that day? Richard Petty was the grand marshal for the parade, the oldest and the fourth-largest in the country, a staple since 1947. But Petty is now 87, and the celebrations have become a bit low-key. So, what was so special about this Thanksgiving that forced Petty to come out and talk about it?

Here’s the thing: When Richard Petty’s son, Kyle Petty, shared Thanksgiving wishes on Instagram, he wrote, “Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!” and shared a family photo with all his extended family members. There were 24 people, including several kids. ‘Where is Richard Petty?’ wondered social media users, as he wasn’t a part of the family photo!

Well, ‘The King’ has finally shared what he was up to on the holiday. On Instagram, wrote, “Why wasn’t Richard in the Petty family photo this Thanksgiving? The King explains in this sneak peek from our newest Fan Questions Only video. Get ready for more stories, laughs, and answers to YOUR questions this Friday at 8 a.m. on the Petty Family Racing YouTube channel. Don’t miss it.” He shared a video where he spoke about his absence with a touch of humor!

In the reel, he stated, “Well, we always have Thanksgiving dinner. I guess maybe half or 2/3 of the crowd comes. They bring all the food. They were there all morning. We all start eating as soon as they get stuff in. So, I don’t know, probably, about 2 o’clock, I think they finally sat down and started eating.”

“And so when they got through eating, I went in the Den, and I laid down, and I said, ‘I’ll take a little nap here’. You know, I was full. Plum full. And the I woke up and everybody was gone. Everybody was gone. I said I must have been dreaming, you know. But then I looked in the fridge, and they had left me some leftovers. So, I know I hadn’t missed anything.” Richard Petty laughed.

You know that feeling when you wake up all groggy and confused? It seems like Petty too was confused about whether or not he had attended the dinner but the leftover food removed all the confusion. We presume the family photo that his son posted could have been clicked when Richard Petty was snoring away!

“At least they left some food. That was the main thing,” Petty concluded.

That being said, Petty took to social media on the holiday with a video wishing all his fans well. “Hey, I want everybody to have a very, very Happy Thanksgiving,” he said.

This year’s celebrations were particularly important for the Petty family. Just a few months ago, the family came together at the Martinsville race to celebrate 75 years of the Petty family’s racing legacy. Richard’s father, Lee Petty’s NASCAR foundations, reached new heights under Richard Petty, with his 7-Cup Series titles.

Interesting Fact: NASCAR races never happen on Thanksgiving Day, right? Well, twice in the history of the sport, they have hosted a race on the holiday. The first time was in 1959 when Ned Jarrett won the event at Columbia Speedway in South Carolina. The second one was in 1962, called the ‘Turkey Day 200’. Jim Paschal won the event at Tar Heel Speedway in Randleman, North Carolina.

It has left a permanent mark on American racing history and remains an unmatched legacy in the sport’s history. But did you know that the Pettys have another family tradition that the grandkids find quite scary?

Driving with the Pettys: Yet another tradition

Richard Petty’s passion for racing extends to teaching his grandchildren to drive. Unlike a typical DMV test, they had to complete the Richard Petty driving assessment to earn their licenses—a tradition he doesn’t seem to have missed. In an interaction, four of his grandchildren shared memories of their unique “sweet sixteen” driving experiences.

Maggie, Richard’s granddaughter, fondly recalled how they had to go through the Richard Petty driving test after getting their driver’s license. “Every time we got our driver’s license…he had to get us in the car. We have to pass the Richard Petty driving test. That was scary. Not getting in the car with the driving teacher, getting in the car with him scary,” she explained. Hanna, another grandchild, added, “He wore a (racing) helmet with me.” 

“He took me somewhere and then said, ‘Get back to the house,’ and I said, ‘Don’t know how to get back.’ And he said, ‘Too bad, you got to figure out. Should have been paying attention’,” Hanna recalled.

Can one even overlook the practicality of his approach? Especially in the context of Petty’s career, which revolved around making quick decisions and facing intense challenges, he might be the best coach to others. Moreover, holding the record for the most NASCAR victories (200) and sharing the lead for the most championships (7) certainly adds to his credibility, don’t you think?