“That Was Cool!” – Bubba Wallace Recalls One of His Favorite Memories With Richard Petty Ahead of the Legend’s Birthday

Richard Petty is one of the most iconic and influential figures in NASCAR history. The King just turned 85 years old and is rightfully known as a legend. In the buildup to the special occasion, Ryan Blaney talked about his encounter with the 7-time Cup Series champion. Now, former Richard Petty Motorsports driver Bubba Wallace recounted some of his fond memories of the living legend.

He said, “Apart from the stories of him and Dale [Earnhardt] going at it in the lounge before every race, before every practice or qualifying session. They’d be like, ‘This was in ’75, No! ’72’! They’re going back and forth. But the best one was around the West Coast swing. He had a house around Jackson hole and a group of us went out there. We were sitting around playing a board game called Rummikub. I learned to play that a few years ago and I really enjoy it.”

READ MORE: “I Was Like a Kid Again” – Ryan Blaney Reflects on His Encounter With ‘The King’ Richard Petty Ahead of His Birthday

“We’re sitting there, and you would think a person who was 81 or 82, wouldn’t really understand a board game. But that’s me judging. So we sit down and we play and he taps me on the shoulder. He said ‘Do this right here, put this number in the center together and do all this stuff’ and it was like spot on. I was like, ‘That was cool!‘”

What lies ahead for Richard Petty and Bubba Wallace?

For now, the legendary driver is focusing on getting his Cup team into the Playoffs. For the moment, Erik Jones in the #43 car sits in 16th place and has turned in a fair number of decent performances. Meanwhile, teammate Ty Dillon has been a little inconsistent but does have a Top 10 finish to his credit.

As for Bubba Wallace, the driver is under a bit of pressure. His teammate Kurt Busch already has a win under his belt and has qualified for the Playoffs. So, Wallace will be keen to join the #45 driver in the Championship hunt. He is capable of winning races, as he has proven last year.

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