The ‘King’ of NASCAR led a racing career sprinkled with great moments. Richard Petty was the Pole Star of stock car racing during the third quarter of the 20th century. His staggering achievements include 7 championships and a whopping 200 Cup Series races. But what was probably the most memorable victory was his very last. The No. 43 Plymouth driver had none other than the US President rooting for him.

And that event is very close to the heart of Petty’s former team owner. Mike Curb, a motorsports fixture for the past 40 years, helped organize that memorable encounter. The prospect of having the most powerful individual in the country attend a NASCAR race was unthinkable. Yet one little fact made things easier for Curb.

NASCAR’s admirer from Washington D.C.

As a youngster, Mike Curb kicked off his motorsport journey in the 1970s with sprint car racing. He met with Bill France Jr. at Riverside Speedway in 1979 – but little did he know that this relationship would feature an extraordinary event. In the 1980s, he took over car ownership for Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. The latter had already established himself as a legend in the circles of NASCAR, and his races whipped up a lot of traffic. In 1984, the traffic included none other than the president of the USA – Ronald Reagan. And the efforts leading up to his attendance made Curb a nervous wreck.

In a recent episode of the Dale Jr Download, Curb reflected on how he got the president to attend a NASCAR race. Having already been elected as Lieutenant Governor of California in 1978, Curb already cultivated a healthy relationship with Reagan. But he did not know that both would have the same 200 mph interests. Curb reflected on Richard Petty’s milestone: “By the time we got to Dover, we won our 199th race. They got thinking, oh my goodness. The 200th victory could happen in my car. So I’m in a meeting at the White House, and we would meet periodically with the president. He was looking for something to do on the 4th of July. It was ’84, he was running for re-election, Daytona was one of the swing states. I said, what about if you came to the race?” 

To Mike Curb’s uncurbed surprise, Reagan responded positively. What followed was tense preparation for the spectacle at NASCAR’s Daytona race. Curb continued, “20 minutes later, Ronald Reagan said, ‘You know, I used to call sprint car races before I was an actor.’ He said, ‘I like the idea.’ So I called Bill France Jr and said, Will you sit down? He said, I’m sitting down. I said, ‘It’s Ronald Reagan…I’ve never been more nervous in my life. If this doesn’t work out and you announce it, you’re never gonna speak to me again. Came to Washington the next day – he met with the Secret Service…Bill France put it together logistically…When his plane was coming in, it was right over the top of the #43. “

And Richard Petty was ecstatic too, as the race was thrilling, to say the least.

The President got a high-octane treat

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Well, the 1984 Firecracker 400 was dotted with exhilarating incidents. But the most breathtaking turn of events was probably a wreck with a couple of laps to go. Doug Heveron’s car became airborne in Turn 1, and the entire race field was thrown into chaos. It was before NASCAR started its policy in 2003 of no passing and free passes to the lead lap during a caution period. So Petty knew he had to put his foot down. Cale Yarborough took the lead down the backstretch, heading into Turn 3. Petty waited till the fourth Turn for his move, in which he toppled his rival and won his 200th race by inches.

All the while, Ronald Reagan watched intensely and held his breath like everyone else at the finish. Richard Petty‘s milestone race win fascinated him so much that he stayed at the track for a garage picnic afterward. Petty reflected on how important the event was for him. “If you tried to go to Hollywood and try to sell a movie, there’s no way they would have bought a deal with the president being there, winning the thing on the last lap and the 200th win on top of that. It was a magical day.” He added, “What was really neat about it, we got the President on the sports page, but he got us on the front page all over the country.”

Evidently, the ‘King’s 200th race victory was stuff for NASCAR’s history book. Racing in front of the president and then going to win must feel like your greatest achievement!