NASCAR Pays Tribute to ‘The King’ Richard Petty on his 83rd Birthday

In NASCAR circles, Richard Petty is regarded as a legendary figure and has been nicknamed, ‘The King‘. Best known for his easily recognizable sky blue Plymouth Superbird, he competed between 1958 and 1992. He became the first driver to win the NASCAR Cup Championship 7 times. Only Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Sr have managed to achieve this feat.

He also has accumulated a record 200 race wins, including 7 Daytona 500 wins and 27 race wins in a single season. 10 of those wins were even on consecutive occasions. Statistically, Richard Petty has had a number of accolades, including 127 pole positions, 700 Top 10 finishes, 1184 race starts, and 513 consecutive starts.

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Back in 2010, The King was finally inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and the International Motorsport Hal of Fame in 1997. He is also the owner of the Richard Petty Motorsports team, established in 2000. It is also worth noting that The King hailed from a rich racing pedigree, with his father, Lee Petty, being a 3-time Grand National Champion.

The Petty family has a rich involvement in NASCAR, with Richard’s younger brother, Maurice, being a former crew chief. His son, Kyle Petty was also a racer, as was his grandson, Adam Petty.

After his retirement, he took on the role of crew chief of his own racing team. Later on, Kyle took over as crew chief, but Richard always made his presence known in the paddock. Suffice to say, along with the Andretti family, the Pettys are practically racing royalty.

Interestingly, Richard Petty never approved of any alcohol sponsorship during his time in NASCAR. Easily recognised in his cowboy stetson and sunglasses, he is also the first NASCAR driver to earn more than $1 million. Who would have thought that Petty would go on to build a massive empire in the world of NASCAR racing.