NASCAR Veteran Lets Slip the Secrets Behind Bristol Cowboy Hat Tribute to Richard “The King” Petty

This 2024 season, NASCAR nation is gearing up to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Petty family in NASCAR and their contributions to the sport, paying tribute to the sport’s first 7-time Cup Series champion, Richard “The King” Petty.

Well, this time, track officials and the organization have arranged a 1000-pound King hat in Bristol Motor Speedway in the fan zone, a befitting homage to  Petty. Reflecting on the wholesome gesture, Petty’s son and third-generation driver Kyle Petty revealed the lesser-known details behind the King’s cowboy hat.

Kyle Petty shares a story about Richard Petty’s King hat as BMS readies for a fitting tribute to the icon

For NASCAR fans, Richard Petty is their one true king, reigning supreme even decades after his prime. The driver’s legacy is truly unparalleled with 200 wins and seven titles to his name. Now as NASCAR gets into the 2024 season, the Petty family, one that has shouldered the sport for decades is celebrating its diamond jubilee.

“It’s always special to be recognized and this does take it to the very top,” Kyle Petty said in a release. “This is really for the fans to enjoy something unique to our family, our history, and our contributions to the tracks and NASCAR. It took a lot of people, time, and effort to make this happen and our family is honored by that.”

Just like the ones he wore during his visits to the northeast Tennessee track over the years, Bristol Motor Speedway will have the icon Blue and Black King hat. All NASCAR tracks are paying respects to the King and his family for their 75th anniversary in the sport by raising Petty hat monuments in their fan zone areas. Reflecting on this, Kyle Petty said talking to Fronstretch reporter, “So here’s what it is. So it’s a take-off on, you know, they I think a couple of cities dig cows, and where they get companies to sponsor, they paint him up. They set him on the sidewalk. It’s like a touristy thing. So we came up with the cowboy hat. And, you know, the one we had one at Daytona that had photos of my grandfather’s first win with my ARCA win, my dad’s wins, Adam running there, that was the tribute to his last race, his last cup race. We’re doing–you know, they’re unveiling one and they unveiled one in Vegas last week.” 

The unique “King’s hat”

Hand-crafted by TivoliToo, Inc., the special King’s hat is designed and worked by the brother and sister duo, Randi and Hart Johnson, who have personally worked with each track to bring the creative vision to life. The 6-foot tall, 1,000-pound monument made of fiberglass and concrete statues will be showcased to the public at all NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports-owned tracks, as well as Indianapolis Motor Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway, Pocono Raceway, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Legacy Motor Club and the Petty Museum.

Now, coming to the BMS monument, the hat also features the Tennessee tri-star logo, which also represents Richard Petty’s three wins at the half-a-mile track in Bristol. Fans can visit www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com for the locations of each hat. During the Food City 500 race weekend, the hat statue will be on display at the speedway’s Fan Funzone.

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