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BRISTOL, TN – AUGUST 17: Team owner, Richard Petty, stands on pit road during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2018 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
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BRISTOL, TN – AUGUST 17: Team owner, Richard Petty, stands on pit road during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2018 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Truthfully speaking, it is hard to associate Richard Petty and Mickey Mouse in the same sentence. However, once upon a time, the 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion had his photograph taken with the iconic mouse.
Nearly 25 years later, he is back at Walt Disney World for the resort’s 50th anniversary.
“The King” of NASCAR, @therichardpetty, recently returned to @WaltDisneyWorld Resort to visit his dear friend Mickey Mouse! 🏁 The pair recreated a photo that was taken in front of Cinderella Castle during the 25th anniversary celebration of Walt Disney World back in 1996! 📸 🏰 pic.twitter.com/JPaBQqK1DK
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) August 27, 2022
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Apparently, ‘The King’ wanted to recreate a photo that was taken in front of Cinderella Castle.
That photograph took place during the 25th-anniversary celebration of Walt Disney World all the way back in 1996. It is worth mentioning that, once upon a time, Disney also wanted a piece of NASCAR action.
Thus, the Walt Disney World Speedway and the Richard Petty Driving Experience was born.
What did Richard Petty do at Disney World?
In his first photograph with the mouse, Petty was seen with an arm around the mouse, and flipping a thumbs up. At one point, the NASCAR living legend even swapped out his iconic cowboy hat for a Disney cap, to complete with the Mickey Mouse ears.
The best part was that the former NASCAR driver even got a small tour of the theme park with Mickey Mouse.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 05: NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty looks on before a game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Football Team at Allegiant Stadium on December 05, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)
For now, the NASCAR iconic will be looking ahead to the Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway. Admittedly though, both Petty GMS Racing drivers, Erik Jones, and Ty Dillon, haven’t had promising campaigns. Jones has had a better run this year, with a handful of Top 10 finishes, including a 3rd place finish at the Auto Club Speedway.
Dillon, on the other hand, only has a best finish of 10th place at Bristol. Obviously, snatching a shock Playoff spot is out of the question. So the best thing that Jones and Dillon can do is try and finish as high as possible in the championship standings.
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WATCH THIS STORY: From Chase Elliott to Kyle Petty: NASCAR Drivers Who Are Also Pilots!
In other words, they will be aiming to salvage something positive from this season and then focus on 2023.
