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Richard Petty
"The King" of NASCAR
Richard Petty, known as "The King" of NASCAR, hails from a legendary racing family. His father, Lee Petty, was a three-time Grand National Cup winner and the founder of Petty Enterprises, a renowned NASCAR racing team. Richard followed in his father's footsteps, joining NASCAR as a driver in 1958, and quickly made a name for himself. In 1959, he earned Rookie of the Year honors after securing nine top-10 finishes, and in 1960, he captured his first victory in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Richard’s career reached iconic status after winning his first Daytona 500 in 1964, one of NASCAR's most prestigious events, and claiming his first Grand National Cup. Racing in his signature number 43 blue-and-red car with the STP logo, Petty dominated the 1970s, securing Winston Cup titles in 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, and 1979.
With a career spanning 35 years, Petty holds several NASCAR records, including the most poles and over 700 top-10 finishes in 1,184 career starts. His streak of 513 consecutive starts from 1971 to 1989 remains unmatched. Petty made history as the first driver to win on his 500th race start in 2013. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010, solidifying his legacy as one of the sport's greatest drivers.
Today, Petty continues to be a vital figure in motorsports, overseeing the operations of Petty GMS, a race team competing at NASCAR’s highest level, as well as Petty’s Garage, a high-performance speed shop.
Beyond the track, Richard Petty’s cultural influence spans generations. He is famously featured as "The King" in Disney’s Cars and Cars 3, where the character is loosely based on his own racing career.
BOOKS
NASCAR Cooks with TABASCO Brand Pepper Sauce
King Richard I: The Autobiography of America’s Greatest Auto Racer
King of the Road
“King Richard”: The Richard Petty story

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