Richard Petty
Richard Petty
Richard Petty is the most successful American stock car driver in the history of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, winning a record 200 NASCAR races during his 34 year career. He also raced to a record seven Daytona 500 wins and seven Winston Cup championships (a record later equaled by Dale Earnhardt).
Sharing a successful decades-long partnership with Dodge, Petty is “The King” to his NASCAR fans. He made his initial mark on racing in 1958 with nine top-ten finishes; earning Rookie of the Year honors. His first Daytona 500 win in 1964, along with his first Grand National Cup championship, caused NASCAR to establish new rules that made his Plymouth 426-inch HEMI® engine illegal. Following a year off the circuit, Petty returned to dominate NASCAR for decades.
In addition to supreme driving skills, Petty is also renowned for the mechanical expertise and innovation of his entire team. The Petty Team is credited with introducing roll bars, nylon window screens, cooled helmets and two-way radios to stock-car racing.