Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937) is a former
NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver. "The King," as he is
nicknamed, is most well-known for winning the NASCAR Championship seven times
(Dale Earnhardt is the only other driver to accomplish this feat),winning a record 200
races during his career, winning the Daytona 500 a record seven times, and winning a record 27 races (ten of them consecutively)
in the 1967 season alone. (A 1972 rule change eliminated races under 250 miles in length, reducing the schedule to 30 [now 36]
races.) Petty is widely considered the greatest NASCAR driver of all time. He also collected a record number of poles (127) and
over 700 top-ten finishes in his 1,185 starts, including 513 consecutive starts from 1971-1989.
Petty is a second generation driver. His father, Lee Petty, won the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and was also a 3 time NASCAR champion. Richard's son, Kyle
Petty, is also a well-known NASCAR driver. Tragically, Richard's grandson, Adam Petty,
was killed in an accident at New Hampshire International Speedway
on May 12, 2000, only five weeks after the death of Lee. Meanwhile,
Adam's brother Austin works on day-to-day operations of the Victory Junction Gang camp, a
Hole in the Wall Gang camp established by the Pettys after Adam's death. Petty
married his wife Lynda Owens Petty in 1958 and they have four children - Kyle Petty, Sharon Petty Farlow, Lisa Petty
Luck and Rebecca Petty Moffit - and 12 grandchildren. The family still resides in
Level Cross; they operate Petty Racing and the Richard Petty Museum in nearby Randleman, North Carolina.
Petty frequently signs autographs for people and he remains a popular figure in the garage area.
Racing career
Petty was born in Level Cross, North
Carolina to Elizabeth Toomes and Lee Arnold Petty, also a NASCAR driver.[1] He began his NASCAR career on July 18, 1958, 16 days after his 21st birthday. His first race was at the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds in
Toronto, Canada, and he finished 17th having completed 55 of 100
laps in an Oldsmobile. In 1959, Richard was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year, after he produced 9 top 10 finishes, including six
Top 5 finishes.
The 1960s
In 1960, he finished 2nd in the NASCAR Grand National Points Race. In 1964, driving a potent Plymouth with a new Hemi engine, Richard Petty led 184 of the 200 laps to
capture his first Daytona 500, en route to 9 victories, earning over $114,000 and his first
Grand National championship. On February 27, 1966 Petty
overcame a 2-lap deficit to win his second Daytona 500 when the race was stopped on lap 198 of 200 because of a thunderstorm.
This made him the first driver to win the event twice.
In 1964 Richard became unhappy with the sport because other drivers were saying that his engines were bigger and they
protested. Richard spent 1965 competing as a drag racer. His career there was cut short when he crashed his car at a race in
Georgia, Injuring 7 people and killing an eight year old boy at the Southeastern Dragway, in Dallas, Georgia. 1967 was a
milestone year. In that year, Petty won 27 of the 48 races he entered, including a record 10 wins in a row (between
August 12 and October 1, 1967). He won his second Grand National Championship. One of the 27 victories was the Southern 500 at Darlington, which would be his only Southern
500 victory. His dominance in this season earned him the nickname "King Richard". He had previously been known as "the Randleman
Rocket". In 1969 Petty switched brands to Ford, due to his belief the Plymouth was not competitive on super-speedways - he wanted
a slippery Dodge Daytona but Chrysler executives insisted he stay with Plymouth.
He would win 10 races and finish second in points. Won back in 1970 by the sleek new Plymouth Superbird with shark nose and goalpost wing, Petty returned to Plymouth for the 1970 season.
This is probably his most famous car, and the car in which Petty is cast in the 2006 Pixar film
Cars.
The 1970s
Petty's
IROC car from the 1970s
Petty's car used for his 1979 Daytona 500 win, on display at
Daytona USA
On February 14, 1971, Petty won his third Daytona 500,
beating team mate, Buddy Baker, by one lap en route to another historic year, making him the
first driver to win the event three times. He won 20 more races, became the first driver to earn more than $1 million in career
earnings, and claimed his third Grand National Championship. In 1972, now with the familiar STP sponsor livery, Petty won his 4th Winston Cup
Championship, thanks to his 28 top-10 finishes, including 25 top-5 finishes and 8 victories. On February 18, 1973, in a driver’s duel, Petty outlasted Baker to win his fourth
Daytona 500 after Baker's engine gave out with six laps left. One year later, Petty won the Daytona "450" (shortened 20 laps
{50mi/80km} due to the energy crisis) for the fifth time en route to his fifth Winston Cup
Championship. Throughout Petty's career, but especially during his prime, Petty was known to stand for hours - backed against a
fence, signing autographs to everyone who asked. Despite his massive popularity, Petty never begrudged the fans.
The year 1975 was another historic year for Petty, as he won the World 600 for the
first time in his career, one of 13 victories en route to his sixth Winston Cup. The 13 victories is a modern (1972 to present)
NASCAR record for victories in a season, and was tied in 1998 by Jeff Gordon. In 1976, Petty
was involved in one of the most famous finishes in NASCAR history. Petty and David Pearson
were racing on the last lap out of turn 4 in the Daytona 500. As Petty tried to pass Pearson, at the exit of turn 4, Petty's
right rear bumper hit Pearson left front bumper. Pearson and Petty both spun and hit the front stretch wall. Petty's car came to
rest just yards from the finish line, but his engine stalled. Pearson's car had hit the front stretch wall and clipped another
car, but his engine was running. Pearson was able to drive his car toward the finish line, while Petty's car would not restart.
Pearson passed Petty on the infield grass and won the Daytona 500. Petty was given credit for second place. Oddly 1978 will stand
out as the one year during his prime that Petty did not visit the winners circle. Petty could not get the new for 1978
Dodge Magnum to handle properly, even though much time, effort, and faith were spent
massaging the cars. Unhappy with the seven top-5 finishes (including two second places) Petty climbed out of the Dodge and into a
four year old used Chevy Monte Carlo after 17 races, breaking the hearts of his
faithful, though partisanly Mopar fans. The switch to Chevy didn't produce any wins either
however, in the remaining 1978 races. Petty would go on to rebound though, and went on a tear in 1979, winning the NASCAR
championship for the seventh, and last time.
The twilight years
Petty won two more Daytona 500s in 1979 and 1981. In 1979, he snapped a 45-race drought, winning his sixth Daytona 500, the
first to be televised live flag-to-flag; it would become notorious for a fistfight between competitors following the
controversial finish. Petty won the race as the first and second place cars of Donnie
Allison and Cale Yarborough crashed on the last lap. Petty held off
A. J. Foyt and Darrell Waltrip. Foyt had backed off
because of his familiarity with USAC rules which states that racing stops
once the yellow flag waves, different from the NASCAR rule stating drivers should race back to the start-finish line, even for
the finish (the rule was changed in 2003). The race is also regarded as being the genesis of the current surge in NASCAR's
popularity. The East Coast was snowed in by a blizzard, giving CBS a captive audience. The win was
part of Richard's seventh and last NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Petty was able to hold off Waltrip to win the title in
1979.
For 1981, NASCAR dictated that all teams had to show up with the new downsized cars of 110" wheel-base, that Detroit had been
building since 1979. Though Petty had been successful with the Chevy's and Old's he had been running, he wanted to get back to
his Mopar roots. His team built a stunning 1981 Dodge Mirada and took it to Daytona in
January 1981 for high speed tests. The car could do no better than 186 miles per hour, however, about eight miles per hour slower
that the GM cars. Petty gave up on returning to Dodge knowing that for the superspeedways the Mirada would not be competitive,
and bought a Buick Regal for the Daytona race. In the 1981 Daytona 500, Petty used a "fuel
only" for his last pit stop, with 25 laps to go, to outfox Bobby Allison and grab his
seventh and final Daytona 500 win. This win marked a large change in Petty's racing team. Dale
Inman, Petty's longtime crew chief, left the team after the Daytona victory (Inman would win an eighth championship as
crew chief in 1984 with Terry Labonte).
On July 4, 1984, Petty won his 200th race at the
Firecracker 400 at Daytona International
Speedway. The race was memorable. On lap 198, Doug Heveron crashed, bringing out the
yellow caution flag, essentially turning Lap 198 into the last lap as the two drivers battled to the start-finish line. Petty and
Cale Yarborough diced it out on that lap, with Yarborough drafting and taking an early
lead before Petty managed to cross the start/finish line only a fender-length ahead. (This is no longer possible because of the
2003 rule change freezing the field immediately upon caution. Furthermore, the green-white-checkered rule was created for if the yellow flag waves with two laps remaining, but not with one
lap remaining.) President Ronald Reagan was in attendance, the first sitting president to
attend a NASCAR race. Reagan celebrated the milestone with Petty and his family in victory lane.
Petty's last ride
In late 1991, Richard Petty announced he would retire after the 1992
season. Petty chose to run the entire 1992 season, not just selected events as other drivers have done before retirement. His
year-long Fan Appreciation Tour took him around the country, participating in special events, awards ceremonies, and
fan-related meetings. In his final year behind the wheel, he had two notable races.
At the 1992 Pepsi 400 on July 4, Petty qualified second.
Before the start of the race, he was honored with a gift ceremony which included a visit from President George H. W. Bush. At the start, Petty led the first five laps, but dropped out on lap 84 due to
fatigue.
Despite the tremendously busy appearance schedule, and mediocre race results, Petty managed to qualify for all 29 races in
1992. On his final visit to each track, Petty would lead the field on the pace lap to salute the fans. Petty's final race was the
season-ending Hooter's 500 at Atlanta Motor
Speedway. The race was notable in that it was the first career start for Jeff Gordon,
and it was the closest points championship in NASCAR history, with six drivers mathematically eligible to win the championship. A
record 160,000 spectators attended the race, which went down to the final lap with Bill
Elliott winning the race, and Alan Kulwicki winning the championship by 10 points
over Elliott.
Facing the intense pressure, Petty barely managed to qualify at Atlanta, posting the 39th fastest speed out of 41 cars. He
would not have been eligible for the provisional starting position, and had to qualify on speed. On the 94th lap, Petty became
tangled up in an accident, and his car caught fire. Petty pulled the car off the track, and climbed out of the burning machine
uninjured. His pit crew worked diligently all afternoon to get the car running again, and with two laps to go, Petty pulled out
of the pits and was credited as running at the finish in his final race. He took his final checkered flag finishing in 35th
position. After the race, Petty circled the track to salute the fans one final time in his trademark STP Pontiac.
The following year, he was back into a race car one more time. On August 18,
1993, NASCAR participated in a tire test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in preparations for the 1994 Brickyard 400. Petty drove
several laps around the track, and then donated his car to the Speedway's museum.
Petty would again step into a race car in 2003 on the week of the final race under the Winston banner at Homestead-Miami Speedway and took a solo lap honoring his seven Winston Cup Championships for
Winston's salute to the champions.
Petty as an owner
In later years of his career, Petty developed the career of crew chief Robbie Loomis,
who was at the helm of Petty Enterprises as crew chief in the 1990s, and won three
races -- the 1996 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix, the 1997 ACDelco 400 at North Carolina Speedway, both with Bobby Hamilton
driving, and the 1999 Virginia 500 at Martinsville Speedway, with John Andretti driving.
Petty moved to the television broadcast booth for a few seasons immediatedly following his retirement, but his career in
television did not last long. He remained as operating owner until his son Kyle Petty took
over day-to-day operations a decade later.
Close calls
Of all the races he won, Petty is also remembered for three of the many incredible crashes that he survived:
- In the 1970 Rebel 400 at Darlington, Petty was injured when his
Plymouth Road Runner cut a tire and slammed hard into the wall separating the track
from the pit area. The car flipped several times before coming to rest on its side. This accident injured Petty's shoulder, and
helped Bobby Isaac to win the 1970 Grand National Championship. During the accident, Petty's
head hit the track pavement several times, which led NASCAR to mandate the installation of the
Petty-developed safety net that covers the driver's side window.
- In a 1980 race at Pocono, Richard slammed the Turn 2 wall, nearly flipping the car.
Petty nearly broke his neck in the wreck and kept his injury hidden from NASCAR officials for the next races, knowing that
another wreck could possibly kill him. Such an incident could never happen today, because of modern NASCAR rules requiring an
official series medical liaison to clear a driver after a crash.
- In the 1988 Daytona 500, Petty's spectacular crash on Lap 106 hurled parts all over the front
stretch at the Daytona International Speedway. Incredibly, after so many flips, Petty walked away with no serious injuries,
except for temporary sight loss due to excessive g-forces. The crash was similar to the accident suffered by Bobby Allison during the 1987 Winston
500 at Talladega Superspeedway in that both cars became airborne after
turning sideways, and both cars damaged the spectator fencing (though Petty's crash did much less damage to the fencing). Petty's
car became airborne despite the use of the carburetor restrictor plate, which was mandated by NASCAR for races at
Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway just prior to the start of the 1988 season.
Career awards
Life after racing
Richard Petty is currently a spokesman for Cheerios and
for GlaxoSmithKline products Nicorette and
Goody's Headache Powder. He is almost always seen wearing his trademark sunglasses and a
Charlie One Horse hat. In 1996, he was the Republican nominee for North
Carolina Secretary of State, but was defeated by State Senator Elaine Marshall in the general election. A major factor in that defeat was his being charged with
hit-and-run and reckless driving when he bumped a car from behind that he was trying to pass on I-85. He is cast as "The King" in
Cars (film) as a 1970 Plymouth Superbird with
the number "43". A cereal "43's" was created with Petty information on the boxes.
Legacy
Accessibility was his hallmark. In a sport, and a sports world, where big stars may not have the time to sign autographs or
sign everybody's autograph, Petty made a point of staying until everybody got one. His work on behalf of his sport and his
accessibility to fans are seen as crucial elements of NASCAR's transformation from the dirt tracks of the 1950s to the
superspeedways and multi-million dollar sponsorships of today.
Races won
Grand National/Winston Cup (200 career wins)
- 1984 ( 2 wins) Budweiser 500 (Dover), Firecracker 400 (Daytona)
- 1983 ( 3 wins) Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Winston 500 (Talladega), Miller High Life 500 (Charlotte)
- 1981 ( 3 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Northwestern Bank 400 (North
Wilkesboro), Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan)
- 1980 ( 2 wins) Northwestern Bank 400 (North Wilkesboro), Music City USA
420 (Nashville)
- 1979 ( 5 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Champion Spark Plug 400
(Michigan), CRC Chemicals 500
(Dover), American 500 (Rockingham), Winston Cup Championship
- 1977 ( 5 wins) Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Atlanta 500 (Atlanta), World 600 (Charlotte), NAPA 400 (Riverside),
Firecracker 400 (Daytona)
- 1976 ( 3 wins) Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Purolator 500 (Pocono), American 500 (Rockingham)
- 1975 (13 wins) Richmond 500 (Richmond), Southeastern 500 (Bristol), Atlanta 500 (Atlanta), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro),
Virginia 500 (Martinsville),
World 600 (Charlotte), Tuborg 400
(Riverside), Firecracker 400
(Daytona), Champion Spark Plug
400 (Michigan), Delaware
500 (Dover), Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro), National 500 (Charlotte), Volunteer 500 (Bristol), Winston Cup Championship
- 1974 (10 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Gwyn Staley 400 (North
Wilkesboro), Music City USA 420 (Nashville), Motor State 360 (Michigan), Dixie 500 (Atlanta), Purolator 500 (Pocono), Talladega 500 (Talladega), Capital City 500 (Richmond),
Delaware 500 (Dover),
Winston Cup Championship
- 1973 ( 6 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Richmond 500
(Richmond), Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Alamo 500 (College Station),
Capital City 500 (Richmond), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville)
- 1972 ( 8 wins) Winston Western 500 (Riverside), Richmond 500 (Richmond), Gwyn Staley 400 (North
Wilkesboro), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Lone Star 500 (College Station),
Capital City 500 (Richmond), Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville), Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro),
Winston Cup Championship
- 1971 (21 wins) Daytona 500 (Daytona), Richmond 500
(Richmond), Carolina 500
(Rockingham), Hickory 276 (Hickory), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Maryville 200
(Maryville), Gwyn Staley 400 (North
Wilkesboro), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Asheville 300 (Asheville), Pickens 200
(Greenville), Albany-Saratoga 250 (Malta), Islip 300
(Islip), Northern 300 (Trenton), Nashville 420
(Nashville), Dixie 500 (Atlanta), West Virginia 500 (Ona), Sandlapper 200
(Columbia), Delaware 500 (Dover), American 500 (Rockingham),
Capital City 500 (Richmond), Texas 500 (College Station),
Grand National Championship
- 1970 (18 wins) Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Savannah 200 (Savannah), Gwyn Staley 400
(North Wilkesboro), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Falstaff 400 (Riverside),
Kingsport 100 (Kingsport), Albany-Saratoga 250 (Malta), Schaefer
300 (Trenton), East Tennessee 200 (Maryville),
Dixie 500 (Atlanta), West Virginia 300
(Ona), Myers Brothers 250 (Winston-Salem), Halifax
County 100 (South Boston), Capital City 500 (Richmond), Mason-Dixon 300 (Dover), Home State 200 (Raleigh),
Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville), Georgia 500
(Macon)
- 1969 (10 wins) Georgia 500 (Macon), Motor Trend 500 (Riverside), Virginia 500
(Martinsville), Kingsport 250 (Kingsport),
Mason-Dixon 300 (Dover),
Maryland 300 (Beltsville), Nashville 400 (Nashville), Smoky Mountain 200 (Maryville), Myers Brothers 250
(Winston-Salem), Old Dominion 500
(Martinsville)
- 1968 (16 wins) Race 02 (Montgomery), Hickory 250 (Hickory), Greenville 200 (Greenville), Asheville 300
(Asheville), Race 21 (Maryville), Race 22 (Birmingham), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Maine 300 (Oxford), Fonda 200 (Fonda), Smoky Mountain 200 (Maryville), Race 37 (South Boston), Capital City 300 (Richmond), Hillsboro
150 (Hillsboro), Old Dominion 500
(Martinsville), Wilkes 400 (North
Wilkesboro), American 500 (Rockingham)
- 1967 (27 wins) Augusta 300 (Augusta), Fireball 300 (Weaverville), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Hickory 250
(Hickory), Virginia 500
(Martinsville), Richmond 250 (Richmond), Rebel 400
(Darlington), Tidewater 250 (Hampton), Macon 300
(Macon), East Tennessee 200 (Maryville), Carolina 500 (Rockingham), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Northern 300 (Trenton), Race 31 (Fonda), Islip 300 (Islip), Volunteer 500
(Bristol), Nashville 400 (Nashville), Myers Brothers 250 (Winston-Salem),
Sandlapper 200 (Columbia), Race 39 (Savannah),
Southern 500 (Darlington), Buddy Shuman 250
(Hickory), Capital City 300
(Richmond), Maryland 300 (Beltsville),
Hillsboro 150 (Hillsboro), Old Dominion 500
(Martinsville), Wilkes 400 (North
Wilkesboro), Grand National Championship
- 1966 ( 8 wins) Georgia Cracker 300 (Augusta),
Daytona 500 (Daytona),
Rebel 400 (Darlington), Tidewater
250 (Hampton), Speedy Morelock 200 (Macon), Fireball 300
(Weaverville), Nashville 400 (Nashville),
Dixie 400 (Atlanta)
- 1965 ( 4 wins) Nashville 400 (Nashville), Western North Carolina 500
(Weaverville), Buddy Shuman 250 (Hickory), Race
48 (Manassas)
- 1964 ( 9 wins) Sunshine 200 (Savannah), Daytona 500
(Daytona), Race 24 (South
Boston), Race 29 (Concord), Music City 200 (Nashville), Race 34 (Spartanburg), Nashville 400 (Nashville), Mountaineer 500 (Huntington), Race 60 (Harris), Grand National Championship
- 1963 (14 wins) Race 02 (Tampa), Race 08 (Spartanburg), Race
09 (Weaverville), South Boston 400 (South Boston),
Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Gwyn
Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Columbia 200 (Columbia), Race 24 (Manassas), Race 27 (Birmingham), Race 36 (Bridgehampton), Pickens 200 (Greenville), Sandlapper 200 (Columbia), Race 51 (Randleman), South Boston 400 (South Boston)
- 1962 ( 8 wins) Gwyn Staley 400 (North Wilkesboro), Virginia 500 (Martinsville), Pickens 200
(Greenville), Race 39 (Huntsville), Race 41 (Roanoke), International 200 (Winston-Salem), Race 43
(Spartanburg), Wilkes 320 (North
Wilkesboro)
- 1961 ( 2 wins) Richmond 200 (Richmond), World 600 Qualifier #1 (Charlotte)
- 1960 ( 3 wins) Race 06 (Charlotte), Virginia
500 (Martinsville), Race 39 (Hillsboro)
- 1959 ( 0 wins) Rookie of the Year
Teams
Miscellanea
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
- In 2007, Petty finally attended the Kentucky Derby and the Indianapolis 500 race for the first time.
- Petty always carried a rag that was soaked with water to chew on during pit stops for hydration purposes.
- Richard Petty was offered $10,000 by Andy Granatelli to drop the familiar
Petty Blue and paint his car all Day-Glo Red for STP.[citation needed] He refused, settling for a two-tone
scheme, and by 1982, Gordon Johncock's Indy 500 winning STP Wildcat-Cosworth was painted in similar fashion.
- Petty is known to NASCAR fans as "The King", "King Richard", or simply Richard (since all fans know who he is).
- Petty voiced The King in the 2006 Pixar
animated movie Cars. His car, the Road Runner Superbird with distinctive "Petty" blue
tint and number #43, is also the model for the car used in the movie. The King's crash at the end of the movie was also a
re-creation of Petty's real-life Daytona 500 accident in 1988 with the exception that it was
not caused by a deliberate crash as in the movie. The bit which Lightning
McQueen assists him to the finish line is based on the 1976 incident, albeit by the pit crew. Petty's wife Lynda plays The
King's wife, a station wagon, in the movie as well.
- He appeared in the 1983 Burt Reynolds movie Stroker
Ace.
- Petty is one of nine drivers in NASCAR history to win a Career Grand Slam, by
winning the sport's four majors; David Pearson, Bobby
Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt,
Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Buddy Baker are the other eight to have accomplished the feat.
- His color has been adopted by other racing teams that bore STP sponsorship
outside of NASCAR, one on a Kremer K8, entered by Kremer Racing for the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans [2] and another, in the 1995 JTCC Honda Civic of Team Kunimitsu, driven by Keiichi Tsuchiya. [3]
- He is mentioned in the Kenny Chesney song "How Forever Feels" in the line "Now I know
how Richard Petty feels."
- Petty has also made numerous comments against women in NASCAR. Once, he said, "She (Janet Guthrie) ain't no lady. There is a
big difference between being a woman and a lady."
- He is mentioned in the song "On My Mind" by American rock band Royal Trux, which appeared
on their EP Radio Video released in 2000.
- In a short drag racing career, he killed a young boy in one of his early races when he lost control of his car and rammed
into the benches, to this day feels bad about doing so.
- He was briefly shown and mentioned in the movie Days of Thunder.
- His brother, Maurice was an engine builder for Petty Enterprises for all his championships.Maurice also had a brief career as
a race car driver.
- The Country Music Group Alabama refitted their song "The Fans" as a tribute to him. Before his last race in Atlanta they had
a concert where he and his family along with Kyle and many of the drivers from the day showed up, it was held in the Georgia
Dome.
- Brad Daugherty [[1]](retired basketball player and current NASCAR announcer for ESPN) wore the number 43 as a tribute to Richard who
he met as a kid one night after a race, and talked with for some time along with getting an autograph. Later on he would co-own a
NASCAR Craftsman truck team of his.
Links
Footnotes
