by Lou Vailant

Created on: August 25, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

Richard Petty is "the King" of NASCAR. During his career he amassed a record 200 wins and a slew of fans. A class-act both inside and outside of the racecar, Richard is still a constant presence each weekend as the NASCAR Sprint Cup series travels nationwide.

Richard Lee Petty was born in Level Cross, North Carolina on July 2, 1937 to his father the legendary Lee Arnold Petty and mother Elizabeth. Lee is best known for winning the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and by his three Cup championships of 1954, '58 and '59. Richard is a second generation NASCAR driver and the grandfather to the late fourth generation driver Adam Petty. Adam died at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on May 12, 2000. His other grandson, Austin Petty, works on the day-to-day operations of his late brother's vision, the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a camp for terminally ill children. Richard married his wife Lynda in 1958 and had four children: Kyle Petty (8 time Cup race winner), Sharon Petty Farlow, Lisa Petty Luck and Rebecca Petty Moffit. From these children he was given 12 grandchildren.

Richard finished 17th in his first race on July 18, 1958 at the Canadian Exposition Stadium in Toronto, Canada; he was 21 years old. The following season he earned 6 top-5, and 9 top-10 finishes resulting in the NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award. In his third season of competition he finished second in the final point standings to Rex White. His legacy started the moment he jumped into the powerful Plymouth Superbird synonymous with his name. In 1964 he got behind the wheel of his first Superbird and led 184 of the 200 laps of the Daytona 500 resulting in his first of nine wins that season, and his first Grand National Championship. The next year he spent primarily as a drag racer. His drag racing career ended after he crashed his racecar and dangerous debris injured several spectators and killed a young boy. Two years after his 1964 championship, he rebounded from being two laps down and won his second Daytona 500. 1967 saw one of Richard's most impressive accomplishments as he won over half of the races that season, 27 of 48, and logged 10 consecutive wins resulting in his second championship. He earned his nickname "the King" during this season because of his 56% win percentage. In 1969, Richard, upset with the Superbird's superspeedway capabilities and Chrysler's reluctance to let him drive a Dodge Daytona, switched to a '69 Ford Torino which resulted in a total of 10 wins and a second-place point finish.

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