Biography of Richard Lee Petty

Richard Lee Petty was Born July 2, 1937

Richard Lee Petty was born July 2nd, 1937 in Level Cross, North Carolina.

Wife: Lynda Owens Petty

Children: Kyle, Sharon, Lisa, Rebecca

Grandchildren: Adam, Austin, Montgomery, Hannah, Maggie, Kyle Victor, Richard Samuel, Sarah, Margaret, Helen, Thaddeus Drake, Harrison Ridge

The

career of Richard Petty

Richard Lee Petty was born July 2nd, 1937 to Lee and Elizabeth Petty. His father Lee Petty had already made a name for himself throughout the decade of the 1950’s by winning three Grand National Championships and fifty-four races.

Richard desired to follow in his father’s footsteps, knowing that he would be a tough act to follow.

On July 18th, 1958, Richard, at the ripe age of 21, competed in his first Grand National event in Toronto, Canada. He would drive his Petty Oldsmobile with the now legendary #43, to a 17th place finish. Just a year later he would become the NASCAR Rookie of the Year. He did so by impressively recording nine top ten finishes along with six top five finishes.

In 1960, Richard Petty won his first of 200 career victories at the Southern States Fairgrounds. His sophomore season in stock car’s uppermost echelon of competition proved that his 1959 rookie season was no happenstance as he finished second in the final NASCAR Grand National Points standings.

His career continued to soar throughout the early 1960’s as he quickly became to sports most prolific winner. In 1964, he would not only win his first ever Daytona 500, but he would win eight additional races and bring home his first of a record-tying seven NASCAR championships.

Richard won his second Daytona 500 in 1966 after falling two laps off the pace at one point during the race. A year later Richard won his second Grand National Championship. The year of 1967 is forever cherished by Richard- not only did he win the championship, but he dominated the NASCAR circuit by winning 27 out of 48 races he competed in. Ten of those races were won consecutively. Never has a NASCAR driver displayed so much supremacy as he was acknowledged as the ‘King’, a nickname that has remained up until present-day.