Richard Petty
Auto Racing · Hometown: Asheboro, NC
- Pro team(s)
- Petty Enterprises (No. 43)
- Hall of Fame
- ⭐ NASCAR Hall of Fame
Richard Lee Petty was born on July 2, 1937, in Level Cross, North Carolina — a tiny community in Randolph County — into a racing family: his father Lee Petty was himself a NASCAR champion. Known as "The King," Richard Petty is the most decorated driver in NASCAR history by almost any measure: 200 career victories (nearly double the next closest), 7 NASCAR Cup Series championships (1964, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979), 7 Daytona 500 victories, and 127 poles. His 1967 season — 27 wins in 48 races, including 10 consecutive — may be the single greatest season any driver has ever produced in any form of motorsport. Petty drove his signature No. 43 STP Pontiac (later Chevrolet) from 1958 to 1992, competing in 1,184 NASCAR Cup Series events — the most in history. He is the ambassador of the sport, a gentleman racer who has signed more autographs and posed for more photographs than perhaps any athlete in American history. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010 as a member of the inaugural class. Born in Level Cross, North Carolina.