The Pettys
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Families of NASCAR
The Pettys
3:07 PM EST (2007 GMT)
If there were one name that is synonymous with stock car racing and NASCAR in America, it would be the name of Petty.
When Lee Petty started his adventures around the short tracks of the South, he quickly made a name for himself as an avid competitor. Winning 54 races out of his Randleman, North Carolina shop, he garnered NASCAR championships in 1954, 1958 and 1959. The patriarch of Petty Enterprises won the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959, having to wait three days to be declared the victor because of a photo finish.
Retiring in 1964 after 427 NASCAR races, he left behind his legacy of 54 wins, 231 top-fives, 332 top-10s and 18 poles. He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers before passing away at the age of 86 in April of 2000.
Often referred to as one of the founding fathers of NASCAR, he was the leader of the only four-generation family in sports. The year he retired, was the year his son, Richard, won the Daytona 500 and his first of seven championships.
While Lee was considered one of the first stars of the sport, Richard went on to become "The King." His record of 200 victories and mark of seven championships stand as a testament to one of the sports most competitive drivers.
Battles with Bobby Allison and David Pearson on the short tracks and high-banks of superspeedways have become legendary. Racing 50 to 60 times a year, Petty endured quite the schedule in the early days. In one season, he set the record for most wins in one year with 27 in 1967. The modern-era record books (started in 1972) shows Petty tied with Jeff Gordon for 13 wins in one season.
Petty's number of championships is tied only by the late Dale Earnhardt. Petty still holds the record of 1,184 lifetime starts, 126 career poles, most laps completed, laps led, races led and miles led.
Toss in a record seven Daytona 500 wins, the fact he's still the winningest driver at tracks like Richmond, Dover, Martinsville, Rockingham and the now closed North Wilkesboro, says a lot about the type of racer he was.
After his retirement in 1992, he concentrated on being a winning car owner. Petty Enterprises made a return to Dodge manufactured cars for the 2001 season and they currently field three teams in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.
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| Adam, Richard, Lee and Kyle Petty |
Kyle did what his grandfather did -- he raced cars. He also followed in their winning ways. In his very first start, an ARCA race at Daytona in 1979, he drove to Victory Lane.
From 1979 to 1984, he drove in Winston Cup for the family team before departing to Wood Brothers Racing in 1985. He earned his first NASCAR victory the next year at Richmond becoming the first, third-generation driver to accomplish that fete.
Then moving over to the Felix Sabates-owned team from 1989-96, he became the first Petty to win more than $1 million in one season (1992) and finished a career-best of fifth in points (1993 and '94).
In 1997, he returned to the Petty Enterprises family with his No. 44 Hot Wheels Pontiac and finished 15th in points. He now drives the No. 45 Dodge.
Through his almost 600 starts, he has earned eight victories, 51 top-fives, 167 top-10s and eight poles. With earnings over the $12 million mark, Kyle is now heading up the family owned business.
Sadly, what his expectations of what lay ahead were dashed in May of 2000. While practicing for a Busch race, Adam Petty, Kyle's son, was killed at New Hampshire International Raceway. He was scheduled to enter Winston Cup racing in 2001 in the aforementioned No. 45.
Adam had the Petty look with his tall, thin frame and big smile like his dad and grandfather. He began his racing career in go-karts at age six. From there, he progressed to mini-sprints, then Legends cars, late models, ASA and then the Busch Series.
He showed he had the Petty racing talent by winning the first ARCA event he entered, just like his dad did. Adam's win came at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October of 1998 and surpassed his dad's mark as the youngest driver to do so in the series by five months. Adam did race in one Winston Cup event, the Texas race in April of 2000.
Through triumph and tragedy, the Petty family has always been part of the NASCAR scene. They've been showered with awards and accolades for their charity work and racing endeavors.
And, after more than 50 years of doing so, it doesn't look like they're going to stop being themselves.
