Richard Petty Biography

Richard Petty, born July 2, 1937, competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1958 to 1992, driving the No. 43 for Petty Enterprises. He is a member of the prominent Petty racing family. Petty won the Daytona 500 seven times and captured 27 victories in a single season during 1967. He remains active in motorsport as a team ambassador with Legacy Motor Club and as owner of Petty's Garage in Level Cross, North Carolina. Richard Petty recorded 123 poles and 513 consecutive starts from 1971 to 1989 across 1,184 career starts during his 35-year racing career. Petty became the first driver to win in his 500th race start, a milestone later matched by Matt Kenseth in 2013. On February 27, 1966, he overcame a two-lap deficit to win his second Daytona 500 after the race was halted on lap 198 of 200 due to a thunderstorm.