Richard Petty is racing’s original superstar. He is NASCAR’s Babe Ruth and Red Grange – the standard by which all are measured.
Seldom without his trademark, feather-detailed cowboy hat, big belt buckle, cowboy boots, dark sunglasses and an ever-ready smile this revered sports icon will celebrate his 85thbirthday on July 2.
And the good wishes will be flowing in abundance for this NASCAR Hall of Famer, “The King,” who is still a presence at-track and in-heart.
During a driving career that spanned 35 years (from 1958-92) he became the first to win a record seven NASCAR Cup Series championships. And his 200 career wins at the sport’s highest level – including a record seven Daytona 500 victories - is simply, an unmatchable feat.
“Without a doubt, I consider him iconic,’’ said racer Jimmie Johnson, who became the third driver in the sport’s history to equal Petty’s seven-title mark.
“I am so impressed with his long love with NASCAR. He could be in a million different places these days, and you have to consider how long he continued to drive, but he chooses to be at the racetrack because he just loves the sport and wants to be in the sport and around it always.
“I have so much respect for him, what he’s done, the contributions he’s given the sport. Just who he is.”
It’s a sentiment heard often and duly-noted in the racing world.
Petty is never too busy it seems to chat with drivers and team members at the racetrack. And he unfailingly is willing to stop and pose for selfies with fans or to sign autographs – having perfected his distinctive signature decades ago.
This son of the first Daytona 500 winner Lee Petty, long ago mastered the balance of being a driven competitor with a grateful outlook. And Richard is never without that smile and trademark ease -- the antipathy of so many high-profile modern-day athletes.
And it’s all real.
Aric Almirola, 38, earned his first premier NASCAR win for team owner Petty in the 2014 summer race at --fittingly -- Daytona International Speedway. And it came 30 years -- almost to the day -- that Petty earned his 200th and final career victory in the same event.
In many ways, it was as much a celebration of Petty’s legend as it heralded Almirola’s victory circle debut. It was a gentle but colorful reminder of the impact Petty has had on the sport.
His 200 wins are nearly double that of any other driver. David Pearson is No. 2 on the list with 105 victories. Petty’s 123 pole positions, championships (seven), wins in a single season (27 in 1967) and Daytona 500 titles (seven) are most all-time. As are his 157 runner-up finishes.
Petty’s 10-race consecutive win streak in 1967 is another unmatched-feat. And by the time “The King” retired at the end of the 1992 season, he amassed 1,185 race starts – yet another record.
Yet for all that winning and legend-making, Petty is perpetually laidback, friendly and humble.
“I think the biggest thing I learned about Richard that surprised me is just how simple he is.,’’ Almirola said. “I know that sounds silly, but for a guy that’s the king of our sport, you automatically go to this image of who he is. And you see him walk around the race track and he’s got the hat and the sunglasses, the belt buckle. He just seems like this larger-than-life, iconic person.
“But driving for him, I got to be on the ‘in’’ with him. I got to hang out with him at his house, at his motorhome, fly on airplanes with him. I got to see him kind of not as ‘the King’ but I got to see him as Richard.
“It made me love him that much more as a person because he’s so humble, so simple and he has a huge heart. I’ve really appreciated that since the time I really get to know him.
“He made me feel like family from the get-go.”
Like so many other racers, Johnson’s appreciation of Petty started long before he realized his own dream to compete in NASCAR. In his case, it was going to races at Riverside International Raceway as a teenager in his native California.
“I remember my dad telling me about Petty and how different his [racing] line was through the esses and sure enough in the race, here he comes and he’s got the inside tires in the dirt each time through,’’ Johnson recalled with a smile. “It just kind of started that early folklore and I identified with him. He was doing things differently.”
Never, he insists, did Johnson expect that decades later, he would match Petty’s championship total as a NASCAR star himself. He still seems awestruck sharing a story of being invited by Petty to Petty’s Randleman, North Carolina, home recently. Johnson, who is now competing fulltime in the IndyCar Series, said he did not hesitate to make the time to visit.
“He just wanted to hang out,’’ Johnson said. “He had kind of a retirement gift for me and that means a lot, but leaving there, what was really most impactful was the fact Richard just wanted to hang out. I mean, we walked around for two hours and just hung out. It was awesome.”
As the sport of NASCAR celebrates Petty and his birthday, it’s interesting to hear from those that know him well. Petty is unquestionably an American icon --every bit a red-white-and-blue treasure.
“Just knowing him and what makes him tick and knowing what makes him happy, I think for him, the greatest gift he would enjoy is just a day with his friends and family,’’ Almirola said. “He really enjoys spending time with the people he loves and you can see the way his face lights up and he can’t stop smiling when he’s got all his family around him.’’
An extended family of fans that have come to love the man and revere his humble yet iconic impact on auto racing and the sporting world.
