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John Andretti gave Petty Enterprises its final Cup win in 1999 at Martinsville.By the Numbers: Petty
In sport since the beginning, team amassed some records
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Numbers have defined Petty Enterprises since Lee Petty founded the organization in 1949 as Lee Petty Engineering. The obvious number is 43.
Richard Petty made the double digit famous, but it wasn't the original trademark of the Petty family's team. Lee Petty's number was 42, and even Richard began his career in the 42 car. But in Lee Petty's first start for his own team at Charlotte in 1949, he drove the No. 38.
Numbers aside, and the Pettys have driven plenty of them, the long history of the organization goes much deeper than a few digits on the side of a car.
There's 10 -- as in 10 Cup Series championships, Richard Petty with seven and Lee Petty with three.
There's nine -- as in nine Daytona 500 victories, Richard Petty with seven, Lee Petty with one and Pete Hamilton with one.
There's 200 -- as in 200 victories for Richard Petty, the most in history.
And then there's one -- as in one victory in the last 10 years for the organization, dating to John Andretti's Martinsville win in 1999. That spans 877 starts during which a Petty car has only finished in the top five eight times.
No, recent history isn't as special. But it still doesn't take away the meaning the team has had on stock-car racing.
The Drivers
3Times Richard Petty did not drive the No. 43 car from mid-1966-1992. Jim Paschal substituted for an injured Petty in 1970 at Charlotte. Ernie Shaw drove the No. 43 Mustang owned by himself at Macon in 1971 (Petty did not enter). Kyle Petty drove the 43 at Riverside in 1981, while his father drove the No. 42.
6Former champions who have driven for Petty Enterprises: Lee Petty, Buck Baker, Joe Weatherly, Richard Petty, Terry Labonte and Bobby Labonte.
8Career victories for Kyle Petty, although none of them came in his 492 starts in a Petty Enterprises car. Petty won two races driving for the Wood Brothers and six for Felix Sabates.
27Victories for Richard Petty in his 38 starts in 1967. Petty won 10 consecutive races at one point during the season, including a victory at Darlington to pass his father, Lee, on the career victories list. His dominance led to a second championship and the nickname King Richard.
53Drivers who have driven for Petty Enterprises. The list includes five Pettys (Lee, Maurice, Richard, Kyle and Adam), two Labontes (Bobby and Terry) and one Earnhardt (Ralph).
The Details
1Season since NASCAR began in 1949 that the No. 43 car did not run: 1993, the year after Richard Petty retired.
7,1The numbers Petty Enterprises ran in 1984 and 1985 when Richard Petty left the team to drive for Mike Curb. Kyle Petty drove the No. 7 Ford in 1984. Dick Brooks (3) and Morgan Shepherd (1) combined to run four races for Petty Enterprises in 1985 in the No. 1 (three races in Fords, one in a Chevrolet).
9Finishing position for Kyle Petty in his Cup Series debut on Aug. 5, 1979, at Talladega. Richard Petty finished fourth, the same year he won his seventh championship.
44.0Percent of times in its 60 years of racing that a Petty Enterprises car finished in the top 10 (1,269 times). The organization has a 15.7 average finish and, ironically, the same average starting position.
268Victories by Petty Enterprises in its 2,882 starts, 196 of which came from Richard Petty (Petty's four other victories came while driving for Don Robertson in 1970, and for Mike Curb in 1984).
The Dates
June 19, 1949Lee Petty crashes and finishes 17th at Charlotte Speedway in NASCAR Grand National Division's first race and the first race for Lee Petty Engineering. Petty, driving the No. 38 Buick, brings home $25, but the crash ruins the borrowed car in which he drove his family to the track.
Oct. 2, 1949Lee Petty earns the organization's first victory at Heidelberg Raceway in Pittsburgh in the No. 42 Plymouth. He is the only driver to complete all 200 laps, finishing five laps ahead of second-place Dick Linder.
1954Lee Petty wins seven races and the Grand National championship. He earns seven victories and 32 top-10 finishes in 34 starts (5.6 average finish) to get the nickname "Mr. Consistency." Total earnings: $19,125.
Feb. 22, 1959Lee Petty wins the First Annual 500-Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes at Daytona, better known as the inaugural Daytona 500. But Petty isn't declared the winner until three days later. Johnny Beauchamp is initially declared the winner, but Petty protests. NASCAR reviews photographs and newsreel footage and eventually names Petty the winner by two feet.
June 14, 1959Richard Petty crosses the finish line first at Atlanta's Lakewood Speedway in what would have been his first career victory, but his father, Lee Petty, protests the scoring. NASCAR reviews, and subsequently names Lee the winner and moves Richard to second place.
Feb. 28, 1960Richard Petty wins his first Grand National race at Southern States Fairgrounds in Charlotte, beating Rex White by six car-lengths. It is Petty's 35th career start. Earnings: $800.
Sept. 30, 1970NASCAR's final dirt-track race, held at North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh and won by Richard Petty. Petty, however, is driving his second race for owner Don Robertson, who purchased a car from Petty Enterprises. Petty went 2-for-2 driving for Robertson, also winning at Columbia Speedway.
July 4, 1984Richard Petty scores his 200th and final victory, although he is not driving a Petty Enterprises car. He drove the 1984 and '85 seasons for Mike Curb.
Nov. 15, 1992Final race for Richard Petty, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta, capping a career that spanned 35 years and 1,184 starts. He crashes, but the crew feverishly makes repairs to the car so Petty can cross the finish line in 35th, 233 laps down.
April 18, 1999Last victory for Petty Enterprises when John Andretti drives the No. 43 Pontiac to Victory Lane in the Goody's Body Pain 500 at Martinsville. Andretti comes from a lap down to pass Jeff Burton with four laps to go and win.
2000A difficult year for the Petty family. Lee Petty dies in April from surgery complications and Adam Petty dies following a practice session crash at New Hampshire. As a side note, longtime sponsor STP leaves the team.
June 11, 2008Boston Ventures acquires majority ownership of Petty Enterprises just six months after the organization moved its shop from longtime home Level Cross, N.C., to Mooresville, N.C.
Also
- Petty's 1967 Plymouth presented to Hall of Fame
- Superstore: Petty a legend in NASCAR collectibles
- Hamilton's '96 win returns Petty team to Victory Lane
- Petty makes 1,184th and final start in '92 at Atlanta
- Sad ending for Petty, but others have seen worse
- Petty Enterprises continues cutting, still seeks merger
- Petty Enterprises dilemma troubling one for NASCAR
- Kyle Petty no longer a part of storied Petty Enterprises
- Petty to voice audiobook about his time in NASCAR
- Petty releases Labonte, now in talks with GEM
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Petty Enterprises
Cup Statistics
| Years | 60 |
| Races | 2,882 |
| Wins | 268 |
| Top-fives | 890 |
| Top-10s | 1,269 |
| Poles | 151 |
| Laps Led | 61,574 |
| Avg. Start | 15.7 |
| Avg. Finish | 15.7 |
| Daytona 500 wins | 9 |
| Championships | 10 |
Longest Win Droughts
Active (at least one start in '08)
| Owner | Winless streak |
|---|---|
| Petty Enterprises | 348 |
| Wood Brothers | 272 |
| Bill Davis Racing | 231 |
| Gene Haas-x | 218 |
| BAM Racing-x | 166 |
| Yates Racing | 115 |
| Robby Gordon-x | 108 |
| Hall of Fame Racing-x | 102 |
| James Finch-x | 100 |
| Furniture Row-x | 72 |
| Michael Waltrip Racing-x | 71 |
| Red Bull Racing-x | 64 |
| Dale Earnhardt Inc. | 59 |
| Chip Ganassi Racing | 56 |
| John Carter-x | 40 |
| Front Row Motorsports-x | 33 |
| Gillette Evernham Motorsports | 22 |
| Roger Penske | 19 |
| Mark Simo-x | 12 |
| Joe Gibbs Racing | 6 |
| Richard Childress Racing | 5 |
| Hendrick Motorsports | 1 |
| Roush Fenway Racing | 0 |
x-Ownership is winless in Cup Series.
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