Richard Petty through the years

By Staff Report | Saturday, July 2, 2022

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Richard Petty is celebrating his 85th birthday on Saturday, July 2, 2022. Scroll through to look back at key moments in The King's Hall of Fame career.

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1955: Petty, all of 18 years old, stands next to his father Lee Petty's car. Richard Petty's own NASCAR Cup career would not start until 1958.

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1959: Petty (L) and his father, Lee, take a break for a photo.

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1959: Petty and his 1957 Oldsmobile convertible at the first annual Daytona 500, Feb. 22, 1959 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Petty fell out of the race with engine failure.

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1960: Petty finished sixth in the Southern 500 at Darlington.

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1961: Drivers and part-time pranksters (L-R) Richard Petty, Lee Petty, Jim Rathmann and Fireball Roberts share a moment at a NASCAR race.

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1962: Petty (L) holds his infant son, Kyle, after winning the Gwyn Staley Memorial 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Making the presentation are announcer Bob Montgomery and race queen Dainne Kuenzuel.

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1963: Drivers Ned Jarrett (L) and Petty (R) smile for the camera at a race. Together, the two combined to win 22 of the 55 races on the Cup schedule that year.

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1964: Petty waves to the crowd after leading a 1-2-3 sweep by Plymouths in the Daytona 500, thrilling a sold-out crowd of almost 70,000. Petty led all but 16 laps, defeating Jimmy Pardue and Paul Goldsmith for his first superspeedway victory.

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1964: Petty captured his first Daytona 500 in 1964, later gaining the nickname 'The King' for his record seven points championship titles.

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1964: Petty started the most races in NASCAR history (61) in winning the season-ending national title, his first of seven.

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1965: Counterclockwise from bottom: Race winner David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, Donnie Allison and LeeRoy Yarbrough surround the new Ford Boss 429 engine at the Sandlapper 200.

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1966: Junior Johnson and Petty next to Johnson's Ford prior to the running of the Old Dominion 500 race at Martinsville Speedway.

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1960s: Petty poses with the Daytona 500 trophy after one of his Daytona victories.

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1966: Petty celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Daytona 500 on Feb. 27, 1966.

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Fellow Hall of Famer Pearson (L) talks with Petty before a race.

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1967: Petty in Victory Lane after winning the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

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1967: One of many Petty-David Pearson duels took place as the No. 43 runs in the low groove under the 'Silver Fox' at the Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. The pair finished 2-3, respectively.

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1967: Petty with his father, Lee, as Richard was presented with a plaque to celebrate his all-time record of 55 career premier series victories, eclipsing his dad's previous mark of 54.

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1967: Crew chief Dale Inman (L) goes over a race plan with Petty. The chat paid off, as they won the Macon 300.

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Petty, who used to work on his father Lee's car as a teenager in the mid-'50s, was never above working on his own cars.

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Petty reads a book to his children.

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The Petty family.

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1970s: Petty climbs into his car.

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Pearson (L) and Petty.

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1973: (L-R) Mark Donohue, Bobby Allison, and Petty.

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1973: Richard Petty with his STP Dodge Charger at Daytona International Speedway. Petty went on to win the Daytona 500 and finished second in the July 4th Firecracker 400.

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Three generations of Pettys: (L-R) Adam, Richard, and Kyle.

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Several NASCAR stars including Buddy Baker, Tim Richmond, Kyle and Richard Petty play the popular card game UNO.

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Petty greets a young fan at a race.

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Early-1970s: Buddy Baker (L) drove for Petty Enterprises in 28 NASCAR premier series races during the 1971 and 1972 Cup seasons as teammate to Petty (R). Baker won twice during his tenure racing for the Pettys.

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A young Kyle Petty (R) joins his dad Richard in Victory Lane after a race.

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Late-1970s: Petty and son Kyle Petty together on a cool day at Martinsville Speedway before a race.

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Petty with his ever-present cigar.

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Although his driving career was winding down, Richard Petty still won 10 NASCAR premier races from 1980 through 1984, securing his place as the all-time wins leader with 200 victories.

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Petty relaxes against a toolbox in the garage area at a race.

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Petty listens to his cousin and crew chief Dale Inman at a race. Inman was crew chief for 198 of Petty's 200 career NASCAR Cup victories and for all seven of his Cup championships.

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2015: Petty looks on during practice for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

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2015: Petty signs autographs during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona.

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2016: Petty meets with former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning before the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

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2017: Richard Petty poses with a young fan at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

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2017: Team owner Richard Petty speaks with driver Bubba Wallace during practice at Pocono.

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2017: Bubba Wallace, Richard Petty and Ryan Blaney pose for a photo prior to Wallace's premier series debut race at Pocono Raceway.

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2017: Always 'The King.'

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2017: NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty drives the No. 43 STP Plymouth on the parade laps for the Bojangles' Southern 500. Petty was reluctant to pull off the track, so NASCAR showed 'The King' the black flag.

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Oct. 25, 2017: Richard Petty Motorsports names Bubba Wallace as the driver of the No. 43 for the 2018 season in the NASCAR Cup Series.

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2019: Petty was part of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame class in 2010, and now votes on the new inductees each here. Here, he's shown reviewing paperwork for the class that includes Tony Stewart, Buddy Baker and Joe Gibbs.