When you think of NASCAR or talk NASCAR with other fans, there are a few names that always come up because of their impact on the sport. Petty reigns at the top of that list. In the 2024 season, the Petty family celebrated 75 years in NASCAR. Lee Petty, a NASCAR pioneer raced in the first NASCAR Strictly Stock Series race in 1949, going on to accomplish numerous successes over the course of his career including becoming a 3x Grand National Series (previously Strictly Stock Series, now known as the Cup Series) champion. Lee’s son, Richard Petty, referred to as “The King” is the winningest NASCAR driver to this day with accomplishments that include seven championships and 200 wins, among many others. Richard’s son, Kyle Petty, and grandson, Adam Petty, who has since passed away due to an accident on the track, also had many successes in NASCAR. Kyle Petty continues to be involved in the sport as a racing analyst for TV partner NBC.
During the NASCAR 2024 season LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, the Petty family and race tracks around the country came together to celebrate the Petty family’s 75th anniversary of being in NASCAR. Special art installations featuring Petty’s renowned cowboy hat, the feathered Charlie 1 Horse, can be found at 24 different race tracks, as well as at the Richard Petty Museum, NASCAR Hall of Fame and LEGACY M.C. Each location designed their own unique version of The King’s Hat to honor the Petty family. They are handcrafted by Tivoli Too Inc., measure six feet tall and five feet wide, weigh 950 pounds and are made of fiberglass and concrete. They are permanent installations and can be reskinned in years to come. Aside from serving as permanent tributes to the Petty family, they are landmarks for the fans to admire and use as a photo opportunity.
I had a conversation with Kyle Petty to talk more about the Petty 75 Campaign that ran all of last year as each hat was revealed throughout the race season.
“It was special,” Petty stated regarding how it felt for his family to be honored for accomplishing such a huge milestone. He added, “It was a huge honor to see my grandfather recognized again, my father recognized, myself and Adam.” The Daytona 500 that took place last February was the first hat reveal of the season. Kyle Petty, alongside his dad and cousins, Timmy, Mark and Ritchie, served as the grand marshals for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), where his grandfather won the inaugural Daytona 500 and where his father won his 200th race. Petty said, “There were moments like that all year long. It was surreal.”
Petty was very involved in the Petty 75 Campaign from start to finish but shared that many people did so much to help make it the success it was. He went on to say, “LEGACY MOTOR CLUB stepped up and did so much for us with the hat program which was phenomenal.” He and The King attended the hat reveals throughout the season, met with fans for pictures and signed autographs. Petty shared that his dad enjoyed it very much. Laughing, he said, “Dad started strong, but during the summer months, he waned a little bit on me, but he ended strong,” adding “You know, he’s 87 years old.” Petty, his father and more than 40 members of the Petty family got to serve as grand marshals at Martinsville Speedway ahead of the second to last race of the ’24 NASCAR Cup Series season.
I asked Petty if he had a personal favorite of The King’s Hat sculptures. He said, “Everyone did what they were supposed to do. They tied the family to each one in their own way, and each one has different aspects.” He shared the one at DIS is special since it holds so many race career highlights for the Petty family mentioning how Russell Branham “drove the bus” on that one. After thinking it over, Petty said, “If I had to say one, I’d say the one at our museum because we picked all the photos for that one.”
“Everyone with the last name Petty who ever touched a car in any way, shape or form is on that hat, so I guess that’d be my favorite.”
We know the past 75 going on 76 years of Petty’s impact on the sport, but what does the future hold for them in NASCAR? Richard Petty serves as Ambassador for LEGACY M.C. driving more than an hour each way, once a week with his retired crew chief and fellow Hall of Famer, Dale Inman, to visit the shop and shake hands with each employee. He attends many races and makes sponsor appearances. Petty said, “and I still sit in front of the TV camera and run my mouth on Sundays, so who knows?” He went on to say that being a family from rural North Carolina, they know a lot of farmers, and many of those third and fourth generation farms are going strong. He said, “Our family farm grew race cars, and we’re still in business. As long as there are race cars, our family will be involved.”
Speaking of cars, I couldn’t let the interview pass without noting the iconic race cars that have come out of the Petty Garage and asking him which one is his dream car. He answered immediately after the question left my mouth saying, “The ’70 Superbird, the winged car, the one in the movie, Cars. That’s gotta be it. Nothing says NASCAR, nothing says Daytona, nothing says racing or Petty like that Superbird.” Just this last year, he was able to ship it to England and drive it in the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Petty said that when he started the car, “the crowd went crazy.”
The Petty family has had such a lasting impact and many successes in NASCAR, so I wondered what the biggest legacy is that he hopes he and his family will leave behind. Petty shared about Victory Junction, a NASCAR-themed camp created for children who are battling medical conditions and serious illnesses to visit and experience the joys of childhood amidst whatever they’re battling. The camp was inspired by a dream his late son, Adam, had. Petty stated, “It’s not our camp. It’s the kids’. A tragedy happened in our life, and we raised our hands and stepped up, but it’s not ours.”
To answer the question, Petty said, “I would say that I hope our legacy is that we are remembered as caretakers. Caretakers of the sport and caretakers of kids.”
The 2024 NASCAR season has ended, and the 2025 one will soon begin, marking the 76th year of the Petty family’s involvement in the sport. If you make it out to a race this season, be sure to grab a photo next to The King’s Hat or visit LEGACY M.C., the NASCAR Hall of Fame or the Richard Petty Museum to admire their versions of The King’s Hat.