Richard Petty's NASCAR career has spanned seven decades, seven Cup championships, 200 career Cup wins, and a whole lot of change — particularly of late.
These days, "The King," as he's affectionately known, is part of Richard Petty Racing, which employs NASCAR's only full-time Black driver on the Cup Series, Bubba Wallace.
This week, Petty joined FOX Sports' Jamie Little to discuss Wallace's growth both on and off the track, his own unparalleled Hall of Fame career, and much more in an exclusive interview.
Asked about his relationship with his driver, Petty joked that he "hopes it's good":
"It's good. Bubba's basically right at the same philosophy as the Petty crowd. He fit right in. ... Every once in a while, I get on him, with some of the things he does. But from a driving standpoint, he's really good at communicating what the car's doing.
"So again, that's a good relationship. It's a good relationship with us. ... That's half of it. The other half is we've just got to get him a little better car so he can run a little bit better."
NASCAR legend Richard Petty on Bubba Wallace, his Hall of Fame career | OFF TRACK
Petty, who turned 83 earlier this month, was happy to share his memories of the early days of racing and his view on the current landscape of NASCAR.
As jovial as the Hall of Famer typically is, he also reflected on the loss of his grandson, Adam Petty, who was killed in an accident during a practice session in 2000. The elder Petty told Little that he feels some responsibility for the tragic death, as Adam took up racing to emulate his father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
On the lighter side, Petty also told his side of the story of how Wallace ended up with a tattoo of The King's signature.
It's an interview you won't want to miss if you're any sort of racing fan.
