'The King' truly ruled at Martinsville -- and 4 other tracks
That Richard Petty was inducted into the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010 was a given: With 200 NASCAR Premier Series race victories and seven championships, putting Petty in that first class with Bill France, Bill France Jr., Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson was a no-brainer.
And “The King” is still a powerful presence in the sport.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame is honoring the Petty clan with a special exhibit called “Petty: Building a family legacy,” that traces the accomplishments of the family and the racing dynasty founded by Petty’s father, Lee.
The timing is right, given that Richard will turn 80 this year and his family is also represented in the NASCAR Hall of Fame by his brother, Maurice a.k.a. “Chief,” who built the engines for Petty Enterprises, and Richard’s cousin and crew chief, Dale Inman.
This week, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway, the sport’s oldest track. Built in 1947, Martinsville is only about 65 miles from Level Cross, N.C., where Petty Enterprises was based.
And “The King” was untouchable at Martinsville.
In his career, Petty won 15 races at Martinsville, where he also holds the record for starts (67), top fives (30) and laps completed (27,891).
But the really amazing stat?
Petty had five tracks where he won at least 10 races, which is more than some guys win in their entire careers. Here they are:
5. Daytona International Speedway, 10
One of the records that Petty holds that likely will never be challenged is his seven Daytona 500 victories. But he also won the Firecracker 400 three times, most famously in 1984 with President Ronald Reagan in attendance.
4. Rockingham Speedway, 11
“The King” put up huge numbers at this one-mile North Carolina track, which sadly is now shuttered. In addition to his 11 wins at Rockingham, Petty had 23 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes here.
3. Richmond International Raceway, 12
Yes, Petty loved the old Richmond Fairgrounds, which began as a dirt track before being paved over. In a 12-race stretch from 1968-75, Petty had nine victories and two runner-up finishes at RIR.
2. North Wilkesboro Speedway, 15
When you think of North Wilkesboro, the first name that comes to mind is Junior Johnson, because that was his home track. But in 66 starts at the North Carolina short track, Petty posted top fives in exactly half of his races (33).
1. Martinsville Speedway, 15
The tiny paper clip of a track was a great place for Petty to race. From 1967-73, Petty won 10 Martinsville races in just 13 starts.
