American · Level Cross, USA · Born 2 July 1937American NASCAR driver known as 'The King', holds records for most Cup Series wins (200) and championships (7), dominated stock car racing from 1960s-1980s
Richard Lee Petty was born on 2 July 1937 in Level Cross, North Carolina, the elder of two sons of Lee Petty, a NASCAR pioneer who won the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959 and three Grand National championships. Richard grew up helping his father build race cars, and began his own NASCAR career on 18 July 1958, just 16 days after his 21st birthday, finishing 17th in his debut at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition Grounds. Petty was named 1959 NASCAR Rookie of the Year, and when his father's near-fatal crash forced Lee's retirement from driving in 1962, Richard assumed full driving duties for the family's Petty Enterprises team. He won his first Grand National championship in 1964, and delivered the finest single season in stock car racing history in 1967, winning a record 27 races, including ten consecutively. Petty, nicknamed "The King," won seven NASCAR championships in total — 1964, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, and 1979 — a record matched only by Dale Earnhardt, and remains the sport's all-time leader in wins with 200 and pole positions with 123, having competed in a remarkable 1,185 career starts. Petty was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. W. Bush in 1992, and continues to be involved in NASCAR ownership through Legacy Motor Club, announcing the formation of a new independently operated Cup Series team in late 2025. He celebrated his 89th birthday in July 2026, remaining one of the most revered and recognisable figures in American motorsport history.
Seven NASCAR Cup Series championships and 200 race wins
How They Played
Aggressive competitor known for his signature #43 STP Pontiac and cowboy hat
Lasting Impact
The King - most successful NASCAR driver in history, helped popularize stock car racing nationally
Career Honours
- NASCAR Cup Series Champion 1964
- NASCAR Cup Series Champion 1967
- NASCAR Cup Series Champion 1971
- NASCAR Cup Series Champion 1972
- NASCAR Cup Series Champion 1974
- NASCAR Cup Series Champion 1975
- NASCAR Cup Series Champion 1979
- Daytona 500 Winner 1964
- Daytona 500 Winner 1966
- Daytona 500 Winner 1971
- Daytona 500 Winner 1973
- Daytona 500 Winner 1974
- Daytona 500 Winner 1979
- Daytona 500 Winner 1981
- NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award multiple times
American Athletes