Hall of Fame spotlight: Richard Petty

In NASCAR circles, Richard Petty is called "King" for a reason. Elvis Presley may have been the "King of Rock and Roll," and Michael Jackson may have been the "King of Pop," but Petty was and still is king when it comes to stock car racing.

Petty's impressive racing resume includes 200 Cup-level wins, the most ever for any NASCAR driver, and seven Cup titles, a number matched only by fellow-NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Dale Earnhardt.

Petty joined father Lee Petty in the family business (NASCAR racing) in 1958. Between then and his retirement at the conclusion of the 1992 race season, Petty not only amassed 200 wins and sevent titles, he also holds the record for most poles, with 123, and longest string of consecutive wins -- 10 races.

"Richard Petty set the standard for NASCAR drivers recording 200 wins and seven championships in his career," Darlington Raceway President Chris Browning said.

That 200th win came on July 4, 1984, at Daytona International Speedway. Among those in attendance -- then-President Ronald Reagan. On that day, Reagan became the first sitting president to attend a NASCAR race.

What some race fans may not realize is that Petty's 200th and final win did not come from behind the wheel of a Petty Enterprises race car. Petty left the team his father Lee had founded at the end of 1983 to drive for Mike Curb. Petty did return to Petty Enterprises in 1986, though, and closed out his driving career with the team.

Petty remained in racing following his retirement and can still be seen at the track today. After climbing out of the car, Petty continued with the family race team, running the organization for about a decade before turning over managerial duties to his son Kyle Petty.

In 2009, Petty Enterprises merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports to become Richard Petty Motorsports.

Including Richard and father Lee Petty's wins and wins from other Petty Enterprises drivers, the organization had 268 wins before the merger earlier this year. The newly-formed RPM will again undergo a merger before starting the 2010 race season, this time merging with Yates Racing.

With each merger, the Petty legacy seems to fade just a little, but as long as Petty, himself, is at the track wearing his trademark hat, fans will have a reminder of the Richard Petty legacy.

Away from the track, Petty, along with son Kyle, have another project -- the Victory Junction Gang Camp. As part of Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang camps, Victory Junction gives ill children a chance to attend camp at no cost to them or their families. The camp was created in honor of Adam Petty, the son of Kyle and grandson of Richard, who was killed in a practice crash for a Busch Series race in Loudon, N.H., in 2000.

Petty has also dabbled in politics since climbing out of the race car. In 1996, he was the Republican nominee for North Carolina Secretary of State but was defeated by Elaine Marshall.

On Oct. 14, Petty joined Dale Earnhardt, Bill France, Bill France Jr., and Junior Johnson as the inaugural class of inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

"Without these five men, NASCAR's journey from humble beginnings on the beaches of Daytona to our nation's fastest-growing sport would not have been possible," Congressman Patrick McHenry said.

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