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Tag: Richard Petty

  • Danica Patrick Has “Settled In” To Career, Says Richard Petty

    Danica Patrick has proven herself on the track a number of times, showing she can handle a race car with the best of her peers. However, her career–at least according to a guy who’s been around long enough to see many launched on the track–seems to have stalled.

    Richard Petty has long been vocal about his thoughts on Patrick and her abilities on the track, saying in 2014 that although she knows how to drive fast, that doesn’t make her a race car driver. He also commented on the fact that she’s a woman in a male-dominated sport, which can be viewed as a novelty.

    “Where fans have bought into the hype of the marketing, to think she’s a race car driver. She can go fast, and I’ve seen her go fast. She drives the wheels off it when she goes fast…she’s not a race car driver. There’s a difference. The King always had that stupid saying, but it’s true, ‘Lots of drivers can drive fast, but very few drivers can race.’ Danica has been the perfect example of somebody who can qualify better than what she runs. She can go fast, but she can’t race,” Petty said.

    Petty had more to say after Sunday’s Sprint Cup series, in which Danica placed 35th and suffered yet another crash. According to Racing Reference, Patrick has an average starting position of 22nd and an average finish position of 23rd, and she has only placed as high as the top ten.

    Petty said over the weekend that Danica Patrick has gotten comfortable where she is, right in the middle, and refused to comment on what she needs to do in order to win, leading to speculation that he doesn’t believe she ever will.

    “She just settled in where she at. She ain’t gotten no better or no worse,” Petty said.

    Danica hasn’t responded to Petty’s remarks, but she has received quite a bit of support online from fans, many of whom took to Instagram to tell her to shake off the outcome of the last race and focus on the next one.

  • Richard Petty Makes Long Awaited NASCAR Return

    NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty’s appearance at the Richmond International Speedway in Richmond, Va. marked his first major public outing since his wife Lynda died nearly one month ago.

    Since the heartbreaking loss, Petty has relied on the love and support of his close family to get through this difficult time.

    “Been fortunate all the kids [and grandkids] came home for Easter,” said Petty. “That really made things good.”

    When asked about how he has been doing since losing his wife, Petty said that he was “still surviving”.

    He acknowledged that life after wife Lynda is going to be “different”. He says he’s got to “start all over again.”

    Understandably, Petty needed to take a considerable amount of time away from NASCAR to contemplate his lost love and the new direction his life will take without her.

    Said Petty, “I’m just going to have to live.”

    The NASCAR legend shared that he is ready to get “back in the saddle” and is looking to make a welcome return to the sport.

    Petty’s team was also enthusiastic to see him return.

    “He’s our leader, he’s the face of our race team,” said Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Almirola.

    “To have him back and have him back on top of the trailer, back in the garage area is going to be big for me as a driver.”

    Almirola also expects that the return of Petty will be a huge boost to the entire team.

    Petty himself seems to feel that a NASCAR return will serve to be somewhat therapeutic.

    He admits that he has been deeply touched by all the support he has received from the NASCAR community. Fans have been eager to know how Petty has been getting along in recent weeks.

    It’s very likely that the road ahead for the NASCAR legend will be a difficult one. He was married to wife Lynda for over 55 years. She was 72-years-old when she passed away on March 25th.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Lynda Petty, Wife of Richard, Dies at 72

    Lynda Petty, Wife of Richard, Dies at 72

    Richard Petty Motorsports has announced that the NASCAR Hall of Famer’s wife Linda had passed away Tuesday at 72. Lynda Gayle Owens Petty died peacefully at her home in Level Cross, North Carolina, after battling cancer for the past several years.

    Lynda Petty first revealed that she had central nervous system-related Lymphoma that had affected her brain in 2010, and was undergoing chemotherapy at Duke Medical Center. Commenting on her time at Duke, Petty explained, “The days that I spent in the hospital at Duke were long and dark and I thought, ‘will I ever be normal again.”‘

    At one point, Petty went blind, lost the ability to walk and when she’d returned home, didn’t recognize the house she’d lived in for 30 years. “I thought, ‘Lord give me strength to get through this’ because I knew it was going to be the battle of my life,” Petty said in 2010, and added that prayers from fans kept her going.

    A eulogy featured on the Richard Petty Motorsports website reads that Lynda Petty was “one of the first women of NASCAR and its most beloved wife, mother and friend. Affectionately known as ‘Mrs. Lynda’ to so many, Lynda Petty set a standard for being a loving, supportive and, when needed, an authoritative wife and mother. She also set the benchmark for being a leader in her local community while raising a family in the fast-growing sport of stock car racing.”

    Petty is remembered for her involvement in forming the Racing Wives Auxiliary, a charity fund for injured members of the NASCAR community. North Carolina governor Pat McCrory called Petty a “gracious woman,” adding that “She was the heart of the Pettys, always putting family first and giving them unconditional love as they took on the demands of competing at the highest level of racing. She was a great role model for North Carolina. Ann and I mourn her death and will keep her husband Richard and the entire Petty family in our thoughts and prayers.”

    A private memorial service is scheduled for Reverie Place in Randleman.

    Image via YouTube

  • Lynda Petty, Wife of Richard Petty, Dies at 72

    Lynda Petty, wife of NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, died at the age of 72 on Tuesday after battling cancer for several years.

    Petty Motorsports spokesman Jeff Dennison said in a statement that Petty was surrounded by her family when she passed away at her home in Level Cross, N.C.

    Lynda Petty was a founding member of the Racing Wives Auxiliary, a benevolent fund for injured members of the NASCAR community. The group was founded by the wives of drivers, crew, and sponsors. The organization’s mission is to “enrich the lives of women, children and families through educational and wellness programs.”

    “Through the years, Lynda became an integral part of the NASCAR family. We have lost a true friend, who will be missed each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers will be with the Pettys throughout this difficult time,” said NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France.

    Lynda Petty is survived by her husband Richard, their son, two daughters, ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

    Lynda Petty was treated in 2010 for a brain tumor and Central Nervous System Lymphoma. She was eventually declared cancer free, but physical issues caused by cancer treatment, including mini strokes, led to a decline in her overall health.

    Richard Petty, who won NASCAR seven times, and the former Lynda Owens were high school sweethearts. The two wed in 1958, just after Petty’s driving career got its start.

    She was 17 and still in high school, and he was 21 when they married.

    Lynda Petty remained home to run the Petty household and raise their four children while Richard Petty competed in as many as 40 races a year across the United States. Women were, at the time, restricted from being in the NASCAR garage.

    “While we mourn her death, we also celebrate her life and the profound impact she had on those who knew her,” said Austin Petty, Lynda and Richard’s grandson. He is also chief operating officer of Victory Junction, a camp for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.

    A private memorial service is scheduled for Reverie Place in Randleman. No date or time was given.

     

    Image via You Tube

  • Richard Petty Slams Danica Patrick…Again

    Richard Petty Slams Danica Patrick…Again

    Richard Petty hasn’t exactly made it a secret that he doesn’t think Danica Patrick has what it takes to be a competitive driver, but over the weekend he reiterated his opinion by saying that he doesn’t see her winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup race anytime soon.

    When asked at the Canadian Motorsports Expo in Toronto over the weekend whether he thought Patrick had a shot, Petty answered, “(Only) if everybody else stayed home.”

    It’s not that Patrick can’t race, says Petty; speed is definitely not the problem. For him, she’s just not a good driver.

    “That’s where I have a problem,” he said on SPEED’s “Race Hub” last year. “Where fans have bought into the hype of the marketing, to think she’s a race car driver. She can go fast, and I’ve seen her go fast. She drives the wheels off it when she goes fast…she’s not a race car driver. There’s a difference. The King always had that stupid saying, but it’s true, ‘Lots of drivers can drive fast, but very few drivers can race.’ Danica has been the perfect example of somebody who can qualify better than what she runs. She can go fast, but she can’t race.”

    The fact that Patrick is also a spokesperson for brands like GoDaddy.com–and stars in racy ads for them–is also troublesome for the veteran racer, who has won 7 Daytona 500 titles. But there is a silver lining, he says.

    “If she’d have been a male, nobody would ever know if she’d showed up at a race track,” Petty said on Sunday. “This is a female deal that’s driving her. There’s nothing wrong with that, because that’s good PR for me. More fans come out, people are more interested in it. She has helped to draw attention to the sport, which helps everybody in the sport.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Maurice Petty Inducted Into NASCAR Hall Of Fame

    NASCAR has always been a family affair for the Petty family, and so has the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

    On Wednesday night Maurice Petty was formally inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, joining the likes of his father Lee Petty, one of the pioneers of NASCAR, his brother Richard Petty, and his cousin, crew chief, Dan Inman.

    Known as “The Chief,” Maurice Petty was an engine builder for Petty Enterprises and is the first engine builder to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The Chief’s engines have won more than 200 races, including seven Daytona 500s, as well as seven titles.

    What made this moment even more special for Maurice Petty is that he was inducted by his brother, seven-time NASCAR champion and member of the inaugural Hall of Fame class, Richard Petty.

    “The big deal is that it’s really the end of Petty Enterprises because we started in 1949, and now that my brother is in the Hall of Fame, then that pretty well closes the book on it,” said Richard Petty.

    During his speech Maurice Petty recalled his family roots in Level Cross, North Carolina, saying, “Who would have thought growing up that there would be guys, four of us, out of a small, rural country community that would be in a North Carolina Hall of Fame?”

    Many took to Twitter to congratulate Maurice Petty for being inducted, including his nephew Kyle Petty.

    Both Richard and Maurice showed off their Hall of Fame rings at the induction ceremony.

    Also inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday night were Fireball Roberts, Jack Ingram, and Tim Flock.

    If you’re unfamiliar with Maurice Petty, watch the video below for a short biography.

    Image via YouTube.