Lee Petty

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Lee Petty (born March 4, 1914 in Randleman , North Carolina , † April 5, 2000 in Greensboro , North Carolina) was an American touring car racing driver in the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of NASCAR's pioneers and one of its first superstars. Lee Petty is the father of NASCAR legend Richard Petty , grandfather of NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and great-grandfather of Adam Petty .

Career

Lee Petty came into motorsport late at the age of 35. He drove the first race of his career in 1949 on Charlotte Speedway , not to be confused with Charlotte Motor Speedway . The first eleven seasons he finished in the top five in the championship. He was able to win the championship itself three times as well as the very first Daytona 500 in 1959. In the same year he also won his third and final title in the Cup series (known as the Grand National Series until 1971 ) and was the oldest NASCAR champion until Jack Ingram broke the record in 1982 in the Busch Series and Bobby Allison in 1983 in the Cup series

Daytona 500 in 1959

During the first Daytona 500 race in 1959, Petty competed with Johnny Beauchamp for victory. The finish was so close that Beauchamp was initially declared the unofficial winner and the official result was only announced after three days. After evaluating a newsreel film, Petty was crowned the official winner of the race.

Petty Enterprises

Together with his sons Maurice and Richard , the driver with the most victories ever achieved in NASCAR, he founded Petty Enterprises , one of the most successful teams in NASCAR.

Teams

Lee Petty's Dodge Coronet with the starting number 42

death

Lee Petty died on April 5, 2000 at 4:50 a.m. at Moses Cones Hospital in Greensboro , North Carolina , aged 86, several weeks after undergoing surgery for an abdominal aneurysm . Petty is buried in the Cross United Methodist Church Cemetery in Randleman.

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personal data
SURNAME Petty, Lee
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American NASCAR racing driver and multiple champion
DATE OF BIRTH March 4, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH at Randleman , North Carolina
DATE OF DEATH April 5, 2000
Place of death Greensboro , North Carolina