Kyle Petty
From The Third Turn, a Wikia wiki
| Born | June 2, 1960 |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Randleman, North Carolina |
| Awards | 2005 Pocono Raceway Spirit Award
2004 National Motorsports Press Association Myers Brothers Award 2004 USA Weekend’s Most Caring Athlete 2003 American Motorcycle Association Hazel Kolb Brighter Image Award 2002 True Value Person of the Year Award 2002 March Of Dimes Sportsman of the Year Award 2000 NASCAR Illustrated's Person of the Year 2000 NASCAR USG Person of the Year 2000 National Motorsports Press Association Myers Brothers Award 1999 NASCAR Illustrated's Person of the Year 1998 NASCAR USG Person of the Year |
| 2005 Sprint Cup position | 27th |
| Best cup position | 5th - 1992, 1993 (Winston Cup) |
| Statistics current as of September 25, 2005. | |
Kyle Eugene Petty (Born June 2, 1960) is an American racecar driver and son of NASCAR legend Richard Petty. Petty currentley is not signed with a team after he being let go by his family owned team Petty Enterprises who were sold to Boston Ventures [1]. Petty originally did not intend to become a race car driver. He was a star in many sports in high school, including football and basketball and received scholarship offers from many colleges.
However, Kyle did eventually decide to follow in his father's footsteps and he won his first stock car race, an ARCA event at Daytona International Speedway in 1979. He then entered the Winston Cup soon after that, driving as a teammate to his father at Petty Enterprises. He left his father's team in 1985 to drive for the Wood Brothers team. His first Winston Cup win came the following next year at Richmond International Raceway. Petty returned to driving for Petty Enterprises in 1996 and is now CEO of that team.
Petty's son Adam Petty had begun a promising career in racing as well, but was killed in 2000 in a practice accident at New Hampshire International Speedway. Upon his son's death, Petty finished the 2000 season racing his son's car in the Busch Series.
Petty is active in many charitable causes, such as the Victory Junction Gang Camp for terminally-ill children, which he established to honor his late son, as well as an annual charity motorcycle ride across the country.
[edit] Teams
| Year(s) | Car # | Sponsor | Make | Team/Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-2008 | 45 | Sprint (2001-2003) Georgia Pacific (2003-2005) Marathon/Wells Fargo (2006-2008) | Dodge | Petty Enterprises |
| 1997-2000 | 44 | Hot Wheels | Pontiac | Petty Enterprises |
| 1989-1996 | 42 | PEAK Anti-Freez (1989-1990) Mello Yellow (1991-1994) Cors Light (1995-1996) | Pontiac | SABCO Racing |
| 1987-1988 | 21 | Citgo | Ford | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 1983-1986 | 7 | Seven-Eleven | Pontiac (1983) Ford (1984-1986) | Petty Enterprises (1983-1984) Wood Brothers Racing (1985-1986) |
| 1979-1982 | 42 | STP | Chevrolet (1979-1980) Buick (1981) Pontiac (1982) | Petty Enterprises |
[edit] External links
- Official Petty Enterprises Web Site
- Career statistics at RacingReference.com
- Kyle's Charity, The Victory Junction Gang
- October 2005 interview with Kyle Petty from NASCAR.com
| Petty Family |
|---|
| Adam Petty | Kyle Petty | Lee Petty |
