In the heart-wrenching world of NASCAR, a long-standing debate has been raging for years: what type of track truly reigns supreme? Is it the adrenaline-pumping thrill of superspeedways? The aggressive jostle of short tracks? Or the intricate challenges of road courses? Every time the argument threatens to run out of steam, up pops none other than the NASCAR legend, Richard Petty, to drop an answer that leaves the debate eating his dust.
Richard Petty, with his whopping 200 victories and seven Cup Series Championships to his name, is no ordinary racer. A casual question about his favorite racing surface, posed during a video for the Petty Family Racing YouTube channel, sparked a rush of anticipation among racing fans, expecting a definitive verdict.
However, Petty, ever the racing purist, responded with a simplicity that underscored his deep love for the sport. “All of the above and everything in between,” he said without a moment’s hesitation. “You could have set up some barrels in the parking lot and said, race around here. It would have been fine with me. It didn’t matter where it was. Dirt, big track, little track. I just loved to drive a race car.”
Petty is a man who has ruled every possible NASCAR configuration and the record books are a testament to his versatility. From the half-mile dirt oval at North Wilkesboro to the 2.5-mile asphalt giant at Daytona, Petty left his indelible imprint. His record 15 victories on Martinsville’s tight paperclip are as celebrated as his seven unprecedented Daytona 500 wins. In 1967 alone, Petty emerged victorious on 10 different tracks, ranging from quarter-mile dirt bullrings to gigantic superspeedways, often driving the same Plymouth prepared by his father and crew chief, Maurice Petty.
Between 1967 and 1972, Petty’s dominance was unparalleled. He notched up an astounding 100 victories, bagging three championships in the process. Petty’s determination and joy in racing set him apart, as was evident when his engine blew early at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1972. Despite the setback, Petty stayed on till the end, simply stating his need to be on race tracks, whether he was racing or not.
The man’s racing philosophy was instrumental in shaping NASCAR itself. In the crucial 1971 season, when R.J. Reynolds Tobacco entered the sport with Winston sponsorship, Petty’s commitment to race at small local tracks maintained the grassroots connection. His #43 STP Dodge was a regular sight at venues like the Bowman Gray Stadium, a quarter-mile track wrapped around a football field, attracting crowds that were crucial to NASCAR’s growth.
Petty’s adaptability was further proven in the 1973 season when NASCAR’s schedule featured a diverse array of 28 tracks. While his competitors struggled to adjust between surfaces and configurations, Petty bagged 13 wins across 11 different tracks, securing another championship. Even towards the end of his career in 1986, a 49-year-old Petty surprised fans with a second-place finish at Sonoma’s road course – a discipline that often posed a challenge for American oval racers.
To Richard Petty, the debate over the best track was always irrelevant. His love for getting behind the wheel and pushing a car to its limits, regardless of where the race took place, is what made him a true titan of NASCAR. As Petty’s answer reminds us, the most ‘King-like’ perspective is not about choosing sides in racing’s endless debates, but about transcending them with a love for the very essence of the sport.
