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| Lee Petty | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Petty in 1959 | |||||||
| Born | Lee Arnold Petty (1914-03-14)March 14, 1914 Randleman, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | April 5, 2000(2000-04-05) (aged 86) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
| Achievements | 1954, 1958, 1959Grand National Champion 1959 Daytona 500 Winner (inaugural race) | ||||||
| Awards | 1952–1954Grand National SeriesMost Popular Driver International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1990) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America[1] (1996) North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame NASCAR Hall of Fame (2011) Named one ofNASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) | ||||||
| NASCARCup Series career | |||||||
| 427 races run over 15 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1954, 1958, 1959) | ||||||
| First race | 1949 Race No. 1 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last race | 1964 The Glen 151.8 (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
| First win | 1949 untitled race (Pittsburgh) | ||||||
| Last win | 1961 untitled race (Jacksonville) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCARConvertible Division career | |||||||
| 28 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 13th (1957) | ||||||
| First race | 1957 Race #2 (Daytona Beach & Road Course) | ||||||
| Last race | 1959 Race #14 (Greenville-Pickens) | ||||||
| First win | 1958 Race #10 (Charlotte Fairgrounds) | ||||||
| Last win | 1959 Race #14 (Greenville-Pickens) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Statistics up to date as of February 1, 2018. | |||||||
Lee Arnold Petty (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000)[2] was an Americanstock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He is the patriarch of the Petty racing family. He was one of the early pioneers ofNASCAR and one of its first stars. He was NASCAR's first three-time Cup champion. He is the father ofRichard Petty, who went on to become one of the most successful stock car racing drivers in history. He is also thegrandfather ofKyle Petty andgreat grandfather ofAdam Petty.[3]
Petty was born nearRandleman, North Carolina, the son of Jessie Maude (née Bell) and Judson Ellsworth Petty.[4] He was thirty-five years old when he began his racing career. He participated inNASCAR's inaugural race, held at the three-quarter mile long dirt track,Charlotte Speedway; he raced in a 1948Buick Roadmaster he borrowed from his neighbor under the assurance that the prize money earned from the race could pay off any damages to the car. With son Richard watching, Petty lost control of the car and rolled it in turn three.[5] Basing on his earlier experience as an occasional moonshine runner, Petty would take factory cars to a local service station, pull the mufflers off the car and go racing.[6]
He finished in the top five in season points for NASCAR's first eleven seasons and won the NASCAR Grand National Series driver's championship three times. Petty was also the winner of the inauguralDaytona 500 in 1959.
Twice in his career, Petty was declared the winner of a race after scoring errors were discovered following the race.
In the inaugural race at Daytona International Speedway, Petty battled withJohnny Beauchamp during the final laps of the race. Petty, Beauchamp, andJoe Weatherly drove side by side by side across the finish line at the final lap for aphoto finish. Petty drove a 1959Oldsmobile Super 88 (No. 42), while Beauchamp drove a 1959Ford Thunderbird (No. 73) and Weatherly did so in a 1959Chevrolet (No. 48), all coupés. Beauchamp was unofficially declared the winner, and he drove to victory lane. Petty protested the results, saying "I had Beauchamp by a good two feet. In my own mind, I know I won."[7] It took NASCAR founderBill France Sr. three days to decide the winner. In the end, with the help of the nationalnewsreel, Petty was officially declared the winner. His son Richard drove a 1957 Oldsmobile convertible (No. 43) and finished 57th out of the 59 starters after blowing an engine after eight laps.
In a 1999 interview over the controversial finish, Petty expressed his belief that France Sr. knew Petty won, but purposely called Beauchamp the winner to intentionally cause controversy. Petty stated, "France would have done anything to generate publicity for his racetracks."
During a stock car race at Lakewood in Atlanta, Georgia, Richard raced against Lee, a teammate to his father on thePetty Enterprises racing team. After a side-by-side duel with his father, Richard passed Lee with less than 10 laps to go and went on to win the race. It was one of Richard's first races and he became a first-time Cup series winner during his rookie year. Hours after the race was over, officials changed the official results after a protest was filed by Lee. Lee protested that Richard was one lap down and was credited with an extra lap. Richard was demoted to third and Lee was declared the race winner. In the days that followed, Lee was quoted as saying in a newspaper, "I would have protested my mother if I needed to."
During the second race of the Twin Qualifying Events of the 1961 Daytona 500,Johnny Beauchamp lost control and caught Petty's bumper, sending both cars through the guardrail and out of the track. Petty's car struck spectator A. B. Kelley who suffered multiple cuts but still helped evacuate Petty from the twisted metal. Petty and Beauchamp were no strangers to each other as they were previously involved in the first Daytona 500 finish which took place two years earlier. Petty suffered numerous life-threatening injuries, including multiple fractures, internal injuries, and a punctured lung that forced him to stay in the Daytona Hospital for four months.[8] The crash ultimately led to the end of Petty's regular driving career, though he sporadically competed in later events; his final race took place in1964 at the Glen.
He was the father of Richard Petty, who became NASCAR's record holder for race wins. With sons Richard and Maurice Petty, he foundedPetty Enterprises, which became NASCAR's most successful racing team. He was the grandfather of Kyle Petty, and the great-grandfather of Adam Petty, who died in a crash during aBusch Series practice session atNew Hampshire International Speedway. He is also the grandfather ofRitchie Petty, who ran a few races in NASCAR. His nephewDale Inman worked for Petty Enterprises as Richard's crew chief from the early 1960s until 1981 and during the 1990s.
Petty died at 4:50 a.m. on April 5, 2000, atMoses H. Cone Memorial Hospital inGreensboro, North Carolina, three weeks after his 86th birthday, several weeks after undergoing surgery for anabdominal aortic aneurysm—a tear in the aorta vessel near the stomach that grows until cardiac arrest. Despite the surgery, his condition deteriorated and he died of abdominal aortic dissection. He was buried at the Level Cross United Methodist Church Cemetery inRandleman, North Carolina. Lee died just three days after his great-grandson Adam made hisWinston Cup Series debut; Adam would be killed at the age of 19 just 5 weeks later from a practice race crash.
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Petty Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 15 | 1 |
| 1960 | Plymouth | 14 | 4 | |
| 1961 | DNQ | |||
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | NASCAR Grand National Champion 1954 1958, 1959 | Succeeded by |
| Achievements | ||
| Preceded by Inaugural | Daytona 500 Winner 1959 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
