Lee Petty

Lee Arnold Petty (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000)^[2] was an American stock 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 of NASCAR and one of its first superstars. He was NASCAR's first three-time Cup champion. He is the father of Richard Petty, who went on to become the winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history and one of the most successful stock car racing drivers of all time. He is also the grandfather of Kyle Petty and great grandfather of Adam Petty.^[3]

Lee Petty
Lee 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.
Cause of death	Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Achievements	1954, 1958, 1959 Grand National Champion 1959 Daytona 500 Winner (inaugural race)
Awards	1952-1954 Grand National Series Most 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 of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)
NASCAR Cup Series career
427 races run over 16 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)
Wins Top tens Poles 54 332 18
NASCAR Convertible Division career
28 races run over 3 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)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 21 1
Statistics current as of February 1, 2018.

Career

 

Lee Petty's No. 42 1956 Dodge Coronet

Petty was born near Randleman, 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 in NASCAR's inaugural race, held at the three-quarter mile long dirt track, Charlotte Speedway; he raced in a 1948 Buick 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 inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959.

Controversies

Twice in his career, Petty was declared the winner of a race after scoring errors were discovered following the race. The two races were the 1959 Daytona 500 and the 1959 Lakewood 500.

1959 Daytona 500

In the inaugural race at Daytona International Speedway, Petty battled with Johnny Beauchamp during the final laps of the race. Petty, Beauchamp, and Joe Weatherly drove side by side by side across the finish line at the final lap for a photo finish. Petty drove a 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88 (No. 42), while Beauchamp drove a 1959 Ford Thunderbird (No. 73) and Weatherly did so in a 1959 Chevrolet (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 founder Bill France Sr. three days to decide the winner. In the end, with the help of the national newsreel, 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."

1959 Lakewood 500

During a stock car race at Lakewood in Atlanta, Georgia, Petty's son Richard raced against Lee, a teammate to his father on the Petty 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."

Retirement

1961 Daytona 500 and career-ending crash

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 in 1964 at The Glen.

Petty Enterprises

Main article: Petty Enterprises

He was the father of Richard Petty, who became NASCAR's record holder for race wins. With sons Richard and Maurice Petty, he founded Petty 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 a Busch Series practice session at New Hampshire International Speedway. He is also the grandfather of Ritchie Petty, who ran a few races in NASCAR. His nephew Dale Inman worked for Petty Enterprises as Richard's crew chief from the early 1960s until 1981 and during the 1990s.

Awards

• In 1990, Petty was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
• He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America^[1] in 1996.
• He was elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
• He was selected as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 along with his son, Richard Petty.
• He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2011.

Teams

• Petty Enterprises (1949–1964)
• Gary Drake (1954)
• Carl Krueger (1955)
• Fred Frazier (1956)

Death

Petty died at 4:50 a.m. on April 5, 2000, at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina, three weeks after his 86th birthday, several weeks after undergoing surgery for an abdominal 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 in Randleman, North Carolina. Lee died just three days after his great-grandson Adam made his Winston Cup Series debut; Adam would be killed at the age of nineteen years old just 5 weeks later from a practice race crash.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

NASCAR Grand National Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50	51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59	60	61	62	NGNC	Pts
1949	Gilmer Goode	38	Buick	CLT 17	DAB																																																													2nd	725
	Petty Enterprises	42	Plymouth			HBO 9	LAN 7	HAM	MAR 2	HEI 1	NWS 2
1950				DAB 16	CLT 18	LAN 5	MAR 3	CAN 4	VER 5	DSP 8	MCF 3	CLT 11	HBO 7	DSP 4	HAM 27	DAR 6	LAN 4	NWS	VER 7	MAR 2	WIN	HBO 1																																												3rd	1590
1951				DAB 31	CLT 2	NMO 7	GAR	HBO 9	ASF 26	NWS 3	MAR 6	CAN 5	CLS 5	CLB 20	DSP 12	GAR	GRS 6	BAI 6	HEI 21	AWS 25	MCF 1	ALS 3	MSF 13	FMS 29	MOR 2	ABS 7	DAR 15	CLB 18	CCS 21	LAN 9	CLT	DSP 4	WIL	HBO 5	TPN	PGS	MAR 2	OAK	NWS 2	HMS	JSP 7	ATL 12	GAR	NMO 16																						4th	2392.25
1952				PBS 2		JSP 22	NWS 9	MAR 4	CLB 2	ATL 3	CCS 7	LAN 3	DAR 7	DSP 4	CAN 23	HAY	FMS 3	HBO 6	CLT 4		NIF 16	OSW 5	MON 3	MOR 1*		MCF 4	AWS	DAR 6	CCS 1	LAN 1	DSP 2	WIL 2	HBO 5	MAR 3	NWS 13	ATL 2	PBS 4																													3rd	6498.5
			Lincoln		DAB 9
			Chrysler																	MSF 32					PPS 2
1953			Dodge	PBS 1*	DAB	HAR 3	NWS 4	CLT 11	RCH 1	CCS 19	LAN 2	CLB 5	HCY 15	MAR 1	PMS 8	RSP 8	LOU 1	FIF 3	LAN 2	TCS 5	WIL 9	MCF 3	PIF 1	MOR 3	ATL 3	RVS 4	LCF 3	DAV 3	HBO 3	AWS 7	PAS 3	HCY 4	DAR 11	CCS 2	LAN 6	BLF 6	WIL 4	NWS 5	MAR 2	ATL 3																										2nd	7814
1954				PBS 3		JSP 3	ATL 6	OSP	OAK 6	NWS 5	HBO 6	CCS 9		WIL 4			RSP 4				LND 10			WGS 7																																										1st	8649
			Chrysler		DAB 1*								LAN 9*		MAR 2	SHA 1*		CLT 2	GAR	CLB 5		HCY 2	MCF 1		PIF 3		SFS 4	GRS 1	MOR 6	OAK	CLT 1	SAN 5	COR 1	DAR 38	CCS 3	CLT 2	LAN 2	MAS 3	MAR 1*	NWS 32
	Gary Drake	100	Olds																							AWS 4
1955	Petty Enterprises	42	Chrysler	TCS 1*	PBS 5	JSP 1*	DAB 2	OSP 1*	CLB 6		NWS 4	MGY 6	LAN 7	CLT 15	HCY 4	ASF	TUS	MAR 2	RCH 3	NCF 4	FOR 1	LIN 14	MCF 20	FON 3	AIR 1*	CLT 9	PIF 3	CLB 13	AWS 18	MOR 2	ALS 3	NYF 3		CLT 10																																3rd	7194
			Dodge							HBO 6																							SAN 5		FOR 1*	MAS 19	RSP 22	DAR 21	MGY 4		RSP 9	GPS 10	MAS 11	CLB 19	MAR 8	LVP	NWS 2	HBO 23
	Carl Krueger	303	Chrysler																																					LAN 28
1956	Petty Enterprises	42	Dodge	HCY 3	CLT 3	WSS	PBS 5	ASF 5	DAB 12	PBS 12	WIL 13	ATL 5	NWS 8	LAN 4	RCH 7	CLB 19	CON 23	GPS 20	HCY 15	HBO 3	MAR 3	LIN 3	CLT 5	POR	EUR	NYF 4	MER	MAS 6	CLT 3	MCF 21	POR	AWS 1	RSP 36	PIF 1	CSF	CHI 10	CCF 9	MGY 5	OKL 5*	ROA 13	OBS 22	SAN	NOR 7	PIF 14	MYB 15	POR	DAR Wth	CSH 12	CLT 10	LAN 2	POR	CLB 7	HBO 12	NWP 9	CLT 8	CCF 21	MAR 21	HCY 11	WIL 9							4th	8324
	Fred Frazier	35	Ford																																												DAR 17
1957	Petty Enterprises	42	Dodge	WSS	CON 5	TIC 11																																																												4th	8528
		42M	Olds				DAB 27	CON
		42							WIL 4	HBO 5	AWS 10	NWS 7	LAN 9	CLT 4	PIF 4	GBF 6	POR	CCF 8	RCH	MAR 5	POR	EUR	LIN 10	LCS 3	ASP	NWP 10	CLB 13	CPS	PIF 1	JAC 8	RSP 15	CLT 3	MAS 6	POR	HCY 2	NOR 8	LCS 5	GLN 8	KPC	LIN 25	OBS 1	MYB 6	DAR 24	NYF 2	AWS 1	CSF	SCF	LAN 14	CLB 8	CCF 5	CLT 1	MAR 3	NBR 23	CON 2	NWS 2	GBF 5*
1958				FAY 2	DAB 6	CON 1	FAY 9	WIL 1	HBO 4	FAY 25	CLB 4	PIF 12	ATL 25	CLT 4	MAR 11	ODS 4	OBS 8	GPS 6	GBF 2	STR 7	NWS 11	BGS 23	TRN 3	RSD 4	CLB 9	NBS 2	REF 4	LIN 1	HCY 1	AWS 6	RSP 6	MCC 4	SLS 8*	TOR 1	BUF 6	MCF 4	BEL 4	BRR 6	CLB 7	NSV 5	AWS 3	BGS 1*	MBS 5	DAR 19	CLT 10	BIR 3	CSF	GAF 2	RCH 2	HBO 5	SAS 1	MAR 7	NWS 9													1st	12232
		2																																																				ATL 3
1959		42		FAY 9	DAY 8	DAY 1	HBO 4	CON 3	ATL 17	WIL 4		CLB 3		REF 6*	HCY 3	MAR 1*		CLT 1				GPS 3			WIL 4																																									1st	11792
		43									BGS 2		NWS 1
		42	Plymouth														TRN 3		NSV 6	ASP	PIF 12		ATL 1	CLB 1		RCH 18	BGS 10	AWS 2	DAY 33	HEI 3	CLT 10	MBS 6	CLT 18	NSV 4	AWS 2	BGS 3	GPS 18	CLB 1	DAR 20	HCY 1	RCH 2	CSF	HBO 1	MAR 10	AWS 1	NWS 1*	CON 2
1960				CLT 7	CLB 4	DAY	DAY 7	DAY 4	CLT 20	NWS 1	PHO	CLB 4	MAR 6	HCY 11	WIL 2	BGS 12	GPS 2	AWS 1*	DAR 4	PIF 2	HBO 1*	RCH 1	HMS	CLT 56	BGS 2	DAY 4	HEI 1*	MAB 3	MBS 2	ATL 8	BIR 3	NSV 4	AWS 8	PIF 2	CLB 7		BGS 2	DAR 30	HCY 8	CSF	GSP 5	HBO 11	MAR 23	NWS 20	CLT 36	RCH	ATL 6																			6th	14510
		43																																		SBO 7
1961		42		CLT 3*	JSP 1	DAY	DAY 15	DAY DNQ	PIF	AWS	HMS	ATL	GPS	HBO	BGS	MAR	NWS	CLB	HCY	RCH	MAR	DAR	CLT	CLT	RSD	ASP	CLT	PIF	BIR	GPS	BGS	NOR	HAS	STR	DAY	ATL	CLB	MBS	BRI	NSV	BGS	AWS	RCH	SBO	DAR	HCY	RCH	CSF	ATL	MAR	NWS	CLT	BRI	GPS	HBO											104th	–
1962		41		CON	AWS	DAY	DAY	DAY	CON	AWS	SVH	HBO	RCH	CLB	NWS	GPS	MBS	MAR 5	BGS	BRI	RCH	HCY	CON	DAR	PIF	CLT	ATL	BGS	AUG	RCH	SBO	DAY	CLB	ASH	GPS	AUG	SVH	MBS	BRI	CHT	NSV	HUN	AWS	STR	BGS	PIF	VAL	DAR	HCY	RCH	DTS	AUG	MAR	NWS	CLT	ATL										73rd	588
1963				BIR	GGS	THS	RSD	DAY	DAY	DAY	PIF	AWS	HBO	ATL	HCY	BRI	AUG	RCH	GPS	SBO	BGS	MAR	NWS	CLB	THS	DAR	ODS	RCH	CLT	BIR	ATL	DAY	MBS	SVH	DTS	BGS 4	ASH	OBS 18	BRR 6	BRI	GPS	NSV	CLB	AWS	PIF	BGS	ONA	DAR	HCY	RCH	MAR	DTS	NWS	THS	CLT	SBO	HBO	RSD								82nd	800
1964				CON	AUG	JSP	SVH	RSD	DAY	DAY	DAY	RCH	BRI	GPS	BGS	ATL	AWS	HBO	PIF	CLB	NWS	MAR	SVH	DAR	LGY	HCY	SBO	CLT	GPS	ASH	ATL	CON	NSV	CHT	BIR	VAL	PIF	DAY	ODS 17	OBS	BRR	ISP	GLN 22	LIN	BRI	NSV	MBS	AWS	DTS	ONA	CLB	BGS	STR	DAR	HCY	RCH	ODS	HBO	MAR	SVH	NWS	CLT	HAR	AUG	JAC	109th	244

Daytona 500

Year	Team	Manufacturer	Start	Finish
1959	Petty Enterprises	Oldsmobile	15	1
1960		Plymouth	14	4
1961			DNQ

References

1. Lee Petty 2019-03-24 at the Wayback Machine at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
2. White, Ben (2009). NASCAR Racers. Motorbooks. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-7603-3577-2. from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
3. McGee, Ryan (26 October 2023). "Top-5s: 75 things for NASCAR's 75th anniversary: Five greatest pre-Modern Era drivers". NASCAR. ESPN. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
4. "Ancestry of Richard Petty". from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2013-11-18.
5. McGee, Ryan (June 18, 2019). "Stock car racing turns 70: Richard Petty recalls wild first race in 1949". ESPN.com. from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
6. "279 - Richard Petty: The King". Player.fm. Dirty Mo Media. from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
7. 1959: Petty's photo finish 2009-08-21 at the Wayback Machine; Mark Aumann, Turner Sports Interactive; January 9, 2003; Retrieved October 24, 2007
8. "Petty surprised with piece of grandfather's past | Official Site of NASCAR". from the original on 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2019-08-25.

External links

• Lee Petty driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• [1]

Sporting positions
Preceded by Herb Thomas Buck Baker	NASCAR Grand National Champion 1954 1958, 1959	Succeeded by Tim Flock Rex White
Achievements
Preceded by None	Daytona 500 Winner 1959	Succeeded by Junior Johnson